Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A man leaves his house, gently closing the wooden door so as not to disturb the residents who are still sleeping. He has a course in mind, but is not really sure in going there. His nearly white hair is waving by the winter wind, making him shiver and snuggle up in his thick coat which probably is older than his oldest son, and he begins to walk away from the small house.

The sudden idea of returning home, where his children awate for him and cover up with them from the infernal cold, comes to mind. But, before he can stop his tracks, he obliges himself to keep walking. This is something that he has been doing since he was young, and the weather, with which he was born and raised, will not stop him.

He enters the small forest that surrounds the village, climbing the hills where nature decided to grow. Is not a long walk, he could take about an hour to arrive to his destination, but the slope of the ground, which has become more and more bothersome for his knees over the years, and when he has to surround or jump a fallen log or dead animal, make him take the double of time.

The wrinkles on his face get more pronounced by his thoughts when the doubt comes up again. He doesn't want to, but knows that he has to go.

He has heard from some locals about the precious and useful objects that can be found in that lonely and sad place, in which the entry has been completely forbidden because of the great danger that abounds in it.

No one has entered, at least not that he knows of, but legends about what that village died for in the first place is actually still alive are enough to chase away any curious person who decides to visit it.

He doesn't consider himself a scary cat, nevertheless, it wouldn't be of his liking to run into those creatures that terrorized the neighboring village almost three years back. Werewolves, vampires, water monsters, demon possessed dolls..., something pretty unbelievable, but which is better not to play with.

However, his current situation doesn't allow him to cower before some simple rumors from bored and gossipy neighbors. He can't make his children spend one more day starving, not with his little girl getting weaker by her illness, not with his eldest son trying to bring the bread home, doing a task that doesn't corresponds to him but his father. So, finding at least a pot that he can sell will be more than enough.

He finishes climbing the highest point of the hill with difficulty, his lungs struggling to fill with air and his knees screaming for a break, but the hardest part is finally over.

He stops for a moment to contemplate the view before him. It's horrible. An enormous crater has formed in the middle of the village, making the ground completely burned and black, at least what he achieves to see under all that snow that hasn't stopped falling since the last three days. There's no trees standing, and what remains are wood scraps piled up randomly in the crater and some logs that managed to hold thanks to their big size. The five houses that can be seen are totally or partially destroyed, and it would be lucky of him to find anything more than ashes.

He could go to the castle, but it would be a nightmare to find an entrance and don't make the ceiling fall above him.

He could try the factory in the distance, but it looks just as demolished as the castle.

Suddenly, his courage to find something vanishes. Either way, he's already there and returning home without even checking the houses would be a total waste of time and effort.

With that in mind, he adjusts his coat and, letting out a sigh that reflects his frustrations, he starts to descend the hill.

Get to land is not a difficult task, thank God and the path that traces where to go.

Although from above he couldn't see for sure what was inside the village, now he can confirm that there is nothing left. Only a flat land, where flames reached at some point, and dead plants.

He walks to the first house, which is the furthest from the center of the crater, and he enters from the huge opening that is where possibly before was a window, being careful not to lean entirely on the frail walls. His feet make a creak on the wooden floor that bothers the ceiling, making some dust particles and small pieces of wood fall at his feet. Vasile doesn't flinch, he lets the dirt impregnate his clothes, being used to it since young.

There is mainly trash, burned and imposible to fix objects, and pieces of fabric from tablecloths, curtains or clothing of their previous owners, that are possibly dead since two years ago.

Vasile continuous his search, without success. He walks immediately to the next closest house, and his mood rises when he manages to find two silver vessels starting to corrode and a crystal fragment that could make him earn their bread for a week, if he is able to administrate well his Lei.

He heads towards the last remain house after making sure he hasn't miss something of value in the other ones. In his way, while he adjusts on his shoulder the bag where he keeps the things he has found, that luckily would be of value once being sold and he would ensure the survival of his children for at least another month, Vasile stops his steps suddenly.

He tries to adjust his vision to what he manages to see before him by blinking a couple of times. But no, he cannot be seeing wrong, or confusing what he's seeing. And, as he approaches cautiously, he can confirm that the unconscious person on the floor is exactly that and it's not his simple imagination.

He takes a few seconds to react because, what does one do in that situation? Where one finds a corpse in the middle of a village that has spent years without a trace of souls, or worse, find a person well aware of their surroundings who will be angry to see a stranger stealing their few belongings. He definitely prefers the former. And he immediately apologizes to God for preferring it.

Either way, he realizes that this situation is purely unique as he approaches the body, confusion and curiosity only ramping up his eagerness to go to it.

He notices that it is a boy as he stands a meter from him. His skin is as white as the snow that falls on his body. He's thin, and young, could not be more than 20 years. But, Vasile notices than there's no hint of hair, not even on his head or his private parts, and it would be the most noticeable characteristic of the guy if not for the clear presence of a strange black matter under him.

Although everything around the village is black because of the ashes, he sees a difference between them and this thing in front of him. It even looks alive since he swears he can hear how it gurgles, he thinks in some moment it could start to move.

The boy's chest goes up and down slowly, suggesting a deep sleep. Suddenly, he forgets about his desire for him being a corpse.

"Hey, boy", Vasile calls for him outloud, trying to get his attention. He squats and taps lightly on his chest with his right hand. But he doesn't react.

From one moment to another, reality hits like a cold water bucket. He just ran into somebody, who is alive, in the middle of a ghost village, in the snow, and completely naked. He could wait some more minutes and the "alive" quality can be vanished if he lets him there in the cold winter. Vasile, almost by instinct, lets fall his found objects somewhere on the ground and he quickly takes off his wool coat which twenty years ago was made by his late wife for, with the same quickness, cover the boy's nudity with what the garment can afford.

He stays still once more looking at the body. Well, he has covered him, but it's still cold in the environment, like, a lot. The wool coat would not help much until he wakes up, and it possibly would never happen if Vasile lets him lying there. Vasile starts to dispair at not knowing what to do. He clearly can't ask for help, and the stupidest idea he can think of is the most feasible at the moment, if he wants to save the young man.

It doesn't take long for him to decide to do it. Someway he manages to lift the guy's body on his arms. He gets surprised by how light he is since he's not really a small person. But what surprises him the most is notice the body heat that he gives off. It would be impossible to die of hypothermia if his temperature has maintain like that since he arrived to that place, which could be some hours from then. The lack of snow and humidity over his body can explain this: he has melt the small ices with his own heat.

Vasile tries to ignore the viscous substance under the boy displaying from his body with difficulty, as if it doesn't want to let him go. Once carrying him in his arms, that black thing seems to calm down, even turning more and more opaque each second that passes where it was shining by the reflections of the sun before.

He starts to walk down the pathway that led him there. The wind is blowing harder, making the cold even more deathly.

The man has a fast pace, at least what his weak knees allow him to go. And all of a sudden, as if time had passed in the blink of an eye, he founds himself just outside his land. Vasile knows that it is impossible, he felt the walk just like when he first ventured there, from flat land to up and down the hill, but this time, despite the extra weight on his arms, he feels accompanied by a lightness that allowed him take the path faster, like he was still in his young twenties.

He realizes that not even the cold has bothered him anymore once he began his journey back home, no matter how low the temperature.

Either way, Vasile remembers that he's not as young as he feels at the moment.

Almost home, when he's passing by the cow pen where his two remaining cows are, all skin and bones for lack of food, and lying on the ground, for both cold and insufficient energy, Vasile's knees finally give in and he falls to the ground. He lies softly the boy's body in front of him before his arms fail too.

At that moment, the house's door opens and Ivantie, his oldest son, comes out, surely attracted by the groan that escaped from Vasile as he fell.

"Tată!", the young man yells at seeing Vasile, quickly approaching him.

"Hurry up, we gotta protect him from the cold."

Ivantie is confused. Who the hell is this stranger that his father brought home? But is not the moment to make questions, this guy is naked and could be frozen by the cold.

He takes the stranger on his arms with great ease that makes his father jealous. The older stands up, rejecting his son's outstretched hand to help him, and they walk home together.

The mooing of the cows catches Vasile's attention, watching in fascination as they stand on all fours starting to follow them, when yesterday, as he noticed that they no longer ate or stood up, he resigned himself to letting them die. Returning his gaze to the front, he decided to think about it later.

***

"Who's that? Why did you bring him?", Ivantie asks once he put the boy to bed, under all the sheets they could find.

The room is small and dark. On the opposite side is Anca, the younger of the family, lying on bed and sleeping, just like she has been doing the last weeks, especially in more recent days.

"I went to the north village..."

"What?! Without telling me? Father, something could've happened to you. You yourself have told me about the rumors of that place."

"Son..., I had to go. There are still some things that we can resell on the market. I found two fragments of crystal and..."

Vasile stops himself , suddenly remembering something. He left the bag with all the founded objects right where he found the stranger. At that moment he can just hit his forehead with his hand, cursing his carelessness. He'd have to walk back there for them, if another looter hasn't found them yet.

"Doesn't matter anymore", sighing he changes subject to what is of interest. "I was returning home when I saw him lying on the ground, in this condition. I have no idea of who he is, or how did he arrive there, but I couldn't just left him there, alone. If I did it, he would be dead."

"For now I will put aside your stubbornness in behaving as if you were Anca's age. I can't even comprehend how you could bring him here with your knees hurting, but thank God nothing bad happened to you."

Vasile can feel his son's frustration. He planned going to the village and return before his son woke up to avoid this discussion. But he understands, and knows than Ivantie is right. It was pretty reckless of him. Even though Ivantie is twenty-two and is able to take care of himself, in the case of Anca it is totally different. The girl just turned thirteen and, having her illness, that doesn't even allow her to gain strength to speak and much less get up from bed, it's very difficult to take care of her. Vasile can't even think about how would Ivantie manage to maintain himself and his suffering little sister in case he no longer exist for them.

"Do you think he's from that village?" Ivantie continuous.

"Maybe, but we can't be so sure. He could be a looter."

Ivantie walks away from his bed to his father, where both stand watching the stranger with a question mark on their faces.

"Son", says Vasile, "everything is so weird. He looks weird. He has no trace of hair on his body."

"He was born like this, maybe" says Ivantie shrugging.

"It could be but...", Ivantie tilts his head, remembering what he found the young man lying on. "I found him lying on the ground, but under him there was this black, sticky spot. And when I pick him up that thing got glued to him for some seconds, as if it had arms, until it finally let him go and went back to the ground. But then it looked like it was drying, as if the boy was what gave it life.

At this point of the story, Ivantie started to think that his father was delirious. Did he touch some poisonous herb in his way? He turns to Vasile dismayed, and before he can voice his concern he hears a small voice coming from the other side of the room.

"Tată? Who is he?"

Father and son turn to see each other, surprised by what they just heard. And, turning to Anca, their surprise escalates to the sky at seeing her sitting on her bed, without even getting help from them to do it.

"Oh, Anca, darling. How are you feeling? Are you nauseous? Do you want to go to the bathroom?..."

Her father and brother continue to bombard her with questions, but the little girl only can look at the stranger. She feels a great curiosity to know who he is, but something deep inside her tells her to wait, that it's not the right time to know, yet. She ignores what her family said and turns to see them both.

"I'm hungry."

Vasile feels he could cry.

Chapter Text

Days pass quickly after the arrival of the stranger to Vasile's home. It was supposed to increase his stress and concern from having one more mouth to feed, but surprisingly it was the opposite.

From the day of the blond's arrival, Vasile has been completely sure that luck to his family came with him, because from the moment he took the guy in his arms, he could feel a big change both within himself and in his little world.

Things took a turn in small steps. It all started in his own body: the pain in his knees which was part of his life for ten years and with whom he had had to get used to spending his days, perhaps even to death, had vanished completely. Vasile couldn't believe it. The man couldn't remember his body without pain, pain that not even the strongest of all medicine could eliminate, but, from one day to another the impossible, according to the doctors, had happened.

In other hand, seeing their lively, hungry and active cattle the next morning left father and son speechless. Their energy only was increasing with each increasing day. Vasile got worried about having to maintain the cattle well fed and in proper condition now that they seem to have one more chance to live, so it was Ivantie who went to the abandoned village to pick up the objects that his father had left discarded. With the proceeds from the sales of the found metals and glass, the family secured some decent meals and hay to feed the cows.

And, what was most important and was cause of surprise and celebration in the small family, the awakening of little Anca after days of not giving response. Anca grew stronger as the days went by, it even seemed as if that terrible disease was leaving her body, a thought that would make Vasile cry every night, just remembering that the hopes that his daughter would recover a little of her health were minimal, and even impossible. But it had happened, when before, Vasile would willingly give his health and own life with the objective that Anca would be well, according to the night talks that the man had with his God. But it wasn't necessary to do neither of the two, if it had been possible from the beginning, because now father and daughter were fine, word that wasn't mentioned inside the family for years.

The old village doctor, Ionut, was called to check both of them, the girl and the stranger, also being quite disconcerted by the image that the family gave him that day, being that weeks ago Anca suffered from even sitting up in bed, the doctor suddenly found her having breakfast at the table and laughing at something her older brother was telling her. This was not only a family celebration, but also a celebration for the whole town.

"I can't say that Anca is completely cured," mentions the old man in front of the door of the house, next to Vasile, far from ears that may be snooping. "This is something i have never seen. It is very good to see her so active after months of being in bed and it shows us a hopeful path for her evolution, but I recommend you take her to the city hospital so that they can do a deeper check-up. Just seeing the outside can't mean much, we need to be sure the disease is gone."

Seeing Vasile crestfallen, Ionut put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's just to make sure. Don't lose heart, Vasile, the girl will get better."

"I know. It's just that, with all the excitement, I hadn't considered that the return of her health isn't a fact yet", the doctor saw him with empathy, although Vasile translated it as pity, and before he could say anything else, Vasile changed the subject. "What do you say about the boy?"

"I'm not completely sure about him. He looks healthy, but is strange that he hasn't woken up. Are you sure you haven't seen activity in him?"

"Absolutely. Ivantie and I take turns keeping an eye on him and Anca, but he hasn't moved a muscle."

"It's strange. But his pulse sounds strong and in a normal range, his pupils respond to light, he's not underweight... I can't find anything that tells us to worry, he just seems to be in a very deep sleep," the doctor looks towards the window of the house, wanting to return and make sure again of the young man's conditions. "Either way, keep an eye on his situation and his vital signs like I taught you. You know where to find me."

After a quick goodbye from both of them, Ionut walked out of the property. It was not the last doctor's visit. He continued to go every week to calm the anxiety of father and son. And, fortunately, the condition of Anca and the stranger remained stable and improved over time.

The visit to the city hospital did not take long to wait. Vasile took his daughter with his nerves to the surface, fearing a pessimistic result in the studies and analyzes of the little girl, but, to everyone's relief, Anca was healthier than ever, showing that no disease inhabited the girl's body.

The second time the same results were given: Anca is healthy and will live many more years. The father cried after knowing this.

***

Life at home continues a course that no one is used to but that they are happily willing to endure. Anca continues to recover and gain more weight with each week, reflected in her plump and flushed cheeks. Ivantie gets up excited very early in the morning to attend to the cattle, in whom you can also see an increase in weight and more energy, just like in Anca, a task that years ago he would carry out with all the reluctance in the world. Vasile, for his part, realizes that he can go further ways to sell his cheese, something that he can now do with ease and brings greater benefits to the family. The father is absent all morning while Ivantie stays to take care of the house, the animals, his sister and now the boy who seems to be part of the family too.

Although initially he was against cradling a stranger who was in totally strange conditions, over the months Ivantie has learned to accept it, both out of pity and gratitude.

Ivantie has never been a believer in miracles or supernatural powers. Contrary to his father, he is quite skeptical on these types of issues despite the culture and tradition that surrounds him since he was a child. However, he cannot deny that the young man's arrival served as a catalyst for all the good luck that suddenly befell them. Maybe it was a big coincidence, or maybe he was the one who caused all that (although he doesn't want to think too much about the latter), but either way, Ivantie would make it his business to show his appreciation by cleaning, feeding, and protecting him every day of his life. Although it is an exhausting task.

He realizes that the care the boy needs is the same as his little sister required when she was sick. He doesn't know him, he doesn't know where he comes from, he doesn't even know his name, but he absolutely doesn't want this man to go through what Anca had to go through for a couple of years, and what he and his father would consequently have to go through as his caretakers. That is why every day he wants him to wake up; he speaks to him whenever he is near him to let him know that he is not alone and to encourage him to fight to wake up so that everyone in his family can be okay, and promises that he will continue to care of him even after he regains consciousness. But the young man, whose blond hair starts to look longer every day, doesn't answer.

That's why, two months after his arrival, when the snow has completely melted and the plants are growing and blooming again, Ivantie is amazed to see the stranger's green eyes open on their own, at last.

He is in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for his little sister while she draws next to the blond young man. Ivantie manages to hear some muttering coming from Anca, who is clearly telling the boy something, an activity she has become a fan of over the last few weeks. When she thinks that nobody is listening, she talks to him in whispers, even if she doesn't receive an answer. Ivantie pretends not to notice her, for fear that her sister will stop doing it, because he sees her unrequited talks beneficial for her, because she doesn't get bored, and for the blond, so that he knows that he is not alone.

He thinks he hears phrases like "take your time" and "they'll be happy to see you", but he doesn't take them very seriously; his sister has always had a great imagination.

He continues to stir the eggs in the pan with the spatula when he feels a small hand gently grasp the hem of his sweater.

"Brother."

"What is it, Anca?"

"Come with me."

"I'm busy right now, give me a minute. You don't want your breakfast to burn."

Exactly one minute passes and noticing that the eldest did not pay attention to his call, she takes his sweater again.

"Brother."

"Come with me, please?"

"Honey, if I leave this, the eggs will burn and we can't waste food. Tell me what you need, I'll be with you in a minute."

"Brother, I think he needs help."

"What?"

Ivantie turns behind him, to see his sister who is frowning, concerned. He follows with his eyes the finger with which she points towards the room where the blond is. No longer caring about the food, Ivantie turns off the stove and removes the pan from the burner, hurrying into the bedroom.

On the short journey he imagines the worst. Like the stranger has stopped breathing or has disappeared, either makes his heart beat so hard in order to get out of his chest. But when he finally arrives, it's all in place, counting, thank heavens, the man on his bed, with the difference that this time he's not as asleep as the last time he checked on him.

Ivanti feels chills run through his body as the boy surveys him with his green eyes, now wide open for the first time.

Ivantie immediately drops to his knees beside the blond, running a hand over the short locks and feeling their softness. "Hey... you're awake," is the first thing he says to him. A good way to make first introductions, he thinks.

He receives no response. The boy looks at him with confusion, without saying a single word, but also without moving away from the caresses on his head. "Hey, I'm Ivantie. This is Anca," he says pointing to himself and the young girl behind him, who waves her hand at the stranger with glee. A hint of a smile reaches the blond's lips as he sees Anca. "Do you remember your name?"

Still no answer. He watches him with the same confusion and curiosity as before, seeing his lips move as he speaks, clearly not understanding what he is saying.

"Your name...?" He repeats, this time trying with English. The stranger raises an eyebrow and opens his mouth, but he only makes a small noise before closing it again.

"He can not speak?" Anca whispers in his ear.

"I'm not sure," he can't communicate by sign language to prove it, but he truly believes that the stranger can't understand anything he says. "We have to wait for dad, okay? Stay with him, I'll go finish breakfast."

Ivantie leaves the room with the stranger's eyes following him the entire way. He then fixes his gaze on Anca. They both share a smile.

Minutes later, Ivantie returns to the room carrying plates and drinks with Anca's help. To his surprise, the blond is sitting up in bed, when Ivantie thought it would be more difficult for him to move after being in bed for so many months. They eat breakfast together, Ivantie mouth-feeding the stranger. He doesn't know if it's a good idea to feed him right after he wakes up from his coma, but the blond doesn't complain and seems very hungry if the fervor with which he reaches for the spoon and swallows the porridge is any indication.

When the siblings speak, the man follows their conversation with his eyes. He seems to hear and see very well. He occasionally imitates words they say through babbling. Ivantie still doesn't know if he's mute, but he can't rule out the possibility.

He seems to like Anca a lot, always smiling at everything she tells him, even if he doesn't understand her. Ivantie believes that he is comfortable with her having always heard her voice while he slept. He reflects a certain closeness and familiarity with her.

"Dad will be very happy to see you awake," Anca says as her brother has gone to wash the dirty dishes. "I hear him every night praying for you, when before he used to pray for me, but now I'm fine and you needed it more than me."

The young man is still sitting up in bed, his back to the wall, holding a doll Anca lent him, stroking the soft blond strands that adorn the toy baby's head. He is very focused on doing this, hardly paying attention to Anca, but she doesn't care much about it.

"Dad wants us to take care of you like you're part of the family," she adds. "I think he loves you like you're his son too. That doesn't bother me, or Ivantie. I like having another older brother."

The boy looks up from the doll and smiles at Anca when he sees her smiling.

"Don't you know your name?" The blond is still smiling. "I've heard dad call you Înger. Can I call you that?" Seeing the boy's smile widen, Anca takes that as a positive response.

When Vasile arrives home, luckily having sold all the cheese, an excited Anca is waiting for him at the door, ready to tell him the good news. Vasile greets them with surprise, not having expected his sudden awakening, but grateful that it happened after a long wait.

When he sees the boy awake for the first time, the happiness that Vasile feels is great, almost compared to that day when his little daughter began to heal.

He approaches the blond who looks at him curiously and with half-closed eyes, showing tiredness from being awake for so long after being asleep for months, and placing a hand on his flushed cheek, he greets him.

"Welcome to the family, son."

Chapter Text

Getting out of bed was really difficult for the blond once they realized that the best thing for his body was to stretch it, plus he couldn't spend his whole life wearing adult diapers when his body was already capable of containing... everything. But they did not count on the fact that his body memory to walk had completely disappeared. He wasn't crippled, Înger could move his legs freely and he could stand (for a few seconds), but it was as if he just didn't know how to walk and had to learn from scratch. Like a baby. Which explained a lot of things, like the lack of hair on his body the first few months, the inability to speak, and the nakedness in which Vasile found him that first day. Though that didn't explain why this was happening in the first place.

But there was no problem. That's why Vasile, Ivantie and Anca were willing to help him, serving as support for the blond every time he wanted to get out of bed. He started taking small steps and most of his weight was carried by whoever was helping him at the time, being mostly Ivantie being the strongest of the family. For several days they stayed like this, making Înger get out of bed at least five times a day, as therapy. Until he was finally able to take a few steps without the help of the family, with Vasile's eyes following him and smiling like when Anca and Ivantie started walking as babies without the help of mom or dad. It was a couple more days until he was able to support one foot after another without fear of falling and began to walk normally.

The young man was also glad that he had achieved this. He could now be out of bed most of the day, he could sit down to eat in the dining room with the family, and he could go out to the fields to pet the animals and watch Ivantie and Anca work, although just to see, because they still wouldn't let him help with the farm chores. Dr. Ionut had ordered at least one more month of rest and learning. Înger didn't really understand those words, but listening to Vasile's resounding "no" every time he picked up a hoe, rake, or pick, he was able to understand that his job, for now, was to sit back and look pretty. The problem for the family came when they realized that, after being able to move on his own, there was no force on earth that could stop him.

In addition to learning to walk, the blond had yet to learn to speak. They completely ruled out the fact that he was mute because Înger imitated very well what those around him said, being Anca -to the joy and pride of the aforementioned- his first word.

He still has a hard time remembering and understanding certain words, but fortunately Înger learns quickly, so three months after waking up -and five after arriving at the Moise's house- the young blond can easily communicate with the family members.

Anca has been the one who has supported him the most in this, lending him her old elementary school books and talking to him every second of the day, especially in the mornings, when Vasile is away from home regularly, before he arrives and orders the girl to give the guy a little room.

He laughs. "You know you don't bother me at all, right? I love when you talk to me," he tells her in perfect Romanian when he sees the girl's pout, which immediately disappears with his words turning the pout into a big smile.

Happily, Anca goes to look for colors to continue one of the many drawings of the blond man she has made.

One morning, the eldest of the family decided to stay at the insistence of his children so that he could rest his legs for a day. Anca and Ivantie were inside the house, doing chores, while Vasile and Înger were outside, Vasile working and the blond keeping him company.

"Hand over the water hose, son" Vasile tells him in his naturally gravelly voice, to which Înger obeys immediately.

Once having left the long hose in the hands of the older man, Înger returns to sit on the floor, where Anca places a blanket every day so that the blond is comfortable. His attention is totally focused on the little white cat on his lap, the one that makes Vasile angry for leaving some of his dead and bloody prey in front of the door or on Înger's bed a couple of times a week if they are not careful to close the door's house, as a gift for the aforementioned.

"I'm glad you didn't see this place before you arrived," Vasile says as he waters the nearby fields. "Everything was pure earth, at any time of the year, despite our efforts to sow. But look at it now, the wheat grows strongly, even Anca's camellias are beginning to come out, although five months ago we thought they were dead, like everything in this farm. That's why we call you Înger..."

"I know, Dad. You've already told me many times."

At his response, Vasile lets out a raucous laugh.

"And I'll never get tired of saying it. You'll be sick of me all the time for reminding you that you're an angel to my family. Be thankful we don't call you Straniu, because that's what you are too," they both laugh, a slight blush adorning the blond's cheeks. "Whatever. You're awake, you're walking, you're talking, but there's still a long way to go," Vasile doesn't need to mention the rest.

"I still have to remember."

"That's right. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy having you here, treating you like my own blood, but surely there are people out there looking for you and wanting you to come home to them."

Seconds later Vasile could see the blond quieter than usual, so he tried to correct his mistake. "But there's no rush. Everything in due time, Ionut already said it. Memories will come back to you suddenly, although we don't know when. But they will come, you just have to be patient."

The blond turns behind him when he hears the door of the house open.

"Dad, we're going to the market now, we'll be right back."

Before Ivantie leaves, Înger stops him by asking Vasile and not expecting an affirmative answer, "Can I come with them?"

Ivantie and Vasile exchange glances. The son shrugs one shoulder.

Actually, Înger has never left the house, because it is something that the patriarch has prohibited, for his safety, as he answers every week that the siblings go to the market and Înger asks him the same question. And it's true, Vasile really fears for the blond, because while it's not a dangerous town, at not being used to it, people and places can become overwhelming.

It's a stupid excuse, he knows, his son has told him so. He also fears that, once he leaves the house, memories will suddenly come to Înger and he would want to return to his real family. But that will never be said out loud. Vasile knows he has no rights over the blond.

Vasile thinks about it for a few more seconds, but seeing the blond looking at him that way, with his eyes of a forever sad and scared puppy, he knows that the best thing is for him to go and finally get to know the town and its people in all its extension, and not only the few people who have heard of his existence and come to visit him from time to time to entertain him for a while and bring him gifts.

"Okay, you can go."

"For real?" Înger is incredulous. After so many times asking the same question, the father finally allows him to go out.

"Yes! Now go before I change my mind," he doesn't need to repeat it twice, because before he even finishes the sentence Înger has already disappeared through the door.

"I think we'll be back late," Ivantie warns. Now with the addition of Înger to the little trip, he will surely want to explore the whole town.

"I know, don't worry," his father replies with a sigh. "Just do come back."

Less than five minutes later, the three siblings have left the house heading for the center of town. Ivantie and Anca laugh with delight as Înger is amazed at everything he sees, as if he has entered a whole new world. It seems totally strange to Anca, because it is just bushes, trees and a dirt road, the one that she has walked all her life. There is nothing impressive about it. But the blond acts as if they were walking through a fairytale forest.

Arriving at the town center, where merchants gather to sell handicrafts, food, or things brought from outside, where all the time it is full of people buying, leaving the bar, the library, or a lot of children playing in the green park, Înger's emotion can be felt and confirmed by all who turn to take a quick look to him.

Anca doesn't let go of his hand at any time during the tour, on her brother's orders, out of fear that the blond might lose his way. “It's all so wonderful!,” he exclaims, taking in his surroundings carefully as Ivantie buys vegetables from a stall.

"It's just a market," Anca says innocently.

"You are just a market," he scoffs at her, making her laugh.

"I need to do a couple more purchases, and then we'll be free," Ivantie approaches them, loading a couple of full sacks into a wheelbarrow. "What place do you want to visit once I'm over, Înger?"

The blond thinks a little about the options he has. He would like to go everywhere, it is a small place, but the truth is that the number of people with businesses there is impressive. He might visit the library first, maybe borrow a book to expand his vocabulary.

Before he can answer, someone is heard saying Ivantie's name and quickly a couple of people walk up to them. He recognizes them as Mihaela and Catalina, mother and daughter who have gone to the Moise's house both to see the evolution of Anca, since Catalina is her best friend, and to visit the new member of the family, intrigued by his origins.

The two girls share a strong hug, while the older ones begin to chat.

"How have you guys been? How's your father?"

"Everything is going very well, Mihaela. My father stayed home taking care of the farm, he is fine, thanks for asking."

"I'm glad, honey. Haven't you had any problems?" Noticing that the last question was directed at him, the blond looked away from the crowd to pay attention to the kind woman.

"No, I think I'm doing good..."

"He's settled in perfectly," Ivantie adds at his partner's lack of words. Înger thanks him with a look and they both share a smile.

"Let's hope everything stays like this, darling. I assure you that you'll recover one hundred percent soon. Catalina and I thought we'd visit you one of these days to bring your a dessert, but since you're here... And tell me, how is Anca's health?"

After these words, knowing that they would plunge into a long talk about the girl's health -that was fortunately wonderful-, and seeing that she and her friend were focused on talking about their own gossip, the blond suddenly felt displaced. It didn't bother him, he understood that there was a decades-long friendly relationship between them, plus he couldn't understand most of what they talked about, so he couldn't demand their attention when he wasn't the most important thing in that place.

So, seeing them engrossed in their talks, the green-eyed man decided to spend his time -the well-known long minutes that they would last chatting- taking a tour of the market by himself. They wouldn't miss him anyway.

He began by seeing the closest stalls, trinkets where the managers didn't even turn to see him, until little by little he moved away from his adoptive family as discreetly as possible. Unfortunately he had no money with him, he would very much like to buy Anca a small wooden doll, because its short brown hair, blue eyes and the white color of its dress reminded him a lot of the girl. Maybe he would later ask Ivantie for money to give his little sister that cute toy.

He didn't even notice when he was no longer near the siblings. Unintentionally, he had wandered far enough away from them, reaching the last stalls of the market, where the products for sale were of foreign origin or simply rare things that hardly anyone in town was interested in buying. Still, being the curious soul that he is, the blond began to snoop around each stall, earning weird looks from the vendors, knowing that he was only going to take a look out of curiosity and not with the goal of buying something.

"Hey!," a vendor suddenly called out to him, giving him quite a scare by being so focused on the objects in front of him, "How about you take this knife? Give me two thousand Lei for it."

Looking at the knife that was offered to him, he could notice the old and corroded blade. It was clearly worth nothing, even if he had the money to pay for it.

"No, thank you," he replied kindly and walked away from the stall and thus from the old merchant. But that was not enough for the man, because as if he had accepted the purchase and had left him with the weapon outstretched and without payment, he went after the blond.

"Okay, give me a thousand Lei. And be thankful, kid, because in this price I'm pretty much gifting it to you."

"I already told you no, sir, thank you."

Moving away from the man a little faster, he finally reached the last stall of the market.

"Come on, just buy it. It looks that you have money," he insisted, but this time threateningly approaching the blond with the knife in his hand and pointing it at him.

Who did this guy think he was? "Please stay away from me," Înger demanded firmly, the man was just a drunk clearly scaring people into buying him some of the junk he was carrying around, although he was actually trembling inside for fear that the stranger would dare to hurt him with the weapon.

"Ciprian, leave the young man alone." Says the merchant from the last stall.

With a simple glance at the merchant, Ciprian quickly moves away from the blond, but not before spitting at his feet.

"How disgusting," Înger murmurs as he watches the guy walk away.

"That's how he is. But don't you think that everyone in these lands is the same. There are many kind and good-hearted people."

"I know. I live with three of those people." The blond shares a smile with the merchant, and proceeds to look at the products on the table.

"Seeking something in particular?" the big man asks.

"Oh? No, actually. I don't have any money with me, I slipped away from my siblings to look around a bit."

The merchant laughs. He sees him reaching behind him with his arm and pulling out a stuffed monkey. "Here," he says, handing him the toy.

"I'm sorry, I really don't have anything to pay with."

"This one's on me. Come on, feel free to take it."

The blond feels his face hot. He is embarrassed to accept the item without paying, but seeing that the merchant does not waver, he finally accepts the stuffed animal.

Before he has time to thank him, he hears Anca's high-pitched voice yell, "I see him, brother!" followed by "Blondie! Where have you been?" by Ivantie.

"I have to go, thanks for this," he turns to go back the way he came, but the merchant's voice stops him.

"Of course, your family awaits you. Take care, Ethan Winters."

Without further ado, the blond replays: "Thank you, Duke. See ya."

He returns to his family, where a relieved Anca, carrying the pie that Mihaela gave them before the blond left, and an annoyed Ivantie await for him. "Why did you walk away like that?"

Trying to explain to them that his escape was without bad intentions, the three siblings load the things they bought and take the road that will take them home with their father, while the blond happily tells them about his experience in the market.

"... then, the guy continued to insist," he says totally outraged halfway, where they can already see the farm in the distance. "He was threatening me with the very same weapon he was trying to sell me."

Anca laughed at what he was telling her, taking the green-eyed experience as the best joke of her life, while Ivantie couldn't believe the rude merchant's actions. He seriously thought about going back to downtown, looking for the guy and giving him a good beating for treating his brother that way.

"Lastly, he spat at my feet and just left. It was disgusting."

Anca laughed even louder. Înger should be offended by the younger girl's reaction, but now he also saw it as the most ridiculous thing in the world. Ivantie was still upset. "And what did you say to him to make him leave?" asked the brunette as she wiped away a tear.

"Besides making it very clear that I wouldn't buy his stupid rusty knife? Nothing!" Anca laughed so loudly that even she was surprised. "It was the Duke who told him to go away."

"Who' the Duke?" Ivantie questioned, still frowning. The blond really wanted to massage the wrinkle on his forehead with his thumb, so that he would leave his bad mood behind.

"The merchant..."

Here, the man was silent for a good minute, clearly thinking about what had happened in the center of town. His laughter ceased, as did his footsteps.

The siblings continued walking a few more steps, until Anca, laughing, realized that the blond was no longer following them. She turned back and saw the older man with a paler face than usual. "Înger, what's wrong? Why are you stopping?"

"I'm Ethan," he whispers through his trance.

"What?" Ivantie's heart finally recognizes something more than just annoyance, transforming it into concern for his protégé.

"Guys, I think... I think my name is Ethan Winters."

The siblings look at him in surprise. Ethan looks at them with a bit of fear and uncertainty.

In the midst of the deathly silence, while they continue to process all the events, especially the blond, a scream breaks them out of their trance. "You remember your name!"

Anca's face is pure happiness, covering her mouth with both hands in disbelief. She quickly walks over to Ethan, hugging him so tightly that his body is pushed back. Ivantie is still behind Anca, both hands gripping the handles of the wheelbarrow, not knowing what to do next.

The family has been helping Ethan throughout the process of healing, leaving aside the question of his memory a bit. He came home with the soul of a baby. Innocent, pure, with a lifetime of experiences ahead. Even Anca was more experienced at her short thirteen years than the young blond man who appears to be around twenty-five.

The family, the doctor, the friends and everyone in town who knew of the blond's existence had long days to theorize where he came from. Most said that he was a simple looter who suffered an accident while stealing from the abandoned houses of the northern town, others surmised that he was the lost son of one of the town's families (although after a visit, they were able to confirm that it was not him, because he looked very young, to the misfortune of the miserable family), but Ivantie knew that those were fallacies. A guy like him couldn't have a past as simple as the one his neighbors speculated about. And, now, having knowledge of the foreign name the blond had, he could confirm his own theories. Without further ado, he left the things on the floor and approached his two siblings to surround them in a strong hug. Moments later he felt the blond's arms wrap around his waist.

Now there was a long way to go and find out who the hell Ethan Winters really was.

Chapter Text

Hours before, the cold was such that it could be felt to the depths of being. He had no idea why he decided to move his home to a place so unfriendly to his health. He saw his companions shivering with cold, while he tried to ignore it by keeping himself busy with the mission.

Now, the cold had disappeared being in the middle of a battlefield, with explosions making the earth rumble, bursts of bullets traveling through the air and everyone's bodies full of sweat from not having stopped moving for two days. He had had larger fights and with more losses throughout his career, but this one having place was the heaviest, the most painful and the one that would surely make him regret every decision he had made even before he got to this hellish place.

But, after those two days, it could finally be seen a light of hope at the end of the tunnel.

"Ethan!" He screamed as hard as he could, with the intention of making the named come to his call.

There he was, he could see him from afar, as beautiful as always, finally holding his two-year-old kid. Ethan was kneeling on the floor, head down. Chris' heart started beating so hard. His entire body trembled, and this time it wasn't from the cold.

"Ethan!" he finally reached him. He could finally touch him with his hands without being afraid of ruining the mission, because everything was already finished. "Come on, Ethan. Come on, love, wake up!"

Chris tried to get him to his feet. Ethan didn't answer, and he could see right in front of his eyes the megamycete growing with each passing second. "Oh no," he murmured, shaking his fiancé's body into awareness, until he finally heard his beautiful voice calling his name. His gaze couldn't help but drop to Ethan's right hand, where it was turning to dust.

There was no problem, they surely could fix it. Chris could take Ethan to Rebecca after he took him and Rose to safety, she should have the solution.

"Ethan, you did it! It's finished."

"I th-think we f-finished each oth-er," was what Ethan said, his voice cracking and clearly struggling to make any move. The only thing he managed without flinching was to support Rosemary's body with one arm, who was looking at the gloomy face of her father, totally scared by what was happening around her.

With one more loud sound of the megamycete growing, Chris had enough to pick Ethan's body up and walk quickly out of that damn place. Rosemary clung tightly to her father's neck, hiding her small face in his jacket.

An arm was firmly around Ethan's waist, afraid to let go, afraid they wouldn't make it to the waiting helicopter.

"Keep moving, Ethan. There's a bomb in that thing that'll blow this whole village sky-high!," Chris said, trying to get the blond's attention, at the same time that he squeezed the detonating device in his hand and tried to ignore the gray chunk that Ethan's hand had turned into and was dangling from Chris' broad shoulders. A little more, we're almost there. But Ethan didn't seem to pay attention.

"Hey, look at me!" he asked desperately, Ethan's head just wouldn't come up. He couldn't read what was going through his fiancé's mind like that. He raised the detonator, continuing to try to get Ethan to listen. "When I hit this trigger, we can't be anywhere near it!"

But Ethan stopped. Chris' body couldn't have trembled as much in his life as it did right then. He can't be giving up, we're almost there!

"Dammit. Mia's waiting for us!" Perhaps mentioning his daughter's mother could accomplish something. "She's alive, you hear me? Alive!"

"Mia...?" He barely managed to reply. The more the fungus grew behind them, the more Chris' heart broke into pieces. "I'm sorry, Chris... I love you... Keep Rose safe..."

The little girl looked up at her father, her eyes impossibly large. She couldn't understand what was happening. "Daddy...?"

At that moment, Ethan's weak legs finally gave out. Chris was able to catch him before he fell to the floor and took Rosemary from him, scooping her up in his arms, afraid that Ethan would fall and take the girl down with him.

Immediately afterwards he realized that it was actually Ethan who handed Rose over to him. Fear flashed in Chris' eyes. He knew what Ethan was up to, he knew him like the back of his hand. "Come on, baby, it's not that much further!"

Chris froze in place. He felt the girl's gaze on his face, before returning to see her father, and so on simultaneously. His other hand was still holding the device tightly. He saw how his partner took off his jacket to place it on his daughter's body.

"Watch over h-er," Ethan pleaded. Chris couldn't see his face, but he could see the glassy tears falling to the ground. No, please no. "Teach her to be strong."

Sure, he would, that was the plan since the three of them started to be a little family. But without Ethan...

At that moment, a large part of the fungus grew and... interposed between them. And Chris couldn't reach the love of his life.

"Goodbye, Rosemary."

The "NO!" that came out of his mouth was so loud that it must have woken up several of the neighbors. His heart was racing as fast as the day it all happened. He had such a big lump in his throat that he really feared he wouldn't be able to breathe, making it hard to swallow. A few tears gathered at the corners of his eyes and, oh yes, there was the trembling again.

Chris sat up in bed, rubbing his face with both hands and trying to catch the breath that nightmare had taken from him. But it wasn't a nightmare. It was a memory, a horrible memory of the reality of him. He turned to his left, on the bedside closest to the window, and tried to imagine the figure that belonged to that place and that even he didn't dare to occupy, as always looking for a source of comfort after having that dream.

He felt the need to look for Rose in her room, surely the girl would have woken up hearing her father's scream, and she would be scared and would want someone to comfort her with a big hug, but then he remembered that Rose wasn't there. Aunt Claire had arrived on Thursday to take her camping, taking advantage of the fact that she could freely decide going or not to TerraSave, and no one would complain.

So Chris was alone.

Years ago he would have been comfortable with this fact. He liked his solitude so much that he sought to isolate himself from other people. He liked to sink into his own misery without having someone else by his side to look at him with pity. But now, after Ethan…, loneliness was his worst enemy.

It was at times like this, when Rose wasn't around and memories came flooding back, that he couldn't feel the desire to want to move on.

He hated that dream. He hated the memory and the feelings it brought with it. But at the same time, he was glad it happened. It was as if he saw Ethan once again, as if he could touch him one last time, feel him close to his body, even though that dream always ended the same way. He had no control over his actions in those moments, even if it was all the product of his own mind, and what wouldn't he give to bring a hand to Ethan's chin and force his face to rise and be illuminated by the sun and admire his features, make his beautiful green eyes look at him one last time and absorb the remembrance of his beauty forever in his memory.

Even if he tries, he just can't remember the last time he really looked at him. That he was able to admire what was in front of him, analyze every wrinkle, every freckle, receive a warm smile from the blond. Chris only remembers anguish dressing Ethan's face during the last hours of his life.

When was the last time they met each other's gazes and he looked carefully at his pretty eyes? Was it inside the Heisenberg factory, or at the squad's hideout at the Moreau Reservoir? Was it when he nonchalantly walked into their former house to kill Mia- well, Miranda? Or was it a week before, when he'd said a quick goodbye to him and Rose, and left their home upon receiving signs of Miranda activity in the vicinity?

It hurts not knowing.

Before any more destructive thoughts invaded him, Chris got out of bed, straightened the sheets and went to find sports clothes in his closet. The clock marked five in the morning. He had slept no more than four hours, which was a record any time Rose wasn't keeping him company, but that would be enough to get him through the rest of the day.

Like every time he woke up in the last couple of days, he texted Claire asking about the girl. They wouldn't be up until maybe eight, so he wouldn't have an answer for a few hours, but he couldn't bear not asking until then.

Once having tied his sneakers, he left his room, went downstairs, took the keys, and walked out into the dark street. Right on the porch, taking advantage of the fact that no one was out to see him, he stretched his body while putting the wireless headphones on his ears and playing the first song that appeared on the screen of his cell phone. Minutes later, feeling his body more adapted to start the day, he began a calm jog that intensified with each step, until he ran as fast as his legs would allow him.

He didn't notice the sunrise, or that two hours had already passed between running, taking a few breaks, and going to a store to buy a bottle of water. There were already people outside on that quiet Sunday morning once he was going back home, this time walking and enjoying the fresh breeze and the view that his neighborhood gave him. Ethan would've loved to live there. For Chris it was not satisfying to have his home surrounded by neighbors trying to form a bond between them, for him it was better to live in an apartment without disturbances and without feeling obliged to greet anyone who turned to see him. That was more Ethan's style, being kind by nature.

"Good morning, Mr. Redfield!" Was greeted by a couple of ladies in sportswear, jogging.

"Good morning, ladies," he answered, out of sheer courtesy. Even if he didn't like it, what a pathetic person he would be if he didn't return a simple greeting said with no bad intentions.

They walked past him, and luckily he didn't see the ladies behind him giggling like high school girls at their crush. Chris would have been embarrassed and his face reddened, while Ethan would have laughed at his and the ladies' reaction. Though he wouldn't blame them. Anyone would get that way seeing the majestic Chris Redfield.

When he finally got home, the first thing he did was make himself a hot, strong, sugar-free black coffee, the way he liked them and the way he thought coffee should be enjoyed. Not like Ethan, who had them with an almost white color and three tablespoons of sugar, and for Chris that was the sweetest drink in the world; The blond didn't mind going to coffee shops and ordering big glasses of so-called coffee, cold, with whipped cream, chocolate and anything else that caused cavities.

He blinked back to the real world when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. Walking away from the kitchenette where he was leaning, he gulped down what little was left of the coffee and placed the empty mug on the sink. Claire had finally answered him.

We're going back home. Arriving at four.

-Cl. Redfield.

Oh and Leon's coming with us. Don't make weird faces.

-Cl. Redfield.

Too late, he had already made a weird face. Leon coming too meant that he would have to clean the house yes or yes -although only the visible spaces in the living room, maybe the kitchen...- when he had planned to take a shower and take a nap or watch movies until his girls arrived.

He heaved a sigh and got to work.

***

His sister, her hair freshly dyed black, arrived five minutes after four, laden with a pile of bags and her cell phone poised between her shoulder and cheek. "Send group updates once a day, stay put until you get orders from me or Jordan. And you better treat the refugees right, I don't want any more complaints about your squad."

Claire walked to the kitchen, where she left the bags, but Chris didn't pay any more attention to her because little Rose came running from the door, with an ice cream in her hand, her arms open and a huge smile. "Daddy!"

"Hello, princess!" Chris took the little girl in his arms and began to give her lots of kisses on her chubby face. Rose laughed with joy and also gave her father a few kisses on the cheeks.

Chris was very relieved to see her. He knew that it was good for her to be with more people than just him, because the girl, like Chris, was very used to being by his side 24/7 -not counting the days when Chris was sent on missions to the other side of the world- because of Chris' paranoia about losing her again. But it was only two days away from Rose, which mentally felt like 100 years. He might have to talk to his therapist about that.

Right behind the little girl Leon entered, carrying Rose's two pink suitcases. He walked over to share a handshake with Chris by way of greeting. For Chris it was not strange to see him entering his house so freely, although it was strange that his sister and his daughter went camping alone when Claire had not warned him of the company of someone else, and they had returned with the agent. This could mean that not even Claire was aware of his addition to the small group. Chris preferred not to probe. Ever since they met, those two have had a strange friendship.

"...And I won't be taking calls until Tuesday, I'm sure you're aware I'm on my days off. Anything, check with Jordan," and without waiting for an answer, Claire hung up the call. It still amazed and made Chris a little scared to see what TerraSave turned her sister into. She was a good boss, that's for sure, albeit a tough one for someone with her personality. "Hello, big brother! I missed you so much."

"Me too, little sister," he answered without really seeing her, he was more focused on accepting to try the ice cream that Rose offered him by giving it a little lick, to which the little blonde was satisfied and slipped from her father's arms to get down and go to Leon, who had taken a seat on one of the sofas, to also offer him a bite. Claire didn't care about her brother's disinterest towards her, she was used to it since the girl came into their lives, because she also ignored her brother a lot when Rose was present.

"Why don't you tell your father how much fun we had camping, Princess Rose?," Claire said, sitting down next to Leon. "Make him regret not going with us."

Following Aunt Claire's words, Rose began to elaborate on what seemed to be the best trip of her life, clearly forgetting the beach getaway she had with her dad Chris the previous summer. Chris didn't mention anything about this, the main thing was to listen to her little girl's enthusiasm while she told him about her adventures. At the same time, he was ignoring Claire's triumphant look from the couch. It didn't matter, there would be time in the future to take Rose on a far better trip than to a beach or a boring forest with waterfalls, rainbows and wild horses.

It was six o'clock in the evening while the small family chatted comfortably in the living room, so Claire and Chris set out to prepare dinner with the ingredients that the youngest Redfield had brought from the supermarket. Meanwhile, Leon and Rose were watching cartoons from the elder's cell phone, because it gave Rose more delight to use the small device than the huge flat screen in front of her. Screen that had cost Chris months of savings and that he had bought with the intention of pleasing his daughter. He still thought of ways to make the girl interested in the television, not being able to understand her preferences.

"You know," Claire said as she chopped vegetables on the table. "Thursday, at work, I had a visit from a certain person quite interested in you."

Her brother just hummed, urging her to continue but putting more interest in cutting meat into bite-size pieces.

"I don't know if she came to the facility for part of work and, you know, we ran into each other by chance. Or if it was for the sole purpose of meeting me," she said the latter in a whisper that Chris could barely hear. "Well, she mentioned that you haven't texted her in almost a week and…"

"Are you talking about Jill?"

"Thanks Chris, I didn't want to say her name out loud," she rolled her eyes at her brother's recklessness. "Anyway, she very discreetly begged me to ask you to text her back, because you still owe her a date."

"I owe her…?" Claire didn't miss the odd sigh that Chris let out. "I wouldn't mind going out with her again. On all the dates we've had…"

"So you're aware that those were dates."

"In all the reunions we've had," he corrects himself, before the fake black-haired woman says something else. "I've had a lot of fun. I've known her since I was twenty years old, she's my best friend, of course I enjoy going out with her and I would do it again without problems. But after what we've been through, what I've been through, after Rose..."

"You would go out with her again, but only as friends."

"Exactly. But she doesn't seem to get it. I don't want to lose her -I don't want to lose our friendship, of course not. But if there were more people at our next reunion, I don't know, Barry, Rebecca, you," and he sent her a look that translated to 'please, let it be you who accompanies us'. "..., I would honestly feel more comfortable."

"I understand. Now I'll know how to deal with her the next time we accidentally run into each other. Fifty years, and I still don't understand how you two can't communicate with each other," Chris laughed at the comment. The truth is that since they were young, his relationship with Jill had gone downhill for not knowing how to talk about their feelings. In their early twenties, it was because neither of them dared to confess their love for the other, and now in their fifties it was essentially the same, with the difference that only one felt love while the other tried to completely distance himself romantically from her.

"And how have you been about...everything?" Claire asked carefully. Chris felt bad about making his sister afraid of his sudden reactions, something that had become a habit about seventeen years ago when the incident at the Spencer mansion happened, and Chris would avoid the subject entirely, getting furious if anyone mentioned anything about it. It was very unfair to his little sister, who was only trying to help and support him, as well as to all the people who felt concerned towards him. Fortunately, everything was different now.

"I go every week to therapy if I can, if that's what's worrying you."

"Well, I'm glad you're still getting help. You know I'm proud of you for taking that big step," when he had gone more than forty-five years without seeking psychological help. "But tell me how are you doing, how have you been feeling?"

Chris sighed. It had been a long time since Claire had asked him this question, mainly because the last time she had, a full beer can had flown past her head and crashed into the wall behind her. There were many years of regret and apology from Chris after that, but what hasn't he already repented and apologized for? This time there was no alcohol involved, thankfully, and no sudden fits of rage. And yet the question remained difficult to answer.

He couldn't say he felt bad. Honestly, he was enjoying every minute of his life just like it was now. The presence of his sister provided calm, whether she was physically with him or with her daily calls or messages. In addition, in recent months he has taken it upon himself to reconnect with old friends with whom he had neglected his relationship for many years, because one thing was to be with them at work, and another completely different was to be with them as a friend. Jill and Barry were back; he met the old man at least once a month for a family barbecue, and Jill, well, let's just say their relationship was closer again, like old times. He also met Becca from time to time to request medical help from her on some missions and was constantly in his base's lab. He met with Sheva often for her being a special agent of the BSAA, although he no longer went to what facilities remain and was trying to convince her to start working for his organization. He also met with the Hound Wolves, because with them he carried out his work. And, of course, he could not forget Leon, who visited his home whenever he could because he had a special place in Rose's heart for the simple fact of existing, because he bought her ice cream and gifts, and because the little girl seemed to be in love with him, a fact that made Chris' father's stomach twist a little.

Everything was in order. His drinking problem had completely disappeared and he was trying to give up smoking to live a hundred years, as Claire had promised him in a talk some time ago, so he was in great health for someone his age, according to what the latest tests had thrown. Everything was fine.

But Chris knew this wasn't entirely true. There was something wrong, but it was too deep inside him to notice so easily. Oh, but Claire knew just by looking at him. Also Leon, because surely Claire told him. And he feels that sometimes Rose notices it too.

He knows that he is too old to say that kind of thing, but there is no better phrase that can explain it. And Chris is heartbroken. No, not broken. His heart is empty. At least that's how it feels.

Of course he spends moments of happiness; his daughter is the one in charge of making them. But he knows that, if Rose hadn't exist, or at least she weren't by his side, Chris would have given up long ago.

He always wants to cry. When he is left alone, with his thoughts, a big lump forms in his throat as he imagines what their lives would have been like if only Ethan was still with them. It might be the same as it is now, but with Ethan he wouldn't feel that something very important was missing. He would feel his heart complete, and all those thoughts of ending it all and finally being by his side would vanish. And he tries, he really tries so hard to put those ideas out of his mind, mainly because of Rose, because she's the only person in the world who really needs him, because he doesn't want to leave her without both of her parents because nobody better than him and his sister know what it is like to live without them. But there are times when his mind is so charged that he really fears that he won't be able to bear it.

"I feel bad, Claire. Every day, still," he answers smiling, swallowing loudly and concentrating on not crying. "But I can do it. Someday it shouldn't hurt that much."

For her part, Claire couldn't help herself and her eyes quickly filled with tears.

"Yes you can, Chris. You are strong," and the first tear began to roll down her cheek. "And you have me for the difficult days. I got your back. And you have many other people too, but I have more rights because I'm your sister."

Chris couldn't contain the small laugh he let out, touched by Claire's words. His sister wiped her tears and snot with her hands and she didn't hesitate to go to Chris to give him a bear hug from behind. "I'm very proud of you. Even if you feel like you're not making any progress, that you feel worse, I don't know..., it's not the same as at the beginning, Chris, I'm telling you because I saw you back then. And I'm so glad you're still with us. You make me so proud, brother. I love you," giving him a small kiss on the shoulder blade, Claire pulled away from him, but was immediately pulled into another tight hug as Chris turned around.

He began to think of all the scares he had given his sister throughout their lives.

First, by disappearing into Europe after the beginning of the Umbrella attacks and forcing Claire to go after him and deal with that hell.

Later, his initiation with alcoholism before the strong blow that was having lost Jill, his then girlfriend, during one of his last confrontations against Albert Wesker.

Then, applying the same defense mechanism after the death of Piers Nivans, the young man who was beginning to get inside his mind and heart and with whom he had no time to even ask him out on a date before his sacrifice.

And finally, almost ten years later, after the man he would have married had died a month before the planned date. His way of responding to that was totally different from the previous ones. Chris knew that his sister was grateful that he didn't fall back into drinking, but she didn't deserve the scare that Chris' call caused her to receive during the early hours of the morning, after he made the decision that changed his life. Or rather saved it.

Claire is an angel, one who has put up with him since she, as a newborn, met him. She deserves a better brother than Chris. One who doesn't put her life at risk, and one who doesn't want to kill himself every time he's alone.

"Don't even think about apologizing, idiot, you hear me?" she said with her face buried in her brother's chest, cutting off the words that were about to come out of his mouth, as if she could read his mind. "You've done it enough times. As long as you're alive I forgive you for all the times you've been a bad brother."

He knew that Claire was trying to lighten the mood with her comments, but Chris couldn't find the strength to laugh, because he knew that what she said was real. So he just gave her sister's black hair a couple of kisses, still smelling the dye on her. "Thank you, Claire. I love you much more than you can imagine."

A few minutes later, they were both finishing cooking, their cheeks quite red from the sibling moment, but their minds a little lighter.

Once the table was set, Leon and Rose, who couldn't stop laughing at Leon's antics, were called in for dinner. It took a while to convince Rose to eat her carrots, but she, thanks to the presence of the well-groomed man, was able to start dinner without upsetting her father and aunt too much.

The adults began a conversation as normal as possible, trying not to get into the subject of biological weapons, which seemed to be the only thing they could and knew how to talk about, especially Chris and Leon, whose relationship was not close enough to ask freely how Kennedy's girlfriend was, even though Chris didn't know there was no such girlfriend.

"Then, the protagonist has to pass himself off as the king because their resemblance is enormous, although obviously in real life it is the same actor who plays both roles," Claire said, as always being the one to lighten the mood between the two men of few words. Rose ignored her, making a happy face with her vegetables, while Chris concentrated on eating and Leon looked at her quite confused.

"So, is it the cliché of the lost twin brothers?" The blue-eyed man asked, very interested in the story but having many questions.

"No, they just look alike a lot."

"How is that even possible? I know that it's common that there are people who look alike..."

"Like Katy Perry and Zooey Deschanel," Chris added.

"Yes, exactly. But even if they were twins, twins may have different physical characteristics, you know. Someone besides the eunuch and his guard must have noticed something odd."

"And what about their voices? They sounded the same too?"

"Good point, Chris."

By now, Claire knew they were only doing it to annoy her.

"Or the personality," Leon continued. "To be a king takes a lifetime of teachings. It would be very difficult to adapt before someone notices that he is an impostor. Did no one ever noticed?"

"Why don't you watch the series and answer all your questions by yourself?" Claire snapped, already trying to finish the conversation about the show that she had recently seen.

Chris was about to say one more comment, but a sudden knock on the door stopped him.

"I'm going!" Rose exclaimed, being stopped by Claire's quick arm before she got up from her chair.

"Stop right there, young lady. Only adults can answer the door, besides, you haven't finished your dinner yet."

The little girl pouted, but obeyed her aunt, while Chris stood up to find out who was bothering them at that hour. Leon continued to ask Claire questions about the series.

Opening the door, who was on the other side was a total surprise for Chris, not expecting to see her these days.

He went out of the house, knowing that her presence was not just a friendly visit to join the dinner and ask about the family, so he also closed the door, not wanting Rose to hear the talk that was probably about work.

"What is it, Berkhoff?" he asked the agitated woman in front of him.

"Alpha, we found something..."

And Chris knew something was wrong.

Chapter Text

The three guys soon returned home after discovering the identity of the adopted brother. The joy that radiated from Anca and Ivantie was enormous, quickly being perceived by their father as soon as he laid eyes on them.

"Dad, we want you to meet Ethan."

Vasile took a moment to assimilate his daughter's words as she gestured at the blond with both arms outstretched and a wide smile. Then, his brain got it.

First thing he did was approach Ethan slowly and give him a firm handshake, as if it was the first time they had seen each other. He was playing along, but, at the same time he knew that, as soon as the young man knew his own name, his true identity would come to light, leaving behind the "angel" they all met some months prior. He then wrapped both arms around the blond in a tight, warm hug.

"Ethan," he said, tasting the name in his tongue and thinking that yes, it did suit him very well. "You have the face of an Ethan."

***

Nothing out of the ordinary happened in the following days. Ethan didn't remember any more, to Vasile's relief. The only thing that changed was the way they addressed the blond. Every time Anca called his name, she giggled a little as if it amused her to pronounce it, although she really laughed because it made her happy to say it, and Ethan laughed along with her. Only Vasile kept calling him Înger, as did Ivantie sometimes when he forgot his name.

After that first outing into town, Ethan never went out again. Not because he didn't want to, actually he was excited to get back out there, but Vasile was too convincing at making him stay home. The siblings' visits to town were weekly, they went to buy anything they needed for their home, and, to Ethan's misfortune, right on the days they decided to go Vasile filled him with housework or asked for his company in the farm chores and made it impossible for him to go with the younger ones.

Like now. Ethan was violently sweeping the floor of the house, a frown on his face and a rather noticeable pout on his lips. Vasile from outside, while cleaning the ground of the front, he could notice the young man's tantrum. He decided not to say anything. 

He knew Ethan disliked being cooped up there, being a curious soul and drawn to adventure, especially after he'd gotten a little taste of it. And it wasn't like he had him locked up completely, Ethan could leave the house whenever he pleased, Vasile would never stop him from doing that. If he refused to help Vasile for a day, there would be no problem. The difference was that Ethan didn't know this because Vasile hadn't had the voice to admit it.

***

"Ethan's upset."

"I know."

"Because he can't come with us. I think dad is being a little harsh on him."

"Our father is just worried."

"Worried about what? That's not a fair reason for him not allowing Ethan get out of the house."

"He's not 'not allowing him',"

"Well not technically, but now Ethan has more work than we have. If dad was really worried, he wouldn't even allow us go out."

"That's true. Dad just doesn't want Ethan to desappear."

Anca stopped abruptly. Both siblings were on the way to the market, about to reach it. The sun was on them and they could clearly hear the birds singing in the branches of the trees above their heads. When Ivantie turned to his sister, she was frowning. 

She was thirteen years old. She was the youngest of the family. She might not have the same level of knowledge as her father and her brother, but she was a very observant child, so that didn't stop her from expressing her thoughts this time.

"Dad is not worried. He is afraid. And that is stupid."

"Don't talk like that, Anca..."

"I don't know what dad has told you, or what have you discern from his behaviour, but dad is not being rational about Ethan. He is going to recover his memories at any moment as he has done before and he has every right to do so because it is his life."

Seeing that her brother was silent, listening to her carefully, she continued speaking. 

"We found him by chance and thanks to him we're not dead. I... I'm not dead. I know he did it though I don't know how, and I'm very grateful to him. But I'm not happy that he's with us because of that... I'm happy that he's with us -with me- because he's Ethan. He's my brother too. He's not our property, if Ethan wants to leave, then he can. It's not his job to bring us fortune."

Ivantie was a little puzzled by Anca's words. It hurt him, and it bothered him too, that she thought that way.

"Anca, we don't keep Ethan with us because we see him as a lucky item."

"Well, it doesn't seem like that! You and especially dad want to do everything in your hands so that he doesn't remember anymore and stays here forever. Why haven't we gone to the police to report him? We already know his name and what he looks like, someone has to recognize him among the missing persons."

"I don't know why. But what I said is the truth, if we don't want him to go it's because he's family, not for any other reason, or because of how Dad makes it look."

Anca no longer knew what else to say. She was still upset with her father and she wanted to yell at him, but she couldn't. She could only vent to her brother. She wanted to say so many things to the old man, beginning with demanding that he call him by his name, Ethan, and not by what they thought he was for the family, as if he was special only for that.

All the talk she was trying to hold it back, but she already felt the lump in her throat very heavy and her eyes were moistening very quickly.

"I don't want him to leave us," she mentioned, wiping a hand over her eyelids quickly and moving on before Ivantie said anything else.

***

After finishing cleaning the house, Ethan sat down on the front steps. The white cat was lying on his lap, purring at the caresses Ethan's hands gave him. He was waiting for Ivantie and Anca to arrive at the house so he could walk around with the girl for a while. He could easily do it alone, but the farther he went from the house, the heavier Vasile's eyes grew on his back. When he was with one of the siblings, at least Vasile felt more confident not to watch them all the time.

Right now Ethan could feel his gaze behind him. He turned to the cat and whisper to it.

"I envy you," it replied with a small meow before snuggling back into his legs. "You can go back and forth without anyone bothering you. But I…" Ethan sighed. He hoped that Vasile had heard him.

And so he did, sitting in his rocking chair in the living room while reading one of Anca's books.

He had thought about this all morning. He didn't like to see any of his children upset with him.

Vasile got up from the rocking chair and lowered the book, careful not to lose the page he was on. Before coming out, he picked up the stuffed monkey lying on the corner of the couch, then walked out of the house to where Ethan was and sat next to him on the steps. Despite all the noise, Ethan didn't look at him and ignored him even though he had him shoulder to shoulder, too focused on putting the little white animal to sleep.

"He likes you a lot," Vasile said after a few seconds of silence. "Only with Anca does he feel this comfortable. He hates me and Ivantie," he finished with a laugh.

Ethan couldn't keep his bad mood after that comment, it was inevitable for him to form a brief smile on his lips. Vasile caught a glimpse of it and knew he had made a good move.

"Are you mad at me?"

Ethan didn't reply for a good minute. His gaze now totally riveted on the sleeping cat, feeling as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have done. "I'm not mad, dad."

"If you were, it wouldn't bother me, you know? If I were you, I'd be angry at myself, too."

"It's not anger. Well, maybe it is, just a little. I'm more confused, actually."

"I know. I act like an idiot, don't I?"

"Don't say that."

Vasile looked at the stuffed animal in his hands, small and light brown. It was pretty cute. Ethan had come to the house with it and took care of it like something precious since then, slept hugging it and in the mornings he put it where it couldn't be damaged. Vasile passed the stuffed animal to Ethan and Ethan took it, forgetting for a moment the cat on his lap.

"I've got you locked up here like a child who doesn't know how to take care of himself. I'm really sorry, it's just…" What was he supposed to say? Not even he knew the reason for his behavior.

"Is it for my safety?"

Ethan wasn't really angry. Actually, he could understand Vasile a little. He knew that the man had a certain affection and respect for him for all the time they had spent as if they were family, but it was impossible for him not to feel frustrated for being the one who stayed at home doing chores when the smallest of the house, and the one they had to take care of the most, went out all the time and disappeared for several hours. By God, Vasile said it himself, Ethan wasn't a kid anymore. He was about to turn 38, he could take care of himself.

But, at the same time, he thought that if he were in the older's position, he would probably act the same way.

Vasile tried to keep talking while Ethan kept looking at the stuffed animal, making more excuses about how dangerous it was to let him out, even with his brother and sister. People knew too much about his existence and what had happened after he appeared in their lives, and there were many who wanted to visit him as if his house was a zoo. Also... wait a minute.

Vasile stopped his words completely and turned to Ethan. Feeling his gaze fixed on him, Ethan finally turned around with a raised eyebrow.

"What have you said?" Ethan didn't understand his question. "Thirty eight...?"

It took his brain a while to figure out what Vasile was asking him. Then, he finally understood what he meant. Ethan had spoken aloud his thoughts. His eyebrows rose to the level of his hair. A hand went to his mouth, unable to believe he had said that.

"Are you thirty-eight years old?" Vasile was in a position equal to his.

"I don't know... I think so..."

"Since when do you know it?"

It was a thought that came to his head all of a sudden. It was like accepting that his name was Ethan Winters all those weeks ago. "It came along with my name."

He was Ethan Winters, 37, turning 38 this year, interested in technology, enjoyed playing the piano, and was good at drawing. And it was all he could remember from his past life. All of this seemed like such insignificant data about him that it didn't seem important to him to share with anyone else.

Vasile kept looking at him, analyzing him. 38 years was a long time for someone who looked like Ethan. To him, to anyone who had the chance to see him, Ethan was just a young man, with white youthful skin, silky strong hair, a lean body with a bit of a muscle, absolutely no marks, moles, scars or wrinkles on his face. He couldn't believe that this man could be almost 20 years older than his oldest son. Also, he felt a little annoyed that Ethan had remembered more but he didn't tell the family.

"Dad!" A female shout was heard coming from the fence, 15 meters from where Ethan and Vasile were sitting. Anca came running towards the house.

Vasile and Ethan got up quickly from the steps, totally worried about the girl. Ivantie was nowhere to be seen.

"What's wrong?! Where's your brother?!" Vasile asked desperately, taking Anca's shoulders once she approached them, waiting for an answer.

The girl was panting, sweat drenching her forehead and neck. "Ivantie is fine. We met two foreigners in the market; they say they are soldiers. They want to talk to us, it's urgent. Ivantie and they are on their way."

Ethan and Vasile locked eyes, too many questions filling their heads.

"What do they want to talk about?" Ethan asked.

Anca fixed her gaze on him.

***

It didn't take long for Ivantie and company to arrive at the house, in a less dramatic fashion than Anca, much to Vasile's liking.

A rather talkative man with a friendly smile was sitting at their table. He was hugging the cup of tea that Anca served him with both hands, he drank constantly from it, and from the kitchen you could see his left leg trembling nonstop under the table. Next to him was a blonde woman, a few years older than him. All the time she had been quiet, except for the moment when she introduced herself to the family when she arrived, from then on she left her partner the entire job of rambling in their conversation. She seemed more relaxed in her seat than the other one.

"You have a nice house, Mr. Moise. Did you build it?" The man asked as he turned his head around, looking carefully at every corner of the house from his place at the table. Vasile had noticed that the woman was doing the same from her silence and in a more concealed way than he was.

Vasile was also sitting at the table, his arms crossed and his eternal frown gracing his face. He wondered if it was his face that made the boy so nervous. Ivantie was to his left, copying the actions of the blonde in front of him. His features were less severe but Vasile knew that his mistrust of these people was equal to or greater than his.

The oldest took a few seconds to answer, wondering if the guy had no more topics of conversation or was just curious about his house, or something inside it. "My grandfather and his father built it. I'm just in charge of keeping it habitable."

"My, it's been many years then. And it's in very good condition, it's beautiful," he saw Vasile nod slightly, grateful for the compliment to his home, but his features didn't soften for a second. The foreigner only became more and more nervous, he knew that this man did not like him. "Do you have a large piece of land?"

"This is about half a hectare. We occupy a little over a quarter for now."

"It's very big indeed," the stranger let out a small laugh before scratching the back of his neck.

At that moment, something was heard falling in the next room along with a small curse. This attracted the attention of both foreigners who turned towards the source of the sound. Vasile cursed to himself.

"Are there other people in your family, sir?" the brunette asked as he returned his gaze to the table. He had only seen the little girl, who had left the house through the front door not long ago, and the boy sitting to his right.

"I have another son, the eldest," Vasile answered, ignoring the look Ivantie sent him.

"Is your son shy?" The guy laughed awkwardly, wondering why the other guy hadn't come out to meet them.

"Something like that."

He didn't want to add more.

Ethan was leaning against the wall that connected the kitchen and dining room to the living room, sticking an ear out to try and hear as much as he could. On Vasile's orders he had gone into hiding. The old man didn't like the visit of those strangers, he didn't know what kind of people they were and he couldn't let Ethan out without first knowing the reason why they were there in his town and, more importantly, in his house. 

Anca had told them how she and her brother had found them in the market.

***

When they arrived at the location, Anca and Ivantie proceeded to do their routine shopping. Being halfway through, it wasn't hard for Ivantie to notice that they had been watched from afar from the moment they set foot there.

"Ivantie!" A voice was heard greeting her brother. It was Artur, one of the few friends he had. The three greeted each other, making a brief talk about their current states and family health, before the boy got to the subject for which he approached the siblings. "Yesterday a couple of Americans visited my family. We chatted for a couple of hours and they started asking about the northern village. Apparently, Roxana told them the day before about the boy someone from here found there."

At this, the brother and sister shared a look. "What did you tell them?" Ivantie asked with a frown.

"We didn't know what was okay and what not to tell them. We claimed someone had found a person there, but that was all we said," Ivantie sighed in relief, at least these people didn't know it was their father. "Until my grandmother opened her mouth and told them that it was your father and also where your house is."

Ivantie wanted to hit his forehead hard with the palm of his hand.

"I'm really sorry, you know how rash grandma is. But don't worry too much, they don't look like bad people. They're just curious, maybe they're relatives of your new brother. They were pretty insistent on that subject. "

Ivantie couldn't stop thinking about it. The part about maybe they were relatives of Ethan. He didn't know how to feel about that.

They continued talking for a few more minutes. Ivantie had to tell Artur several times not to worry, that it wasn't his fault, even though deep inside he wanted to hit him.

Anca did not leave his side after that. Artur had discreetly indicated to them where this pair of introverted Americans was. They were on the other side of the market, looking around carefully, but not disturbing anyone. Ivantie knew that sooner or later they would approach them, apparently, they were one of the few families in the town who had not been approached to ask about the extinct northern people, so he was not surprised to feel the presence of the man at his side.

"Hello. Can we talk to you guys for a minute?"

***

Ethan knew they were suspicious of the family from the moment they started walking toward the house. Apparently the pair were unaware that Ivantie and Anca were the children of 'the person who found someone in the northern village' when they approached. Ethan figured they could guess when Ivantie led them down the same path Artur's old grandmother had described.

After listening to Anca's explanation, Vasile immediately sent him to the bedrooms of the house, asking him to stay there until they were sure that the foreigners were not a danger. Much to Ethan's annoyance, he did just that. He had to resist the urge to see these two new people and talk to them. For now, he was only content to listen to the conversation the four of them had in the dining room as he slipped from the bedrooms to reach the living room, being careful that no one noticed his presence. Anca was outside at the back of the house tending to the animals on Vasile's orders. He hadn't felt so useless in months.

It was a complete accident knocking some books off the shelf he was leaning on, as well as the curse that came from his lips. And his surprise was enormous when he heard Vasile say that he had another kid in addition to the two already known. Ethan would have thought the old man would keep his existence a secret for as long as possible.

Anyway, they had already been at the house for twenty minutes, talking about random things, and they didn't get to the point they were there for.

Ethan heard them introduce themselves to Vasile when they arrived. He felt a strange sensation hearing their names, as if he had already heard them somewhere else but, as much as he delved into his mind, he just couldn't remember. They said they were part of a private security organization, and that their job was to make sure that the neighboring towns to the northern did not have consequences from what happened two years ago, so they were doing a thorough investigation, both with the people and with the local lands. From then on, that was all they mentioned from their research.

At no other time within those twenty minutes had the town been mentioned again.

"How old is your son?" Asked the brown-haired one when he noticed that Vasile wouldn't say anything else. It mattered little to him whether the old man wanted to talk about his family or not.

"He is twenty-five years old," the elder replied. "Ivantie just turned twenty and little Anca is thirteen."

"Does your eldest son have a name?"

Vasile made a small noise in his throat. He wasn't liking where the questions were leading.

"His name is Înger."

"Do you think we can meet Înger?"

"I don't see why that should happen."

"Well, we are investigating a serious event, sir. It is of great importance that we can make sure that all the inhabitants of this village are safe," the blonde spoke for the first time in the chat.

"My children are safe. All of us in this village are, there have been no mishaps due to the mysterious explosion in that cursed village. You have nothing to look for in these lands," Vasile finished the talk, standing up. He didn't want to see them another minute

The visitors were silent for a few seconds, weighing the options that remained before the man kicked them out of their home without having a satisfactory conclusion for them.

The man was the one who dared to speak. "Actually, we do."

At this, Vasile looked back at them, curious as to what they would tell him. But, before the brunette could mention anything else, Anca ran through the front door, without giving a second glance at Ethan who was still snooping around. It was becoming a habit for that girl to look for her father in such a dramatic way.

"Dad! Lola ran away again, I can't catch her."

Vasile looked at his daughter, then at the two foreigners, and finally at Ivantie, who was already getting up. "We have to go out. Give us a few minutes and maybe we can pick up the chat. But don't get too comfortable."

Ethan watched as Vasile and Ivantie walked past him to go the way Anca had entered. Only Ivantie gave him a look and stopped his tracks, wondering if it was a good idea to leave him there with the strangers. Ethan waved at him, making Ivantie roll his eyes at catching him eavesdropping on their conversation. Ivantie nodded for him to follow. Hearing Vasile yelling Ivantie's name to come help him, the three siblings rushed out of the house.

***

"This is a waste of time."

"Come on, we're almost done with this. We just have to question one more family and we can go. I know you don't like that they sent us here, but it's for everyone's safety."

"I mean it's a waste of time what we're trying here, Dion. The old man won't talk no matter how much we question him. We're not even sure this is the right house. We don't even know if what that old lady told us is true, curiously she was the only one who mentioned something like that among the other 200 inhabitants."

A good minute passed before the man answered. "If it's necessary to re-interrogate everyone, we will."

"We don't know what we're looking for," the woman sighed. "They could have found anyone. Perhaps a survivor of Miranda's village."

"Even if it's someone from there, we have to be sure. We can't go back to America knowing that he might be alive..."

"You know that's impossible, Wilson. How could anyone survive an explosion of that magnitude? When we got back, all life was extinct," the blonde mentioned muttering the last part.

"We are not wasting our time," he said confidently after a few minutes of silence. "I know we're close to finding something big, Emily. It may not be him, but I want to bring some good news to…"

Before he could finish this last, a huge thud came from behind Dion. Instinctively, they both stood up and drew their weapons, alert for danger. They froze at what was in front of them.

***

As Lola left the corral, Jesy had followed her step. Ethan and Anca humorously watched two adults running after a cow and her calf with no luck catching them.

"I think it will take a while," Anca commented with a mocking smile.

"I'm starting to think you let them escape," this made the younger girl laugh as she denied Ethan's accusation. "I'd better tell those two to go. Vasile will be in a bad mood after this."

"You talking to them will make him even angrier…" Anca sang, just looking at Ethan for a brief moment.

"Yes, I am aware."

Ethan entered the house quietly, so that the two busy men would not notice his absence.

"We are not wasting our time..." Was what he managed to hear as he approached the pair, along with something about finding a big thing.

He was a little nervous not knowing how to tell them to leave the house and how they would take it, so he didn't notice the pile of books he had dropped while spying on them a few minutes before. He stepped on the paste of one of them and ended up slipping and falling hard to the floor while letting out a little yelp.

"Shit!" he exclaimed. He had hurt himself badly, his foot ended up bent under him and he was unable to stand up. His face was twisted in pain.

He heard a noise in front of him. Before him were the strangers, standing with their weapons out. For obvious reasons, Ethan freaked out.

"Don't shoot!" he squealed, putting both hands up in the air. The last thing he wanted was for those guys to kill him without him having done anything wrong.

He looked at them for the first time. The two of them were frozen in place, it seemed that they had stopped breathing. They had a look of great terror on their faces, their eyes as wide as two spheres. Ethan thought that he really had scared the hell out of them with his fall.

"Can you help me please?," he asked after a long minute of having those two stand like statues, feeling his cheeks turn red.

"Oh my god," the brunette muttered, before holstering his gun and running to where Ethan was still on the ground, with the blonde hot on his heels. "Are you okay?!"

Both soldiers did not make much effort to lift him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Don't worry, Ethan. You did not scare us."

It was Ethan's turn to freeze as he heard his name slip from the blonde woman's lips.

"How do you know my name?" he questioned, stopping his whines for a moment to look at her carefully.

Neither responded, but they shared a strange look that didn't go unnoticed by Ethan. They began to lead him to one of the dining room chairs after Ethan complained as he put his injured foot on the floor, admitting that he couldn't walk.

The blond dropped onto the chair, while Emily pulled another one in front of him and put a cushion from the sofa on it, so that Ethan had something to rest his foot on.

"Does it hurt?" the woman asked as she slowly moved Ethan's right foot. She got a scream followed by many "stop, stop, stop!" as a reply.

"You could have a sprain," Dion commented as he didn't take his eyes off the older man's foot. "We'd better get you to a hospital."

"No, no. I'm fine."

The family came through the door before Ethan finished saying this.

"What happened?!" Vasile asked, walking quickly over to Ethan, glaring at Emily and Dion. He knelt in front of him, studying his foot and any part of his body that showed signs of damage. If it was their fault...

"I just slipped, dad, don't worry," Ethan replied before the old man could say anything to the strangers.

"He can't walk properly. We should go get him checked out," Dion mentioned carefully. The man looked quite irritated, so it was best not to put him in a worse mood.

But it was as if he activated a button inside Vasile, because he immediately looked at both of them with clear disgust present on his face and stood up.

Now, few people made Emily feel respect (product of fear). One of them was her mother, the other was her current boss and the third place was definitely won by this man in front of her.

"I knew it was a bad idea to let you two inside," he growled in their faces, making them back up a few inches.

"Sorry, we really didn't mean to bother. We're just doing our job," Dion said with the same care as before, placing both hands in front of him as a sign of peace, just like Ethan did before.

Ivantie and Anca stood at the soldiers backs, peering at the scene in front of them. "Dad," Ivantie called after him, but he was totally ignored.

"I don't want my family involved in your damn business, do you hear me? We're perfectly fine and always have been! We don't need a couple of strangers to come check on us. So I want you to get out of my house, get out of my village and never set foot here again!"

The room fell completely silent after Vasile's outburst. Ivantie, Anca and Ethan looked at each other with surprise written on their expressions. They had never seen Vasile talk like that, always having a serious and calm demeanor. Those two characteristics were enough to have an aura of authority in him.

Berkhoff and Wilson, on the other hand, were not so surprised.

"I'm sorry, sir. But we are carrying out orders higher than our word. If it's not us, other agents will come to investigate the place. It's all to protect your people from the dangers of the neighboring village."

"Listen, son," Vasile said, moving dangerously close to Dion. Emily and Ivantie did too, ready to stop him before he made another move. "I want you to tell your superior that I want you and any member of your team away from my home."

Dion heaved a sigh. "I think you're not understanding..."

"No! You're the one who doesn't understand here," he replied as he pointed his index finger at the younger man's face.

This was escalating too fast. Ethan was afraid that Vasile would hit the brunette at any moment and, although Vasile was like a post next to Dion, it was clear that Dion was prepared for this type of situation in his work. He doubted that such a thing would happen, but it was better to finish everything once and for all.

"Dad, stop!" He spoke loudly, standing up. Vasile ignored him, still speaking loudly to the people before him, ordering them to leave their village alone while they replied that it was all orders. He noticed that his foot didn't hurt anymore. In fact, he could lean on it just fine without feeling any of the terrible discomfort he could feel up to his knee just a minute ago, so he quickly walked over to his father, having only Anca's attention on him. "Look! I'm fine, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Placing a hand on Vasile's shoulder, Vasile finally turned to Ethan. "Are you sure?"

Ethan repeated that he felt fine, that it was nothing serious, while Vasile continued to analyze him from head to toe. He could feel how the tension in everyone was going away little by little after having interrupted the scene. Vasile no longer looked so irritated. "I'm fine, really."

He turned to see Emily and Dion, who were looking at him with frowns. Moments ago he kept complaining about the pain, making them sure that he had broken or at least sprained his ankle, and now he stood as if nothing had happened. It was definitely something strange for both of them.

"If you're not done yet, you'd better come back another day," he said with a rueful smile. "We will answer any questions you have."

Vasile didn't speak any more, with his blood slowly cooling, he was most likely realizing that he overreacted.

It didn't take long for both Americans to leave, not before Dion gently but firmly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Take care. We'll visit you soon during the week," he promised. "We need to talk."

With a warm smile from both of them, they finally left the house, but not before giving the family one last look.

Ethan felt a great peace within him after they left, finally having all of this sudden drama over. But, more importantly, he felt too many questions running through his head like who the hell were these two and why did they know his name?

***

"What are we going to do?" Emily asked once they were completely out of Moise territory. She felt chills all over her body and her legs wouldn't stop shaking. It was like seeing a ghost, because that he was!

"For now, we won't say anything," Dion stated firmly.

"Are you crazy? We have to inform Chris as soon as possible."

"No! What if that's not Ethan?"

"You're definitely crazy. Didn't you see him? That guy is Ethan!"

"It looks too good to be true," Dion commented. Emily wanted to laugh.

"Wilson, you were the one who was sure 'we were going to find something big'. Well, so we did. You suspected it was Ethan after what that old lady told us, and you were right."

"He didn't recognize us," he stated, finally meeting Berkhoff's eyes. "He didn't look at us in surprise, he didn't mention anything at all. If we had found Ethan, he would have reacted differently. Besides, he looks too young. We're looking for an almost forty years old man, not a kid in his mid-twenties!" Emily narrowed her eyes.

"He asked me how I knew his name after I called him Ethan. This must have a reason."

They resumed their walk after taking one last look back the way they had come.

"Yes, that's why I'm asking you to wait. I want to be sure before we break any news to Chris and his family," Dion was right. Telling Chris right now would only create an illusion that would likely be shattered upon discovering that this wasn't the Ethan they thought they'd lost two years ago. It would break his heart and his mind once again. "Please. We'll come back, question him, draw blood samples. Anything. Just to make sure."

They kept walking.

Before reaching the market, Emily replied with a nod, "Okay, I won't say anything. Just to make sure."

Chapter Text

Dion Wilson was never good at meeting new people. From his early school years he was a lonely boy, only getting one or two friends to accompany him in his youth. Although any contact had ended when his military training began, too busy trying to grow his muscles and learning to use weapons he never thought to hold in his hands, to keep talking to those guys who made adolescence a little more bearable.

Life takes some strange turns.

One day he was starting his training at the BSAA so he could make a change in a problem that was getting bigger and bigger, and the next he ended up protecting a family that had the misfortune to walk into said problem.

At first the job seemed stupid to him. What was he doing, a military canine trainer, taking care of a grown man who could fend for himself to protect his family? But the pay was too good to complain out loud.

It had all started thanks to his captain, Chris Redfield, who got him into a job he wasn't even aware they could do in the organization. He was willing to obey his captain's orders without being told twice, but there was something in the way Redfield spoke to him about the subject that made him think he was almost begging him to do it. Chris wasn't forcing him, but Dion couldn't find the voice to refuse.

Dion was aware of everything that happened in the bayou -now a totally ghost place- of some hidden spot in Louisiana. Every member of the BSAA was involved or wanted to be in that case, as catching the Connections was a delicate matter and a task that every bioterrorism organization was trying to do at the time. 

To hell with Umbrella, these new fuckers were the big shot to catch and gain recognition as heroes of the world. The news about the appearance of this new terrorist group and the experiments that they had been carrying out underwater for decades (rumored to be even years before Umbrella) traveled very quickly, especially inside the BSAA HQ in England, where there was nonstop talk about four survivors of these bioterrorist's atrocities.

Two were Bakers, uncle and niece who had been witnessing for three years their family's disappearance under the guise of monstrous creatures that were in complete control of their actions. And the other two were the Winters, the wife who had the same time as the Bakers in that nightmare, and her husband who somehow managed to get out of there alive in just one day while saving these people's lives.

The first time he saw them, he was only surprised. He was in the medical area two weeks after the couple had arrived. That day he had had a very tough practice that left him with a sore shoulder. The nurse was putting ointment on the affected area when he saw them walk past him. He first saw Captain Redfield nodding at him and walking without stopping, followed by the brown-haired woman and behind her a blond man. They were just two relatively normal people, both skinny to the bone (especially the woman), with faces that reflected all the horrors they had witnessed. Pale as if they had seen a ghost, and the thousand yard gaze gracing their eyes. He felt nothing but pity for those two innocent souls.

Much later he laughed when he remembered that first impression. Innocent? Maybe Ethan could earn that statement, though he was no saint either. But Mia? That bitch could be anything in this situation except innocent. It was never a secret that Mia was Dion's least favorite person; she knew it, Ethan knew it, and they either preferred to ignore it or simply didn't care.

Ethan Winters was a celebrity. Everyone was amazed by how a civilian could survive something like this without receiving any prior training, while the vast majority of the agents sent to end the plagues on the Bakers ranch had perished not even an hour after their arrival. A completely tragic fact that opened a feeling of resentment in the companions of the fallen soldiers towards the man whose only mistake was to have gotten out of that hell alive.

Chris Redfield immediately declared himself the couple's guardian, a fact that left his peers quite confused. Why did one of the most important members of the organization put his interest and, most importantly, his protection, on this marriage insignificant for the cause beyond their testimonies of the tragedy ocurred? Witness protection was handled by an entirely different section at the BSAA. Dion wasn't even sure the agency should take that role in the face of a bioterror attack; that must be the work of TerraSave, the organization that had recently won Claire Redfield as director. Dion couldn't understand why Redfield didn't pin the Winters case on his younger sister. They were better prepared to deal with these situations than the BSAA, which only solved its problems using lethal weapons, and the last thing the traumatized family needed at that time was more proximity to these objects.

The answer to Dion's question came a few weeks later, when part of his job became keeping Ethan Winters and his wife alive, who was also under investigation for the crime committed in her past, while helping with her husband's physical and weapon training. Not that they really needed surveillance, the danger had passed and they were of no help to them anymore, and with Mia spending her days more in a cell and then on probation (locked in a BSAA HQ room) than outside in the real world, the couple enjoyed quiet days. But work was work, and if Dion didn't follow through on it, he could face the hassle of his Captain.

Ethan was a fast learner. He was good at handling any type of weapon and he wasn't afraid to use them. His weakness was hand-to-hand combat and it was reflected at the end of the day, when he would leave the gym with a split lip and bruises dotting his face and the rest of his body because Dion had not controlled the force of his blows and Ethan was too dazed to block them. 

Mia shoot hatred looks at him every time they were unfortunate enough to run into each other, Chris yelled and snarled at him in his office every time Ethan's face was purple, and together they planned new teaching strategies to avoid further harm to the blond man, but it seemed that the two of them were the only ones who were bothered by this. His peers and superiors turned a blind eye during training even though Chris had already warned everyone about being careful with the civilian, they were even amused to see Dion beating Winters up. When the time came, some would discreetly huddle around the protective mattresses to watch the spectacle in silence, enjoying seeing the survivor of the place where their close comrades died receive a beating that, in their eyes, he deserved.

Dion preferred not to intervene. The truth was that Ethan and his story didn't matter to him, he was only there to do his job and get paid for it. But as the weeks passed, it was impossible for him not to grow close to Winters. Maybe it was his carefree way of looking at life, unless it was his family or friends, or his sarcastic comments and goofy sense of humor that annoyed Chris, or his aura that spread peace wherever he moved, But that man changed whatever judgmental thoughts Dion formed in his head from spending so much time with the boys on the base.

Eight months after their rescue, Mia's pregnancy was revealed, almost at the same time that Chris decided to leave, in total secrecy, the organization he founded a decade ago, to create his own private group with the goal of ending that rotten alliance.

Those were days with a heavy workload for Wilson. On the one hand he had to do his normal training duties in the HQ, on the other he had to keep an eye on the Winters making sure they didn't die or, even worse, disappear, while helping Chris get out of the BSAA, without anyone noticing, all the equipment and documents that belonged to him, or anything that could be stolen without arousing suspicion. This last task was the hardest and the one that made him sleep with one eye open at night for fear that soldiers dressed in black would arrive to his apartment to finish him.

The Hound Wolf Squad was a small group of soldiers trying to do good. It was nothing more than Chris' few close friends gathered to follow his orders, but it worked. It was a group working behind the backs of the BSAA to dismantle it at its core after learning of the dirty connections the higher-ups had with terrorist groups and the financial aid and trained personnel they secretly provided to them. The reason was unknown, and it was precisely because of this that Chris Redfield had to work with trusted people who were on the same side as him. Dion Wilson and Charlie Graham were two lieutenants who worked in the same squad in the BSAA; Rolando Elba and Emily Berkhoff had worked alongside him on the battlefield many years before; John Perlman was a contact and good friend of Rolando's. Chris had his reasons for trusting his team, besides having once worked together as a team in a mission during the first years of the BSAA. He knew by having them by his side any mission would be completed fruitfully.

Ethan's military training continued at the BSAA HQ so as not to arouse suspicion, and at night after this they made their clandestine meetings at the other end of the city, in some departments that stored all the documents collected over the years that could take down the BSAA and some other corrupt organizations.

It was common knowledge at the BSAA the interest that different bodies had shown in the Winters case. Messages arrived from allies seeking information on specific issues of what happened, such as the existence of the E-001 weapon or the extraction of the mold in Mia's body and her pregnancy, to which they did not take long to dismiss if the BSAA felt that the organism was of no help. Everyone was confused about what could cause the fungus in the fetus body. This only increased the concern of the bosses. If the allies were aware of the important points, the chances were that the enemies knew and were looking for the very same information.

This was partially confirmed when a spy close to Chris told him of rumors about a newly created bioterrorist group established in Europe, which was looking for the Winters family. Very little was known about it, even an excellent spy like Ada Wong was unaware of crucial information, beyond the name of their leader, Miranda.

Because of this, somehow the powerful Chris Redfield had gotten the BSAA to unhesitatingly set up a safe house for the Winters in Romania. The initial plan had been to leave the country with all the important documents and hide somewhere in Europe to be closer to this group. While they would continue to believe that the Winters were under the wing of the BSAA in America, Redfield's squad would attack them from behind in their own area. 

This came as a surprise to Dion. He had not contemplated that Chris would use the Winters and their vulnerability as an alibi so that the organization would continue to trust them and in the process obtain from them all the resources they needed, without them knowing anything.

Much less had he contemplated that Ethan would be aware of his Captain's plan, that he would fully support him and decide to join them along with his pregnant wife. It seemed like suicide, although it was supposed to be for their safety. He really couldn't understand Ethan's choice, who was no soldier and would have better opportunities for his wife and unborn daughter in his native country than in an unknown Romanian city, but for Dion the blond had always been an enigma. Maybe, at the end of the day, it was the best for the family. 

Besides, deep down, he thought he knew why.

If you ask Dion, this had been going on long before Rosemary Winters was born, probably long before the pregnancy. He could even say that it was from the moment those two idiots met.

The looks, the smiles, the little touches on their back or their arms when they thought no one was looking... all of this had escalated to the point where Dion found it too awkward to be simple displays of affection between two friends.

Dion Wilson had never been a romantic person, he had tried to treat with kindness the only official girlfriend he'd ever had in his life, the same one who ended up breaking up with him almost two years after starting their relationship. But not being a romantic didn't stop him from noticing when a spark arose in front of his eyes. And oh, man, this was definitely romance. But then again, as he'd done many times in the past, he kept silent. He didn't mention anything about it, mainly for the pregnant woman's sake, and simply witnessed drama blossom in the Captain and his forbidden love's lives.

He never really saw them together, per se. Not really, until after the arrival of little Rose, when the Winters marriage had completely broken up and they had all finally moved to Romania. 

Ethan and Mia were still living together to take care of their newborn and make easier their protection, but it was pretty obvious that relationship no longer existed. It was even more evident with Ethan turning a deaf ear to Mia's abuse and attacks, when in the past he'd been the first to try to calm her down, and the indifference she showed when it came to the baby. Dion had witnessed this several times. So, the day Mia finally left home to live alone with her madness, Dion knew the calm in Ethan's life had arrived. At least that's how it was for the next two years.

They'd tried everything in their power to stop it. At least one person was making rounds around the Winters-Redfield house. They had spy cameras all over the place. There were weapons hidden in spots that only Chris and Ethan knew about. They thought they were safe.

They did not count on the fact that they'd ended up in Miranda's area when they moved to Europe. Fortunately it didn't take long for them to find out. 

They spent years investigating everything. Following her wherever she moved. Not taking their eyes off her.

It wasn't dozens of bioterrorists hiding inside some Romanian mountain she was handling, as Ada Wong had warned. In fact, she was the leader of a small group of five bio-weapons who, if not for their eccentric bodies and supernatural abilities, could easily pass as normal people. They were in a village quite well hidden among the mountains, acting as the hierarchs of the inhabitants, and simply living within their customs without the influence of the outside world. But that didn't mean they didn't hurt anyone. They used their power to experiment on their people. The blood of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of innocents slipped down their hands.

They had to stop them before they were discovered on their land.

They thought they had Miranda right where they wanted her, to end everything once and for all.

But the woman was smarter.

No one had any idea how long Miranda had known of their whereabouts. Rolando thought that she'd just discovered it. Emily suspected that she knew about it since they arrived in Romania. Dion, on the other hand, was almost certain that it was Miranda's plan all along for them to deliberately end up there. He suddenly couldn't stop thinking, with a shudder, of living the last four years with the eyes of that horrible woman on his back.

They had been preparing for the attack for years. And finally in a week it would be completed. If the six wolves communicated well and stuck to the plan, the chances of success were high, but the appearance of the woman in Mia's body took them by surprise. The events that followed that, also did. 

They had to protect Ethan. They had to protect Rosemary. They had to put an end to Miranda and the four freaks of hers. In the end, they only achieved two of those goals.

Ethan Winters' death was an emotional blow to everyone, except Chris Redfield.

He was a normally serious man. After that, Chris turned into a tomb. At least for the first few months, before he came to his senses and recognized himself as Rosemary Winters' sole guardian.

It wasn't easy to continue after Miranda's loss, but they still had one goal ahead of them, and that was to defeat the BSAA. The following events flashed by for Dion Wilson.

After the explosion in the Romanian village, the military plane carrying the survivors of the attack (thankfully being the entire Hound Wolf Squad, an alive and fully well Rose, and a rather deranged Mia) headed straight for the main HQ in England after recovering a body of one BSAA bioweapon. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Adrenaline was still coursing through Dion's veins, and knowing this wasn't over yet, his heart was racing in a way that made him worry about his health. Chris went with a clear objective after the loss of his beloved: obtain justice.

Finding out that Ethan was a walking corpse all those years was like the hit of a train for everyone, and Chris was very determined to stop all those lies.

"We had a great control regarding the body of Mr. Ethan Winters. The mold was completely removed from his body. I do not understand what you are talking about, Captain Redfield," was the only thing that the former president of the BSAA, Matthew Lewis, managed to answer after a long minute of silence. 

The faces of the people inside the office were pale, still as statues, trying not to draw too much attention from a red-faced Chris Redfield with smoke huming out of his head, but it was very difficult when he had the self-imposed task of watching each one of them in the eyes to state dominance.

The disbelief in the amount of cynicism that a single person's body could harbor left Chris silent for a few seconds.

Jill Valentine, who was sitting to the right of Lewis, had been silent during her former partner's verbal outburst. Barry Burton, nexts to Jill, was tense as he waited for more words from Chris. Rebecca Chambers had looked scared from the moment Chris and most of the squad arrived. Dion personally had never connected with them, his only reference to their existence was their friendship with Chris and the 20 years they worked together before everything went to shit. Now, even they were suspects in Redfield's eyes.

"I need to see the results of all his tests."

"That, Captain, will be impossible," said Allen Solar, the organization's principal investigator. "These are totally confidential documents." 

"Do I have to remind you, Allen, that my involvement with the BSAA is just as important as all of yours? That I co-founded the organization that has fed you all, all these years? Not only that, Ethan Winters is my partner and I'm his legal guardian, and I have every right to know exactly what the fuck was inside his body!"

Raised eyebrows on some of the faces confirmed to Dion that these smug assholes wouldn't be so easy to convince. Either way, none of them expected them to give in so easily. He could see a slight change in Jill and Barry's posture, they didn't like what their old friend was saying.

"I'll repeat it, they're confidential documents. But don't worry, Captain, I assure you that you don't have to worry about the health of your... partner. Ethan Winters will enjoy a life without complications, since he is free of any residue of the mold from the E-series. You didn't have to bother bringing your bodyguards with you," when he finished, Matthew chuckled, causing some of his companions to smile.

Dion clenched his hands into fists.

"You know, it's funny..." Chris said. "I couldn't understand why you were so insistent on the safety of Ethan and Mia. Why you didn't want to let them go after all the check ups, and tests, and antidotes. Why you wanted to continue with the pregnancy without knowing what the consequences would be. The more I thought about it, I think I was looking at it from a different angle. You didn't want their safety, you wanted yours."

Dion could see the faces of his former superiors growing more and more confused. Even his own squadmates couldn't see the direction of Chris' conversation. And truly Dion was afraid of what he was going to say. Not because he didn't know it, but because of the reaction it would cause in the others.

"Imagine what the press will say when they find out the BSAA was keeping a biological weapon in its insides that they didn't even know what it was capable of. It will surely be a scandal at the UN."

Dion could almost hear their hearts stop.

A deathly silence filled the office for a long minute. Matthew opened and closed his mouth like a fish, all his words gone.

"Five hours ago we were in Miranda's village," immediately heads snapped to see Chris wide-eyed, then discreetly shared glances with each other. "We defeated her along with all of her friends."

"Congratulations, Cap..."

"Don't bother," he cut him off abruptly. "While we were fighting we ran into some BSAA soldiers. It's interesting that the organization has started creating its own weapons. And you know full well that I'm not talking about military weapons, but the biological weapons you're using to fight."

"Excuse me?," Jill spoke suddenly, clearly taken aback by Chris' accusation. She shared a look that said a thousand words with Barry and Rebecca, they didn't seem to know about this, but Dion couldn't be sure.

"Captain, I recommend you be more careful when making accusations," Allen immediately jumped in.

"You could get yourself into serious trouble," they turned to Jane, one of the organization's advisors. This seemed to calm Chris a bit. She was right, he shouldn't talk too much and let them know that the squad was well aware of all their crimes.

"Important thing here, is that Miranda is dead. The BSAA will no longer have a problem dealing with her," the men in suits were still uneasy about the statements. Not surprisingly, they didn't deny the latter. Miranda was a clear threat to the BSAA's goals, not because of the danger to the world that her existence posed, but because of her great power that could easily annihilate the organization's monsters. Only Jill, Barry, Rebecca, and even Clive O'Brien, who was only witnessing the ongoing discussion, seemed to have no idea what was being discussed in that room.

"Congratulations, again. We're willing to give you and your new friends a bonus for the well done job," Matthew Lewis looked at Dion, Emily, and Rolando as he said this. He was in no position to be his arrogant self at the moment, when because of Chris' words he could see that they all knew more than they should. The best course of action was to keep them pleased. Finally, Lewis gave them a smile that left no room for denial. "Please accept it."

Chris clenched his fists, his heavy breathing could be heard in the silence. Their cynicism was such that they believed the Hound Wolves would accept a bribe from them. But the four members present were silent; it was best to make them believe that the squad was still on their side. Also, they were all there to follow Chris Redfield.

"How about we all calm down and reschedule the meeting to continue this talk?," Rebecca said, trying to lighten the mood. "We'll be able to come prepared and more willing to answer all the questions we all have, because I think that many of us are very lost in this conversation," she finished, turning to Barry and Jill looking for support, before returning her attention back to Chris.

"Sounds perfect to me!" Lewis exclaimed, giving a clap and standing up from his chair. "Even the next meeting feel free to bring Ethan and his ex-wife and his toddler and all the new friends you have now, Captain! We'll do clinical tests, you'll see that the future Mr. Redfield is in impeccable health and we'll all be happy. I'm sending you all a compensation check for now, for your excellent work with Miranda. Let me just..."

The man couldn't even open his checkbook when Chris dropped the bomb inside the office.

"Ethan is dead," even Dion, who knew, from the moment it happened, Ethan's new state, the shock of Chris' words made him take a step back. "Send your agents to clear the area. There are still bioweapons around."

Redfield was the first out of the office. Not a single glance was directed at Rebecca, Jill or Barry, who were all taken aback and clearly affected by the information. It took his squad a second to gather their composure and follow him. Dion was at the back of the group and slowly closed the door, catching a last glimpse of the horrified faces of the BSAA leaders. 

"What do we do now, boss?" Berkhoff asked once they arrived at the hotel that would give them lodging for the next few days.

The visit to the office had not been discussed on the way there, but it was clear that the news had hit them harder than it should have. A dead Ethan Winters was of no use to that organization. Their work had been thrown away, at least in part though, they still had Rose alive.

Chris was still extremely quiet. Dion couldn't blame him. They had all had their share of disturbing experiences in Romania, but the loss that Chris, Rose, and Mia were facing was at a level where, if Chris' mind was lost in emptiness for ten seconds (or for ten days), there was no room to complain.

The room they were in was full of people. John and Emily were opening the boxes of Chinese food that had just arrived and were handing them out to everyone; Charlie worked on his newly installed computer, studying the BSAA HQ's plans; Rolando was sitting on the floor, watching little Rose while she drew with one of the hotel's gift pens; Mia was taking a well-deserved bath; Dion had taken a seat on one of the two beds to relax for a second. The place was small and everyone had difficulty moving, but it wasn't in anyone's mind to go to their designated room. It was safer that way, being all together in the room that would be Emily and Mia's.

Receiving no response, the group turned to their leader. Chris was still standing in front of the door, already locked, but he hadn't moved since they arrived. He was observing Rose closely, as if feeling that if he stopped looking at her the girl would disappear before his eyes, his mind being hundreds of miles away.

Dion knew the terror that Chris was feeling at that moment and wouldn't express in words after, among other things, the little girl was put piece by piece in flasks and later joined as if she was some broken toy. His stomach turned just by remembering it.

Nobody wanted to rush him. Nobody wanted to interrupt him. He was only making sure his little girl was okay.

"I should... I have to call Ethan's parents."

"I can deal with it, Chris," Mia spoke as she walked out of the bathroom in a silent manner only an expert could control, her hair wet and wearing clothes Emily kindly offered her.

Chris refused. "It's the least I can do for them," he said.

At that moment, Dion decided to call his own parents.

The road was not easy after that, but it seemed that everything fell into place little by little. And now, two years after the tragedy, after taking down the BSAA and forming his own organization out of its ashes, it was like we were back to square one.

Dion couldn't know how many minutes he had been sitting there, back in the humble Romanian house that seemed to store all the secrets in the world, just looking at the man in front of him. Now it was his turn to observe him, hoping he wouldn't disappear before his eyes, like Chris had done with Rose years ago.

Dion could tell that he was uncomfortable. Since Dion had met him after Dulvey, he had a certain aura of discomfort about him, but this time it was different, not because he was the receptor of many wondering glances, because that situation was the same, but because it seemed that said receptor was a whole different person.

Dion had known Ethan Winters as a man who never kept his words to himself, no matter how insolent he seemed, he always made his doubts known and made comments that annoyed many. This man had hardly uttered a single word since they arrived.

Ethan Winters wasn't one to take orders easily, but this man moved wherever he was asked to.

And what bothered him most was the physical difference. How before him was the face of a young man who looked younger than Dion himself, when Ethan's face and body were full of badly healed wounds before and the wrinkles on his face were more and more pronounced, like someone corresponding his age and that had been through a lot of trauma.

Even his skin color. It was no longer that dead gray Dion had grown accustomed to and accepted as normal, but now it was adorned with a healthy pink undertone, which made his cheeks and lips an intense red.

His green eyes seemed more vibrant and brilliant than ever.

Ironically, this image of Ethan frightened him and the question of whether this was even the real Ethan kept coming back to his mind.

The head of the family was away from home, only the eldest, the youngest and the adopted son were there. Ivantie was reluctant to let them into his house, and it was only his little sister who managed to convince him that they meant no harm to the family.

The eldest was making a big breakfast for everyone with Anca's help while Ethan was sitting at the kitchen table with the soldiers, letting his brother respond the questions they were making. Emily and Dion repeated the ones they had asked almost two weeks before, they knew they had the siblings upset about this, especially Ivantie, but they hoped that this way they could earn their trust by being treated like adults now that their father was not present.

It was the third time the soldiers had gone to that house since its discovery. Also, the kids were sporadically in the market and Anca was the only one who didn't greet them in a hostile way. They were being difficult, but little by little they'd get there.

"How long have you been with the family?" Dion asked suddenly. Ethan, who until now had been zoning out of the conversation, was surprised by the voice directed at him.

"Not long, actually. I think it's already six months."

"What were you doing before that?"

"I...", he turned to Ivantie as if asking for help, the younger one was totally ready to answer in his place, but Ethan stepped forward making him shut his mouth abruptly. "Actually, I don't remember."

Dion and Emily looked at each other. "Why don't you remember?" the woman asked.

Ethan shrugged, and this time Anca vouched for him. "We think he had an accident in that village. My dad just found him there."

"An accident?"

"Maybe a fall, even an assault, anything that caused him to hit hard his head and lose consciousness, ouch!" this time her brother nudged her side, silencing her.

Emily and Dion looked at each other again, more confused than before.

"So, you just woke up there and you didn't remember anything from your previous life?"

"Not quite like that..., after they found me, I woke up two months later."

The room went silent, perhaps if the family paid attention they could hear the machinery in the agents brains working. "I'm very confused right now," Dion admitted looking at his partner.

They decided to leave the house early that day, not wanting to overwhelm Ethan with so many questions at a time. They ate a couple of pieces of toast so as not to be rude toward the effort the kids put into preparing breakfast, and they left faster than it took to say goodbye. 

Once they were in the small and cheap hotel where there was a happily waiting Hero, one of Dion's german shepherds and that had recently been brought there by its handler's petition, they were able to discuss calmly among themselves.

"How is this possible? I mean... times don't coincide," Emily said. Dion didn't think he'd ever seen her so lost in life.

"It would make sense if they had found him recently and decided to give him refuge, but the accident in Miranda's village was almost three years ago! What about all that lost time?"

Emily gently shook her head. One of her hands was on her chin, as she thought very hard.

"We have to go back and continue interrogating him. So what if it's not our Ethan? We have to make sure before Chris finds out."

"You promised you wouldn't tell him anything."

"I'll keep my promise, but as soon as I'm sure this man is the Ethan Winters we know, I'll run and tell the boss."

Next day they returned. Dion led the joyful Hero on a leash. The shepherd was one of the few dogs that had met Ethan when the Hound Wolves were beginning. It always put a smile on the blond's face to see the big and furry pack of Canine and he never missed the opportunity to play with them while the dogs were on their rest time. Dion thought that perhaps having contact with Hero, Ethan would feel more confident to talk to them.

This time they didn't have the same luck as before and Vasile was at home. As soon as he heard the soldiers, the older man got out of the house with the entire disposition to drive them out.

"You here again? You came yesterday and still have more questions?" Vasile's hostility made them take care of the modulation of their voice. To Hero it meant a threat and it didn't take long for him to snarl at the old man, until Dion said "it's OK, boy" to him.

"My apologies again, Mr. Moise. This time we want to speak to Ethan. We have reason to believe he's an important part of our investigation. Please, it'll only take a few minutes."

Vasile seemed to consider it for a few seconds. Although he had already talked to them several times in the past few weeks, he still didn't trust the soldiers. Before Vasile could give his answer, which would surely be in the negative, Ethan was out the door.

"It's fine, papa, I can talk to them," he spoke, taking a look at Hero. He wanted to start making his own decisions, even though he was aware that Vasile only wanted his safety. "He can be present?"

Vasile might interfere with the honesty of Ethan's responses, but it was better to have him there listening than not being able to talk to Ethan at all. "Of course," they replied.

As in the first interrogation, they sat at the kitchen table. Dion was facing Vasile and Emily was facing Ethan. Vasile had thrown his two children out of the house, asking them to go to the market to buy vegetables for dinner. The siblings seemed unwilling to leave and miss out on what seemed an important talk, but with a single glance from their father they were out of there.

"What do you wish to know?" Ethan asked to break the awkward tension created solely by Vasile.

Hero had quickly grown comfortable in the home, and taking a sniff at Ethan his tail wagged happily. The dog had placed his muzzle in Ethan's lap, waiting patiently for him to stroke his fur. Ethan didn't seem afraid of the huge shepherd.

"Oh, right... We'll be asking you basic questions, so answer them with complete honesty" Dion cleared his throat to start.

For some reason, his hands were shaking as he held the notebook where the questions were. Emily had a laptop in front of her and was writing everything down from the moment they sat there. "What's your full name?"

"Ethan Winters."

"How old are you?"

"Thirty-eight."

The soldiers stopped their movements for a fraction of second. "Do you know where you were born?"

"California."

"You know who your birth parents are?"

At this question, Ethan fell silent, really considering the answer. Three pairs of eyes watched him, not rushing him.

"I think I don't."

"Do you remember what did you do for a living?"

"I studied Systems Engineering, I think that was always my job. Although I like to draw, I don't know if I ever did it as a job."

"Were you married?"

If the question about his parents hadn't stunned him enough, this one definitely took the prize.

"Don't know..."

"How were you found by the Moises?"

Ethan turned to Vasile asking for help. He was completely unconscious when it happened, of course he couldn't answer that question.

Vasile was still for a minute, thinking what a good idea it was to be honest with them. A look at Ethan reassured him that it wouldn't be a bad thing, the blond also wanted to know what happened that day.

"It was about six or seven months ago. I went to the northern village to loot the few houses that were left standing. I even thought of enter the castle to find anything of value. At that time my farm was practically dead, my animals were dying, we didn't have food for every day and I couldn't get a job anywhere. My Anca was terribly sick, they didn't give her much time to continue... 

One of the neighbors convinced me to go there, and in my despair I didn't see why not. 

When I was on my way to the castle I saw him. A young man, seemingly no older than my own son, lying like a discarded rag in the cold. I couldn't leave him there to freeze, although it was difficult to do so, I had to help him."

"He was simply lying on the ground? Was there no one around him?"

"Absolutely no one, not that I've noticed. He was naked, without a trace of hair on his body and...," it took him a second to take a breath to continue. "There was a... substance under him."

"Substance?"

"It was a black blob. When I picked him up off the ground it was stuck to him like mucus, and it just snapped back into place on its own, like the thing was alive. And it was glowing."

Dion and Emily looked at each other with concern on their faces. Could it be...?

"When I came home with Ethan it was as if all my problems had suddenly been fixed. The plants began to grow after years without bearing fruit, my animals woke up with energy, my bone pain disappeared... My daughter was cured ," Vasile placed a hand on top of Ethan's on the table, giving it a little squeeze. The old man had started tearing up while he was telling the story. He turned to see Ethan with a deep appreciation and adoration in his eyes that quickly made Dion understand the overprotectiveness that Vasile placed on the blond.

"What was your daughter sick with?" Emily asked.

"Leukemia," was his reply.

Dion sighed, thinking of what a great hardship the family must've been through, and having more questions now that he knew of their sudden good luck. "I'm glad she's okay now."

"It was two months that we were waiting for him to wake up," he continued after cleaning his face. "Suddenly he did it one day. He couldn't communicate, he couldn't speak, he couldn't walk either, but he quickly learned until he recovered his abilities completely. His hair grew just the same. We saw him as if he were a baby. "

It was all too strange. Instead of answering doubts, the more things they discovered, the more they had to investigate.

Dion put his notebook aside and finally turned to Ethan. "Anything else you remember and want to share with us?"

After thinking about what he could say, Ethan gave an answer.

"I've had these kinds of memories, or dreams. I see myself in a big cozy house playing on a keyboard. I know I have an audience, but I never look back to see who they are. Suddenly faces appear in my mind, a woman, a man, a baby. But I don't recognize them, they're just there."

The three of them kept looking at Ethan while he had his eyes glued to Hero's face, who looked into his eyes and whined slightly, as if he felt Ethan's feelings. Not lost on Dion was Ethan's touch to his left wrist, where naturally there should be staple scars encircling it.

"I always dream of a dark house, I don't see anyone but I have this feeling that someone is watching me and is going to catch me at any moment. And the cold, I dream of walking through the woods with the same feeling as in that house... It's terrifying," when Ethan looked up at the end, he saw the soldiers staring at him unblinkingly. "That's it."

An hour later, in their hotel room, the two of them were going over Ethan's answers over and over again on the laptop on the table in front of them. Hero was asleep on his bed, too tired from visiting the blond man and giving him too many licks and wagging his tail madly goodbye. In vials placed next to the laptop was Ethan, Anca, Ivantie and Vasile's blood, which had been drawn with their permission before they left.

"Everything matches. There are answers he wasn't sure about, but come on, California? Systems engineering? He knows his first and last name, this can't be a coincidence."

"He said he's thirty-eight years old."

"That's the only inconsistency," Dion responded immediately. "Ethan would be forty-one this year, but it's been three years, maybe his mind stayed in the moment of the explosion." 

"Still, what about the time that passed after the explosion and before the Moises found him?" Dion had no answer to that. "My God, Wilson, Ethan Winters should be dead. His body should be dust!"

Emily hid her face with both hands. Dion wondered if she wanted to cry. Centaintly, he felt a lump in his throat.

"We should go to the village. Something tells me the fungus wasn't completely destroyed. It must have something to do with Ethan's survival," Emily mentioned, rubbing one eye after removing her hands from her face.

Dion glued his gaze to the vial of blood on the table. It was a bright red color. He could still remember the color of Ethan's blood before Miranda, it was nothing like this.

"We'll go part by part. I'll go back to the base for a sample of Ethan's blood, they still keep it stored along with Rose and Mia's. Then I'll take it to Steven's lab for comparison. You wait here with Hero, it'll take me about a week to get back, for now try to get back to Ethan, maybe ask him more questions, and take the dog with you, so that at least it won't bother him so much to see you."

"What if someone at HQ finds out what we're doing? Rebecca is always in the lab," Emily added.

"I'll be careful, don't you worry."

A day later, early in the morning, after a long flight and several cups of coffee to keep him going and get his job done as quickly as possible, Dion was already arriving at the Hound Wolves base.

In almost three years they had settled in their own building, managing a private organization focused on helping the people, that also worked hand in hand with TerraSave and other institutions dedicated to the eradication of bioterrorism. They were backed by the UN, taking the place of the BSAA within this universal organization. They were not at the level they had left the BSAA in 2021, missing at least one hundred and fifty members across all facilities on the globe, who decided to quit after the crimes committed by their old job were made public, or simply chose not to join their good cause, but they expected to get there with the support of all their allies.

It consisted of a five-story building, established in eastern Virginia. For now, it was the only facility for the Hound Wolves, although they were already agreeing to extend to South America and Western Europe, where they would take over the buildings that once belonged to the BSAA, except for the British facility. 

Matthew Lewis had been reluctant to vacate the place, he took it upon himself to legally obtain the building, and as long as he did not commit offenses against the International Law Against Bioterrorism for the Protection of Human Life and the Environment within there, that place would be his.

For many this was not a good idea, since it was rumored that the end of that alliance was a lie, and that they had simply changed the name to get rid of the law and avoid problems with the public. Dion was confident that, now under the leadership of Chris Redfield and his closest friends, the Hound Wolves' course would take a completely different turn.

As such, the so-called alliance against bioterrorism was not finished. The fight that some of their former directors and advisers maintained to avoid its complete destruction was known among them, but none of their once allies wanted to have anything to do with it.

The UN, TerraSave, the DSO, and Blue Umbrella, among others, recognized them as a real organization, besides the fact that, with the legal resources they had, they had stopped the operation of two facilities of the Connections alongside Blue Umbrella, in addition to having collaborated and kept under control most of the outbreaks that occurred around the world throughout those years. It'd put them in a good position, raising millions in donations to continue their good work. They were all proud.

Upon entering the building, Dion received a few greetings from his colleagues. He had hoped not to run into so many of them since it was so early. He recognized some old faces from the BSAA who had proven to mean well and earned their place there. Dion would greet them with pleasure, but he would avoid any distractions that might slow him down, he wouldn't even stop by to see his beloved dogs; he wouldn't be tempted to stay all day just playing and snuggling with them.

"Hey!, whatcha doing here?"

Dion stopped and turned to the left where the voice came from. He immediately tried to act relaxed.

"Hey, John!"

"Shouldn't you be in Romania?"

Of course he couldn't just walk in and out without attracting attention.

"Yeah, I was. I'm on a break. Took my free days"

"You're on a break and decided to come to the base...?"

He should've said another thing.

"I forgot some important stuff in my office. You know, clothes, shoes..."

John Perlman looked at him very stranged.

"Okay... I'll leave you, then. Enjoy your free days, pal."

"Thanks, man," with a handshake and an awkward pat on the back, Dion continued his walk awfully fast. John glanced at his back with a raised eyebrow. Thank heavens he didn't mention the white case Dion held in one hand.

He went to his office so as not to arouse suspicion. He had indeed left one of his jackets hanging on a hook. Just in case, he quickly picked up one of the boxes that he had forgotten in the corner of the office, he didn't even know what was inside but it didn't matter. He was due to arrive in Washington DC in a few hours to meet Steven, who already knew he would be helping an old friend.

He left the office, locking it, and went directly to the laboratory. He tried to walk at a normal pace so as not to be seen by other companions.

The HW lab was on the ground floor of the building. It didn't take long to get there. He left his things in the small reception, walked through the disinfection area and dressed in a white coat, glasses, a mask and gloves without stopping.

The entire flight to the States he had thought about how he would draw the blood test without raising suspicion, especially from someone who noticed even the smallest detail like Rebecca. For a moment, he thought of avoiding her completely, but that would be impossible. The best thing would be to face her and make it seem like everything was normal.

Feeling his heart in his throat, Dion approached the small woman's work area, who was too focused on looking at something through a microscope and making notes, probably having stayed up all night working. Dion tapped his knuckles lightly on the table to make his presence known.

Finding herself interrupted, Rebecca raised her head.

Honestly, they had never talked about anything other than work before and he could count on one hand the times they had. Dion knew her very well as she was Chris' friend and a very famous member within the organization, and he could imagine that she recognized him by always being behind her muscular friend's back, especially for that unforgettable occasion where they first faced the BSAA. Apart from that, their relationship was null.

Still, Rebecca smiled at him, as if she was genuinely glad of his presence in her lab. 

"Dion Wilson! What brings you here? I thought you guys were in Romania," She finished saying and returned her sight to the microscope. 

The same excuse could work twice. "I'm on vacation, a few days off. We've spent a lot of time away doing research."

"That's true. I should tell Chris about not giving y'all so much of a workload."

"No need to bother," he quickly replied to the woman who was still looking into the microscope. He was embarrassed to make Rebecca believe that he was complaining about his job, and most of all Dion wanted to prevent her from commenting on it to Chris.

"If he's bothering you too much, just tell me. Claire and I can fix that," she chuckled.

"Thanks. Did you finish the analysis of the samples we sent you?"

Making sure that villagers in communities neighboring the exterminated town were free of biological hazards, one of his jobs was to take samples of the soil, water, plants, and wild and domesticated animals that inhabited the area. That work had been completed several weeks ago, everything ordered had been sent to America for Rebecca and her team to study the samples. They were still there as they also had to interrogate the villagers, and although they had also finished talking to the entire village days ago, their personal objective would not let them leave without first securing Ethan.

"Of course, I thought you already knew, I sent Berkhoff an email with the results. Luckily everything looks good, but can't be one hundred percent sure about it," that email had been sent ten days before, Emily had immediately read it out loud to both of them.

"We'd better keep investigating. Oh, I brought you something," he mentioned looking at the case in his hand.

"I hope it's a gift."

Dion laughed. "Next time I promise I'll bring you a gift," Rebecca saw him carefully opening the cooler case, inside it were some vials with blood samples.

"Whose are they?"

"From a family in the town where we are. A few months ago the father was in Miranda's village and from his testimony we believe that he had contact with the mold."

Rebecca looked up quickly upon hearing about the mold. He wasn't surprised by her reaction, they had confirmed its total destruction three years before, and discovering that they were wrong all this time would mean a very serious problem for the organization.

"Do you think it still exists?"

It was a question he had been asking himself ever since he finished questioning Ethan and Vasile. Ethan's very existence told him yes, but he couldn't say that to Rebecca.

"I don't consider him a liar. I'd rather be sure. Can you test them to rule out any trace of the mold in their system?"

"Of course, Dion. Christopher knows?"

"No," and it was better if he didn't know. In their report, the entire conversation with Vasile and Ethan was written, they emphasized the possible presence of the fungus, but as soon as the agents had read about the man found in the town passed out on that strange, glowy substance, they would start asking questions, especially Chris.

"I've to tell him."

"I know. But I ask you to wait a few days, Emily will send our report next week with all the data. Then I'll talk to Chris and we can start a deeper investigation. Can you help me with that?"

Rebecca thought about it for a few seconds. She was not one to lie, so keeping this a secret would be difficult for her. A look to his pleading eyes made her sigh, "count on me."

"I'll help you stow the samples," Dion offered, closing the case, but Rebecca immediately stopped him.

"Don't worry, I got it..." she interrupted herself, feeling her pockets and finding them empty. "Oh, I don't have my card with me, can you see it somewhere?" she asked herself as she continued to search inside her lab coat.

"No, I don't see it here," Dion replied, looking across the table.

"Damn, I'll look for it in my car, wait here."

Without her identification card, Rebecca wouldn't have access to the freezer room, where the Hound Wolves stored every single biosample ot the weapons they caught, studied and/or killed. Dion watched the petite woman walk toward the exit.

He turned to the sides, observing the entire laboratory, there were few people in the place, and those who were seemed engrossed enough in their work to pay attention to the soldier near them. Dion walked away from the table to the back of the lab.

In front of him was the freezer door. He knew that only one camera was recording behind him, and two more were inside. He quickly pulled Rebecca's card from his pocket and swiped it over the ID screen to make the door open. He had taken it out of the woman's lab coat while she was looking into her microscope and answering his questions, in a movement so delicate and invisible that she couldn't notice it, and of which Chris and Emily would surely be very proud.

For now, his mind was fully focused on following the alphabetical order of the stored drawers, having extremely care so to not touch anything he shouldn't (he didn't want to turn into a bioweapon, thank you very much). Most of them were engraved with the names of the biological weapons they had confronted and recovered, like "Cadou", "E-001",  and even the ones they took from the BSAA, like "Chrysalid Virus". He had to go straight to the W when he couldn't find what he was looking for in the letter E, and luckily there it was, a "W. Ethan" right next to "W. Rosemary".

Without thinking, he quickly took the vial, rearranging the next ones in line so that the lack of a sample would not be noticeable. Next, he carefully arranged the vial in a small freezer pack that he took from inside his lab coat. Absolutely everything would be recorded on the cameras in the room, including his carelessness in not wearing a mandatory biosecurity coverall, but he would have enough time to finish the investigation and reach a conclusion before they even realized that a very important sample was missing and would want to test him to rule out contagion.

His heart was beating wildly. Dion suddenly felt weak in his legs and was sure that, if he looked in a mirror, he would look completely pale.

Just as he took place at Rebecca's table, she came through the lab access door. None of the scientists had turned to him while he was carrying out his mission. Dion forced a smile as he noted her return.

"It's not there! I definitely lost it. I'll have to ask for a new one at the office, for now I'll borrow one from my coworkers."

"Okay... Rebecca, I have to go."

Dion's strange behavior did not go unnoticed by the trained eye of the doctor. "Oh, okay. I'll take care of having the results as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Becca. I'm counting on you."

With a few small parting words, Dion finally headed out of the lab, feeling no less nervous.

He felt a less weight on his shoulders when he crossed the disinfection zone and later when he crossed the exit. And just when he was going to let out a sigh that he didn't know he had saved for thirty minutes, he suddenly stopped his steps and almost felt like he was dying of fright at that moment.

Right in front of him was the person he least wanted to run into, literally in front of him and looking into his eyes.

Chris Redfield.

"Cap! What are you doing here?," was the only thing his tangled tongue could formulate when he realized the big trouble he was in. His mind had immediately gone wild, thinking Chris had seen him through the security cameras.

"Me? What are you doing here?" he replied without taking any bullshit from his soldier. "You should be in Romania with Berkhoff." It seemed the whole damn organization knew of his whereabouts, but hey, this was his captain, the person who sent him there from the first moment, of course he should know.

"I took a few days off," the same excuse could work three times, this time saying it in a volumen which Chris could barely hear.

"With whose permission?"

"Well, Berkhoff..." He honestly had nothing to say.

"I'm kidding. It's okay if you rest for a few days, I just hope you've done your job."

Dion gave a nervous laugh. A few seconds passed in which Chris didn't stop looking at him and that made Dion's nervousness keep growing. He felt that the Captain could clearly read his thoughts, but that was something he always felt when facing Chris Redfield.

Suddenly the sample he'd just stolen, and the one he could get in serious legal trouble for if it was found out he'd taken it, felt like a ton in his pocket. He felt that the shape of the square packaging was too evident through the fabrics.

"Are you going to stand here all day or do you plan to move?" the question almost made him jump from his spot, still at the entrance to the lab. He was getting in the way of the Captain, who was probably going to talk to Rebecca, and he had just stood there as if he expected to be discovered instead of running away as fast as he could.

"Sorry, Cap! I'll leave now," with a farewell impossibly more awkward than the full encounter, Dion finally hurried out of HQ, but not before throwing the security clothing in the trash, leaving the borrowed coat in its place and pulling out the evidence of his crime from its pockets. The belongings that Dion was carrying were not lost on Chris, and the latter was grateful that he did not mention anything about it.

With his heart beating at a thousand an hour and on the outside feigning the calm of someone who had done anything wrong in life, Dion got into a taxi that would take him to the bus station.

The drive from Heathsville to Washington DC was smooth and fast, the complete opposite of the turmoil inside his head. The bus took three hours to reach its destination, so he arrived perfectly in time for his meeting with Steven Hart, a scientist with whom he had collaborated in Bangkok a little over eight years ago, and who had become a good friend of his. Also, not knowing Chris Redfield or Ethan Winters or any of their friends had been a big reason for Dion to pick him for this job.

Steven was an older man, recently retired, who had worked a good part of his life for the US government in the criminal field. In the last years of his career, he had been recruited by TerraSave to provide his work during one of the most devastating outbreaks on the Asian continent, specifically in the Thai capital.

While Dion Wilson guided his three rescue dogs through the rubble to get the trapped people out of there and recover the bodies of the unfortunate, Steven Hart was commissioned to do the genetic recognition of almost a hundred victims, where thirty-two of them were used as biological weapons in that attack.

Their friendship had been forged in the lab, to where Dion and his team carried the bodies to bring them to the geneticist. It was about a month that they had to get to know, begin to trust each other and then do favors for each other over the next few years. It was for this reason that Steven did not refuse in the call that Dion made him days before.

Fortunately for Dion, Steven had his own lab at home, so they wouldn't have to involve more people.

"I thought it would take you longer to get here," Steven said after opening his door's home. He didn't give Dion time to even make a proper greeting as the man led him into the guest room to put down all his luggage, then Steven began to lead him towards the laboratory, the deepest part and furthest from important objects in the house. "What do we have here?"

Steven had offered Dion a white lab coat as soon as they entered. He had taken a seat leaning against the center table, while Dion stood awkwardly across from him. 

Dion took the container with the DNA evidence from inside his trench coat. He opened it in front of the older man, there were two vials with ten milliliters each, the one on the left had a simple piece of identification taped to it that read "Ethan Winters, 05/04/24", while the name of the one on the right was impresed from computer and dated from 2017. "Will this be enough to make the comparison?"

To Steven's expert eye, the slight difference in shades between one vial and the other did not go unnoticed.

"More than enough. As long as they're in good condition it'll work," Dion breathed a small sigh of relief. "How about while I'm preparing the equipment you tell me what you want this for and why you threatened me to keep it a secret?"

Steven had Dion put on a coverall, cap, goggles, mask, and gloves for proper biosecurity while he did the same. "Any important information I should know?"

"I'm not quite sure how contagious Ethan's fluids are, maybe we'll get the fungus from coming into contact with his blood, or maybe not. Oh, and perhaps we're doing something illegal."

Steven looked shocked for a moment, but he quickly returned to a neutrality that only someone his age knew, even if he was only eight years older than Chris.

"We're going to work day and night on this, you will be my assistant. Do not touch anything, unless I ask you to. Hopefully, in two days we will have the results."

The rest of the day, Dion spent telling him in detail about the circus his life and work had become for the past seven years. He told Steven about Dulvey, he told him about Romania. Dion was able to explain Ethan's artificial nature and his miraculous resuscitation. He did not leave out of conversation the powers that his only daughter was beginning to show.

Steven seemed to believe everything, or at least he didn't ask any questions or made comments to the contrary. Although he was not very familiar with the bioterrorism world, the events in Thailand had made him think that anything was possible.

They both took short breaks to eat, go to the bathroom, and just once to sleep, until almost seventy hours later Steven finally had the results.

"The genetic profile of blood sample A, taken from subject Ethan Winters on August 22nd, 2017, is identical to blood sample B, taken from subject Ethan Winters on May 4th, 2024," Steven waited for his partner's reaction. The dark circles on Dion's face had grown unbelievably more pronounced. Steven watched him remove his mask and glasses to rub his eyes with the back of his hand. "What will you do now?"

"I've to inform my Captain."

"You agreed to that with Emily."

"I know," he sighed. "I should talk to Ethan first. Prepare him."

"Maybe it's for the best. Returning to a life of which he has no memory may affect him more than you can imagine."

Dion rubbed his eyes again and sighed.  

"What the fuck am I doing here? I should be training dogs."

Chapter Text

E. W. Positive, said the message Dion sent to his partner once he got out of the lab. He didn't trust using complete names, much less calling to inform her. He was pretty sure there would be someone listening and reading everything that happened through their phones, call it Hound Wolf, BSAA or whatever. It was better to stay discrete.

K, was everything he got as a response. It was enough communication.

Dion didn't stay much time after that at Steven's house, after taking a meal he immediately bought a ticket plane to Bucharest. The amount of money spent in this whole adventure made him and his wallet almost cry, but he had the confidence he would regain his money very soon once this was resolved.

Before boarding the plane, he made sure to tell Emily that he was going on his way, and once it landed and also during the train ride to Baia Mare, Dion would send her another message telling her the same thing. However, he never got response from Emily.

His friend used to take a long time to answer her cell phone when it wasn't something urgent, sometimes she didn't even answer, so Dion didn't see why to worry. He just wanted to get there quickly to take a relaxing shower and, above all, see his dear Hero.

But, upon arrival, he found a totally empty apartment.

***

That day Ethan woke up, like every day, before dawn. Everyone in the house woke up early to have breakfast together, most of the time, and start doing their activities on the farm.

Ethan began to toss and turn in his bed, still not fully awake. Opening his eyes slightly after rubbing them, he could see through his window that the sun was just rising outside, it was still too early for the roosters to start crowing.

He closed his eyelids again when he heard no noise in the house. That only meant two things, either Vasile had already left to do his job, or he was still asleep. Ethan was more inclined towards the second option, since the day before they had stayed up late talking in the dining room, besides, for the last week Vasile had stayed at home to keep an eye on them. Ethan could assume it was because of the constant presence of Dion and Emily, although he hadn't seen the former since the interrogation. Emily, on the other hand, along with good old Hero, had visited their house every day after that. Although she was a very serious person and seemed angry all the time, she was a welcome company to the family, always telling Ethan stories of her past and, to Vasile's delight, helping with the farm chores alongside Hero.

Feeling closer and closer to the dream's world, he was interrupted by feeling a movement on the edge of the mattress. He didn't care, but then it was impossible for him not to get up quickly, startled to hear a whimpering in his ear.

Heart pounding, he saw the culprit looking at him with falsely innocent eyes.

He'd completely forgotten about it, even though it was the second day he'd woken up like this.

Unlike the others, Emily would not show up that morning. Two days before, after everyone had dinner, she simply asked them to take care of Hero for a few days because she had to return to the States; and was all she mentioned before leaving.

Hero kept glancing at him as he whimpered and wagged his tail happily.

"Need to pee?"

As if responding, the huge dog whined even louder.

"Okay, okay, just wait, big boy."

Waking up like this was a surprise, but not an unpleasant one. He was happy to have Hero by his side, he'd immediately felt a great affection for the dog, and the feeling was reciprocated, Hero barely let go of his side, which had been a problem toward the white cat, who clearly hated the dog, and also toward Vasile who is not yet warmed up to Hero.

They both ignored the cat's hiss as they left the house for Hero to relieve himself. Ethan could see that Vasile was home, barely waking up, once he got back inside. He would let Hero return to the house whenever he pleased, he could hear the hound's quick, heavy footsteps on the Moises' large lot, clearly happy to have so much space to waste his energy. Inside, there would be a bowl of dog food and some ground beef mixed with a raw egg, for breakfast.

A little over an hour later, the four of them had eaten, showered one by one in the bathroom, and were getting dressed to start the day off right.

Ethan finished adjusting his shoes while Anca and Ivantie were arguing in front of him over some insignificant thing, when he heard a knock on the front door. Hero, who had been sitting, carefully watching the movement of his hands, quickly ran towards the door, startled by the noise.

He started barking at whoever the intruder was while Vasile complained about the noise from his room, but only for a few seconds until his excellent nose could pick up who was standing on the other side of the door, so he began to wag his tail and jump excitedly.

There was Dion waiting patiently. Ethan was very surprised to see him.

"Hello, boy!," was the first thing the soldier said.

For the second time that morning, Hero ran out the door, this time to greet his master, jumping on him to reach to lick his face while Dion laughed with the same excitement.

A single command was enough to quickly calm the heavy hound before it could knock Dion to the ground.

Then both men exchanged glances.

Ethan could see the strange look on Dion's face while the latter was looking at him.

Emily and Dion had such a way of looking at Ethan that, it didn't make him uncomfortable, but it did make him feel the nostalgia they kept inside. This time Dion's eyes expressed that he could cry at any moment. In fact, he started doing it.

"Are you OK?," Ethan questioned worriedly. Hero even cried together with his master upon feeling his mood change.

Dion quickly wiped the trail of the lone tear from his face. "I'm sorry, yes, I'm sorry," Ethan gave him a moment to collect himself. "Is Emily here?"

Pretending as if nothing had happened, they both continued the conversation. "Emily? I thought you and her would be together."

"I was in America."

"I know. Two days ago she left to go there."

"Wha-?, Ethan, not complaining or anything, but what is my dog doing here?"

"She asked me to look after him."

"She did that? I see now why she didn't reply to my messages," he said this last to himself. "At what time did she leave?"

"After dinner. 6 or 7 pm perhaps?"

Dion's brain began to work rapidly to calculate time. She'd probably flown into Washington at early morning, yesterday. She would've landed during afternoon, and most likely she was on her way there, with an entire elite team of Hound Wolves and Chris leading it.

A great chill ran down his spine, and there might have been a look of terror on his face because Ethan was quick to notice.

"Seriously, Dion. Are you OK, man?"

"Ethan!," exclaimed the younger one. "I nee- I need to talk you about something."

This time, Vasile didn't bother to say anything when he saw the agent in his dining room again, he just rolled his eyes and kept walking.

Only Anca greeted him happily and, this time, she was the one sitting at the table with them, as well as Hero. The girl was ecstatic to finally be able to hear a conversation between them, and Ethan didn't have the power to tell her to get out of there.

"We haven't been quite honest with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... The real reason why we are here. Emily and I work for the Hound Wolves- I know, you have no way of knowing what I'm talking about. It's an organization committed to fighting bioterrorism. The explosion that happened two years ago in Miranda's village," he said, looking directly at Anca, as she does remember witnessing it. "We made that. That place was infested with creatures that were once humans or animals, but because of experiments, the work of really twisted minds, they ended up turning into monsters. Those B. O. W.s, as we call them, wiped out all the people and animals in the village. It was something that had to be done before more villages fell victim."

Ethan turned behind him when he saw Dion's gaze go that way. Vasile and Ivantie had joined the conversation as mere spectators.

"Ethan, you were there with us, in the middle of the explosion."

The blond looked very confused.

"How...? What?!"

"It's a long story. I'm talking about four years, but I'll summarize the important stuff before Chris gets here."

Ethan frowned at the name, not understanding what was happening, or why Dion was speaking so hastily.

"In 2017 you suffered the consequences of bioterrorism in Louisiana. Your then-wife, Mia, was trapped in a house infected by a mold, which turned anyone who entered it into a monster, for three years. So you went to rescue her by yourself and you both managed to get out of there alive. To ensure your safety, we had to move you to this country, but a horrible woman over a hundred years old, who controlled the mold, kidnapped your daughter when she found out you all were here, to make her her own daughter- I know, that witch was crazy. Anyway, now you went to rescue Rosemary by yourself, again, and while you were killing Miranda at the same time you were ending your life because, you didn't know it, but your whole body was infected by the mold from the house in Louisiana, and since you had already died multiple times before that, your body couldn't take it so it slowly fell apart. When you made sure to get Rose to safety, by your own will you stayed in the village, while all of us escaped from there before it exploded..."

Dion took a deep breath. His face was red and his voice and his hands trembled throughout the story. The family looked at him quite puzzled.

"You died there again, Ethan," he continued, now more slowly so that his receptor finished processing all the information he'd just received. "You died there and, shit, it's been three years since then, but here you are, like nothing at all happened!"

The silence in that room seemed to last for ages. Ethan, for seconds, seemed about to laugh, not believing what he'd just told him. Dion was still shaking.

Now he could understand more of the interrogation questions. They had asked him if he was married, apparently he was. And, from what Dion was saying, now there was an explanation for his nightmares in the dark house and the others in the snow, the latter all this time having occurred in this very place.

"You're telling me," he began to speak, "that I am a corpse?"

"Yeah... No... I don't know! Believe me, I'm very confused too. That's why I traveled to the US these days, I had to be sure that you were our Ethan, and... Yes, you are."

They all saw Ethan run his fingers through his hair. "I have a lot of questions."

"I know. I'll answer all of them, I swear."

He spent a minute covering his mouth with his fingers, still unable to fully process it.

"Who's Miranda?"

The talk continued for two hours. Dion tried to give him the details chronologically, but sometimes Ethan would ask questions that took them back to the very beginning, or nearly 30 years in the past, when Raccoon City happened. Here the members of the family would inquire further into the subject by being completely unaware of it. They were not isolated from the world, as Miranda kept the neighboring town, and Vasile remembered finding out a few days after the extermination of the city, but the information that reached their community at that time through newspapers was minimal compared to the current information. 

That day no one finished their tasks. The entire family was there to emotionally support Ethan, and serve as a pillar between all of them, because no one expected to find out about something like this.

There were times when Ethan needed a break, and he would simply go to the bathroom, or leave the house for a few minutes with Hero and the cat, and then come back and pick up where they left off.

The blond felt a strong migraine. It was strange, suddenly the pangs were so intense that he couldn't keep his eyes open, but as the minutes passed the pain disappeared. Then Dion would drop another blunt piece of information, and the migraine would return. It was like a vicious cycle.

"I guess that should be all for today," Vasile interrupted, seeing Ethan clutch his head for the thousandth time.

"I know is very overwhelming for all of you, especially you, Ethan. But this has to be done today. I don't think we have much time."

"Why? Because this Chris guy is coming? He cannot decide how long it will take Ethan to get to know his whole life."

"Yes, he can. Once he and the team get here, they'll take Ethan back to America. It won't matter if he remembers or not his life."

Vasile was stunned. He hadn't considered that Ethan would be taken away like this, let alone that it would happen so quickly.

"I'm simply trying to prepare you for what's next. They'll force you back, because you have to take your place back, at your daughter's side."

"How can I go back to a place I don't even know, that I don't remember ever having been to?" the blond replied. He'd started tearing up. "This is my home, the only one I can recognize. I don't even remember my own daughter..."

Suddenly the tears fell larger and thicker. Ethan could feel a huge weight in his heart. He didn't remember that girl, and it hurt him deeply that he couldn't do it no matter how hard he tried.

He couldn't understand why, by having no recollection of her, but thinking about it somehow Rose's existence just made sense.

Rosemary. What a beautiful name. He was pretty sure he was the one who named her.

"Once you're back, surely the memories will come too, just like you suddenly remembered your name and all the facts you told me before. I know you're terrified, but trust us, we only want the best for you, Ethan."

Ethan then turned to see the family who didn't hesitate to cover him with their wings, even though they didn't know who he was.

He really had grown fond of them. Anca was the one who always made him smile, Ivantie protected him like an older brother even though Ethan himself was too many years older than him, and Vasile had taken it upon himself to treat him as if he were his own son. Going back to his old life meant leaving them, and that broke his heart too.

Anca had started crying too, holding Ethan's left hand in her smaller one. Ethan got closer to the girl and hugged her to try to comfort her, while his own tears fell on the girl's red hair.

Dion fell silent, receiving no more questions from Ethan or the Moises. His eyes stayed fixed on his cellphone having received a new message.

For his part, Ethan had gotten up to hug Ivantie tightly, and then Vasile. No one mentioned a word, but he could tell that they understood it.

Vasile gave Ethan's shoulders a little squeeze at the end of the hug. He knew that as much as he had clung to Ethan's presence in his life, at some point he would have to let him go.

It wasn't the goodbye, but they should prepare to make one soon.

Dion sighed as he continued to watch the screen, and a second later a knock on the door could be heard. As normal, Hero began to bark towards where the intruder was.

We are here, read the message he received from Berkhoff five minutes ago.

With one look at Dion, Ethan knew that the time he was referring to earlier was finally over. He couldn't understand why, but his hands began to sweat profusely.

Behind that door was a furious Christopher Redfield.

Chapter Text

Having Emily Berkhoff on his doorstep was quite a surprise.

The woman had been in Romania for about two months together with Dion Wilson on his orders. He could've sent any member of the HW really, but the experience that Berkhoff had in recon missions, in addition to Wilson's charisma, made them apt to deal with the inhabitants of neighboring towns to Miranda's.

It had been weird enough to run into Wilson and his strange behavior on the base days before, an opinion Rebecca had shared when he spoke to her in the lab that day, so Berkhoff showing up at his door a few days later must mean something very important.

"What did you find?"

"It's something you have to see by yourself."

This left Chris thinking for a long time. He was worried that Berkhoff couldn't tell him right away what it was about.

He knew that it couldn't be a B. O. W., since he would've received a call from his team to group up and travel there immediately, making it totally unnecessary for Berkhoff to come looking for him personally.

This made his initial concern fade away, if he had to act fast, Berkhoff would've already let him know.

Plus, she looked like she'd run from the airport straight to his home, her bun scruffy, and her breathing heavy. There was no need to rush things.

"Come on in."

Chris stepped aside to let the woman into his home. She may have been a bit embarrassed to have interrupted the family dinner, but her characteristic expressionless face didn't show it.

"Auntie Emily!" Little Rose yelled excitedly, quickly getting down from her seat to run into Berkhoff's arms. The only way to put an expression on the blonde woman's face was because of Rosemary, when she would put on a smile if she saw her.

His family and friends greeted each other.

Claire already knew her as she's been a regular presence in his working life for the last five years, so she wasn't too surprised to see her there. Leon had only seen her once, and that had been three years ago, at the funeral.

Claire was already clearing the plates off the table with Leon's help. "We've just had dinner, but you're welcome if you'd like to eat."

Before she could refuse, with Rose playing with the blond strands of her bangs, still up in her arms, Chris answered for her. "I'll serve her, you two help me wash the dishes. Don't make that face, Berkhoff, I know you haven't eaten."

"Is it so noticeable?," she replied jokingly as she looked at Rose. The girl just laughed without understanding the question.

When she'd finished her dinner, showing just how hungry she really was, Chris resumed the chatter.

"When we have to go?"

Berkhoff finished her glass of lemonade and put it on the table while she wiped her lips with a napkin. "It's better if we leave tonight. It's not a matter of urgency, but you'll want to be there as soon as possible."

"Someone died?"

"No."

"Anyone missing?"

"No."

"Is Miranda?"

"No. Look, Chris, I'll explain everything to you as soon as we leave. I want to tell you, but not here, besides, you won't believe me if you don't see it with your own eyes."

Chris was quite a patient man, but in this situation he felt like a child waiting for Christmas, but in a bad way. The uncertainty made him anxious.

He turned to the living room, where Claire, Leon and Rose were watching a children's show. Claire was on her feet singing and dancing next to the host as she had memorized the choreography by heart, while Rose followed her steps in a more clumsy fashion and they both laughed at Leon's terrible attempt to join in the song.

Wouldn't be the first or the last time he left his daughter in the care of those close to him. They were quite used to dealing with the girl every time her father had no one else to left her with when a sudden mission arose, and the scene in front of him was a clear example of that.

Although Leon wasn't always with Claire to watch over the girl, the latter tried to be Rose's main babysitter, always, even if it meant taking her to the office so as not to miss an important day of work.

Anti-bioterrorism facilities were not a place for children, but fortunately for Claire, she had chosen a job with areas specially designed for rescued children, orphans, and bioweapons survivors. This extended the time she could spend caring for her beloved niece.

Because Claire loved Rose as her own, from the first moment she met her, still in her deceased father's arms. Chris trusted his sister to keep his daughter safe at all times, whether he was there or not.

"Okay, I'll get the team together. You can take a shower or get some rest."

The message that Chris sent to his people was clear and concise. Midnight, HW HQ, to Romania.

Graham, Elba and Perlman were the first to receive the order, being Chris' most trusted people at the time and already being involved in Romania from the start. Other members would go with him, such as the air pilots, and some doctors. Per Emily's request, there wouldn't be many agents.

"You will leave?," a small voice was heard at the door of his room, while he was lacing his military boots.

Chris immediately stopped what he was doing to pay attention to the girl. Like every time he had to leave her, he asked her to come closer to him. Rose slowly did so, and Chris sat her on his lap.

"I won't be gone long, I promise."

"Where are you going?"

"Romania," he gave her a few seconds to process the country's name.

"It is very far?"

"Kinda, it's in Europe," Chris was aware of the geography lessons Aunt Claire gave Rose when she wanted to know where in the world her father, Leon, Jill, or any of her trusted adults were, so it wasn't difficult for her to understand those conversations.

Besides, she already knew that this was the country where she and her parents had lived years ago.

"It's cold there, but now is warm," Chris chuckled, touched by her response. Claire often teaches her niece many things.

"That's right, honey. Aunt Emily and I will travel there for work."

"You'll kill monsters?"

"Hopefully not. We'll just check the place out and be back real quick."

Rose was silent. Every time Chris said that, he would be gone for weeks on end. Of course, she was never alone, but whenever Chris left, Rose feared that he would never come back.

"Hey," he lifted the little girl's chin with his fingers, "I promise you it'll be fast."

"Okay... Can you bring me something?"

Chris laughed again at her ease in changing subject. "Like what?"

"A Teddy," Rose pointed to the head of the bed, where a stuffed rabbit perpetually sat.

Rose already had too many stuffed animals in her room, but having one more wouldn't hurt.

"How about I bring you a horse this time?," he proposed, remembering the emotion with which his daughter talked about the horses she saw in the woods with her aunt.

"No! It is a monkey. I want the monkey, daddy."

Well, apparently she had forgotten the horses.

"Okay, princess. Now go to your aunt, I'll be there in a minute."

"Roger that!"

The little girl jumped off his legs and ran out of her father's room, bumping into a Berkhoff fresh out of the shower and apologizing on the way. She was proud that she'd used a phrase that she'd heard Chris and the squad say many times.

To get to the base they had to drive 40 minutes from the neighborhood, so they were very on time at 10 pm. The rest of the team was already there preparing everything necessary for the flight.

Finally, Chris went downstairs when he was done, with a carry-on bag of his personal gear. Berkhoff was in the guest room doing whatever she needed to do, and Chris would give her as much time as she needed.

He managed to find Rose awake, although she'd fall asleep at any moment lying comfortably in Leon's lap. Seeing him, she immediately asked him to carry her with her arms raised.

"I'm leaving now, Rosey. Have sweet dreams. I love you."

The little girl smiled when she heard Chris' words. It didn't take 10 seconds until she completely closed her eyelids and fell fast asleep.

"Romania then?," Claire questioned.

"Berkhoff says I have to see something important."

"That is...?"

"No idea. She doesn't want to tell."

"Chris, this is too suspicious. What could be waiting for you in that place?"

Chris didn't feel compelled to respond.

It had been three years since he had last set foot on those godforsaken lands. All subsequent work had been done by the squad, understanding their Captain's difficulties at the thought of returning there. And while he could do it, the slight tremor in his hands proved he wasn't fully prepared.

Whereas years ago Romania had become his home the moment he set foot there, having his partner and their baby by his side, now it was just a bad memory, the resurgence of old traumas and the beginning of some new ones. He could no longer see the beautiful landscapes of that magnificent country in the same way without feeling that at any moment its terrible winter would swallow him whole.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Claire spoke quickly, but one look at her sleeping niece changed her mind. "Leon could go with you."

"Sure."

"No, I'm fine. Stay here and take care of Rose, please."

Emily was coming down the stairs. "Ready, Cap."

Her hands were empty, just as they had arrived at the house. Her belongings were at the base, where she would put on her uniform and do her hair properly once they got there.

"Can you take her to bed?," he said to Claire.

She gladly agreed, leaving Leon's side of the couch to get up and gently take the girl.

All this time, Chris hadn't said anything about the male arm encircling his sister's shoulders and then the back of the chair when she'd moved out of touch as Chris approached them.

Chris hoped that with the glance he was giving Leon, the latter would understand that Claire was always being watched by her brother. Either way, they were both adults, and if they finally decided to get together for whatever reason, Chris would be satisfied.

The Redfields shared a goodbye hug, as Claire whispered in his ear to take care of himself and his people, Chris placed a small kiss on the top of his daughters head and gave Leon an unnecessarily strong handshake. No matter how much time passed, there would always be alpha male competition between those two.

He and Berkhoff left the house, leaving the couple to stay as long as they wanted, as Chris did whenever he left.

"They're no longer teenagers who don't know how to take care of themselves, in fact they are closer to middle age than their youth. Why bully him like that?"

"It's fun," Chris replied.

She snorted. She would never understand men's childish games no matter how old they were.

On the way to the base, Emily took the opportunity to sleep a little in Chris' car because he forced her to. She hadn't slept at all during the flight to the US, she felt very tired, but she had been awake for more than three days on many other occasions, she was already used to it because of her work.

Chris parked the car and his partner immediately woke up at feeling the stillness. They exchanged a few words and went their separate ways. While Emily would be in the shower area, changing her outfit into her tactical uniform, Chris would go to the hangar to make sure everything was ready.

There he found the rest of the squad, they were having dinner, sitting in a circle in front of a storage container that had weapons in its interior, used as a makeshift table. He could see other agents getting on and off the plane, one of the pilots checking his transport holding a clipboard and a pen.

"Hey, Cap!" John Perlman greeted friendly. "Wanna join us?"

Chris kindly declined the offer of the extra burger. "You're ready?"

"Course, we already load up everything, we just wait for the plane to be prepared and we can leave," Rolando Elba answered.

Charlie Graham was next to speak. "What are we up against, Cap?"

"Once we take off Berkhoff will explain. She and Wilson found something important."

"B. O. W.?"

"Apparently not, but she didn't specify."

"Well, as long as it's not Miranda..." Elba kicked Perlman's shin hard, interrupting his smile.

Redfield was sensitive to the woman's name and any subject connected to it because of the painful memories it brought up. His squad had always tried to be careful when broaching the subject, fearing the backlash it might generate, as they had met Chris in his explosive, highly PTSD-affected side after the events at the Spencer Estate in 2006 and at the Neo Umbrella underwater facility in 2013, so joking about it was considered a great offense to their Captain.

Chris didn't answer.

He walked over to Perlman, who was still wincing and rubbing the bruised area, placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a squeeze.

"Finish your dinner and get on the plane," he said to his men. "And get this container on, Lobo."

"Yes, Alpha," Perlman replied.

Chris walked in a straight line to where the transport was without turning back.

"You're an idiot," he caught Graham's voice and more scolding from them to Perlman.

The comment hadn't bothered him, but neither would he celebrate the recklessness of one of his members. He preferred they continue to see him as an authority, and if that meant instilling fear in them, then so be it.

"All set, Alpha," the pilot said, giving him a thumbs up and climbing with him into the aircraft. He saw the man get into the pilot cabin, and a few minutes later the plane's engine was started.

The team went up one by one. Umber Eyes, Night Howl, and Tundra found seats next to each other, while Lobo struggled a bit to bring up the cargo Alpha ordered. Likewise, two of the scientists from the lab, whom Rebecca sent at Chris' request, were already inside the plane with all the equipment they might need.

No one but Berkhoff knew exactly what they were going there for.

It wasn't until the plane had fully taken off and found a stable height among the sky that Emily took the strength to start speaking. They had all given her time to prepare, they were all patient, but Chris' gaze fixed on her made her feel like she could lose control at any moment and yell "YOUR BOYFRIEND IS ALIVE" right in his face.

Given the freedom that the pilots had at that time, the plane was going at a higher speed than the one generally established for safety, perhaps it would take about ten hours to arrive, it was better to start once and for all.

"We took samples from the whole place as soon as we arrived in Valea Albă, and immediately sent them to the laboratory. There were no traces of viruses or mold in the results, fortunately, I guess you have already seen our report. So we started questioning the whole town and found a family that had rescued a survivor from Umbra."

"Survivor?" Graham questioned in alarm.

"Impossible. We destroyed the entire village," Umber Eyes added.

"That's what Wilson and I thought, but it's true," the only woman on the plane looked at all her companions, who seemed reluctant to believe her, until she fixed her eyes on Redfield. "It's true."

"And who's this person?"

There was no going back. Emily's fear was making her sweat, even though it was no more than 15° Celsius inside the plane. It wasn't just Chris' reaction that caused her that, that was the least of it, but the uncertainty of what would happen from there.

"Tundra?," Chris called after she was totally silent for a few seconds. He had never seen her that way, not even in the moments when her life had been in danger.

Emily suddenly snapped back to reality blinking a few times. Her heart wanted to jump out of her chest.

"It's Ethan."

The plane's engine reverberated loudly in everyone's heads for the long minute they were silent. Emily didn't turn to see their faces, though she was sure they had gone completely pale. She guessed that because the same thing had happened with Chris and she couldn't take her eyes off him, even when she felt the urge to look away.

"Pardon?"

"Come again?"

"Ethan Winters?!"

Were some of the questions she heard from the crew.

She didn't have the strength to answer any of them, but she nodded towards the last one.

Chris pulls his headphones off of himself and throws them against the far wall of the plane. He gets up from his place, begins to scream and cry loudly, holding his head, while he violently pushes the squad away from his body, who are only trying to calm him down.

Chris can't believe it, and Emily stands still as she listens to the most heartbreaking wail she's ever heard, coming from a fifty-year-old man twice her size.

Chris cries the entire flight to Maramureș, hopeful that it's really his Ethan.

Chris cries and screams, because he will finally be able to meet the love of his life again, he will take him tightly in his arms and they will be the happy family that he hoped to be for so long.

That was what Emily had pictured in her mind.

Those screams and laments were the ones she'd heard three years ago, when Chris' brain had fully processed that Ethan had died some time after the accident, after the funeral, when they were just settling in at the Hound Wolf base. That day she had heard it from a floor below where he was, while she was in the squad's office. Those screams, those laments, which had provoked feelings in her that she had not felt for a long time and had made her tear up there, in front of her mates, she had unconsciously projected them on her image of how the news would turn out.

But reality was nothing like that fictional scene.

"You made sure of that?" asked the captain.

Emily nodded.

"It's a hazard?"

Emily shook her head no.

Chris sighed.

"Tell me about the family."

And Emily told everything, from their meeting with the young siblings, until two days before, that Wilson had verified that it was indeed Ethan.

Chris was listening to everything very carefully, recording in his memory any small and relevant data that could be useful for the extraction of the subject. The Captain had to know how to handle the situation, whether it was dangerous or not. It could have infected the family, too, so it was extremely important to carry out tests on everyone and the entire ecosystem as quickly as possible. Fortunately they carried all the equipment they could possibly need and, more importantly, they carried weapons to defend themselves if required.

For her part, as Emily spent much of the trip telling and answering everyone's questions, she knew Chris wasn't going to react the way she thought, at least not here.

They had just started the mission, she had been able to sleep five hours when the boys had finished all their questions and gave her a break, and even so when she woke up minutes before landing she felt twice as tired as before. She no longer knew if it was something physical or just mental exhaustion.

She turned to see everyone in the cabin of the plane. Everyone was totally asleep or dozing, only one soul was awake in that place besides her.

Chris was standing, resting one hand on the wall as he stared out a small window, totally lost in thought, or completely blank in mind, she couldn't tell.

"You slept?" Berkhoff asked as she approached him.

Redfield shook his head. "Can't."

"Are you tired?"

He denied once more. Emily sighed.

"You may be in shock, Alpha. You will be even more surprised when you see him, he is so..."

"Wake the others up," Chris cut her off. "We are about to land."

Feeling a pang at Redfield's flat tone, she was not intimidated by it.

"Everything will be fine, you shouldn't worry."

"Have them ready their weapons."

"Chris..."

He didn't even bother to turn to see the pain in her expression.

Was he planning to shoot the house, or Ethan? But if she had already explained to him that he was not a danger to anyone and, on the contrary, Ethan should be the one who received protection from them all. She couldn't understand.

When the plane had finally landed on the landing track of their small base in Baia Mare, the squad began to prepare as Chris had ordered.

Night Howl had installed all his communications equipment inside the plane, the two pilots would stay with him, and Tundra, Umber Eyes, Lobo, the two scientists and Alpha would head towards Valea Albă in a truck.

It was more than half an hour driving on road and then on dirt road, until finally Berkhoff indicated that they had reached the town.

Unlike Umbra, Valea Albă was not totally surrounded by mountains and hidden in a remote part of Romania, although both towns were pretty close.

At that time of year, spring, it was a complete opposite image to the one Chris had tattooed on his mind about Romania. The small town, several kilometers away from the urbanization, consisted of wooden houses scattered without any planning in the development of streets, but which created an atmosphere of warmth and union among them. Some abodes were almost next to each other, but others had their own land far from the center of town.

On their way they did not run into another car, and the large black truck with tinted windows in which they were driving made the villagers turn to see them with clear concern on their faces.

They passed through the center of town, where the small market was and where a lot of people were gathered.

Mothers hid their children behind their skirts and men held machetes and any object that could serve as a weapon in their hands as they watched them go by.

Chris hoped the villagers would not attack them because they felt endangered from a group of foreigners, although they would have good reason, they were invading their territory.

"Park here," they had driven towards the farthest house in Valea Albă, slowly moving away from the townspeople and entering a path lined with large trees that offered welcome shade from the hot environment around them. Berkhoff motioned for Lobo to stop when the tree line ended and a wooden fence blocked their path. "We've arrived."

At that moment, she took the opportunity to notify Wilson by message that they where there now.

"Ready your weapons," Chris ordered, getting out of the truck. "Umber Eyes, I want you on the fence pointing directly at the subject."

"Ethan-?"

"Tundra," he continued without hearing the rest of his question. "You'll go in with me, the family trusts you. Lobo, you'll come with us keeping your distance without stopping aiming. "You two," he spoke to the biochemists, "wait here, not moving. Any suspicious movement, I want everyone in that house to know that they are being watched."

"Chris..." Tundra tried to speak.

"If I order, you shoot."

Emily and John turned to look at each other. Charlie, who was listening to the whole conversation from the plane, was wondering over and over again what a good idea it had been to go there. "Like old times."*

"Night Howl, deploy the drone."

"Roger."

The small air vehicle that traveled with Umber Eyes in the bed of the truck quickly came to life and began its flight to the back of the house. It was loaded with a pair of high-caliber weapons to take down B.O.W.s quickly and effectively from afar, without having to endanger soldiers. Charlie was making it fly against his will.

"To your positions."

"Roger that, Captain."

With the confidence of someone entering their own home, Berkhoff got out of the vehicle, opened the fence gate, and got in without stopping. It was clearly something she had done many times before. The entire squad could feel their foreheads sweating, they no longer knew if it was because of the temperature or because of the nerves of seeing again someone supposedly dead and that would probably recover his place underground at any moment.

Halfway across the field, Emily stopped Chris by standing in front of him. John also stopped.

"Don't do this," she requested with as much stability as she could get into her voice. "Chris, it's Ethan. I know it was a big surprise to you, much more than it was to all of us, but this behavior is something he doesn't need right now."

"I'm just doing my job. I'm making sure he isn't a biohazard to everyone," he replied slowly, as if he were speaking to a child.

"No. What you're doing is denying reality. Like you did before, you hide in a shell because you don't want to face the truth. And I really don't understand why you act like this in this situation. Ethan is alive!"

"Berkhoff," he cut her off violently, "what's inside that house could be anything. We've been fooled once, it won't happen a second time. I won't lose any more people."

Redfield tried to continue on his way, but Emily stopped him again. "This is not like Mia."

"You have no way of knowing that isn't actually Miranda. If the mold is back, so she can be."

He started walking, leaving Berkhoff and Perlman behind. Elba, from afar, listened perfectly the discussion.

He stopped a third time at Tundra's desperate voice.

"Chris, please don't make us do anything stupid."

"Anything stupid?," He turned violently and walked back the few steps he had taken until he was face to face with the woman. "You already committed it by willingly getting involved with a B.O.W. How long ago did you say since you first encountered it? Two months? Two months in which it was able to freely infect that family and possibly the entire town. Two months in which it could brainwash you into thinking it's someone who died three years ago, Berkhoff!"

"It's not like that," but she didn't seem so convinced of that anymore.

"My Ethan is dead!" Redfield's scream stunned Emily's ears. "That's the only truth. Now, do your job, or get back to the damn plane."

No one from the squad said anything else, they just stared at Alpha's back approaching the house. John gave Emily a friendly tap on the shoulder trying to encourage her to continue.

They both followed Chris from behind, holding their weapons firmly in their hands. Redfield's footsteps sounded loud and heavy on the grass below him, carrying a Captain's aura that compelled others not to mess with him.

Once there, he banged his fist hard on the door. Immediately a bark was heard. Emily was able to identify it as Hero's. She still had to apologize to Wilson for leaving him there.

When the door opened, the face of Dion Wilson greeted them. The young man immediately sensed the tense atmosphere among his partners.

"Cap!"

"Step aside, Canine."

Hearing his code name, he knew that this had become a very serious mission. Without further ado, he did as Redfield told him, pulling Hero out of the doorway by the back of his collar.

The world stopped for an instant. Chris' skin had turned snow white, and for a split second his hard expression faltered. Chris wanted to run to him, hug him, give him the kisses he couldn't get from the blond man for those three years that seemed like an eternity. He wanted to shout to the world how much he loved him and how grateful he was to God for returning him to his arms. He wanted to kneel in front of him and beg him never to leave him again. He wanted... he wanted too many things that he couldn't do.

Ethan's face and body was in front of him- No, that wasn't Ethan. His Ethan was a man with imperfections, scars, moles and freckles gracing his face, and the last time he saw him he was definitely missing two fingers on his left hand. This was a simple doll, a perfect copy of his partner. But he wasn't going to be fooled so easily.

Beside him, Wilson motioned for the blond to come closer. The man who until then had his eyes completely fixed on Chris, with an expression of astonishment on his features, complied with the signal and moved away from the three people behind him to stand in front of Chris.

For a few moments, they both studied the other's face, analyzing everything they could see from that distance. Chris could see the same green eyes, adorned with false-looking lashes, and that at one point in life had looked at him as if he were the most precious thing that had walked the Earth, right after Rose.

These eyes did not see him in that same way. At least, that's how they felt.

"Introduce yourself," Wilson spoke, a little uncomfortable at the interaction between these two.

"I'm Ethan Winters."

No.

"Redfield. Captain of this team."

According to what Emily had said on the plane, the subject had memory loss, only recognizing his name and some aspects of his life, just as had happened with the supposed Mia a few years before.

He couldn't recognize him, and his frown and the lost expression he wore when he saw him made that very clear. Chris felt a small sting in his chest.

"Dion said you will take me with you."

"He's right. We have to test you," it was better to be honest.

"Sir, will you take him away now?" a high-pitched voice spoke from behind the blond. Next to the old and the younger man was a girl of no more than fourteen years of age. She was crying and couldn't seem to stop.

"Actually, we'll take you all. We must rule out the spread of the infection."

"Infection?!" the two men exclaimed at the same time.

"I'll explain on the way," this was getting long.

"Oh no, son. You won't take my family anywhere," Vasile decreed.

"This is not up for discussion, sir. If you do not voluntarily accompany us, we will take you by force."

They all looked silently between Vasile and Chris. In that house only one did not know what he was up against.

"What got into you Americans that come and disturb my home?! First those two who demand information from us, and now you who think you have authority over us! At least Dion and Emily didn't impose themselves like you are."

Dion raised his eyebrows, it was the first time Vasile had said his name.

"Sir, this is for your safety. Please..."

"For our safety, for our safety...," Vasile mocked. "How many times haven't we been told that already. You tell me it's for our safety but you have your pets point guns at us! We lived much safer before all of you arrived here."

Chris turned to look behind him for a moment, that's when Ethan caught a glimpse of Emily and a stranger actually pointing large guns at them. Before, he couldn't see them because of the great figure of the man blocking the view out. Suddenly the reality of what was happening hit him.

"It's for precaution."

Vasile denied.

"Look, Redfield. If you step foot in my house, I'll ask you to respect me and my family, including that boy over there," he finished, pointing to Ethan.

Chris took a few moments to respond. Normally, in these situations, those involved would obey without question with the barrel of a gun pointed at their head. But older generations were raised differently and he always forgot about it.

Chris took a slow breath so as not to say anything else that would upset the old man. "I'm sorry to have bothered you in any way. My team and I are here to make sure your family and your town haven't been contaminated by a type of mold that invaded a nearby village. We need you to come with us to do the relevant tests. We will travel to the US, you will stay in a safe place, and you can return home as soon as our scientists finish their work."

Vasile's expression gradually changed. "Papa...," Ethan called, trying to convince him to stop fighting. It would be best to obey those men, if they swore so much it was to keep them safe.

Vasile gave up.

They were told to take light luggage for a few days. Ethan had to take all his belongings, which were too few for the limited time he was living there.

They were waiting for forty minutes. The scientists had come over to begin collecting samples from around the place, while the Moises packed their bags.

Redfield was telling Graham to start preparing the plane for their departure, but the younger man's frightened voice stopped him.

"Captain, a couple of helicopters have passed near here. One from Blue Umbrella and one from the BSAA."

What the hell were they doing there?

"Couldn't you intercept them earlier?" he argued angrily.

"Sorry, Cap, they used some form of camouflage. The AI couldn't recognize them."

"They coming here?"

"Afirmative."

If Graham's computer had read them earlier, his team could have gotten the hell out of that location before they even noticed their presence.

A few minutes passed, the biochemists were still taking samples and no one from the house came out. Dion and his dog were inside with them. Then, he could hear the helicopters approaching.

When they were in his field of vision, they landed in the field in front of the house. The old man would not be happy.

The people from Blue Umbrella and the BSAA, a group of men in suits and soldiers wearing full gear hot on their heels, approached them. He was able to recognize some fairly familiar faces. Among them was Sheva Alomar, who nodded to him.

"Christopher Redfield!," exclaimed Matthew Lewis. Next to him was Allen Solar, with the same unpleasant faces as always.

It seemed he could never escape from them.

"What brings you here, men?"

"Same as you, Captain," Lewis explained raising both hands in the direction of the house, from which Ethan had just emerged with a confused expression, as if he were an artist showing his most recent artwork.

How the hell did they find out?

"My team has it under control, there is no need for your presence."

"Of course there is, Redfield," Solar replied. "This man has just returned from the dead, we are all concerned and we can offer a good service to take care of him and this family."

"The Hound Wolf will take care of that."

"With what resources?" Lewis snorted.

"You do not have an adequate medical area," added Solar. "Besides, your biochemists can't take care of the health of these people, on the contrary, Blue Umbrella has real doctors."

"I didn't know you started an alliance."

"Surprise! The old BSAA offers their facilities and Blue Umbrella does their work within them," Lewis seemed too proud.

"Legally I hope."

"Of course, Captain."

Chris had been wanting to wipe the small smirk off that jerk's face for years. "We are working with the whole family and the ecosystem, not just with..." he stopped himself before saying his name. The men didn't seem to notice.

"Don't worry about it, Cap, look," Lewis pulled a neatly folded paper from his pocket and handed it to Chris. Redfield unfolded it and the first thing that caught his eye was the UN logo in the upper left corner. At the bottom, the signature of Danielle Hoffman, General Secretary. "We are backed up."

"It basically says," Sophia Cox, the director of Blue Umbrella, spoke for the first time, "that Blue Umbrella will be able to participate in the Winters case as medical aid and temporary residence for those involved." Even the UN was aware of the news? These guys sure as hell were stubborn. "That job falls to us, after all we've worked with the Connections problem and everything related to the megamycete from the beginning."

"We all know that's something your organization cannot provide, Redfield," Solar mentioned.

"And don't worry, Captain, you'll be able to accompany your mate and stay with him at the facility," Lewis offered without breaking his smile.

Chris thought about it for a long time. Still, he couldn't refuse. If the order came from Hoffman, it was a closed case.

He hated to admit it, but he knew they were right. The Hound Wolf had an excellent base, but lacked important elements such as a hospital to care for the victims. All of this was handled only by TerraSave, while the HW worked mostly to annihilate terrorists and their bioweapons. He did the strength, and his sister did the cleaning.

"The Hound Wolves are going to be fully involved in this," Chris told them without question. "You want to work on the megamycete issue, so you'll work with us."

Lewis didn't seem to like the plan very much, however, he ended up shaking hands with Chris to seal the deal.

He couldn't understand their insistence on the case, nor how they had found out about the subject in question, although he had an idea of this that involved a certain spy who seemed very interested in Romania since a few years ago.

Chris would have to put up with working with some of his least favorite people in the world. Anyway, seeing that Sheva was also working on it, he could feel more at ease knowing that she would do his job in case he wasn't around.

He was rethinking the last hours spent on the plane to England, while having the Romanian family and a certain blond-haired being right in front of him.

Chapter Text

The day had started quietly, too quiet to be a normal day.

It was the first time they had been completely alone since they had started living in this country, with no bare footsteps echoing off the wooden floor and no giggles waking them up in the morning.

A day before, Tundra had visited their home and when she left she had taken little Rose with her to the Squad house, since Rose didn't want to let her go and happily agreed to go with Auntie Emily when she proposed it.

For Ethan letting go of his baby was really hard and several times he was on the verge of driving to the Squad in the middle of the night to bring her back home. But it reassured him to know that she was fine, that she was protected under the arms of his friends and that she didn't really miss her daddy, according to the photos that Emily sent almost every hour. Also, the agreement was for the guys to call them in case the baby cried or asked for her dad, so the two of them would go quickly for her, but that call never came, not even the next day. He only received a call from John's cell phone, where Rose wished them with clumsy phrases to have a good day and clarified that she didn't want to go home yet.

For Ethan it was a blow, because he did miss her a lot, but he decided to enjoy the day with his partner without feeling the need to constantly watch over his daughter.

They had already had breakfast, they had deep cleaned the house, Ethan had read a few chapters of a book that Chris had recently bought for him, while Chris did his daily exercise routine, and it was only noon. They still had many hours to go.

They decided to cook lunch together. Usually only one of them did it, while the other watched over Rose or did other chores around the house. When Chris had a job to do, Ethan was the one who took care of all that. It felt quite domestic sharing an activity that he enjoyed so much, as was cooking, with his fiancé.

"When I lived with my grandparents, my granny used to spend the whole day making our favorite foods, especially Claire's. She always had a soft spot for her, she adored Claire, she was the apple of her eye," Chris gave a chuckle. "Since she was still little when we started living with our grandparents, the change was hard for her, she spent many months crying every night, asking for mom and dad, that's why my grandmother tried to cheer her up by making really delicious meals, especially desserts that my sister had never tried, to distract her, to give her a new subject to focus on and to prevent her from constantly thinking about our parents. My grandfather would take her for walks in the park every day while I trained, and after dinner we would sit together to enjoy the dessert of the day, while we watched a VHS of some children's movie that he knew Claire would enjoy. 

I was old enough, I was sixteen at the time and I could bear what had happened a little more, that's why they focused so much on Claire. And I don't feel bad about it, I'm actually very grateful to my grandparents for helping us in that way, because I would never have done it alone. Although, I do remember one night or another, while Claire cried and my grandparents were in her room keeping her company, I was locked in mine crying silently, missing my parents really bad and asking them to come back to give me a last hug— Hey, why are you crying? You haven't started chopping the onion yet."

Ethan felt a strong arm wrap around his waist from behind as he covered his face with both hands, trying to stop the tears from flowing. He had tried half the story to hide his watery eyes from Chris' sight, but the last few sentences were too much for him.

He loved hearing about his boyfriend's past. Having known him only a few years ago, Ethan knew he had some decades to learn about him, especially when he had such an interesting job. Ethan knew of the deaths of all his comrades, the years Chris spent suffering believing that Jill had met the same fate as them, the sacrifice of Lieutenant Nivans, and the many lives he had to mourn, but there was something about the story of Chris' parents, his late in-laws, which immediately brought Ethan to tears when Chris started mentioning them.

Maybe it was the fact that Claire was so young, the tragic way they perished. Perhaps it was because Chris had to suffer in silence to be strong for his little sister, or because maybe his parents fought for their lives not to leave their beloved children orphans. Maybe it was a combination of all of that, that made Ethan feel that way.

What he was sure of was that his new facet as a father made him feel like that, sensitive.

Imagining leaving his daughter, imagining little Rose having to go through what Chris and Claire went through, broke his heart into millions of pieces.

He cried harder when he thought about it again.

He felt some wet kisses behind his ear, down his shoulder, and back up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry."

Ethan shook his head. He wiped his tears one last time and turned around still in Chris' arm (his other arm was busy holding a steak knife) to encircle the taller man's neck with both of his arms and hug him tightly. 

Although the subject affected him, he loved that Chris felt enough confidence to share past sensitive issues with him. He would never ask him to stop sharing and he would never want to stop listening to him.

Ethan couldn't find the voice to thank the older man for telling him those memories, nor to tell him how sorry he was that he had gone through that experience, but Chris was already aware of this.

"They would have loved to meet you."

***

When Ethan saw him he felt his heart stop beating. The big man standing in the doorway with his broad shoulders blocking the view towards the field, for some reason had made his knees tremble. But it wasn't what disturb Ethan, it was the enormous and pure desire to reach out to him and wrap his arms around the man tightly, and never let go again. As Ethan watched him he felt that he might start crying in the next second, and that left too many questions in his mind.

Once he was face to face with him, his stopped heart had recovered its beating, but at a speed that he well knew was not normal. He felt a strange tickle in his stomach and hundreds of lightnings traveling all over his back. Undoubtedly, a sensation the more strange.

Redfield was his name. It sounded as powerful as the man who proudly carried it looked. Redfield.

Suddenly, that nice feeling when seeing him had stopped when his threats had left his mouth, part of his face to which Ethan's eyes kept traveling without control, by the way. He didn't like the way this stranger addressed Vasile, though Redfield had quickly apologized for it.

Ethan knew he was doing it more out of an urgency to get them out of there, than out of truly regretting speaking like that to them.

What stunned him the most was seeing Emily outside the house, her gun pointed directly at him. It almost felt like a betrayal. Also from his place he could see another member of the group leaning against the fence, a sniper who surely had his head in his sights all this time. To say that he was afraid for his life was an understatement. Ethan was shitting his pants.

Fortunately, things calmed down for everyone.

When Chris Redfield sent them to pack their luggage, they took a little longer for Ethan and Anca's fault, because the girl kept crying and didn't want to leave Ethan's side. He happily put his arms around her and whispered sweet words into her hair as he rocked them back and forth on his feet, like he would do to a baby, Anca had her face pressed against his chest, where a wet spot had already formed. 

"Ethan..."

"Shh, it's ok, baby girl."

This only made the girl wail even more.

When he was able to calm her, he took their suitcases with one hand and Anca's hand with the other. The girl's cheeks and eyes were completely red, combining funnily with her hair.

Ethan had made sure to pack all of his clothes, which had once belonged to Ivantie and had been kindly given to him, and his toiletries, but he had especially made sure to bring the small stuffed monkey.

Then he started to hear an annoying new sound outside the house. He immediately heard Vasile's curses as he stormed out. Ethan and Anca hurried after him. He couldn't hear what the men in suits were talking to Chris, but it seemed important enough to change plans at any moment. They were no longer heading to the USA, but to some part of England where they would carry out all their tests. 

Inside the plane it was a very uncomfortable place, there were two parallel seats on each wall of the plane, he sat between Ivantie and Anca, and Dion made sure to place the seat belt on all civilians. Hero had been put in a big cage for his safety, the soldiers had sat in front of them and he had Captain Redfield right in front of him. Ethan noticed that in the three hours of flight the older man didn't turn to him once.

Anyway, Ethan did not pay him much attention. The guy seemed to be a hard face and that is why he would not bother to try to get a reaction from him, although he seemed incredibly handsome and every time Redfield turned to see him he felt his hair on end.

Possibly he had many demons like any military and that is why his cold behavior.

The handsome man was not the only thing he had in his head. He kept thinking about Dion's morning talk and all the facts he released that Ethan had not lived, or well, that he didn't remember having done, although the situation in which he was currently indicated otherwise.

He tried hardly to remember his wife (ex?). Mia, they said she was called. He couldn't imagine the torture that he could've felt the three years in which she disappeared, at not knowing if she was alive or dead, but it really didn't cause him feeling of sadness now.

On the other hand, thinking about his daughter squeezed his heart. He had never been so anxious to see a little being, that also had a part of him. He wanted to meet her, listen to her voice and see if she remembered him, since he did not remember her. He wondered if once he saw her he would feel the father-daughter connection that he couldn't find within himself at the moment.

When they landed, Ethan had to hold hands tightly with his sister and brother at the unpleasant feeling. He felt someone look at him amusedly, but he couldn't guess who.

After getting off the plane, they got up a black van and, after an hour's journey, they finally arrived at the organization's facility. From the outside it looked like a set of buildings with many floors and in the shape of a U, it did not have any logo or sign that indicated its name, but according to the conversation that Lobo and Alpha had had in the pilot and copilot seats respectively, it was the place of an extinted BSAA.

They both sounded angry for being there, but, apparently, there was no other option.

"Let's try to be quick," Redfield murmured to his companion, as they both looked at the building. Ethan wasn't sure if the others could hear him. "Keep an eye on them constantly, I want eyes on everyone."

They spent a few seconds in silence in the van, where they both listened to the rest of the team on the intercoms. Redfield sighed at hearing something Ethan and the rest couldn't.

Captain, Agent Valentine is waiting inside the facility. And Miss Redfield keeps trying to get through to you.

"How did they find out?" he asked through his teeth, Ethan noticed he was clearly upset by something they told him.

I remind you that Valentine has not left the BSAA. It's probably news that everyone knows by now.

"Surely she informed Claire."

"Surely," the Captain repeated in a whisper. "Kennedy joining would be the last straw."

"That way you'll finally have the team together, Cap."

With a look Chris silenced John.

Chris got out of the van, making the rest follow him.

"Tell Claire that I'll call her back in a few hours."

"What'll we do if they come?" Perlman asked.

"They won't, they wouldn't leave Rose alone."

Ethan couldn't make out any of the conversation, though the names seemed strangely familiar. Especially the last one, and of that one he was sure where it came from.

"Rose?" he quickly interrupted, moving closer to both of them. "Like Rosemary? That's my daughter's name."

Both men looked at him in surprise. He could see something in Chris' look that he couldn't identify with certainty, totally different from Lobo's look.

Before anyone could say anything else, they were interrupted by Matthew's voice, their vehicles having just arrived at the parking lot.

"Gentlemen, little lady, this way please,"

Reluctantly, Chris turned and led the way toward the large building. Ethan still wanted to ask, but he thought he would have a chance another time to ask.

The interior of the facility was amazing. It was so well designed, it could pass for any urban mall. When thinking of a military installation, an elegant look that visually demonstrated the many millions it cost was not what came to Ethan's mind.

They had repeated to him several times and also heard in the talks of the soldiers that the BSAA had stopped working a few years ago, but there were still people walking around holding papers and, above all, many people in white coats in the first floor. The glances of most of those people towards them as soon as they entered the building did not go unnoticed. Ethan felt the gazes specifically directed at him.

"Come with me, please," asked the man who didn't leave Matthew Lewis' side, Sol-something.

The family walked behind him and five heavily armed Blue Umbrella soldiers were on their heels, heading for the elevators. Ethan noticed that, unlike Emily, Dion, and the rest of his small team, Chris wasn't with them. He stood near the entrance, facing a woman with short brown hair who soon came up to him and hugged him tightly, while Chris wrapped his own body around her. Ethan noted that she was beautiful, and that they both looked good together.

The seventeen people were in separate elevators. The squad was in charge of going with Ethan and the Moises at all times. They went up to the top floor, where they all entered a large meeting room and were made to sit in swivel chairs as if they were part of the organization.

"I guess we'll start without the Captain," Lewis began. "I want to make it clear that we don't mean to harm you. We brought you here to ensure your..."

"Our safety, yes, it's been repeated a million times." Ivantie complained.

Lewis was silent for a few seconds, and then he chuckled before continuing his talk.

"Your safety is the most important thing. We don't want you to turn into mold creatures. Right, Ethan?"

"Lewis." Emily warned. Ethan hadn't seen her hard face since their first meeting with her.

Still, Ethan didn't understand what the man meant.

"Bad choice of words. I apologize, Agent Berkhoff. Well, we'll take you to the medical wing where you'll stay while the doctors do the pertinent tests. You'll be together and it will be a kind of quarantine, just for a few days, not the whole month, no worries.

When the scientists make sure your bodies are free of mold, you'll be free. If not... Well, we'll give you the cure."

"And then we'll be free."

"What? Oh, of course," he responded to Ivantie's comment.

None of them had a good feeling about this.

"They'll just do what's necessary, and it'll be quick," Emily added, trying to reassure the family while threatening Lewis. "The Hound Wolves will be with you through the process."

"Sure, whatever. Accords, right?" he said jokingly looking towards Anca. The girl turned to her father for help. "In Ethan's case, well, it will be something different and thorough. But you will have your own room, your boyfriend can visit you if you wish," said directly to him. "Well..."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yes, boyfriend. Well, fiancé, I'm sorry. As I was saying..."

"Wait what? I have a boyfriend?"

"You didn't know? I thought someone had already mentioned that to you. You know you have a daughter, right?"

Ethan was silent, stunned. Being a father had been a big surprise, and now knowing that he also had a male partner somehow made the shock worse.

The door opened and Chris entered accompanied by the beautiful woman with whom he had stayed downstairs. Both too close to be a relationship of just friends.

"Well, speaking of the devil. Captain, I was just telling Mr Winters the good ones."

Ethan locked eyes with Chris, who seemed too confused. Was Chris Redfield...?

"What're you talking about?"

"Gentleman, how about we start our work? We can't keep putting our team at risk," Allen Solar spoke.

"You will catch the process once in your quarters. Escort them to the medical wing, gentlemen" Lewis addressed his soldiers. "Winters is being taken to room 306," he finished in a near whisper.

Alarms began to sound in the heads of the Squad.

"I don't think it's necessary," the brunette woman snapped. She had her arms crossed and from the tone of her voice Ethan could tell that she was someone important in the organization. Only someone who was part of that elite could address the boss like that.

"Miss Valentine, it's just a precaution. I can't expose the entire facility in case the mold spreads."

"I agree, Lewis. I'm just reminding you that this is a person that can reason, not some bioweapon we caught in the war."

"Understood and noted, Miss Valentine." 

With his ugly smile he dismissed the board attendees.

A soldier carried each Moise and Ethan. Their weapons were not pointed directly at them, but the way they held them made it clear that they would not hesitate to use them.

They were taken separate ways. As Vasile, Ivantie, and Anca were taken to the medical on the penultimate floor, the elevator Ethan rode, with his designated soldier on his back and Dion at his side, didn't stop when it reached the ground floor, but went down two more floors.

Undoubtedly, this place was to house the biological dangers with which they fought, that is, monsters and creatures made by human evil. From the beginning he hadn't liked the idea of being there, noticing the disgruntled faces of the Squad as soon as the room was mentioned, but being there was a different feeling than what he expected. It was worse.

The corridor was a desolate place, any noise that was made echoed in its narrowness. There were doors leading to identical rooms on both sides of the hall, and everything was painted a white that hurt the eyes. He felt trapped.

The room they stopped in front of was totally white like the corridor, with no windows facing the outside, no table or chairs, just a single bed and its only contact with the outside was a small window in the door facing the corridor. What drew attention was the large mirror on the wall perpendicular to the bed, where there would undoubtedly be people watching him from there.

Ethan turned to the soldier, not wanting to go inside. The man looked stoic, Dion hadn't spoken a word since they began their journey there and the corridor in general was really quiet, they seemed to be the only beings that had stepped on it in a long time.

"What you waiting for?" the soldier said in a rather gravelly voice. "Get in there."

He wanted too badly to tell him to fuck off and run before he was forced inside, but one look at Dion made him not act on his thoughts. The man looked worried, but the fact that he himself didn't get him out of there made Ethan think that he was fine. He counted on all of them to take care of him.

Deciding not to fight, he entered the room before further impatient his escort.

"Let me talk to him," Dion spoke before the other soldier closed the door.

"I don't get paid for this," the soldier muttered and stepped aside to let Dion pass as well. "You better not get infected."

Ethan plopped down on the bed, drawing a huge sigh. Dion sit beside him and dropped his palm to Ethan's knee, making a sound that reverberated from all four walls.

"You OK?"

"I'm fucking scared."

Dion smiled watching the blond. He was starting to sound like the Ethan he knew.

"We won't leave you, I promise. We'll be watching you and them relentlessly, they won't do more than they have to," his words brought relief to Ethan. "Besides, we still have allies working here, so it won't be a big problem."

"I know," he smiled. "I trust you. At least you and Emily."

Dion returned the smile.

"By the way, I'm sorry I kept some important information."

"That Chris and I are dating?" Dion mouthed like a fish. "The short man made it implicit in his talk. Don't worry, I'm not mad at you. In fact, I don't think knowing that made any difference to me, my mind is blank, I still don't remember anything."

"Even so, I should've set you up with that, maybe then the boss wouldn't have seen you as another target," he removed his touch from Ethan's knee to clasp his hands in front of him and lean down with his knees on his elbows. "You should know that he won't approach you as a romantic partner, maybe he won't even speak to you for a while."

"I don't mind, it'll give me more time to adjust."

They couldn't continue talking because the soldier stopped at the entrance. "Enough talk."

Sighing, Dion got up from the bed and held his right hand out in front of Ethan to shake his. "See you soon, man."

A minute later, Ethan was all alone in those four white walls.

***

He had doubted for many minutes whether or not to make the call, wondering what was to be gained by making it when the damage had already been done. However, he needed answers and to put his mind on something other than him.

So, he finally hit the 'Kennedy' button on the screen. At the second beep he answered.

"You finally communicate, you know Claire is desperate."

"I'll call her as soon as I hang up on you. I need you to tell me where the fuck your girlfriend is."

The line was silent for a second

"I don't know because she doesn't exist."

"Don't get smart with me, Leon, you know perfectly well who I'm talking about."

A sigh was heard from the other end.

"I haven't heard from her in several years. She might be dead by now."

"You and I both know that's not possible. If you haven't seen her, it's by your own choice. There has to be something, a message, a place, a sign that you both share to see each other in secret."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because Claire tells me everything, Leon," his sister, the same one who'd had her heart broken every time the asshole on the other end of the line saw a certain Asian woman and then the same asshole would tell Claire everything in great detail.

It had been many years in which Leon maintained an informal relationship with her and, due to her job, her location must always be off the radar. And Chris knew this because Claire was always taking it out on him.

Leon sighed again. Chris could visualize him holding the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

"In Minnesota, we always meet there. I have to leave a message on a phone she left me, but I warn you, days, even weeks go by without a response."

"Ah, I see why you're looking for my sister all of a sudden."

"Chris...," Leon warned. He didn't like people thinking he viewed Claire that way, only seeking her out to vent his inner frustrations on her, Chris was aware of that, but he could not argue with him right now.

"Send that message now. It's urgent."

Before he could hang up, Leon talked. "Wait! Ethan-?" and then Chris hung up before Leon could finish.

He just had to wait for Leon to give him the go-ahead to go in search of Ada Wong and make her talk. This time she wouldn't get away with it.

***

After having eaten lunch and dessert, the couple sat comfortably in the living room, both with a book in their hands while the turntable played Frank Sinatra. Ethan's feet were in Chris' lap and Chris was gently massaging his soles with his free hand. None of them had ever felt so relaxed in their entire life.

One was always busy killing all kind of monsters and the other had lived with the stress of college and later his job as a slave to the system. Although they came from different worlds, rest was not a word they knew.

However, Ethan had to stop his reading for good because he suddenly couldn't concentrate. He stared at his boyfriend's profile for a while.

"What are you thinking?," Chris broke the silence.

It took him a while to formulate his words. "Are you gonna capture her?"

Chris looked to the front, where the center table with Rose's wipes and baby monitor was. He closed his book and while holding Ethan's feet he shifted to the side, facing him, Ethan still retracted his legs so Chris was comfortable.

"We're close. I know."

"What if you're not?"

"Ethan—"

"I don't want to be pessimistic, Chris, but it's been three years, and something always happens to make you lose her."

"Not this time. We have her right where we want, she won't get away."

"I don't know, honey, I have a bad feeling."

"Ethan..." he repeated again with that tired tone every time Ethan objected to anything related to Chris' work.

"We can always come back. I like it here, I love this house, I love where we live, but I don't feel well," the latter part was said lower.

"You agreed to come live here."

"Of course I agreed, because I never imagined that the mission would last so long. I thought that you would immediately finish her, finish them, and then we would live forever a peaceful life in this beautiful place."

"You make it sound like we are being incompetent."

Ethan opened his mouth in surprise that Chris would take that from his words. "You know it's not like that. I would never think that of you guys, I-"

"We. Are. Close. The team has her in their sights, she won't get away this time."

Being interrupted, Ethan abruptly closed his mouth.

"I don't want to argue, okay?," Chris added as he got up from the couch and grabbed the car keys. "I'll go get Rose before it gets late."

Ethan closed his eyes, and tried to calm his racing heart by taking a deep breath.

"Chris," Ethan called before he took another step. "If anything happens again, I'll take Rose and we'll go back to America."

Redfield's breath caught momentarily. The couple spent a few seconds looking at each other, until Chris made up his mind. He gave a nod and hurried out of the house.

Chapter Text

He had arrived at a small cabin following the instructions Leon had given him. He had to deviate from the roads several times to get to that place and miraculously he hadn't lost the thread of the directions.

It was to be expected that these two would meet in places like this, away from humans and surrounded by pure nature in a small house that looked abandoned and was hard to find. You couldn't get in touch with Ada Wong even if you were the best researcher in the world; that woman always had to watch her back, along the way she had made too many enemies who would pay to get her head, the UN included (and if Chris had really hated her, he would surely have finished her off a few years ago, but he considered her too valuable a subject for all the secret information she got to really do it), so Ada didn't trust anyone to have the privilege of knowing her location. The fact that she and Leon shared a secret dating spot spoke volumes about their type of relationship.

Anyway, Chris wasn't interested in any of these things. If someone finally finished Ada, they would be doing him a huge favor, but that wasn't his wish at the moment. All Chris wanted was to have a quick chat with the woman, and in case she sold the information on the supposed -still stubbornly believed Chris- Ethan, he didn't promise not to shoot her between the eyebrows.

Chris parked the car near the cabin, taking a close look at the place. He wondered if it had been a good idea to go all by himself. Rolando or any of the squad would've been an excellent help covering his back. Hell, even bringing Leon along to intervene in the discussion would've been a good idea. Maybe seeing him, Ada wouldn't get too violent with Chris.

He stopped thinking about it and told himself that it was best to go alone and not put his friends at risk. This was like facing a wild animal in the middle of the forest, Chris would be calm and show the beast that he didn't want to hurt it by showing him his hands and acting all submissive, even though he was well armed inside his jacket.

He got out of the car quietly and cautiously approached the cabin. It was still daylight, the Minnesota sky was completely overcast but being outside he could see clearly around him. The silence was deathly, he didn't even hear any animal, and he wondered if he really had arrived early.

In response to the message sent, Ada had only written date and time. Leon informed him that she usually took a while to arrive, always making her dramatic entrances to make an impression on the viewer of her. Chris felt confident with that.

He opened the door slowly with the key Leon gave him. The door creaked slightly showing how old it was, and although the cabin looked old and neglected on the outside, the inside was something else entirely.

While nothing fancy, it was well-appointed with clean furnishings and appliances, as if someone had taken care of the cleaning before he arrived. This made him a bit suspicious, but Leon had already warned him of everything he would find. It looked like any motel room he'd stayed in, with no personal objects to show who it belonged to.

He had closed the door with the same care with which it had been opened and moved further into the cabin. He could only see the living room and the kitchen from where he was. He entered the only room in the residence, finding a queen size bed, a wardrobe on one of the walls and a cabinet with a radio on it in front of the bed. He immediately felt nauseated imagining the kind of activities that room had witnessed and quickly left without looking for more. Opposite was a door, which, opening it slowly, confirmed his suspicion that it was a bathroom. It even had a bathtub.

He wondered how such a well-appointed place hadn't been invaded by some homeless person in a while, but he thought that perhaps the cabin had more security than he gave it credit for.

He left the small hallway and walked towards the front door to see that no one was around there. He thought it unlikely that he would suddenly see Ada walking through the trees heading there, but he had left his personal cell phone at the hotel and he had nothing to entertain himself with in the meantime, besides watching de deep forest.

He stopped whatever surveillance he was doing through the window when goosebumps suddenly broke out on his skin. His sixth sense began to scream at him with all its might, and placing his right hand slowly on the pistol in the pocket inside his jacket, he turned quickly.

"Redfield," there was Ada, greeting him calmly, sitting elegantly in one of the dining room chairs.

Chris' brain began to go from one place to another to try to figure out how the fuck Ada had appeared there if he only seconds ago had looked towards that part of the cabin. He then stopped and remembered that she was Ada Wong and it was useless to try to decipher the movements of that woman.

"I was waiting for you," she added with a mischievous smile.

"Should've figured," Chris soothed and removed his hand from the pistol in his jacket. This is a beast and you must be friendly, he thought.

"At first you almost fooled me. I thought I would wait for Leon with open arms after your little sister broke his heart, you know, like she normally does when I break his heart. But you know very well that I'm not stupid, so be thankful you didn't find me naked."

He again he felt nauseous. Ada was a beautiful woman for her age, but she just wasn't his type, and in his heart there was only one person.

"I'll be forever grateful," he agreed making her smirk.

"What are you doing here?"

He took a few seconds to answer, considering how to do it.

"I take it you are aware of Romania."

She blinked, "yeah, well, I was at the funeral."

Chris blinked. He didn't even see her there. Although, well, it wasn't like he was in his five senses during that time either.

"What recently happened," he clarified.

Ada inhaled, thinking. Chris was beginning to assume that the woman had no idea of anything that had happened recently.

"Oh, right. Ethan Winters is alive," she smiled almost innocently at him. She was playing to be unaware of any event and was amused that it was working on Chris.

"They're still trying to verify who he is."

Ada almost laughs at that moment. "To verify what?" she snorted. "To verify to you that it is Ethan, because you seem to be the only one who refuses to believe it's him."

"Then you know exactly what's going on."

Ada shrugged, making a gesture that ignored Chris' words.

"I won't waste my time," Chris sighed. "How much did Matthew Lewis pay you to give him our information?"

"What makes you think it was me?"

"Just like you're not stupid, Ada, neither am I. Who else could sneak in and learn all the secrets without leaving a trace that they were there?"

Ada analyzed his words for a moment.

"You blame me without proof but you know you have a whole team behind you with access to all the information, they could stab you in the back at any moment, but you blindly trust them."

"So it wasn't you?" Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Oh no, it was me. I just want to point out how stupid you are not to mistrust your friends."

"I know my people, you don't have to worry."

"If you say so," she added dismissively. "Ethan and that Romanian family need help, and your team can't give it to them. The BSAA, on the other hand, is seriously understaffed, but they're still well equipped," she explained, but Chris still wasn't convinced.

"Are you telling me that you sold him willingly, they got him locked up and are treating him like a guinea pig, because of your false concern?" Before Ada could reply, Chris crossed his arms and added, "How long have you been working for the BSAA?"

"I don't judge who hires me, only if the pay is good."

Chris smirked. "No matter how much Leon defends you or how much you try to clear your name, you'll always be the same trash, like when I first met you."

"Cry me a river, Redfield. I'm just doing my job."

Suddenly he remembered a conversation he had with Ethan a short time before Miranda, in which he mentioned a kind, beautiful, Asian woman he had run into a few times in the supermarket and who had helped him carry the bags to the car when he wasn't able to do it by himself with Rose in his arms. He had never thought beyond what Ethan was saying, but now, seeing Ada in front of him, it suddenly clicked.

"I don't know how many benefits you receive from them, but you know that I have only forgiven you because I wanted to. So stay away from this, I don't want you near my family, because then it will become personal. I don't care if you work against the law, Ada, that's all I'm asking of you. If not..." He let his silence answer for him. He lowered the finger he had pointed at the woman during his threat, and she simply didn't respond, but the look of superiority still framed her features. Chris felt like a losing fight, but his threats weren't empty.

***

Little more than three weeks had passed since he had arrived there, although Ethan didn't know the exact time. To him, an eternity had passed.

Being in the small room, with nothing to do but wait for his food, and then wait for a couple of nurses to arrive from time to time, wearing medical coveralls that barely left their eyes visible -as if that room were Chernobyl- to take him to get more samples and make more tests.

Ethan believed that with everything they had done to him, blood samples, skin samples, CT scans, MRIs... it would be enough to let them know that he didn't pose any danger to them, but for them to keep coming dressed like that made him wonder how true that statement was.

He was suddenly terrified to think that all this time he was endangering the Moises, Emily, Dion, and anyone who got close to him, and he didn't even know it. He just had to hope that everyone was fine, and that, with their own tests being done to them, they would rule out any evil that Ethan could have infected them with.

He wondered how they were doing. He had been told that the family was going to be put in an area where they were together, so at least they had each other for company. He envied their luck. He would like it all to end soon so he could have company.

He'd heard from the short man, who was apparently the boss, that Redfield could visit him whenever he wanted. Ethan had initially felt uncomfortable thinking about having said man near him, especially under those conditions, but he preferred it to be him over no one. But Chris' visit never came.

Although Dion had already warned him of the Captain's behavior, part of him hoped he was wrong and that Chris would surprise everyone by suddenly visiting him. He just had to assume that Redfield was too busy with work to care about seeing Ethan.

It still seemed too strange to him that this man and he were together. It made him feel something in his stomach that certainly didn't feel bad.

He was embarrassed to know that someone like Chris Redfield, tall, muscular, handsome, manly, had taken notice of him... someone that was absolutely none of the things that Chris was. He spent his nights imagining how they met -the real time, not the one he remembered now- how they declared their love for each other, whether Chris asked the big question or he did it himself, what kind of relationship they had, and the most important, how did each of those experiences make him feel at that moment, because, if he was honest, what he was feeling now was being loved by someone, and that made his cheeks redden and almost giggle like a high school girl.

Then, his emotion was broken when he remembered how Chris had reacted in the Moise house. The butterflies in his stomach died horribly at the thought of the look on Chris' face when he saw him, and the way he addressed him. It made him think that maybe their relationship wasn't as perfect as he imagined. So, he would wonder what kind of problems they might have had before it all happened.

And most of all, he couldn't stop thinking about little Rosemary. He would spend hours drawing chubby faces in his mind, betting which one would be the correct one. If they allowed him to have a pencil and paper with him, he would have illustrated them all so that the day he got out of there and met the girl, it would answer his question as to how good the development of his memory is, because no matter how hard he tried to clarify his dream of him sitting in a comfortable chair, with people around him and a baby in his arms, he just couldn't visualize said baby's features. At least he could already assume that the man sitting next to him was Chris Redfield.

He wondered how Rose was in health, how tall she had grown at this point in life, if she went to school, where she lived and if she was with her mother or someone else took care of her.

At that moment, Ethan suddenly sat up in bed. No one told her who was taking care of Rose. Dion had mentioned something about Mia being mentally unstable to care for an infant and Ethan having full custody of her daughter, so he didn't think Mia was the one with Rose right now. And if she was...

A great worry began to invade him. He didn't know Mia, but thinking about her certainly didn't leave a good taste in his mouth. He didn't know if it was just his mistrust for not remembering her, or if she had done something in the past that made her earned his mistrust, because if it was the latter, he would definitely kill whoever had left Rose with her.

He heard a small knock on the door and it opening a second later. He expected to see the same nurses in their space suits to take him to the lab -he knew it wasn't lunchtime yet- and he wasn't far wrong, except this was just one nurse, and for the first time she wasn't wearing her coverall.

"Are you OK?" The woman asked with a small smile upon seeing him, "your vital signs aren't stable."

He glanced at the large mirror on the wall in front of him, where he could guess there were several people watching him from the other side. He imagined that he had scared them a little by getting up like that from the bed. "I'm fine, I'm just...worried."

"Worried about what?"

He was a little hesitant to tell them what was going on, but he figured there was nothing wrong with doing it. He had never had a reason to lie to them in all this time. "For Rose."

The nurse smiled at the name. "Your daughter?"

Ethan nodded. "I don't know where she is."

"Maybe if you ask her other father..." she stopped her words, perhaps remembering that this other father hadn't stopped in the room to talk to Ethan despite the fact that he was almost everyday in the facility. "Nevermind. If it's okay with you, I'll ask about her and tell you the next time I come here."

"Thank you, that's very sweet. Why aren't you wearing your suit, by the way?"

Her face lit up remembering something. "Oh, right! Good news. They've confirmed that you're not infectious, the doctors will explain more in detail later. For now, I'm here to take you to the lab."

Ethan was totally relieved to hear those words. He could rest easily knowing that he hadn't endangered any of his family, and that maybe they could get out of their quarantine very soon.

He obeyed the nurse and went after her towards the laboratory where few scientists occupied the place. Standing above them, in a room with a large window where could be seen all corners of the laboratory, Allen Solar and Matthew Lewis watched him closely. The latter waved at him as soon as they exchanged glances. Ethan nodded acknowledging the greeting.

They went through the same routine as always, a doctor listening to his vital signs, checking his eyes, mouth and ears, asking him about any ailments he had, to which Ethan always responded by denying. Later, they checked his reflexes, his way of walking, some physical exercises and in the end someone always had to pinch him to get a reaction from him. Normally everyone was attentive to it, although the first time he had startled the room with his small cry of pain, yelling "what the fuck are you doing?!" to the poor doctor who had been given the task of triggering him. While he was rubbing his stinging and reddened arm, the scientists had moved a few steps away from him and some soldiers had pointed their weapons at him, equally surprised by his yelling. Of course, they hadn't had any other reaction than that every time it happened, while Ethan wondered if they were doing it to see if he suddenly turned into a monster and attacked them.

He thought that, even if he could transform, he wouldn't attack these people who only did their job.

"How are the Moises?" he asked the doctor squatting in front of him as he sprayed his pinched skin. He knew that this man also cared for them.

"Good. They're being questioned, I think."

"About what?"

"About you," he replied as if it was the most logical thing in the world. "They are not in danger and I already discharged them. Tomorrow they can return home."

"Thank god," Ethan said under his breath to himself. He looked up and noticed that the doctor was looking at him expectantly. "What?"

"Aren't you going to ask when you're getting out? Usually people care about themselves too, you know?"

"Yeah... It's just that I'm relieved that they're okay and can get back to their normal lives. It's my fault they're here after all."

"You had no way of knowing, and neither did they. I've known you a long time, Ethan, not personally, but I know you wouldn't willingly endanger your family, or anyone else. So stop worrying about them and start thinking about yourself."

"It's hard to do that when I don't even know myself. There are very few things I know about my life, and the things I do know are insignificant. It's easier for me to think about other people, even if I don't know them. At least I can imagine what they're like."

The doctor thought for a few seconds.

"You know, when I met you there in America, after Dulvey, and you spent every Thursday and Friday in the medical wing so we could check on your health -much the same as now-, I remember you quite well lying on the stretcher and singing out loud any song that came to your mind. At first you were shy, and you sang whispering, because you thought it bothered us, until she..." he pointed his finger at the nurse who had come for him. She smiled as she was caught listening attentively to the conversation, "encouraged you to sing louder because you really have a beautiful, soothing voice that deserves to be heard. At that moment no one said anything, but I assure you we all thought the same thing. After that, every time you went, you sang and filled the silence of that gloomy lab —although it wasn't as gloomy as this one— and we enjoyed your concerts."

Ethan gave him a small smile when he finished speaking, his cheeks flushing.

"Well, now you know something more about yourself."

"Thanks, Doc."

"Don't thank me. My coworkers and I know very little about you, but enough to know that you're a good man, Ethan Winters. Now, just focus more on yourself and getting your memory back little by little. You might feel frustrated, but you will get there in time." The doctor got up with some difficulty after spending those minutes squatting in front of Ethan. "Come with me now, we'll have a meeting with Lewis to discuss your getting out of here."

Surprised, Ethan obeyed without asking more, noticing how everyone in the wing returned to their work after hearing his talk with the doctor. He hadn't even noticed the silence that was in that place when he was absorbed in the chat, now he felt embarrassed for having the attention of all those people.

He turned to the space where Solar and Lewis were before, seeing that now it was alone. They had probably left the place to prepare for the meeting a while ago.

He felt weird not having several soldiers following him from behind. Confirming that Ethan was not dangerous had to change many protocols and, for the first time in three weeks, they treated him like a normal person.

They rode up a few floors in the elevator, finally breathing real air on the way out and not the oxygen that filled the confinement under the HQ basement.

He was brought to the same room where Lewis had reported what they would do with the family and Ethan. Some doctors, scientists and nurses accompanied him.

Upon entering, the room was already filled with more people; several soldiers in the corners guarding the place, Lewis, Solar and Cox in front of the long table as they spoke low among themselves, the elite members of the Hound Wolf Squad, the dark-skinned woman who had come down from the helicopter back in Romania, the short-haired woman who seemed close to Chris, and Chris Redfield himself at her side. He and Ethan exchanged glances for a few seconds before Chris turned to Valentine, who was whispering in his ear. Unconsciously, Ethan frowned.

"Take a sit, please, Mr Winters," Lewis said, getting up from his seat and pointing to one of the chairs, at the other end of the oval table and facing where he himself was sitting. "Let's hope it doesn't last long," he muttered, sitting back down as soon as Ethan did.

"I hope your stay has been good so far."

"As far as it goes," Ethan shrugged.

His doctor handed over a folder with some papers to Lewis, who flipped through them and skimmed the texts. During those few minutes of silence, Ethan discreetly turned to look at Chris, hoping to draw his attention and make eye contact, but was disappointed to see the Captain refusing to turn in his direction, arms crossed and eyebrows knitted in a hard expression. Ethan looked at him for a while, until he noticed Valentine looking at him, then Emily, Dion, the Squad, and the rest of the audience in the room. Ethan looked down at being caught by everyone looking at Chris, his face turning bright red.

"Very good!" Lewis exclaimed, drawing the attention of the room. "Apparently, everything is in order with Ethan's health."

"That's right, sir. The tests show no residue of the mold inside Mr. Winters's body, just like the Moise family. We conducted fifteen test sessions over these three weeks and each showed an anatomy completely identical to the human body under normal conditions."

"A bit of an exaggeration the number of sessions," Lewis muttered, still reading the papers in his hands.

"Well, we just followed your..."

"What about the triggering?" Allen interrupted the doctor, getting up from his seat and walking around the table with all eyes following him.

"Mr. Winters didn't show a response, any other than a normal reaction of a person who is suddenly injured."

"Ouch!! Man, why the fuck y'all keep doing this shit?!" Ethan yelled, holding his left hand to his chest from having been slashed by Allen with a knife pocket. The back of his hand was bleeding profusely as they all looked at the scene before them in surprise, a little scared.

"Get the fuck away from him," Chris warned, standing up and pointing menacingly at Allen. He raised his hands in surrender and walked away from Ethan.

"I was just making sure."

"Unnecessary, but thanks for the demonstration, Solar. Now we can be absolutely sure that Ethan won't become a holomorph despite the fifteen sessions where the doctors had already made sure," Sophia Cox quipped as Allen returned to his seat.

The nurse quickly went over to Ethan to checkq the large cut that had already pooled blood on the floor and part of the table. However, when she arrived, the wound had stopped bleeding and was closing rapidly.

"How do you explain that?" Lewis asked pointing to the wound.

"That... even before Romania, Winters already displayed extremely fast healing abilities compared to a normal human. We can only attribute it to the aftermath of his mold infection at the Baker farm, even then we didn't understand that ability."

"Do you need to double check?"

"No, sir," he said quickly before any of the squad complained, because he saw intentions in more than one. Double checking meant keeping Ethan more days at the facility. "As I already mentioned, none of the tests show traces of the mold, so it's unnecessary to subject him to more. That would just add to the organization's expense. And certainly, having this ability is not a danger to Mr. Winters, much less for extern individuals."

"Alright, you know I trust you, Dr. Martell."

The doctor nodded once.

"Any clues on how his return was possible?" Allen questioned.

"There's no clear answer about that either," Ethan didn't miss the harsh and annoyed tone with which the doctor Martell addressed Allen, while he spoke professionally to Lewis but still maintained a certain respect. "Our scientists need to do a thorough investigation of the area in Umbra in order to find out."

"For now we can only hypothesize that it was the work of the megamycete," spoke one of the biologists at the meeting. "Before he died, Mr. Winters' body was already completely infected by mold, so I wouldn't be surprised if it brought him back to life."

"So, Captain Redfield's efforts were in vain and the megamycete is still alive?"

The scientist looked briefly at Chris. "It's just a hypothesis. From what agents Berkhoff and Wilson saw, there were no traces of the megamycete in the area. However, Mr. Vasile Moise testified that he noticed a black and glowy substance, according to his own words, under the body of Winters upon finding him in the village, substance similar to those seen by the Hound Wolf Squad three years ago in the same place, and by Mr. Ethan Winters himself at the Baker farm six years ago. I recommend starting a thorough on-site investigation to rule out any recurrence of the fungus."

"This seems urgent, Professor."

"It is, sir. If the megamycete didn't die and was able to bring Mr. Winters back to life, I'm concerned that it might just as well return... other beings."

The room was silent after that.

"Make a team for me and I'll lead them in Umbra," Chris commented.

"Will you be able to do it, Captain?" It was hard for Lewis to ignore Chris' difficulty in being in that place after three years, even though his loss was with him right now.

"Of course I can." His team looked at him with concern clearly marked on their faces. "I must make sure that none of those bastards are still alive."

No one wanted to argue with him, so Lewis accepted without further comment.

The room suddenly seemed gloomier than before, but it was still not over.

"We had a chat with the Moises this morning," Lewis said, turning to Ethan. "Their results were good. They are completely healthy and will be flying back to Romania tomorrow. I thought you would want to know this."

Ethan mentally thanked Lewis for the gesture. He didn't like the short man at all and it was the first time he had seen him do a kind action, apart from always trying to act funny and being self-centered.

Lewis then glanced sideways at Chris. "It goes without saying that the man in front of us is the real Ethan Winters, right, Martell?"

"Right, sir. We matched Mr. Winters' DNA to some samples shared from the HW that had been taken years ago. The match was a hundred percent identical."

"Mmh. Any opposition?" He said this time looking directly at Redfield. He continued with his arms folded and frowning somewhere on the wall in front of him, not wanting to answer Matthew's mocking question. Ethan didn't know what to take from that. "Well, anything else to add, Doc?"

"With my team, we have concluded that Mr. Winters is ready to return home. We already verified that he is healthy and just needs to recover his memories. So, if you allow it, it is best that Ethan return to his real family as soon as possible for a full recovery."

They all looked expectantly at Lewis, who had his eyes glued on Ethan, studying him.

"You stole my idea, Martell. I also think it's time to send Mr. Winters home," he finally replied, making Ethan sigh. "Do we need to follow up?"

"It would be ideal, sir. And is best if he also starts receiving therapy."

"Then the Hound Wolves can take care of that," he mentioned, looking at Chris. He nodded to seal the deal. "I'd like to thank you for your cooperation with the BSAA and Blue Umbrella, Mr. Winters. Our job is to ensure the well-being of the planet and I hope you understand our concerns and don't hold a grudge with us for having you restricted from the rest of the world."

"I'm just relieved it wasn't for long. The Hound Wolves were going to do the same tests anyway, so..." Chris finally turned to Ethan, not liking what the blonde said. They would never have treated him this way, even if these guys were acting slightly nice to Ethan.

"For now, all that remains is paperwork to send to the UN, fix some documents for Mr. Winters and then he can finally return to America." Lewis smiled at him. "I think that would be it for the meeting. Escort Mr. Winters to his new room," he indicated to his soldiers.

The assistants began to leave the room in order, only Allen, Matthew, Sophia, Professor Chae, and Chris remaining, discussing a plan for the investigation in Umbra.

Ethan came out next and stood in front of the door, shaken by the sudden hug Dion had trapped him in.

"I know I told you I would visit you, but in the end they banned visitors so as not to interfere with the testing. We stayed inside the facility anyway in case anything happened."

"I know, don't worry," the hug being responded with the same excitement.

As they parted, Emily came over to share a hug as well. "I'm glad to see you."

Ethan noticed behind Emily the three men who had come to pick him up with Chris in Valea Albă, who were looking at him expectantly.

"I know you don't remember us, man, but you don't know how glad I am you're alive," the gray-haired man, who Ethan remembered as Lobo, told him, putting an arm on his shoulder and giving a little squeeze.

Ethan spread his arms wide, inviting them into his embrace. The group of soldiers gently surrounded him between their strong bodies and stayed like that for a few seconds, enjoying Ethan's attention even though he didn't even know their real names.

They had spent several years taking care of the Winters family, even after his separation from Mia, and Ethan had always treated them as family even though Chris didn't allow them to be friends with him and forced them to keep their relationship purely professional. Despite all this, they had always seen Ethan as a brother (in some cases older, in others younger), and they all had a special affection for him for his kind way of treating them.

His sudden death had been as hard on them as it had been on all of Ethan's friends, but they kept a feeling of guilt that didn't let them live their lives in peace, believing themselves partially responsible for the fact that little Rosemary didn't have a father who looked after her and feeling a certain debt to the girl. This is why the group of founders of the Hound Wolves treated Rose as if she were their niece, and the girl really believed they were her family and didn't question it.

They quickly let Ethan go before he could get uncomfortable with the squeeze the group was giving him, not really wanting to part. They were surprised that even the serious Rolando had joined the group hug.

They watched Ethan leave after promising to stay in the building until he was released and swearing that they would make the paperwork go quickly, and this time Dion would be in charge of fulfilling his promise.

Ethan was accompanied by a couple of BSAA soldiers to his new room, which this time was on the highest floor of the facility. It consisted of rooms for workers to rest when the duties were many and very important for them to leave the place. Of course, those rooms hadn't been used for some time because there were not enough people to fill them since the fall of the organization, until now, that the squad and Ethan's doctors needed them.

Still being treated like a normal human being, the soldiers left him in a room with walls painted blue, a single bed with brown sheets, a closet, and even a shelf with books and a desk. It wasn't much, but Ethan was feeling in heaven right now after spending the last few days in a lame room with absolutely everything painted white and only entertaining himself with his reflection and his imagination. And the best thing was that this time the door hadn't been closed by an electric padlock that prevented him from getting out of there at all costs. And, even if he had a chance to escape, he chose not to open the door.

It didn't take long for him to go to the books and start looking through one by one. Most were journals, dictionaries and scientific books, and only a few were notebooks with few writings on them, probably used by some of the BSAA workers. He immediately took one of them and a pencil in the case on top of the desk, he took a seat on the wooden chair and began to draw the first thing that came to his mind.

He realized that it was a face, beginning with the oval shape and continuing with the eyes, to which he paid special attention. At first he thought it was a self-portrait because of the great familiarity he saw between the drawing and his own face, however, as he drew the nose and mouth he began to notice the slight difference in features.

A knock on the door interrupted him and he stopped abruptly the movement of his hand. Ethan eyed the door suspiciously, not being used to such knocks. He waited for someone to walk in uninvited, as they used to do in his old cell, but another knock told him that wouldn't happen.

He had to get up to open it and, in doing so, he ran into the face he least expected to see there.

"Uhmm, hey, can I come in?"

Moving clumsily and not responding verbally, Ethan stepped aside to let Chris pass. They were both in the middle of the room, face to face and at a distance allowed by the few square meters of space, which were only a couple of feet apart.

"Sorry to come like this. I was wondering if we could talk."

Ethan stared at him with clear surprise on his face and it took him a while to nod to let him continue.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior towards you the last time we met. I think I was rude and didn't make you feel comfortable. But I hope you can understand, it's been several years without seeing your... your face," the last part being murmured, looking closely at Ethan. "To be honest, I still can't believe it's really you."

"I think I understand," he replied sheepishly. "I guess I can't really be offended by that because I don't know you," he muttered the last few words, afraid he'd offend Chris with what he said. Chris didn't take it badly, but he did feel a certain tightening on his chest.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "I just want you to know that no matter what, I want to help you through this process. And whether you want to go back to your old life or make a whole new one, I'll accept it."

Ethan silently watched Chris' face, not having expected him to say that at all. "Thank you," however, he answered.

"Later I'll notify your parents about your return. I want you to spend a few days with them before going home, is that okay with you?"

He hadn't even thought about his real parents in all this time. He didn't remember them, but he felt that he wouldn't mind being with them. "Yeah."

"And, about Rose..." Ethan's heart sped up as he heard her name come from the lips of the man in front of him. "Don't think that I don't want you to see her. She's your daughter, therefore it's your right. It's just that she still doesn't know anything about what's going on and she's still too young to fully understand it. She's a very smart girl though, don't be fooled by her age. And, well, first I want to try to explain the situation and prepare her for her father's arrival. I want to spend a few days with her. Certainly I have broken several promises I made to her before I went to Romania looking for you."

His heart hadn't stopped fluttering as Chris spoke. For some reason he felt melted knowing that Chris was also the father of his daughter.

"Though I still have to get back to Romania, and I don't know how long it will take. It's probably better to spend time with Rose before I go..." Chris started to say his thoughts out loud, and Ethan was completely touched to see him like this, so worried about his daughter.

"Thank you," he said suddenly, stopping Chris's train.

"Why?"

"For taking care of my daughter. I mean, she's your daughter too, but..."

"You don't have to thank me. Trust me, I'm not doing this as a favor, or to receive something in return."

Ethan could feel some tears in his eyes. "Still, thank you."

They spent a few seconds, just looking at each other, until a thought came to Ethan's mind. "Oh! Wait, where is she now?"

"In our house, in Virginia. Claire and Leon take care of her, my sister and a friend. Claire always looks after her when I'm away, she's someone trustworthy so you don't have to worry."

Ethan totally trusted Chris' words. "That's good to know," he smiled at him.

"Yes, she is the best aunt in the world for real."

Another thought came to Ethan. "I don't have siblings, right?"

"Oh no. You're an only child."

"Huh, somehow that makes me feel bad."

Chris gave a short laugh that was more like a snort. "You always complained about not having siblings, but believe me Claire was like a sister to you throughout."

Ethan's smile grew bigger. "That's good to know," he repeated himself.

Chris then looked at his watch. "I gotta go. I'll force them to get you out of here fast, and while I'm in Romania I'll keep an eye out. If you need anything, just call me, okay? Emily will give you a cell phone that has saved mine and all the numbers you can call to in case of an emergency."

Ethan agreed with everything Chris told him. He's never had a cell phone in his hands.

Chris wanted to say something like "it's good to see you again" or "I've missed you so much I've felt like dying every day you weren't by my side," but he thought it would be too much and he didn't want to make Ethan any more uncomfortable than he already had made him.

While they were both silent, looking around the room not knowing how to say goodbye, Chris looked at the desk where minutes before Ethan had begun to draw. He was looking at the open notebook with such intensity that Ethan thought he didn't like the sketch and was judging it.

"I'll go now," he said suddenly and started to leave the room without giving Ethan a second glance.

"Okay, take care of yourself," he said, but Chris was no longer there to answer.

Ethan was left completely alone again. Only now did he notice that the cameras that surrounded his old room weren't there and nobody was watching him (although they could be hidden, but he preferred not to think about it). He didn't spend much time analyzing Redfield's behavior, he had only noticed the change after he saw his sketch but Ethan didn't think it was really because of the sketch.

Shrugging, he returned to his place at the desk, resuming the childish face he portrayed there.

On the other side of the room, Chris was trying to catch his breath after seeing his daughter's face being drawn by her father. He didn't know why seeing the image had upset him so much, and he didn't know what to make of it either. He was aware of the random memories that came to Ethan's mind, but he had several times admitted not remembering faces. So why was five year old Rosemary's face drawn by him?

***

He had no idea what time it was, or even what day it was. He only knew that it was night and probably close to sunrise because he could feel that many hours had passed since he sat in that dark place.

He couldn't remember when his body had fallen from the bed and had taken that position sitting on the floor, with his knees drawn to his torso as much as his little flexibility allowed. He could no longer feel the lower half of him and he recognized that as soon as he stood up an immense pain would invade him, but that didn't matter to him.

He had been in a trance for a long time, his mind was finally clear and he wasn't constantly replaying the last mission. He was tired of it, but he knew he deserved it.

Perhaps his entire body had grown tired of everything, because nothing could matter to him anymore. Not the pain in his legs, not the job, not even Rose, let alone himself. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried, but his mind wasn't responding. He only heard a pounding in the distance that was the only constant at that moment, but he didn't want to know what it was either, he would just let it stop by itself.

But the pounding was getting louder and more persistent in his ears and it was starting to bother him. He also thought he heard a voice that seemed more like a buzz...

"Chris!!" One blow too hard and then his name. He didn't even bother to look at the intruder.

Claire had walked through his locked bedroom door after spending too many minutes kicking it and yelling her brother's name.

She had gone to her parents' old house after spending weeks looking for him, worried sick because this was just like the aftermath at Spencer State and the Neo Umbrella Underwater Facility.

After the funeral, the last thing she had known of him was that Chris left Rose in Mia's hands and just walked out, and she only found out because Mia told her. If she hadn't gotten that call from the woman, who sounded like she was having a panic attack, she wouldn't have bothered looking everywhere for her brother, because she would've just thought Chris was at his new house taking care of Rose.

No one knew where Chris had gone. Not Jill, Rebecca, Barry, much less Leon, and only Ada Wong's little hint had helped her. Claire had never trusted this woman, but after this she would owe her.

Her parents' house had been uninhabited for years, the last residents being her grandparents a little over twenty years before, before they died. She and Chris hadn't wanted to sell the house because of the memories it brought, and because it was a haven when they or anyone they knew needed it, so they'd just locked it up and went whenever they remembered, which, for Claire, it had been five years since the last time.

It was four in the morning when she arrived in her truck, completely desperate and a rather sleepless Leon next to her, but the agent hadn't wanted to leave her go alone.

Upon entering, the house was in complete darkness and solitude. She nearly cursed Ada for tricking her, but a pair of boots in the driveway (which she knew whose they belonged to because of their sheer size) encouraged her to continue searching the now-illuminated house.

It wasn't difficult for her to find her brother in what was his room in childhood and adolescence, since it was the only door that was locked from the inside. She and Leon tried to get him to open but he didn't answer, and Claire was starting to think the worst case scenario. She could only mentally pray that Chris wasn't dead on his bed as she pounded hard on the door.

It was Leon who managed to open it with a single kick when the two of them were already getting tired.

"Chris?" Claire asked, her voice softer than before. Her throat was already battered after yelling his name for a long time.

She glanced at the dresser next to Chris and her heart began to beat faster than it already was. She motioned for Leon to stay out of the room, she didn't want Chris to feel threatened by the other man's presence, when he possibly would already be by the presence of his little sister.

Chris' limp body was illuminated by the light coming from the hallway, but nothing got his attention.

"Brother," she tried again. "I'll get closer, okay?"

She slowly walked over to where Chris was, fearing that he might physically lash out at her as he had done a few times in the past. She slowly picked up the gun that was on the dresser and tucked it into her jeans after checking it had the safety on. She sat down next to Chris on the floor, still looking at him. Her brother seemed to have noticed her presence, as he had moved his head slightly towards her.

"Chris," she whispered.

"How did you find me?"

"Ada," was her only response. "What are you doing here? You should be with Rose."

He was silent for a while.

"I can't, Claire. I can't. I can only see him in her face."

Ethan's death had been hard for everyone to take in, and a few months later the feeling of emptiness was still within them.

Ethan had been a great friend to her and to everyone who had the good fortune to met him. She had cried quite a bit after Barry's call, where he broke the news after Chris told the entire BSAA, but she hadn't been able to contact her brother at the time because he was busy trying to take down the organization that had suddenly become criminal.

She had spoken to Ethan's parents, both utterly devastated by the death of their only child, and both had agreed to postpone the funeral for the duration of Chris' fight with the BSAA, which, thankfully, hadn't been long. They had immediately held a small and very emotional burial for Ethan a couple of months after his death, attended by all of his childhood friends and even the ones he had made after Dulvey, although Chris didn't seem ready to do the funeral. But they couldn't drag it out any longer, his parents wanted to give his son a rest now.

At the ceremony everyone was heartbroken, crying and mourning his departure, except for Chris. He had a stoic look during the time that the funeral and burial lasted. Claire was well aware of the difficulty her brother had in showing his feelings, especially in public, but seeing him act this way (or rather, not act at all) during the funeral of the person he loved, had worried and broken her heart even more.

He had gone with Rose to their new house in Heathsville, and she hadn't heard from him until two weeks ago, when Mia told her that Chris had gone to her apartment to drop Rose off without any explanation.

Now, seeing him next to her being in that state, let her know that this was nothing like Jill's disappearance or Piers' death. It was worse. Chris clearly hadn't been drinking, she hadn't seen any empty bottles on the floor, and while he didn't smell good, he didn't smell like alcohol either. He'd made a promise to his family about giving up that horrible habit, so Claire was glad he kept up to his promise.

The house hadn't been messed up beyond recognition by his rage either, the only mess she found were some dirty dishes in the sink that let her know that Chris had been feeding, at least until a few days ago.

Nothing looked like Jill and Piers' situation. That scared her more. At least she knew how to work with the violent, alcoholic Chris. With this Chris she was lost.

"Brother, tell me how I can help you."

"I don't want your help, Claire."

"So what do you want? To die?" Chris didn't answer. Claire's throat tightened, but she too began to rage. "Do you want me to go so you can shoot yourself? Do you plan to meet Ethan again in the afterlife and live happily while leaving your daughter here, alone and depressed because both of her parents abandoned her?"

"She'll be fine, she has you, she has Mia..."

"I could be killed by a bioweapon at any time and Mia can't even take care of herself," her voice rose with each word she said. "Do you really want her to be like us, like me?" Finally her voice broke. "You can't do that to her, Chris."

Claire had started crying, looking at the wall across from them both, while Chris had lowered his head.

"Even having you and our grandparents wasn't enough," she admitted in a whisper, remembering how much it hurt her to be orphaned so young. "Please don't do that to your daughter."

They both fell silent. Outside, crickets and a car could be heard passing on the road in front of the house. Claire could faintly hear Leon in the hallway, respecting her request not to enter but still staying close in case he was required.

Claire waited. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to convince her brother. She waited, until it was he who spoke again.

"It hurts, Claire," he murmured to her, placing a hand over his chest. "It hurts so much."

Claire sighed heavily. Seeing her brother, who always tried to bear everything that happened without complaining, didn't show his true emotions and swallowed them like a champion, admitting that he was in pain, was a hard blow for her. It was as if her pillar was collapsing right on her watch and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Oh, Chris. I'm so sorry," she sobbed, encircling her brother's broad shoulders in a tight hug. "I'm sorry."

Chris had begun to tremble within the embrace and Claire slowly heard him start to cry until he released a sob so piercing it startled Claire.

"Help me, please help me," he pleaded desperately. "It hurts."

"I won't leave you. I promise."

They both hugged each other for a long time. Claire didn't let go of her brother and allowed him to let out the tears he had locked in his heart for so long. She hugged him, until she could see the sky gradually clearing with the sunrise, the city slowly waking up and Chris falling asleep, leaning entirely on his sister. He had cried to exhaustion.

Claire held Chris' head on her chest, lovingly stroking his short hair and thanking the most holy for coming before Chris blew his head off. She continued to cry silently, lost in her thoughts. Only Leon calling her name in the doorway could bring her back to reality.

She turned to see him with her face wet. "Help me put him to bed."

With difficulty they accommodated his body on the small bed, fortunately he hadn't woken up. The last time he had slept there, he had weighed half as he does now, so at another time she would've laughed seeing him there. Now she could only think of what she could do to help him, but she was blank, the events of that night had completely drained her.

She felt a large, comforting hand on her shoulder. It was Leon, looking sadly at her brother. They exchanged glances, and Leon nodded as he squeezed her shoulder.

She then realized that she wasn't alone and everyone was probably feeling the same way she was. Chris' improvement would happen with the support of all of his friends, as hard as it would be to get there.

Claire finally wiped her tears with the back of her hand and left the room with Leon to make breakfast for the three of them.

She felt the gun in her jeans. She never returned it to its owner.

Chapter Text

The next morning came faster than he could have expected. 

Sleeping in his new room had been a big positive change. He finally didn't feel constantly watched and was certainly free to do any activity in his privacy, even though all he wanted to do was draw and sleep. The only disturbance he had after Chris had left so abruptly the previous afternoon had been one of the soldiers who handed him without a word the suitcase he brought from Romania. 

Ethan had not forgotten that this would be the Moises' last day in England and they would finally return to Valea Albă. He was very relieved about this, but he was also sorry for not having gone to see them the day before, because he really missed being with the only people he knew in the world. 

A few minutes after waking up, he had to get up to pee. In this place, he would have to go out into the hallway to look for the restroom, do his business and clean his hair and body a little with the products that had been given to him along with that room. 

In those weeks locked up, he had very rarely been allowed to shower, as that would mean letting him out of quarantine and that was against protocol. He could count on one hand how many times he had received a bath during that time. The good thing was that he hadn't smelled bad, at least not that bad. 

He spent fifteen pleasant minutes under the shower, enjoying the hot water without anyone rushing him to finish.

He returned to his room relaxed and with a small smile on his face.

Taking a look at the desk while lying on the bed, he saw the notebook he used yesterday to draw, and it made him want to waste a few hours making one more. The image of strong shoulders and a broad back suddenly came to his mind and he wondered how well he could draw that body just by seeing it a few times. Honestly, he had noticed his body quite well, but not to the point of having it stuck in his memory and being able to trace each muscle easily. For that, he would need to observe it in detail.

Before he could stand up, someone knocked on his door. Immediately Chris Redfield reappeared in his mind, although he knew it was impossible for Chris to be there because the night before he had left the facility to go to Romania with the BSAA and Blue Umbrella team. Chris' time with Rose would have to wait.

"Oh, hey, man!" His visitor greeted as soon as he opened the door, followed by a loud bark that echoed through the hallway and left him stunned. Hero was at the man's feet, wagging his furry tail intensely as he saw Ethan again. The canine didn't lunge at Ethan because he was well trained not to, although if his team member wasn't next to him, Hero probably would've done so as soon as the blond opened the door.

"Hello, uhmm, Lobo, right?"

"Just call me John, man."

Ethan laughed shyly. "I'm sorry, John."

The older man didn't worry that he did not know his name, nor did he think that in the past he was called "Wolf" playfully by that same blond who did not recognize him now. It was all about the process.

"The Moises are about to leave. I'll take you to them before they leave."

Ethan was very grateful.

He walked next to John to lead the way while Hero trotted happily too close to Ethan's legs. No matter how many times John called the dog's name so that he wouldn't make the blond trip, Hero always returned to Ethan's side. His true master, Dion, was not there anyway. Hero didn't care about John's calls.

They went to the ground floor of the building. Despite it being six in the morning, there were a good number of people already working, and Anca, Vasile and Ivantie were a little camouflaged among those people.

"Brother!" Upon seeing him, Anca immediately ran to hug him, leaving her small suitcase at her father's feet.

Ethan welcomed her with open arms. For some reason the girl seemed a little taller than the last time he had seen her, about a month ago.

"I missed you so much," she murmured against Ethan's chest before pulling away to check his face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, what about you, guys?"

"Everything is in order, son," Vasile responded, walking along his firstborn towards Ethan.

While Ethan hugged Vasile and Ivantie, Anca began to tell him everything that had happened in those weeks, which fortunately had not been anything negative.

"Caroline gave me this so I wouldn't get bored," the redhead mentioned as she took out of her suitcase a screen with two small controls, a red one and a blue one. Caroline had been their nurse. "I tried to give it back, but she said I could keep it."

"It's a good souvenir we'll bring home from England, at least we can have fun with this and it's not just needle marks," Ivantie grumbled, angrily showing Ethan the big red and purple marks he had on his forearm from the constant blood samples they had to draw. 

"Oh, boy, I'm sorry," he said, carefully caressing his brother's battered skin. "Really, guys. If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have had to go through all this. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Blondie, you weren't the one who hurt my veins."

"I've already told you a thousand times not to blame yourself," Vasile reproached him. "We helped you because we wanted to, and it will never be a nuisance to help family."

"Besides, they made sure you're okay and that's the only thing that matters," Anca gave him a bright smile. Ethan caressed her cheek affectionately in response. "The doctors and nurses were with us all the time, and Emily and Dion came to see us every day. Oh, we also saw a couple of times the huge man who went with them to our house."

"Did Chris visit you?"

"It was more like surveillance," Ivantie mentioned. "Only dad talked to him though."

Ethan turned to Vasile. "What did you two talk about?"

Vasile seemed to hesitate. "Nothing remarkable. He asked me about you."

"What did you say to him?" Ethan's interest was very evident, and Anca giggled softly as she nudged her older brother's abdomen.

"Well, he asked how you were getting along at our home, your recovery, what you used to do there. The same questions I'd been asked before."

"It's true, they just make you repeat everything," Ethan commented.

"Of course, they care about your recovery, so it's normal."

Ethan didn't delve any further into the topic, he just started listening to Anca telling him about the video games she had played on her console in the weeks she was in quarantine, and listened to Ivantie still complaining about the bruises on his arms as they walked towards the exit of the building being escorted by John Perlman, Hero, and a group of other BSAA soldiers. They were heading to the hangar to finally return home.

Ethan seemed attentive to the kids, but Vasile could notice the change in the blond's mood. It could have been because his farewell was closer than ever, but Vasile knew better, and he was sure it had been from hearing about Redfield.

Finding out that his adopted son had a mate, and that the aforementioned was also a man, had been a great surprise for the old man. In his native country, these types of relationships were not well regarded, however, he had always been the type of person to not get involved in other people's affairs and respect others in every way, simply because he was not interested in other people besides his children. But he had certainly never thought about one of his children having preferences for people of the same sex. In reality, he was not aware of their preferences, all this time having believed that it was the "default" ones, but with the new addition to his family and a certain piece of information recently learned, a reality check finally hit him on that topic.

This didn't make him see Ethan with different eyes, nor want to reject him, but it did make him feel a need to protect him that not even Anca could achieve in him (yet, because she was still too young to have a boyfriend. At least, that's what he thought). Knowing that a man, who also radiated an enormous aura of masculinity and dominance wherever he went, was behind his small son (he is 38 years old, and he is not your son, Vasile, he repeated in his head), made him want to show to Redfield's face that Ethan had people watching his back, especially after witnessing the indifference with which Redfield treated his son.

So, on one of those occasions when Christopher Redfield had stopped in the medical wing to get information about the family's results, the last time he stopped by to be exact, Vasile had not missed the opportunity to talk to him.

It did not go unnoticed by Vasile that this man was only ten years younger than himself, an even worse fact to know when he was trying to contain his overprotectiveness.

He hadn't completely lied to Ethan. Chris had asked him about his performance taking care of the farm, Ethan's role in the family, even Vasile's own opinion of the blond, but it had been like that only at the beginning.

That last time, Vasile dared to ask before Chris said anything: "Are you interested in Ethan?"

Chris was perplexed. He thought about it for a few seconds.

"My job is to protect all of you, so I must maintain some interest in the problem."

Vasile narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I think you understand what I mean, son."

The truth was that Vasile's question threw Chris off, as he had not expected it at all coming from the Romanian old man.

He knew that Vasile and his family had a deep respect for Ethan, as demonstrated in the many interrogatories the BSAA team had done with them so far and also during the brief hours that he had seen them together, but not even Ethan's real father had questioned him this way when they met.

It took him a few seconds to answer, and Vasile let him think as much as he needed.

"I was together with Ethan Winters for three years before he... left," Chris sighed. "His daughter is not mine biologically, but I love her like she was my own blood. I don't know if you know this, but we were a month away from getting married when everything happened... Having someone who looks like him, but who at the same time is totally different, and that everyone tries to convince me he's my late partner, is more difficult than everyone thinks. So yes I am interested in him, because it is my job to be. I hope you can understand."

Vasile also took a few seconds to weigh down that response.

He could understand it.

He couldn't imagine himself and his late wife in the place of Redfield and Ethan, he had already accepted his loss many years ago, while the pain could still feel very fresh for Chris, but just thinking about his wife returning to life suddenly gave him equally happiness for being able to be with her again, and chills of terror for the disturbing image that appeared in his mind by the thought.

Vasile noticed the indifference with which Chris treated the subject of Ethan, and it somewhat bothered him, but he felt like he couldn't really blame him now.

For the first time in his life, the old man was speechless.

Noticing a slight change in his mood, Chris changed the subject to question the bruises on Ivantie's arms, they shared some dry parting words, and the captain finally left the quarantine zone. That was the last time Vasile had seen him, perhaps a week and a half before the current moment.

Finally, the family had begun to move out of the building, escorted by a large part of the soldiers that could be easily separated between the BSAA and Blue Umbrella by their different shades of blue in their uniforms, and the Hound Wolves, who stood out more by their completely black clothing.

Each one carried their suitcase as they left the facility. They got into a Jeep and were taken to the hangar, taking Ethan with them out of mere formality and orders from above. Although it wasn't as if the Hound Wolf had left them other choice.

Two minutes into the trip, they were all on one side of the plane waiting for the soldiers to finish loading all the equipment. They would set up a small base around the Romanian village to continue the investigation. After a few years of feud, the three organizations finally reached an agreement to work together, and Ethan couldn't believe this was thanks to him.

While they waited to board, Anca didn't leave Ethan's side. They were silent, but the teenager continued to hug Ethan's torso tightly, communicating without words. Ethan didn't let go of her either, having a conversation with Ivantie and Vasile, although the sound of the plane's engine made it difficult to hear each other, while he caressed the girl's reddish hair.

Anca remained quiet during that small meeting, totally focused on her thoughts while her family shared a few last words.

Suddenly an inexplicable fear and melancholy began to invade her. She was aware that separating from Ethan after having lived with him for so many months and accepting and hugging him like another brother would make her sad. But, then it was just a thought. Now that that moment had finally arrived, those feelings had become stronger.

"What if you come with us?" The girl asked, interrupting Ethan mid-sentence.

Ethan seemed surprised to receive that question and Anca saw him hesitate. She knew he would refuse, but it wouldn't hurt to make the invitation.

"Sweetheart, I can't," he responded after a few seconds. "It pains me to part with you, but... But I can't."

Anca's eyes filled with tears, and she smiled through them. "I know. You have to take care of your daughter and return to your real family... I'm so happy for you, Ethan."

Ethan immediately felt his vision blur as he cradled Anca's face with both hands and wiped away her tears while his own ran down his cheeks. "Despite everything, you're still my family too, okay?" Anca nodded, closing her blue orbs and letting more streams of tears fall as her small, reddened face crumpled. "Remember that you will always be my little sister, and I will always love you."

Unable to hold any longer, Anca closed the distance again with a hug that left Ethan breathless. From the corner of his eye he saw Ivantie passing a hand over his eyelids and Vasile avoiding eye contact. Anca had always been more sensitive, while the men of the house tried to be tough. Either way, Ethan knew it hurt them too, they just had a harder time expressing it.

"It's time to board," someone from Blue Umbrella approached to let them know and walked away just as quickly to give them space.

"Well," Vasile spoke with a hoarse voice, clearing his throat before continuing. "We must go, kid."

Ethan waited a few more seconds for the girl to be ready to let him go. He hugged her back with the same force. When she finally separated from him, not even a second passed when he felt another body crashed on his, one bigger and beefier than little Anca's.

"Thank you," Ivantie murmured in his ear. Ethan didn't know precisely why he was thanking him, but he just accepted the words. He kissed the younger boy's cheek when they finally separated.

He exchanged glances with Vasile. The old man had a frown and pursed lips, he looked like he was about to cry, but Ethan knew he wouldn't. He didn't want to make it more difficult for him, so he simply approached Vasile to be the one to initiate contact in a gentle hug.

"I'll never forget what you did for me," Ethan told him. He felt the hug grow tighter as Vasile patted his back in the manliest hug possible, and Ethan laughed softly.

When they both separated, John approached the group.

"Before you get on the plane, here," he held out a cell phone in Vasile's direction. "I programmed it for you, it has Ethan's cell phone number and some of the team's to facilitate communication. You can use it without any problem."

Vasile took one look at the device and immediately passed it into his son's hands, giving him full control of it.

Ethan felt slight relief. Emily still hadn't given him the cell phone that he had been promised the day before, but surely when it was his turn to leave, he could have the device in his hands and then he would immediately contact his family.

"You ready?" John asked softly, gesturing toward the plane with his hand so they could start walking.

The four nodded, "Come on, kids," Vasile said, placing both hands on his children's shoulders. The three headed to the plane.

"Goodbye, brother!" Anca shouted so that Ethan could hear her over the thunderous noise. She was furiously waving goodbye with one of her hands and had a big smile on her face.

Ethan tried to say goodbye with the same force as her.

He stood on the side of the hangar, with John at his side, as he watched the only family he knew leave his life. Although it wasn't a permanent goodbye, he knew it was the end of a chapter for him.

Since he woke up, he had not felt as alone as he did at that moment, even having company from several people around him. But, despite they said otherwise, they were all strangers to him now.

He sighed, thinking that now his mission would be to try to meet everyone and fight a little harder to get his memories back.

***

Lobo suggested having breakfast together. Feeling his stomach growl, Ethan didn't see why not, so he could spend more time with the gray-haired man and learn about his life, plus he would never deny having Hero's company.

The three arrived at the facility's cafeteria and, fortunately, John chose one of the tables in the corner, furthest from the not at all discreet glances that everyone was sending him.

He heard John laugh. "Still not used to it? You're like a celebrity around here."

They both sat down, putting their trays full of food in front of them.

"No. Every time I left my small prison to go to medical checkup I felt everyone's stares, and even so it never stops being overwhelming."

Perlman was surprised by the length of the sentence Ethan had just said. All he had heard from him were a few words here and there, and watching him feeling the confidence to talk more than that was an indication that they were on the right track.

"Hey, these guys haven't had action for years," he said, emphasizing the last word. "You are the only entertainment they have received and are probably going to receive. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point they ask for your autograph."

Even though he found his comment funny, Ethan couldn't laugh.

"I'm still not sure if they see me as their favorite celebrity or as a monster they're being careful about," he mentioned, beginning to devour his breakfast.

John spent a few seconds looking at the agents in the cafeteria after hearing his words. There weren't many, but enough to give the cooks work. He could now notice the curious glances of some that lasted only a moment, while others did not take their eyes off Ethan and seemed tense and overly alert as if they were on a mission. He could understand what he meant.

The oldest finally began to eat.

"At least they don't talk to you here because they don't know you well," John said between bites. "Wait until we get to the HQ, there they're seriously going to ask you for an autograph, even photos. They're going to upload you on Instagram and you'll be trending, don't doubt it."

That earned a small smile from Ethan and John was satisfied.

"Anyway, how did you start working for the Hound Wolf?" Ethan changed the subject.

Tossing a piece of pancake into Hero's snout and hoping Ethan wouldn't comment on it to Dion, John smiled and prepared to tell his story.

***

Without realizing, more than three hours had passed since they had been talking in the cafeteria. It was more than enough time to know that John Perlman was a pretty nice man and, unlike his partners Emily and Dion, he didn't seem to care much about his current state, so for the first time he was listening to someone else talk about themselves with enthusiasm and not just trying to make him remember his past at every opportunity the talk could offer.

Ethan's cheeks hurt a little from smiling and laughing for so long thanks to Lobo's anecdotes during his military training.

During those last weeks, what he hated the most was the never-ending silence inside his cell-room. The only ones who spoke to him were his doctors and nurses and normally those were just words with instructions for him to move to one side or the other. They very rarely made him speak.

Ethan liked to talk. A lot. It was another thing he discovered about himself.

And, although John gave him the opportunity to speak from time to time in the middle of the conversation, simply listening to his adventures—which had nothing to do with Ethan—was enjoyable.

They had left the facility to explore the large empty land around them. Hero had to use up his energy by running and John thought the walk would be good for Ethan too.

Finally, after all those weeks, a mile away from the BSAA, Ethan felt like no one was watching him closely.

The day was good. Maybe 25° Celsius, it was a bit windy which kept them fresh and the sky over Fleetwood was almost clear. He could stay the rest of the day in that place, but they were already returning to the building, to the cafeteria. The walk had left them hungry. Fortunately for him, their steps were slow.

"Emily left with me your cell phone," John spoke after a while of just peacefully watching over Hero, "before she left," he added.

Lobo was the only one of the squad to stay in England. We bet to see who your babysitter would be these days and I lost, that's what he told him when they were still in the dining area, making Ethan laugh.

"I'm not sure I know how to use it," he admitted. He had never had one of those devices in his hands.

"Uh, it's not difficult to use it. You had one before, maybe using this one, you'll remember how to do it right away— Hero, no!" He interrupted himself to call the dog because it had put its attention in a squirrel.

The small animal was petrified, barely having noticed the large canine about three meters away from it. Hero stood still as a statue, crouching on his front legs in a playful position. The only part of his body moving was his furry tail, going from side to side in a gentle wave. Ethan feared for the squirrel.

"Hero—I swear to God. Leave that thing alone... Hero!" The last call was like a signal to Hero who, instead of going back to his temporary master, jumped toward the squirrel, hoping to play with it. The big dog didn't realize that he was scaring the squirrel to death, and it managed to run quickly towards the trees before Hero could crush it with his weight. The shepherd looked confused for a second, standing alertly and turning his head slightly to the side, just watching his small friend leave.

"Hero!" John tried again, to no avail. "Shit," he cursed as the canine began to run after the squirrel.

"Shall we run after him?"

"Dion calls his name and it works, I don't know why he's not listening."

"Surely Dion has other tricks."

"No, really that's what works. At least it works when he's with me." John undid the knot in Hero's leash, which he had tied to his pants so he wouldn't have to carry it around, and trotted toward the dog. Hero had reached the tree where the squirrel had climbed and was leaning on it on two legs, looking for the animal among the branches.

Ethan did not follow John, instead opting to call the dog's name himself. "Hero!" Upon hearing it, to his surprise, the dog immediately turned his head towards Ethan.

As if he had activated an alarm, the dog completely forgot about his furry friend and got away from the tree, running very quickly towards Ethan.

John, who had almost reached where Hero was before, prepared to put the leash on him and force him to their room, only saw the dog dart past him at Ethan's call. John stopped dead on his tracks, turning back.

Ethan suddenly thought that Hero would pounce on him, but he only stopped three steps in front of Ethan, waiting for an order.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't even know why the dog had obeyed him and not John who, although he wasn't Hero's trainer, was the one in charge when Dion was away.

What he did know was that something had told him to do that, as if inside him he was fully aware that Hero would listen to him and do what he asked, even though he had never had power over the dog before.

It was weird.

"Good boy," he complimented delicately and then approached the dog to pat him on the head.

While Ethan stroked the fur of the shepherd, who was completely still watching him, John took his time to return the distance he had run after Hero.

"How the hell did you do that?" John asked.

"I don't know, I just... I knew it would work," he answered honestly. John looked at him curiously. "What?"

"Nothing," the older man shrugged.

Ethan gave a mischievous smile.

"Jealous he listened to me and not you?"

Hearing this, John leaned back and laughed. He didn't understand how at some point he came to believe that the man in front of him was not the real Ethan Winters.

Chapter Text

With swollen eyes and completely dry skin, she sat there for the hours that the memorial lasted. Covering her hand was that of her husband. Both of them trying to support each other.

There were a lot of people, mostly Ethan's friends, and that made her chest feel warm. There was family, of course, but she didn't know most of the others so Claire had been telling her who came from the organizations they worked for.

Everyone dressing in black.

She could see many tearful faces, some attendees murmuring among themselves how good her son had been in life. It gave her relief.

A part of her would be eternally devastated, but knowing that her son had been so loved and respected by so many filled her with pride.

The priest conducting the mass had not stopped talking for the last hour and she was already tired of being there.

Two months had passed, enough time to cry her soul out, mourn her terrible loss, and regret her life decisions. Like any mother who lost a child, she blamed herself for it.

She just wanted to go home.

After that, some things happened. They buried an empty coffin, some cried some more, Rose cried because she was tired of being there and she didn't really understand what was happening, and finally the ceremony was over.

Some people stayed a little longer. Those she did know.

There was Claire, holding Rose who was throwing a tantrum, next to her was her friend Leon. Beside Leon was Mia, who had not looked at her child even once. In another group were some of Chris' friends. There were also the Hound Wolves. She was able to recognize a few friends from Ethan's high school, while she recognized his friends from college but only by sight. She never took the time to learn their names.

There were a couple of people she had definitely never met. A young woman with short brown hair and an older, gray-haired man with a thick beard. They were Zoe and Joe Baker. Ethan had helped them in Dulvey, according to what Claire told her that morning they had arrived there. She'd heard about them once, on the few occasions Ethan called them over the last couple of years.

They were all good friends of his son. Those with whom she had spoken at least once before the memorial were not even half of those still there. They were all strangers to her. But she knew that Ethan had grown to love them all regardless. Of course they were welcome to his funeral. Or, at least to the burial of the coffin that symbolized the departure of his soul. They were never able to recover a body. There was nothing physical to bury.

She sighed. Her sight continued to travel among the attendees. She paused for a moment to smile slightly at Claire, who seemed to have calmed Rose down.

About ten meters behind them she saw Christopher. She grimaced. The man had been away from them the whole time, looking at the horizon or at his feet but not even once glancing at the coffin or the tombstone, that soon will have engraved Ethan's name and any sentence that indicated that his resting place was there.

The last time she had heard from Christopher was two months ago, when he called to inform that Ethan had passed away. Afterwards, she didn't heard from him again. All the communication she had about what would happen with the Ethan matter was with Claire. Not even Mia spoke to them, even though the woman was alone taking care of their granddaughter and clearly needed help.

She didn't know if Christopher's silence worried her or if she was grateful of it. She was aware that nothing that happened was his fault, but part of her, the maternal part that loved her son more than her own life, couldn't help but think that if Chris hadn't been in Ethan's life, this wouldn't have happened.

At least, if Chris had truly protected Ethan and Rose as he promised years ago when the three of them arrived at Ethan's childhood home in California, after several years without hearing from him, to introduce his fiancé and his baby daughter to his parents, then her son would still be alive and Rose wouldn't have lost her father.

She tried not to have those thoughts, but it was impossible. Just seeing Christopher made her stomach turn, and noticing that he didn't even seem to be suffering like she was, it bothered her.

She knew it wasn't like that. Chris was a very serious and composed man, but he adored her son with all his heart. He would have given his life for Ethan and surely fought with all his might to save him. But it was not enough. He should have fought more. Just as she must have done too.

She should've forced Ethan to stay in the country, she should've stopped him when he went to look for Mia on his own, she should've forced him to finish his career in California and never go to Texas, she should've put him in a small glass box and protected him for life with the care that he deserved.

She should've insisted on talking more those last few years.

She could regret many things, but nothing could surpass the fact that she didn't take care of her relationship with her son once he left America.

She missed hearing his voice so much. She would give anything to have one last talk with him.

Without realizing it, she had started crying again.

She had had two months to weigh her loss and those last few weeks she was beginning to cry less, but this day was different. It felt like the end. It was the closing of a cycle. She hadn't stopped crying all day when she realized that she was saying goodbye to her son, and this time it was for good.

Her only pillar was her husband's warm hand still holding hers. He must be suffering just as much and yet he tried to be strong for her. On the other hand, she had Rose's curious big eyes watching her, wondering why her grandmother was letting out so many tears.

She had to continue. If she didn't do it for herself, then she would do it for the two of them and for the memory of her beloved son.

***

Compared to the BSAA HQ, the Hound Wolf HQ is much smaller.

The building and overall organization are relatively new, so it is understandable that they have a more modest footprint than the BSAA in England. Still, Ethan thinks that even if they had millions to pay for it, they would rather invest it in equipment and personnel than make the facility look luxurious.

The Hound Wolves hangar was a few kilometers from the base. John Perlman, along with a small squad, escorted him all the way from Fleetwood to Heathsville, and right now only John was in charge of transporting him in a Jeep Wrangler to the central facility, where he would meet his parents. It was the first time in several hours that he didn't have someone watching his back. Literally.

Heathsville is nice. It is a really quiet place, there are not large buildings and doesn't have the urban hustle and bustle of cities. In fact, there wasn't even people, at least not that Ethan could see from the car's window. It is the perfect place for an antibioterrorist organization to set up shop. In case of an accident, it would be easy to solve it being at one end of the country. No one expected a second Raccoon City to happen, but one could never be so prepared.

The Hound Wolf has its entire life in Virginia. It is not only the hangar and the main base of the organization in Heathsville, but also a large community that houses the families of the workers in Red Clover County: soldiers, scientists, doctors, researchers, even the cleaning staff could live there if requested.

There was at least a 15 km radius that separated the central building from the rest of the county, and their community was the furthest facility from the Hound Wolf, for the protection of the inhabitants.

However, Ethan still wouldn't go to the suburb, where John had said his daughter was.

He'd been informed that his reintegration would be a slow process, not only for his own comfort, but also for that of his family and friends. Apparently, getting back someone who had died after some years was a very big shock to the human mind. Ethan preferred it this way anyway. He didn't want to go to his real family and be disappointed by not remembering them, and also disappointing them in the process.

While immersed in his thoughts, he feels the cell phone vibrate in his lap.

plese tellus how it went, says the message accompanied by many happy emoticons. Anca had been using their cell phone quite a bit since arriving in Romania, and she had a fascination with the cartoons she could send to her receiver, which was only Ethan. She sent messages continuously, although she was not very good at writing in English. Ethan hopes that over time she will learn.

He smiles as he looks for the cutest emoticon he can find in the gallery to send. He knows Anca will appreciate it as soon as she sees it.

"We're almost there," reports Perlman. "We won't stay here long, we just get out of the car, go get them and come back so I can take y'all to your hotel."

Ethan just nods. Receiving no answer, John continues. "I made the reservation for a week, but you can stay there longer... Or if you want to leave earlier, just tell me."

He turns to look at Ethan briefly and sees that he nods looking down again.

"Or if you don't want to," he adds slowly, "you can say that too. I won't judge, man." Ethan snorts smiling. "Nervous?"

"It's not that," he denies. "Well, maybe a little. They're my parents but I'm going to meet them for the first time, even though they've known me my whole life. What if they want to take me to California with them?"

"Either you say no... or you go with them. It's your decision, Ethan, after all. When you get to know them and spend time with them, you can decide whether you like them or not, and it'll be okay. You don't have to like them just because they are your biological parents."

Finally, John parks the car in the facility's parking lot. There are some people walking around outside and from that moment on he can notice that there are more people here than at the BSAA. No one gets out of the car yet, Ethan because he's not ready and John because he wants to follow his lead.

"Do you know what kind of relationship I had with them?" The blond asks.

"Not really. I only saw them once, at your memorial, and for obvious reasons we didn't share many words. The one who should know that is the Captain, If you want me to make a quick call..."

"No," he answers immediately. He sees no reason to bother Chris with this, plus he must be asleep right now. In Romania would be early morning.

"Anyway, I don't think your relationship was bad. They seemed like decent people. What I know is that after Dulvey you cut off contact with them. You were missing for a long time, and you didn't see them again until after Rose was born and you and Chris got together."

Ethan tries to imagine his parents' reaction at seeing him after some time holding a baby in one arm and on the other side holding a strange man's hand, and not his wife's. It must've been quite a sight.

"Plus, after you were buried and we moved back to the States, they could spend a lot of time with Rosemary. She adores them, she loves to be with the Winters grandparents. Claire and Rose visit California for summer and Christmases."

That gives him a greater knowledge of his parents. If little Rose trusted them, then so would he.

"Okay," he sighs. "I think I'm ready."

"Very good," John smiles at him. "Come on, man, let's not keep them waiting any longer."

Together they got out of the car. There are still several people out there, some were leaving and others just arriving. You can see groups in military clothing, carrying weapons of different caliber, always wearing the black color characteristic of the organization, others were simply in office attire, women with heels and skirts, men with moccasins and suits, a few others were wearing their robes or carried them folded in their arms. There was a lot more variety than at BSAA, and a lot more cars in the parking lot. This place seemed to work a hundred percent, without rest, while in England they only got to work with a single case: him.

At the double doors at the entrance there are two women standing guard, quickly greeting Perlman when they see him. John opens one of the doors for Ethan and walks right behind the blond.

Inside, the place is quiet. There aren't many people at the reception, but Ethan can see people moving around on the second floor.

Ethan remembers John's words a few days before, about him being famous within the HW, and even more so now that he had returned from the dead. He suddenly feels déjà vu, exactly the same feeling he had when he first entered the BSAA HQ. There were many eyes watching him momentarily but, to his surprise, no one approached him to greet him or ask him questions.

"No one is going to bother you, the Captain has warned them," John smiles, squeezing Ethan's shoulder with his hand.

Ethan thanks him under his breath.

They both stood in the middle of the hall for a few seconds, simply looking around. John searching for familiar faces and Ethan trying to guess who his parents could be.

"Where are they? I thought they were already here," Ethan says, turning to look at John.

"That's right, they arrived about an hour ago. They must..." He stops himself mid-sentence. Ethan watches him slowly start to smile as he looks at something behind him.

Without saying anything else, John motions with his head for him to turn around.

He suddenly begins to panic. He had said that he was prepared but now he backs out, maybe he needs more time to really consider if he wants this. Part of him is afraid to meet these people, he worries that he is too different from how he was in the past and wonders if, if so, they can accept him anyway. He already felt rejected by Chris for that very reason, he didn't want his parents to reject him too.

Heart racing, Ethan slowly turns around.

When he looks up, the first thing he sees is a small and thin woman, with a pixie haircut, she is wearing a very white robe and a big smile on her face. She seems very happy to see him.

Once his brain analyzes her, he notices two more people behind the woman: an older, taller female, with long blond hair and wearing a light yellow dress that reaches her calves, she is wearing high beige heels that make her stand almost the same height as the man next to her. He has dark hair, not quite jet black, but close, and some gray hairs that adorn it. He has a well-kept mustache on his lips and what stands out most about him is his porcelain-white skin.

He looks at them both in surprise. He can feel the gears in his head finally starting to work after a long time, the imaginary hamster in his brain stopping its rapid race in its wheel to discover whether what he sees in front of him is real or not, to then return to its work almost immediately. For the first time since he woke up he feels like he's thinking for real.

The couple sees him with the same surprise on their faces. They're both still, just watching him, but he can see their eyes start to fill with tears.

For a second, his brain travels to another place, another world, to a life that was once his.

In that place, there are these two people with him, each holding one of his hands. He knows he is very small because he has to look up to see their faces. The three of them are walking through what appears to be a park. The sky is blue and the sun burns pleasantly on his skin. He's happy.

Still with his head turned upward, he calls her in a very high-pitched voice, "Mommy."

The woman immediately looks down at him. "Hello, my love," she greets him with a sweet smile that for Ethan is the most beautiful in the world.

Ethan smiles back. He's missing a couple of teeth.

His father also turns to him, smiling, "Shall we buy ice cream?" he asks with the same excitement that little Ethan responds with, "Yes, please!"

He tuned out for just a second, but it was enough to know that that day he and Dad got chocolate ice cream on their shirts and Mom scolded them for a good part of the afternoon. It's also enough to remember some of the days after this, the good and the bad, the times when he made his parents proud of him in his teenage years and also the times when they were a little disappointed in him.

Like a flash, parts of old Ethan's life came to him.

Ethan, to everyone's surprise, is the first to speak. He feels a big lump in his throat, his vision becomes blurry, and a breathy and barely audible "Mom..." comes from his lips.

At last.

The couple seem a little scared. They approach Ethan with unsteady steps, until they are face to face, evidently studying his face. They are both tall, towering over him but looking vulnerable at the same time.

"Is it really you?" he hears his trembling father ask him.

Ethan wants to ask them the same question. The couple in his memory looks so different, at least physically, from the people in front of him. But he knows that it is not something deep or difficult to understand, they are simply old, and they carry some sorrows on their shoulders that were not there when he was a little kid, which make them look even older.

Ethan swallows the knot. "Dad..." he simply whispers and nods. "I'm sorry."

A few seconds pass before his parents gain courage and dare to wrap him in a hug.

Ethan thinks they're still in shock, because their arms feel hesitant, like they don't fully believe he's their son. And he doesn't blame them, he can't do it when absolutely everyone has had the same reaction. But honestly, this time it hurts.

Anyway, he can feel how the hug is becoming tighter and the bodies of his parents begin to shake in uncontrollable crying. His own tears fall in the same way.

Magically he feels safe in that place. He realizes he'd missed them so much and had needed them with the same intensity, and being in the shelter of both, he feels his little six-year-old self finally find calm after many, many years.

John and Rebecca stay with them in the lobby, now a little further away to give them some privacy, even though they are in an area where all the members can see them.

"I can't believe he's here," Rebecca says, surprising John by not expecting her to address him. She normally never socializes with Chris' friends since they are not people from her close group.

They watch Ethan's mother drying his tears with her hands while she talks to him in a voice they can't hear. Her father holds the back of his son's head with one hand. The three of them seem to be smiling.

"Me neither," John sighs.

"But this makes me happy. He is a good man who has always deserved a long life." John agrees with her. "I imagine you and the squad are ecstatic. You were very good friends, right?"

John wouldn't exactly call them 'good friends', since all the coexistence they had with Ethan was due to work obligation. And he couldn't speak for the others, but he is ecstatic to have him back.

John decides not to answer.

After a few minutes, Rebecca gets bored and separates from him to approach other people in the hall, but she doesn't leave because she wants to greet Ethan as soon as the reunion with his parents is over.

Perlman stays in that same place guarding the family. He'll wait until it's enough for them, but it doesn't seem like they want to separate or be able to stop their tears in the next few minutes.

Chapter Text

John does as he'd informed Ethan, taking him and his parents to the hotel where they will be staying for the next few days.

The white-haired man doesn't stay long in the suite, he only leaves their suitcases in the rooms as well as some grocery bags, he writes them a list of emergency numbers (although Ethan's cell phone already has them saved), he answers some questions from the parents like when will Chris be back and if they'll be able to see their granddaughter while they're there, and then he privately reminds Ethan of his words in the car.

"If you feel it's too much, talk to me and I'll come for you."

Ethan thanks him, but doesn't think he'll need it.

The feeling of tranquility within him is great since he remembered his parents, and being in that room, lying down with his mother's arms tightly surrounding his body, he thinks that there could be a war outside and he would be no less serene.

They slept there. Ron had gone into one of the remaining rooms to give them some space. He was also eager to have his moment alone with his son, but he knew that time would come. For now, he wanted to hand over the privilege to his mother.

In the morning, just woken up and still in the same position, Ethan could hear movement in the kitchen, surely it was his father making breakfast for the three of them.

"Am I dreaming?" he asks in a whisper still with a sleepy voice. He feels his mother laugh lightly and her delicate fingers running gently through his hair.

"No, my boy. I dreamed of this moment many times and believe me, it never felt as perfect as it does now."

Ethan smiles against his mom's chest. "I missed you so much," he admits softly, he needs his mom to know that.

Lauren stops her movement upon hearing him, and then proceeds to press him tightly against her. "I missed you with my whole soul. I couldn't live without you, baby boy," her voice broke.

A war could happen outside, and Lauren would never let go of her son again anyway. Feeling physically unable to let him go from her embrace, she decided they would have to kill her before se let's go off him again.

A while longer passed before the father stuck his head in the door to say that breakfast was ready. Seeing Lauren holding their son in her arms, as if he were still the little baby they swore to protect all their lives, a tender smile came to his lips. They both seemed to be catching up on sleep and looked so relaxed that it felt wrong to interrupt. He also felt left out.

With his eyes closed, Ethan felt an extra weight sink into the mattress and then a body suddenly hug him from behind. He turned slightly to see the smiling face of his dad trying to fit into the bed.

"Get out of here," says his mother without really meaning it. He hears her soft laugh.

His dad complains and squeezes Ethan tighter with his arm, reaching for his mom's waist with one hand to keep her from getting away.

"I want to spend time with my boy too," he whimpers, nuzzling into Ethan's back to get more comfortable.

Ethan laughs while gasping at the same time and upon hearing it, his mother playfully hits his father's head with one hand. "Get off! your child can't breathe!" Ethan laughs harder as he feels his dad squeeze him even tighter.

***

The breakfast his dad cooked is the most delicious thing he's ever tasted. The waffles definitely take him back to the days of him being a spoiled little kid at his parents' old house in California, and his dad seems happy to get that reaction.

"How is it?" his dad asks.

Ethan responds with his mouth full. "It's really good. Can I get one more, please?" And he just can't stop acting like he really is a little boy. He thinks it's because of his parents' presence around him, and wonders if old Ethan acted the same way every time he saw them.

"Of course you can," Ron replies, taking the plate from him and standing up to put two more waffles on it.

When he turns to see his mother to his left, he finds her watching him with a smile on her face and supporting her head with one of her hands. "What?" he asks her curious.

"My baby looks so cute eating," she replies and Ethan immediately feels his face heating up.

"Moooom..." he whines embarrassedly, turning his face to the right, away from his mother's sight. He hears his dad laugh as he sits back down in his chair.

"Let him eat his breakfast peacefully," his dad scolds her. "And eat your waffles, they're getting cold," he adds, noticing that she hasn't touched her plate as she concentrates on watching their son.

Lauren decides to listen to him, but just as she couldn't let go of him a few minutes before, she can't take her eyes off of him either. It seems so magical to have him back and that's why she doesn't want to lose sight of him once again. So, while the three of them eat, every few seconds she turns to look at Ethan. He feels her gaze, but he can understand her motives so he doesn't complain.

After taking a shower, he sits on the bed in his room to relax for a few minutes in solitude. He doesn't mind having his parents hovering over him, but he feels overwhelmed by the relentless attention. They obviously realize this and allow him to have privacy for as long as he needs it.

While he is at it, he takes his cell phone that has run out of battery and, while he connects it to the power, he begins to read his new messages.

Dad says not to text you, but it doesn't bother you, right?

Received yesterday, 1:57 p.m.

My brother is teaching me how to write correctly :D

Received yesterday, 1:58 p.m. 

Where are you is it still daytime? Here is already night. Good night brother :D

Received yesterday, 1:59 p.m. 

Chris came in the morning and said you were with your parents.

Received today, 6:13 a.m.

He answers Anca after reading all of her messages.

Hello, Anca! Sorry for not answering you sooner, my cell phone battery ran out and I was busy with my parents. Chris is right, I'm with them right now! And I could recognize them! Can you believe it? But I can't remember anything else, just some moments from my childhood. They are great people, I hope you can meet them one day. By the way, how is dad? And Ivantie? Tell them I miss them a lot. Of course, I miss you more ;)

Sent today, 1:25 p.m.

He keeps reading the rest of his received messages. The next one is from Dion and makes Ethan laugh.

Hello, Ethan! Can you make sure Lobo doesn't feed Hero junk food? Thank you!

Received today, 3:45 a.m. 

He assures Dion that John is feeding Hero well and that he shouldn't worry about it, although he knows very well that John throws pieces of his own food at the dog as a treat every time he whines.

The oldest message received surprises him when he sees the sender and almost without thinking he immediately enters the chat. The only message is:

I hope everything goes well with your parents.

Received today, 1:16 a.m.

Contrary to the other chats, where he answered smiling and relaxed, when responding this one he feels his heart racing rapidly, frowning and eagerly awaiting a response.

Thank you Chris.

Sent today, 1:40 p.m.

He chooses to keep his message short and concise, simply because he feels it's a Chris thing, and he also wouldn't want to overwhelm him by telling him how great his day has been since yesterday.

Almost immediately after sending it, Chris responds, surprising him a little. He was waiting for that answer a few hours later. The content of the message surprises him even more.

We return next week.

Received today, 1:41 p.m.

He didn't expect Redfield to share that kind of information about his team now, but he's grateful that Chris feels it's important to tell him. He's sure it was common in his relationship with Ethan in the past, but now he's not that Ethan. Maybe they are on the right path.

Okay. Take care.

Sent today, 1:43 p.m. 

He doesn't wait to receive one more message from Chris. He leaves his cell phone on the nightstand for it to finish charging and gets out of bed to leave the room.

***

For the first time, the days go by faster than he would like. Being with his parents is better than he'd imagined.

As he spends more time with them, he realizes that they are kind and loving parents, and that they do their best to care for their only child. He wonders if they've always been like this with him, or if it's a behavior developed from losing him.

They don't do much the first couple of days, other than try to get Ethan to know them personally. They watch Ethan's favorite series and movies from childhood, cook together and also leave the hotel to eat at a nearby restaurant, although for Ethan his favorite food is the one cooked by his father.

Likewise, he finds out that they will spend fewer days together than planned. His mother has a business to run and his father must return to his job at the clinic. He's a little disappointed to hear this, but he tells himself that this isn't the last time he'll see them and he'll have more opportunities to be with them in the future. Luckily.

He's put on shoes and clothes that his parents bought him, which are a little baggy on him considering his weight and figure three years ago. He's finished fixing his hair after not paying as much attention to it the last few days.

He hears laughter and some words from his parents in the room and approaches to find out what they're doing. Ethan took a little over an hour to relax in his room. At this time of the day, when they finish breakfast, they clean up whatever they left dirty the night before and proceed to go to their rooms to take a shower. What they do the rest of the day usually comes without planning.

"Look at how cute he was..." he can hear Ron's voice melt.

From behind he sees them sitting on one of the sofas. In front of them, on the coffee table, are several photo albums. His mother has one more on her lap while she holds a photograph in her hand and laughs.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Oh, Ethan!," his mom says when she hears his voice. "Come, come here," she pats enthusiastically on the spot between them on the couch. Ethan sits down and she quickly places the album on his lap. "Rebecca told us to bring things that would help you remember," he had met Rebecca at HQ at the same time as his parents, except that he felt like he had never seen her before in his life, "so I brought all the photos I had in the house. Your father... I'm not sure what he brought."

"You'll see later," his father answers.

"Well, shall we go chronologically?" She wants to make sure Ethan is okay with it to begin with. When he nods, his mother continues. "This album is from when you were a baby. The rest are photos from your childhood, adolescence and there is also one from your wedding. We're still making Rosie's, it is not finished, but I'm sure we'll fill many more. If you wanna see that one too, of course."

Ethan appreciates that she always makes sure to ask his opinion on everything. "Yes, I wanna."

His mother smiles at him. "I'm glad, baby, she's wonderful."

His father opens the album. It's familiar, in his mind he sees a scene of him being about 8 years old, surrounded by some of the albums that are here. Half of them he doesn't recognize, maybe they were made after he went to Romania.

The first photos he sees are from when he was a newborn. "You were a little tomato," his father mentions affectionately as they look at those photos in the hospital. He's right, his skin is completely pink and only a light tuft of almost white hair adorns his head.

"I was so tiny."

"You only weighed 4.5 pounds. You were a miracle that day in the hospital." Apparently, he gave his mother some problems when giving birth and he did not want to leave the womb. Due to the rapid loss of oxygen during labor, they performed a C-section and he had to stay in the hospital for a few days to make sure he was breathing normally.

With each page he turned, he grew bigger. They had pictures of him getting his first bath, him being breastfed, when his first tooth came in, starting to eat solids, crawling, his first steps, the first time saying mom and dad, and all the important events that could occur in the development of a baby. Some of the photos had little descriptions like "Little Ethan reaching ten pounds" or "Baby Ethan's first time on the beach!" accompanied by doodles and he thought it was too adorable. The rest of the photographs were taken at random moments, when his father thought he looked cute as he was always the one using the camera. There were too many photos in just one album.

The next two albums were dedicated to his childhood, from the age of three to eleven. It consisted of pictures of him starting school, all of his birthday parties, trips, vacations, sleepovers with friends and family outings, of him learning to play the piano, and, again, all the times his dad thought he looked adorable and worth taking a photo to remember for a lifetime.

He remembered some moments in those photos, especially when he was around ten years old, in elementary school. In the ones when he was younger he did not remember, but he did recognize specific moments in which, being a little older, he saw the albums with his parents and they told him the story of each photograph.

After reviewing those albums, the one containing his puberty and adolescence was smaller than the rest. "It was when you began to feel ashamed and you no longer allowed yourself to be photographed like before," his father mentions in a sorrowful voice. It affected him for not having captured as many special moments as during Ethan's childhood.

He also felt bad for not having allowed it, surely there would've been many good pictures in the album. But hey, it's not like at that moment he had thought that one day he would lose his memory and have to look at photos to get it back.

It was easy to notice that the memories in this album were no longer in his memory. He only remembered the events of the first page, when he entered middle school, but no more. Now, they weren't even blurry flashbacks like his childhood, there was simply nothing there. He did not mention this to his parents.

Those photos were more family-centered than just about him, although he was included in each of them. Photos from trips, birthdays of any member of the family, one in which he hugged his grandmother and had a smile that showed all his teeth. It was the only one where he showed emotion, in the rest he only had side smiles or was serious and seemed more angry than anything.

"It was a hard time for you, adolescence. At that age, boys aren't very good and... well, you were always a very special child," he noted that Lauren didn't want to delve too deeply into that story. "It was around this time that you started therapy," she added as a curious fact. This lightly disturbed Ethan, but he didn't want to delve into the topic, maybe later it would come up naturally in a conversation.

The only photos of him with no one else were during his birthday or when his dad caught him off guard, but there weren't many of those.

They quickly put an end to that era and reached adulthood. "This is when you went to college," he could hear the pout in his dad's voice. "Our little bird leaving the nest."

"It was very hard to see you leave and not have you in the house anymore," his mother added with the same melancholy. "Even more so because you chose a school so far from California."

"Besides, you were taken very quickly."

He looked at Ron with confusion but Lauren quickly answered the unasked question by turning the page and showing a more mature Ethan accompanied by an unknown woman. They were both hugging each other and looked like they were at some kind of garden party.

"You introduced her to the family for the first time at the wedding of one of your cousins. You were the groom's best man and you took the opportunity to take her there as a surprise," his mother reported and he couldn't ignore the bitter tone of her words. "This is Mia, Rosie's mother, and your ex-wife."

Hearing this, Ethan brought the album to his face to get a closer look. He tried to remember what it would have been like to be married to her, or at least this moment, when they were just beginning to be dating and had not yet finished his career, but no matter how much he searched in his mind, nothing came to him.

She was pretty. Brunette, brown eyes, shorter than Ethan. She seemed like a good person, with kind smile and sweet eyes. They both looked happy in the photo, they were a cute couple.

"When your mother says that you took her there as a surprise, she seriously was a surprise for the whole family," his father exclaims, letting out a small laugh. "Not even your grandmother, who most wanted you to get married, see it coming."

As he continues to observe Mia in that and the following photos, a question comes to his mind. "Have you talked to her recently?"

His mother snorts. "Not at all. You were only married for three years and I think the last time we had a real conversation was shortly before the shipwreck. Even after she showed up, she never spoke to us, not a single call to tell us how Rosemary was doing. We tried to contact her though. We called her a thousand times and she never answered," Lauren said again bitterly. "This was before she gave the girl over to Chris." 

Ethan didn't really know what to think. From conversations with Dion, he knew that she was not the favorite person of many people, perhaps of no one who was in his close circle because of everything that happened, but for a reason he married her. If she were a person deserving of hate, he doesn't believe he would've even approached her. They looked so happy together, and he truly believes they were. Love cannot be faked while having such a big smile.

After a few seconds of silence, his father speaks. "I think right now you look like in these photos," he says, grabbing a picture of him sitting alone in the living room of what he remembers as his childhood home, and holding it to the side of Ethan's face.

"You're right, he looks just like that," his mom agrees. "Your hair is longer now. You need a cut, darling, you've never had it this long."

"How old was I here?" He asks, ignoring his mother's fingers running through the strands of his hair.

"Maybe twenty-five. I think that was the year you got married."

"Twenty-five?" He exclaims a little alarmed. "But right now I'm, what? thirty-nine?"

"You'll be there in a few months," Ron responds, moving the photo away from his son's face and toward his own. "Wow, you've rejuvenated a lot," he said under his breath.

Ethan knew it. He'd looked at himself many times in the mirror and was aware of what his face and body looked like. But he was already used to seeing himself constantly, so it was normal for him. Seeing proof of how young he really looked was disturbing.

"I think that's why when I saw you I couldn't believe it was you," his mother mentions, studying his face, as she has done so much in the last few hours. "I know you're my son, but... you looked so different before."

Old, he wanted to add but he didn't want to be reckless in front of his mother. She clearly knew that the last time they saw each other Ethan's face was older, perhaps even more aged by what he had to go through.

A new silence fills the room where the three remain deep in thought. Reaching the adult part of Ethan's life has been more complicated than they had anticipated.

Lauren breaks the silence. "It's getting late and I'm hungry. Shall we go get pizza?"

***

When they return to the hotel room after dinner, the first thing Ethan sees are the albums still on the coffee table. They have three left to finish, and one of them is his wedding to Mia.

"We can leave it for another day," his mother gently places one of her hands on his shoulder. "My eyes hurt, how about we go rest, hmm?"

He thinks they still got time to finish looking at the photos that day, and he wouldn't mind doing it alone if his parents are already tired. He believes it's better to end this as soon as possible, the work of getting to know a life that he's not yet completely sure is his.

But he decides to listen to Mom. His head has been pulsating for a couple of hours now and he recognizes that his body wants to go to bed.

It's early, it's only eight, but he notices the three of them are exhausted. He didn't have a bad time looking at the photos, overall it was a good experience, but perhaps his parents were affected by Ethan's negative feelings near the end. In addition, they also had a lot to eat. The pizza they ate was larger than they anticipated upon seeing it on the menu.

Ethan goes to his room and prepares to go to bed after putting on his pajamas and paying a visit to the bathroom, he is once again sitting on his bed and checking his cell phone. Anca has sent him many photos of the white cat and some of Ivantie and Vasile doing their daily activities. While Ivantie showed a big smile and seemed to enjoy Anca capturing the moment, Vasile wore the same serious face as always, as if he was unpleased. Ethan knew that he wasn't at all what he made himself out to be, but he just didn't know how to pose in front of the camera.

He responded to the girl's chat and wished them goodnight, knowing very well that it was early in the morning and they were closer to waking up than going to sleep.

He saw that John had also sent him a photo. It was from himself and next to him Hero with a message that read:

He misses you a lot :(. I thought he missed Dion but he saw a photo of you and started crying and getting sad. Don't ask why I show my gallery to a dog.

Received today, 7:48 p.m. 

Ethan pouted when he saw Hero's sweet downcast face. It broke his heart.

Bring him tomorrow. We'll walk him in the park.

Sent today, 8:24 p.m. 

The hotel doesn't accept pets, but it won't be a problem to wait for John and Hero at the park to spend time with the adorable dog.

While he waits for John's response, he goes back to the home page where he looks at the rest of the chats and sees that Chris sent him another message during the afternoon. Without realizing it, his heart raced again and he quickly entered the chat. The small smile that had curled the corners of his lips disappeared as soon as he read the message.

Rebecca wants to examine you. Perlman will take you to her on Thursday.

Received today, 4:40 p.m. 

It was three days from now.

He turned towards the door when he heard a voice, not noticing his mother was there. "What did you say?" He didn't even pay attention to her being so immersed in Chris' stupid message.

He watches her smile and walk towards him to sit at his side. She takes a quick look at the cell phone and to her surprise she sees Redfield's name on the screen. She looks away quickly, so Ethan doesn't notice.

"I asked if you were going to sleep yet."

"Oh yeah, I was just answering a few messages before going to bed. You?"

"Same, it was a long day. I just stopped by to wish you good night."

Ethan smiles at her. He wonders if she would mind sleeping in his room again. Perhaps it was just a one-time thing and she's ready to let him be a big boy, but he slept so comfortably the first night that he can't help but think about it. He hesitates a little to ask her, but he finally does.

"Do you... do you want to sleep here again?"

She finds his shyness adorable.

"If you wish, of course."

She takes her time with her nightly routine and letting Ron know that she'll be sleeping in Ethan's room again, while he waits for her in the room and thinks about whether it's okay to send a simple OK to Chris or if he should write a bible explaining why he doesn't think it's a good idea to let the pixie girl give him a checkup.

A few minutes later, Lauren and Ethan are finally under the covers. The room is completely dark, and they hear the faint sound of the television in the living room, where Ron is trying to fall asleep.

Amid the sound of their breathing and feeling that they both still have a while to fall asleep, the woman whispers his name.

"Hmm?" He answers with his eyes closed.

"Do you talk to Christopher often?"

Her question makes his eyelids open. It's dark, but he can slightly see his mother's features.

"No," he answers honestly. "We never talk."

"Not even by message?" She couldn't help but bring what she saw on Ethan's cell phone, although she couldn't really see what they were saying.

"Only for today he talked to me. He said Rebecca'll check on me."

He ended up not answering Chris, he just turned off his cell phone and left it inside his suitcase so he wouldn't have to see it. He sincerely hoped to receive another type of message from him. Saying what, exactly? He didn't know.

His mother made a sound acknowledging what he said, but she didn't answer.

"How did you and Chris met?" the question leaves his mouth before he can think it through properly. "I mean, I know we were together before, but how did you get to know him?"

"That's a long answer," she responds, trying to remember how it was like. She doesn't really know how Redfield came into her son's life, nor how they started dating, so she couldn't help him on that front. "Well not really, it's pretty concise," she corrects herself as she remembers. "You hadn't spoken to us in many months, and one day you just showed up at our door with Christopher and Rosemary, saying that Rosie was your daughter and that he was your boyfriend. Your father and I were so confused that we didn't really understand any of what you said. I mean, we didn't even know that Mia was pregnant, or why you left her so quickly and also started dating a man. It was very weird."

"Did I tell you why I did it?"

He hears her sigh. "You were in love, there is no other explanation. You were separated from Mia for three years and, although you were thinking about her all that time, when you found her she was no longer herself. You stopped loving her, at least romantically, and then you started spending a lot time with Christopher after Dulvey, I guess it was a natural thing. You never really delved into the subject, and I didn't want to dig into it either, I just accepted what you told me and was grateful that you came home even for a day. And you also gave us Rose, what more could I ask for," she laughed softly.

"Did you like Mia?" he asked softly. He remembered the way his mother talked about her that afternoon. "Tell me the truth."

Again she sighed. "The truth," she repeated his words. "The truth is that she always seemed like a difficult person for people to like. You loved her because she had her way of being with you, and with the rest of the world she was totally different. She was always very mysterious, she was never at home with you, she never answered your questions. I don't know if she was ever even honest with anyone about her true life. I guess you know what her job was." Ethan nodded. "So you can imagine all the secrecy that surrounded her, it was so much that not even you knew that she was a criminal. I was against your marriage from the beginning, but well, I guess it was something that had to happen, she made you happy for a few years. And, to a certain extent, I am grateful to her for giving birth to Rose."

He could tell that she had not answered his question directly, but he could conclude that the answer was negative.

For her part, Lauren tried to speak to her son as truthfully as possible, but she also didn't want to influence in his opinion of people he was just getting to know. She couldn't openly tell him that she hated Mia with all her soul for what she did to Ethan, for the trauma she left in Rose, and for all the damage she caused to human beings in various parts of the planet. He would form his own opinion of her as soon as he met her, which would be at any time, or while he was recovering his memories of her.

"And about Chris?"

Answering this was a little more complicated.

"I think he's... a good man," she said slowly. "When I first saw him I thought he was a little old for you, but you were already an adult when you started your relationship. I don't know, seeing you with a man was a big shock to your father and me. I guess I always knew that you might not be as heterosexual as you wanted us to believe, or as you yourself believed, but you married a woman! We would not have imagined it. I raised you to be a human who loved and respected everyone equally, but I didn't think it would apply to your love life too," she joked, making Ethan laugh. "But seriously, those values that I taught you, fortunately I also ingrained them in my life. At first it was difficult and a little confusing, but I love you and respect you, and you're my baby boy, of course I'm going to accept all your decisions, at least most of them. And Christopher makes you very happy, so I'm happy too."

Ethan smiles at her words, but he can't help but correct her. "He did."

"Mmh?"

"He made me happy, you meant, before all this."

Lauren's heart breaks. "Yes you're right."

Chapter Text

He lets out a sigh and finally closes the picture book. He runs his fingertips over the cover, still thinking of it and the other books around him in the bed.

Rosemary is beautiful. She's the prettiest little girl his eyes have ever seen and the thought that he helped create her sends butterflies fluttering through his stomach.

There's an ache in his chest. Not the kind that would send you to the hospital, but the kind that makes your throat tighten and make you shed tears and snot nonstop, just like the ones showing right now on Ethan's face.

The sleeves of his sweater are too dirty from wiping his fluids with them, not having the energy to get up and go to the bathroom for toilet paper. He'll have to wash it right away tomorrow, or throw it away, whichever is easier.

As the last few hours have gone by (it's almost 4 a.m. now and he opened the first album at midnight), the urge to look at Rose's photos again comes back to him. His eyes are already red and something is drilling into his head, but one last look won't hurt.

As he opens the first page his eyes start to water again. Rose was a big baby, but she looked so fragile at the same time. Maybe because she was, a voice in his head tells him, she was a baby, they're all fragile.

There are perhaps hundreds of photos in the album of different sizes and several taken on the same days, if the repeated outfits are any indicator, but it was something that was obvious. His parents didn't spend enough time with their granddaughter to take pictures on different occasions. In fact, he believes that most of them are photographs sent by Claire and Chris, that the grandparents took the opportunity to print them out and add them to the big book.

There aren't that many photos of Rose as a baby, but the ones there are are wonderful. His daughter was a born model.

The rest of the photos, like in Ethan's own albums, are in chronological order, from baby Rose to her most recent birthday. He can't believe she's five, quickly approaching six.

In many, Rose is with someone.

There are quite a few with Aunt Claire, a thin woman with auburn hair and big blue eyes. She's beautiful. He thinks she's a female version of Chris, but with an obvious feminine side. They look a lot alike, but Chris is too big and rough and Claire looks physically delicate. He thinks that if he openly tells Claire "hey, you look a lot like your brother!" she'll be offended and think he's trying to tell her she looks like a man. He laughs at a photo of the siblings with Rose in the middle, and plays "Spot the Seven Differences: Redfield Version."

A blond-haired emo man appears in some of Claire's photos. He has no idea who this handsome guy is, but his first guess is that he's Claire's boyfriend.

There's one with the entire Hound Wolf team that he finds very funny because of the contrast between them and the little girl. They're all dressed in their uniforms, even wearing helmets that cover their faces making it impossible to identify each one. They don't carry their weapons, but they are posing as if they were standing guard. He doesn't know if that's what they wanted to show in the photo, but they clearly look like Rose's bodyguards. And, while they look dangerous and ready to attack whoever approaches the little girl in the middle, his daughter is wearing a pastel pink dress and bows adorning her head, her pink shoes have glitter that attracts too much attention. One of the squad is carrying her on his shoulder and it seems that this amuses Rose a lot, because she is laughing excitedly. He can't see the faces of the squad, but he would bet they're all smiling with a similar joy as his daughter.

The grandparents also took care of adding photos of themselves with their granddaughter, these perhaps being the most carefully chosen for the album, since they're photographs taken in a studio.

What surprises him the most about the book is that there are pictures of Chris, and also Mia.

In the last few days Ethan had come to understand a little more about his parents' feelings towards his ex-partners. Maybe his mother didn't dislike Mia and Chris for their personalities, but for their actions and the fact that they were with her only son. The only reference Ethan had to his mother's personality, on a deep level, was from when he was little, as that's what he could remember.

Lauren was a very protective mother with her little boy, but it was only deducible that she would continue to be so when he was an adult, especially when a person appeared to snatch her son from her arms and then caused his death. Ethan found the words used by his mother a bit harsh, but she was venting to him and quickly apologized, looking genuinely embarrassed.

Ron, on the other hand, seemed to be the only neutral in the situation.

There are more photos of Chris than there are of Mia, but there are also more photos of Claire than there are of Chris, and he thinks that says a lot.

Also, there are only three photos of Mia, one of her pregnant, one of her with Rose at about six months, and the third from Rose's second birthday party, held before Ethan died and apparently the last time she was included in a family reunion other than at his memorial.

At least Chris has a bigger welcome in the album with fifteen photos, which is a good sign... kind of. He's never in any of them alone, it's always in a group or next to Rose.

But he feels like it's a win for Mia, even though she has so few photos. She did get her solo photo.

While he loves all the pictures, especially the ones with just Rose, there's one he always goes back to even if he hasn't finished the album. This one was taken when Rose was about five months old. It's a bust shot of Ethan, holding Rose close to his face as she drinks her bottle. The baby has her little hand on her daddy's cheek and has an adorable smile that shows her tiny teeth still coming out of her gums. They're both looking at each other with adoration. On Rose's behalf, because Ethan's the only world she knows. On Ethan's behalf, because Rose became his only world from the first moment he saw her.

He finally takes off his sweater and decides to wash it now.

***

That day, they take Lauren to the airport. She has to go back home since she has an important business meeting the next day that she can't miss. Ron still has a few more days of vacation. And, although it doesn't seem strange that they don't go together due to different responsibilities, Ethan feels that there's something they're hiding from him.

"Why are you telling me this until now?" he asks distressedly, turning from left to right constantly, alternating glances at his parents on either side of him.

They were waiting for Lauren's plane to start boarding, when they both decided it was a good time to sit him down and explain to him that they had been divorced for almost a year.

"Because it's not an easy thing to say, son, especially to you," his dad answers.

"Besides, we wanted to be united as a family for you," his mom adds. "We weren't going to come in on the first day saying 'hey, while you were gone, your dad and I decided to end our relationship'."

Ethan rolls his eyes and gets up from his seat. "No! Not like that, but- you could've at least not acted like a happy family all this time," Ethan crossed his arms facing the ex-couple, trying to steady himself. "I- I thought you were still together. I would've never expected you to stop being together. You two were the perfect couple!"

He felt like a little kid again, like any little boy who just found out that his parents weren't going to live in the same house anymore and he would have to choose which one of them he would go with. He felt betrayed.

"I know, honey, we know," Lauren took Ron's hand, still looking at Ethan. "Maybe we acted like that because we didn't break up on bad terms."

"It was a mutual decision," Ron confirmed, "It was for the best. We still love each other, but ever since you..." he trailed off before saying 'ever since you died'. "...it just wasn't the same."

"Forgive us, son."

Ethan sighed, bringing his hands to his face to rub away the frustration he felt. He was really acting like a big immature child and it frustrated him even more. His parents' affairs should stay between them, and he, being an adult who once had a family of his own, should try to understand that. After all, their separation did not affect him at all.

"No, I'm sorry," he finally said. "It's just that I was quite surprised, I shouldn't have reacted like that."

He turned to his left in embarrassment, where John was standing several feet away from them, giving them privacy to talk about whatever they needed to talk about. Luckily the man wasn't looking at them, so he didn't see Ethan's little tantrum. He hoped so.

He still felt a little upset, but he was trying to suppress those emotions. It was his last day with his mom for what he hoped wouldn't be too long, and he didn't want her to leave with a bad taste in her mouth.

They could have taken her on a Hound Wolf helicopter, but Lauren had decided to go on her own, so they spent a few hours at the Norfolk airport keeping the woman company.

They had spent almost two weeks together, and for Ethan it was enough time to get to know them more than his ten-year-old self remembered.

When it was time to board the plane, Ethan took a few seconds to put his arms around his mom, while she whispered in his ear how much she loved him and how glad she was that he was here. "You're going to love her," she whispered one last time before pulling away and going to say goodbye to Ron. It confused him to hear that, but he knew she could only have been referring to her granddaughter.

***

Back at the hotel with his dad, John didn't stay with them for long, saying goodbye quickly to return to base.

It wasn't uncomfortable to be alone with Ron, but in those days they hadn't had a moment alone, it was always Ethan and Lauren, or the three of them together.

While they were eating the lunch that Dad cooked, Ethan took advantage to get information from him that his mom hadn't told him. Ron begins to tell him about his work as a pediatrician at the clinic he had opened with some colleagues when Ethan was still little. He tells him about how he's the first contact in the Redfield siblings' agenda and receives calls from time to time to discuss Rose's development, and that in the past those calls were constant and made by Ethan when his daughter had just been born. Ron was not Rosemary's pediatrician since he lived so far away from her, but he was quite informed about her health. He says that he has no plans to retire soon.

Together they clean the table and wash the dishes. There's a baseball game on the TV, but they're more focused on the talk than the game.

Ron tells him about his life as a single man after being married for over 30 years and how hard it's been to live alone for the first time. But he says he's happy this way so it doesn't worry Ethan. He also mentions that he's dating someone, much to Ethan's surprise, a widowed lady who lives a few houses down from him. He honestly doesn't want to dig into it, and his father's red face tells him he doesn't want him to ask either.

"When's Chris coming back?" Ron asks as they sit on the couch with a beer in hand.

"I've no idea, I haven't talked to him and I haven't asked the guys either." He tries to focus his gaze on the screen in front of them.

"Why don't you talk to him?" he says, genuinely curious.

"Well... it's not like we have an interesting topic of conversation. He's only talked to me to tell me that they want to get me checked out."

"And you don't want to talk to him?"

Ethan suddenly becomes shy. "I don't know... the circumstances just haven't worked out."

Ron thinks for a few minutes.

"I think Chris is a very serious guy, life's made him this way. Or at least that's how he was to us, maybe twice he sat down together for a beer when you were still with us. Everything I know about him is because of you, or Claire, God bless her, she's a great woman. And well, if Claire's like that, I can only imagine that the man who raised her is just like her."

Ethan isn't sure. He hasn't gotten to know Chris well and he hasn't even seen Claire in person.

"What I mean," Ron continues, "is that if he won't try to talk to you, then you try to get close to him."

Ethan takes a long drink from his bottle.

As the minutes pass, between flipping through channels to find a good movie (neither of them really like sports) and a few more beers, Ethan can't help but ask about another person who's been on his mind this whole time.

"Dad," he draws Ron's attention and he hums. "Haven't you heard from Mia?"

Ron takes a sip of his bottle before answering. "What do you want to know about her?"

"Whatever," he shrugs. "Where is she to begin with."

"Texas," he answers. "Austin. She's been in a mental asylum for a while."

Ethan's eyes widen in surprise. "Why?" No one had informed him of that fact.

"Dulvey did that to her. When you two got home, you started going to therapy and she started taking medication. For a while she was fine, and she was totally okay with separating and giving you and Chris the rights to Rose, she knew it was best for the baby, for you, and for herself. But after Romania... she just couldn't take it anymore."

"Was it worse because of what happened to me?"

"Partly, but..." Ron sighed. "When you passed away, Mia took Rose with her for a couple of months, and her problems got worse. There were several accidents with Rose as Mia didn't pay much attention to the child, forgetting to feed her, clean her... and one day Rose walked out the door and disappeared for a few hours." Ron gave Ethan a few seconds to process what he'd just heard as he finished his third bottle. Ethan was somewhat shocked. "Chris found her eventually, in a park about a mile from the house. How she got there, we never found out. My granddaughter was dehydrated, starving, and her body was starting to show signs of hypothermia, it was a freezing cold night."

"Shit," Ethan whispered, not knowing what to think.

"He immediately took her to the hospital and then Mia gave up on her. At that time Chris had no power over the child since they were not related - it was the reason Rose kept Mia - and he was also going through his own problems, but he didn't want to leave her in Mia's hands again. So a friend of Claire's who works in the government and has some influence, started asking for favors and arranging all the paperwork. Now Chris is Rose's official guardian."

Ethan was silent for a while, imagining the little girl freezing in a damn park.

"Mia's not a bad mother," Ethan raised an eyebrow at Ron. "She's just a very disturbed person. She never wanted to hurt Rose, son." Ron looked at him with his kind eyes, trying to avoid making a negative opinion about his granddaughter's mother. "When she knew it was time to get help, she did... She loves Rose, she knows she can't have her or be near her right now, and that's why she's trying to get better."

"Why hasn't anyone told me she's in a mental facility?" He feels like it's very important information that he should have known a long time ago about his ex.

"No one knows. I was the one who took her there." Ethan turns to look at him with wide eyes.

"You put her in?"

"It wasn't forced, before you think that, she came to me for help. I think I'm everyone's trusted doctor," he laughed lightly.

"I guess mom doesn't know about this."

"She doesn't know anything, no one knows anything, Mia wanted it that way. She wants to kind of surprise everyone with her recovery. And on her side, she has no family, so no one knows."

"She doesn't have anyone..." Ethan murmurs, feeling sorry for her.

"Well, she has me. At least once a month I visit her, I stay with her for a few days and show her pictures of her little girl. I think she's close to getting out of there."

They both continue watching television.

***

Before finally leaving back to California, Ron puts a very familiar stuffed animal in Ethan's hands.

Ethan looks at him confused.

"When you were little you used to have a bunch of stuffed animals like that, they were all different sizes and all had the same design. You loved them. I heard you got the same ones for Rose when she was born."

When Dad takes his flight with the promise of seeing him very soon, Ethan is taken to the hotel and the first thing he does is search through his suitcase for the only item he left there when he put his belongings in the hotel drawers.

A stuffed monkey looks at him, identical to the one Dad gave him, but much smaller.

Another gear in his brain starts to work.

Chapter Text

John takes him to the base the next day. He sees Hero again after several days when he gets into the Jeep and the dog greets him completely excited. The big dog keeps his head between the seats trying to lick their faces, despite John telling him to go back to his place. Ethan's presence will always be more important to the dog than any command.

After more than a week of delay, Ethan finally goes to get his checkup with Rebecca, with several messages from Chris telling him that she was waiting for him. Ethan simply didn't want to go, so he preferred to despair the pixie girl and enjoy the days with his family. But now that dad and mom had returned home, he had no more excuses to keep postponing his appointment with the doctor. He went reluctantly.

John promised to stay with him during the checkup, hoping that would make it a little less hard for him.

The three of them enter the facility, Ethan holding Hero's leash, the same women from last time standing guard at the doors. So far, no one has come up to talk to him, and he can tell that most of them recognize him, but they're all following the boss' orders by not bothering him.

As he follows John down the hall of the building to go to the medical wing, he is surprised by someone calling his name behind him.

"Ethan!" The three of them turn at the voice.

Ethan knows her. Well, he doesn't know her as such, but he recognizes her face from the pictures in the album. It is none other than the Captain's little sister, the great president of TerraSave.

"Miss Redfield," John greets her, standing next to Ethan, trying to help him, in case he didn't know her, to know who the woman in front of him was. Fortunately for both of them, Ethan was very well aware of her face and name.

"Please, John, how many times do I have to repeat that I'm just Claire," that earned an embarrassed smile and Perlman's head lowered slightly. Ethan was surprised by the power this sweet woman had on a person like John. "I'm really glad to see you," she added, turning to look at Ethan.

Ethan smiled. "Likewise, Claire, I've heard a lot about you." Claire suddenly looked at him sadly beneath her smile and Ethan regretted saying that. Surely they were good friends and for her to hear that must have hurt. But then again, he didn't remember her.

"It's good to know I'm a celebrity," she joked and her cheeks turned red almost immediately in embarrassment of what she just said. Ethan laughed softly. "Anyway, what are you doing here? Weren't you with your family?" Of course everyone knew it.

"They're already back home. I'm coming to get checked out by Dr. Chambers."

Claire rolled her eyes. "That woman wants to check on everyone, I swear, and she always wants to do it while you're on vacation. She's crazy," John laughed and Ethan saw him nod slightly. "But don't worry, you'll be in good hands. Are you taking him to her?" This time she turned to John.

"That's right, Miss- sorry. Claire." Claire winked at him, and if John blushed, Ethan decided not to mention it.

"She takes approximately forty minutes, what do you say when she finishes I pick you up and we go have a coffee? It's on me. John, you're welcome to join us."

"Ah, I'm sorry, but I have to help Dion with the dogs," John turned to Ethan. "Will you be okay? Send me the location and I'll pick you up when you're done."

"Don't worry, I'll take him to his hotel."

They both looked at him waiting for his consent. "It's okay for me."

Claire clapped her hands once and started walking away from them towards the exit. "It's agreed. I'll pick you up at three, I have to do some work but I'll be on time."

"Sure, see you!" Ethan and John waved goodbye to her and watched her walk quickly towards the parking lot, it seemed urgent.

"This way," John indicated and they continued walking towards the medical wing.

***

Rebecca seemed even sweeter than Claire, maybe it was her size that made her look adorable, but she also spoke very kindly to Ethan when giving him indications, always saying please and thank you. Ethan might get a cavity after this.

The checkup was simple and quick carried out in Rebecca's office, next to the medical area of the HQ. The petite woman made some physical tests and took blood and DNA samples, all of which had already been done constantly in England, but now Ethan didn't have the heart to tell her that he'd had enough of all this.

As he promised, John had stayed inside the office, near the door so as not to get in the way. Rebecca had tried to get him out, for the privacy of her patient, but Ethan steadfastly refused to be left alone with a doctor, no matter how small she was and no matter how easy it would be to knock her out with a single blow. He very much doubted that she was going to hurt him, but he was never so sure with strangers.

"How's your memory?" She asked him, once Ethan put his clothes back on after wearing a blue robe during the checkup, they sat at Rebecca's desk and she began typing quickly on her computer.

Ethan told her all about his new memories with Rebecca and John's gazes on him. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone, besides his parents. While he was with Ron and Lauren, he didn't want to worry about anything else.

"Have you had headaches?"

"Only the day I saw the photographs, but well, I cried a lot, so..." he admitted embarrassed.

"Okay. Your memory loss isn't connected to any brain injury, so it's unlikely you'll have headaches, but if more memories come and you get a migraine, let me know."

"Yes, Doc."

Rebecca continued asking about any physical ailments he might have, to which he responded negatively to everything. His health seemed to be in very good condition.

"I think the only thing we need to keep an eye on is your aging. I want to make sure you're aging normally, we could quickly make sure of that by taking skin tissues but I don't want to harm your body just to check something that may be visible to the naked eye." She was silent for a few seconds while she continued typing. "Since the last time I saw you, I haven't noticed any changes, so I hope you don't turn into an old man -or a baby- in the coming months."

Ethan's eyes widened upon hearing this, until now he had not worried about the changes in his physique. However, from the moment he woke up in Romania until now, the change had been minimal, his skin had tanned slightly, his hair had grown and now he had to deal with facial hair. And, although there were few changes, he could notice the slight maturity in his face and body when he looked in the mirror. While when he woke up he was a 20-year-old or younger, he now looked in his mid 20's. He didn't hesitate to let Rebecca know this.

She didn't seem concerned, but had a theory that Ethan would continue to mature into someone who was 38, the age he was supposed to be right now. Still, she asked Ethan for a monthly checkup to monitor his development.

Finally, she asked to take a couple of pictures of Ethan's face and full body, to compare at the next checkup.

"I'll make you a new medical record, it'll need to be done. The old one can't help us much when you've literally risen from the ashes," she mentions as she walks them to the door to say goodbye. Ethan nodded. "Well, I think that's enough professionalism for today. I wanted to tell you that you and I weren't close in the past, but it still felt like losing a very good friend. I'm really glad you're back. Oh, Rebecca 'the doctor' is terrified!" she added laughing. "But 'normal' Rebecca is grateful for this miracle."

Ethan smiled, sincerely touched by her words, "Thank you, Rebecca."

Before they can say goodbye, they hear loud heels clicking across the tile floor. "Looks like I'm on time," Claire says cheerfully, approaching them.

"Just in time," Rebecca agrees. "Have you met before?" she asks, pointing between Redfield and the blond.

"Yes, we saw each other when John was taking me to the medical wing."

"I invited him over for coffee to catch up," Claire adds, taking the liberty of tangling her arm with Ethan's. Ethan is surprised by her physical contact, and notices that Claire's closeness doesn't bother him, so he doesn't push her away.

"You're going for coffee?" Rebecca's ears perk up at the mention of the drink.

"Do you want to come?" Ethan offers, seeing her hopeful eyes. He's not bothered by the small woman's presence, as long as she's not wearing a robe or they're not inside an office.

"Of course!" She squeals with excitement, and asks them to wait for her while she takes off her robe and grabs her purse.

When Rebecca is ready, the four of them begin walking towards the exit in a conversation without a specific topic. Although John has to stay at HQ to tend to Dion's dogs, he follows to the parking lot to make sure Ethan gets into Claire's truck - after all, taking care of Ethan is still his main job.

"Which is your car?" Ethan asks, trying to guess what kind of car Claire Redfield would drive.

In response, Claire sets off the alarm and it's the car Ethan was betting with himself that belonged to her, a red Chevrolet Trax. For some reason, he felt like the only red car in the parking lot would be Claire's.

And, as they approached the SUV, he not only appreciated it more, but also noticed the presence of one more person. His countenance changed slightly.

"Jill!" Rebecca expresses excitedly, approaching the woman.

"Oh," she hears Claire mutter under her breath, not wanting the rest of the group to hear her, but Ethan heard that weird sound loud and clear.

Jill was leaning on the hood of the car next to Claire's, arms crossed and wearing sunglasses. She looked like the owner of the entire facility, although she possibly was.

She sees Rebecca lovingly hug Jill, like lifelong friends who haven't seen each other in a long time, and again, that was probably the case.

Despite Claire's strange gesture upon seeing Jill, Ethan can notice the same affection that Rebecca and Jill shared when Claire hugs Jill.

"I thought you would stay longer in Romania."

"There are already too many people on the mission. Tundra was left in charge."

"That means..."

"Chris is back too," Claire finishes Rebecca's sentence.

Jill nods. "I just dropped him off at home, and he told me you were here, so I came."

"Wanna talk?" Claire asks.

"Yup. We need TerraSave to take care of some issues with the villagers."

"Then, let's talk later. I have a date." she smiles pointing at Ethan.

For the first time, Jill gives him a glance. Ethan can't deduce Jill's thoughts, as her expression is completely stoic. Her gaze doesn't last more than two seconds when she looks back at Claire. "You going out?"

"We'll go get coffee. Do you want to come?" Rebecca happily invites her over and seems to immediately regret it. The other two women notice it and an awkward silence forms.

"I don't want to interrupt," Jill refuses.

The silence continues and Ethan doesn't quite understand what's happening. However, he doesn't want to be rude to her.

"Come with us, please," the blond invites her. "I still have to meet people and this would help me a lot."

Jill seems reluctant. Something prevents her from wanting to go with them and that is beyond Ethan's knowledge. And, although something tells him to be cautious around her, he wouldn't mind her joining them either. After all, he wants to meet her to find out why he feels this way towards her.

Jill thinks about it for a few seconds and finally answers. "Okay, but you pay," she says, pointing at Rebecca, and immediately gets into her car. The petite woman looks at her indignantly as Claire begins to laugh.

"Hey!" Rebecca exclaims, trying to refuse, and she quickly gets into Jill's car before she drives away.

John says goodbye to Claire and Ethan to go do his job, but not before instructing Claire to keep Ethan safe and reminding him to use his cell phone to stay in touch.

Claire finally takes him to the cafe she promised him. During the trip she sent the location to Jill and when they arrived, both women were already waiting for them. As a group they entered and quickly got a table. The establishment was not full, but there were a good number of people.

Ethan was a little nervous, he was the only one in the group who knew absolutely nothing about the women who accompanied him, other than the work context and the blood relationship that one of them shared with Chris. It wouldn't be easy for him to have a conversation with them.

The women fell into conversation as soon as the waiter brought their coffees and cookies, mentioning how went the lives of people Ethan didn't know at all, and he managed to catch names like Billy, Carlos, Sherry, and Leon, although he was sure that last one he had heard before.

Even though he didn't contribute to the conversation, they didn't make him feel left out. On the contrary, they tried to give context to each story in a very summarized way to have the opportunity to talk about other things.

And when he had the opportunity to comment on something, he didn't miss it. "When did you three meet?"

Claire took a sip of her coffee before answering. "A lifetime ago. About 25 years?" She asked to nobody in particular.

Ethan showed his surprise.

"It was before '98," Rebecca added, trying to do the math. "I would say about 26 years."

"God, don't say that again. I felt like I got like ten more gray hairs," Claire said playfully, making the group laugh.

"Are you friends since then?" Ethan asked.

"No. I'd say our friendship is shorter," Claire said.

Rebecca agreed and Ethan saw Jill nod. "Yes, we met in Raccoon City," Rebecca began. "At that time Jill, Chris and I were part of the Raccoon police, we knew Claire for being Chris' little sister. But we didn't have a friendship as such, we were just coworkers."

"As we continued to fight bioterrorism, we naturally became close," Claire said.

"I remember the only ones close were Jill and Chris," Rebecca laughed, stressing the word 'close' and playfully pushing Jill's arm with hers.

Ethan could see Claire and Jill's reactions in close-up, and just a second later Rebecca's when she realized what had just come out of her mouth. They froze.

Suddenly, none of the women could turn to look at him and Ethan finally understood why he didn't like Jill at all.

The bitch had an affair with Christopher.

"I'm sorry, that was reckless of me," Rebecca apologized a few seconds later, after no one at the table said anything for a long time. "I meant it as in they were very good friends."

Claire made a face of disbelief, trying to make the woman understand without words that she should shut her mouth once and for all.

Ethan laughed lightly. "It's OK, tell me more about Raccoon City," he said, trying to ignore the awkward moment so as not to make them feel bad.

It took them a while to ignore it and, if Jill had already been silent the whole conversation, now the poor thing didn't even move in her seat.

They continued telling Ethan about their adventures in Raccoon City, about their first mission as a S.T.A.R.S. team, and the last one a few months later, when Raccoon City went to hell.

They talked a little about their experience in the middle of the outbreak and it seemed like a delicate subject for the three of them. Although it all happened in the same city, each one lived it in a totally different way and surely they still have their own traumas from the place.

At that moment he found out who the names he'd heard before were. Billy was a young inmate who had been with Rebecca months before the city was bombed, Carlos was an Umbrella soldier who accompanied Jill right in the middle of the disaster, and Claire had also met Leon in the Raccoon full of infected, although they were not together while escaping the city, but instead the one who accompanied Claire was a little girl named Sherry.

Everything they told Ethan seemed crazy, especially in Claire's case when she had to take care of not only herself, but also a child. It must have been hell for all of them, and the worst thing was they were still living through it more than twenty years later.

The conversation continued for a few more minutes, and before they knew it, an hour and a half had passed. It was at that moment that Jill announced that she had to return to the office. In order not to miss the ride, Rebecca went with her, as she still had work to do in the laboratory.

Rebecca said goodbye to them both effusively, while Jill only mentioned a few words about hoping to talk to Claire soon. She replied that after dropping Ethan off at his hotel, she would go see her at HQ. And without further ado, they left after paying their bill. Claire didn't wait long to address the ignored topic.

"If you have something to say about what Becca said about Jill and my brother, please do it," she encouraged Ethan to ask.

"Explain to me what was that about," Ethan asked. "Were they together?"

"It's a complicated subject, but yes, they were a couple for a good while after Raccoon. The truth is that Chris was in love with her for years, until he finally got up the courage to do something about it, and Jill reciprocated."

Ethan took a sip of his refill, trying to picture Jill and Chris in love in his head. "Why did they break up?"

Claire looked away, trying to travel back in time. "There was an accident. Chris and Jill had been trying to take down Umbrella for years, and when they almost succeeded, Wesker and Jill fell out of a window onto a cliff and she disappeared. We thought she was dead. Chris went crazy trying to find her body, but he found nothing. Years later, she shows up again, totally distraught from her kidnapping, but Chris had already ruined himself in alcohol. Even though they tried, their relationship couldn't continue."

Ethan nodded and sipped his coffee again, Claire was looking at him. "And now?" He needed to know if there was still something between them.

Claire smiled sadly. "Honestly? Ethan, I don't know."

Ethan raised his eyebrows. He didn't know what he was expecting by asking that question, but it caught him off guard.

"After you died," Claire was the only one who could say it without hesitation, "Chris tried to take care of himself and Rose's life, but a man can only go so long without company. Jill is trying something," Claire looks him in the eyes as she says it. "Chris says it's nothing, but if something were to happen, I wouldn't judge him. After all, you were dead."

Claire raises an eyebrow as Ethan smirks and lets out a small laugh. "You really don't mince words." They both laugh lightly.

Ethan takes one of Claire's hands in his own. "Thanks," he says sincerely.

Claire squeezes his hand back. "Hey, I planned this date for a reason." They let go before the moment could become awkward. "Obviously I didn't consider Jill and Becca being here, but it wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Of course not," Ethan quickly shakes his head. "They both seem like nice people."

"They are, that's why they are my friends. But if at any point you feel uncomfortable, I want you to tell me."

Ethan took a sip from his cup. "If you mean Jill, I promise it's okay. I don't dislike her. In fact, I feel like I make her uncomfortable."

Claire didn't deny that. "Like I told you, Jill was trying something. You coming here ruined her plans," then she whispered, "I hope so."

Ethan almost laughed, but didn't. "You know, when you whisper, you think no one is listening, but I do it loud and clear."

Claire smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I just don't want to worry you."

"Claire," he said her name as if he were talking to someone who didn't quite understand the situation. "I really don't care about that. Not because I think she doesn't have a chance, but because there's just nothing between me and your brother."

Claire looked at him with pursed lips.

"Actually, that's why I wanted to talk to you," she began to play with the porcelain of her cup, like a distracted child. "You've been alone for a long time, thinking about what you're going to do from now on. Do you already know what you're going to do about Chris and... you know."

"Claire..."

"Listen. Please don't think I'm rushing you into a decision, I don't even know if there is a decision to make. It's just..." Claire shrugs. "You know. Rose."

Ethan nodded. "Yeah..."

"She's still little, but she's very smart and understands more than I'd like her to. And well, at the end of the day Chris isn't her biological father and I'm just Chris' sister. Don't get me wrong, I love being her aunt," Claire smiled widely, though she felt her eyes getting wet. "But Rose needs her real daddy. I think she always knew you'd come back, she was just waiting for you." She took the cup in both hands and took her gaze off of Ethan to the infinity on the wall next to her. "Rosie needs both of her dads. I wish I was enough for her, but I'm not. And she's a very special girl for me, she's the most important thing in my life, I just want the best for her and that's you two, together."

Claire looked down, a little embarrassed by what she had just admitted, she didn't know how well or badly Ethan would take that.

"Hey," he put his hand on Claire's. "I don't know her yet, and I barely know you, but if I hadn't come back, I know Rose wouldn't have a better mother figure than you."

He saw Claire's lip quiver and her eyes turn reddish in less than a second. He had struck a chord. "Thanks, Ethan," she said in a small voice and tried to wipe away some naughty tears with her free hand. "Well," she came back to herself. "How about we go see her?"

Chapter Text

When she was little, Claire thought her brother would never go so far away from her. His dream was to be a soldier, but when their parents died, their grandparents almost convinced him to be a lawyer, so he wouldn't have to put his life at risk and not leave Claire, of 12 at that time, all alone. But his need to fulfill his dream was stronger.

Claire never blamed him, but at that age she didn't know the meaning of being a soldier in her country, and the possibility that he would be sent abroad to fight.

The first time Chris left was in '98, to Europe on a trip that lasted about half a year. That was the only time Chris didn't keep her up to date on his adventures related to bioterrorism. After that, putting his little sister's life in danger by having her so worried and making her go looking for him, he learned to tell her exactly where he was, always. That way, if he were to die, at least she'd know where to look for his body.

Once again, after so many years, Chris had to leave for work. This time to South America, in a region of Chile she'd never heard of. For now, stopping The Connections was suspended, because they were trying to arrest a mad scientist who was experimenting on living people to make them his minions. Here goes another one on the list.

So since the eldest Redfield wasn't there, Claire had to replace her brother in the most important role he had: parenthood.

Jill, or Rebecca, or Rolando, or literally anyone he trusted could take care of the organization. But for the wellbeing of his daughter only one person could do it. Well, maybe two: Claire, and also Leon, because lately he was always by her side.

It would be three weeks that she'd look after little Rose, which for Claire seemed not enough time. If it were up to her, she'd stay taking care of Rose for the rest of her life, but well, Rose still has a father left so Claire would have to keep dreaming.

When Chris was gone, and Claire's job allowed it, she stayed at her brother and niece's house in Virginia. If her job as president of TerraSave demanded it, then Rose stayed at her apartment in New York, where TerraSave's headquarters were, and Claire could come and go without problems, always with Rose attached to her hip.

Now, Claire had taken the liberty of working from home and taking some days off to spend with the girl. It was her fourth birthday these days and Claire didn't want her to spend it away from home. So for those days, she was a complete housewife and mother to Rose.

It was strange to take on that role because she was more of a free spirit who never thought of submitting to the role socially assigned to women by a macho world. And she often made mistakes, but she liked it.

Surely Ethan would've done this better, was the phrase she repeated every time she accidentally burned the food, didn't wash the clothes properly, or Rose got upset about something and started crying. And instead of giving up, that only pushed her to be better.

She might never have been a mother, and maybe now she had a small chance of being one, but she told herself that she was just practicing for when her own baby was born and those mistakes would help her not to make them again, both with her future child and with her niece. And, even if she never had one, having Rose was more than enough.

Their daily routine consisted of giving Rose school lessons in the morning and having breakfast together. In the afternoon, they both cleaned the house or, if it was too clean, they took that hour to exercise. Then Rose helped Claire cook lunch. In the afternoon, Claire liked to take Rose to the park or go for a couple of rides around the neighborhood on her new bike. Back home, it was bath time right before dinner. And before bed, Rose had to pick up all her toys and put absolutely everything back in its place. And every night, Claire put on a movie that she knew would put Rose to sleep, usually a romantic comedy.

When Leon was with her, it was the same routine, but with him thrown in the middle.

The only thing that changed was the times they went grocery shopping, when they had a party to attend, or every Tuesday, when she had to take Rose to therapy.

Dr. Hemmings' service was provided by TerraSave, and Claire had known her for years, but that didn't stop her from doing her job well with Claire's niece. She was a very professional woman and Claire liked her because she treated Rose with decency and the girl always liked seeing Miss Hemmings. All this was more than enough for Chris to continue taking her there at least once a month.

Plus, the doctor made sure to give him very detailed analysis of Rose's progress, and in case he wasn't there, she was aware that these issues needed to be discussed with her patient's aunt.

"I've been trying to get in touch with Mr. Redfield for weeks," Hemmings mentioned as she and Claire sat in the colorful chairs in the living room and Rose played with some blocks a few feet in front of them without paying attention to the talk.

Claire's interest quickly flared, that only meant trouble. "Is there something wrong with my niece?"

"I don't want to alarm anyone," the psychologist said, not realizing that she was alarming Claire by saying that. "She has been drawing these pictures lately in one of our activities." She handed Claire three sheets of very colorful drawings clearly made by a child. "The dynamic is to draw her favorite places at home and add the people who live with her if she wants."

Each drawing represented her room, the living room, and Chris' room. In all of them, Rose was a constant character. "In the living room, she mentioned that this is you, this is Leon, and this is her dad," she said, pointing to each stick figure. "In her dad's room, it's her and her dad, and in her room she drew herself alone, playing." She allowed Claire to look at the drawings carefully. "Do you see anything strange?"

"What is this?" She whispered, pointing to a part of the drawing painted yellow; it looked like another stick figure, but she wasn't sure because it had so many scratches. Besides Rose, it was another constant in all three drawings.

"That was the first thing I noticed when she gave me the papers. She says it's her dad."

Claire frowned, not understanding. "But you said this was Chris," she said pointing to a black character.

The doctor shook her head, "She says it's her dad Ethan," she whispered.

Claire immediately raised her head. She turned to look at Rose as she kept playing, not caring about the adult conversation going on behind her back.

"She did this three sessions ago, but at that time one of the men who works with your brother came with her, so I didn't say anything, and I also tried not to worry because she is aware that Mr. Winters existed and it may have just been part of the girl's creativity to add him to her home. However, I tried to contact Mr. Redfield after the last session because he didn't bring her either, but he didn't answer."

"My brother is on a mission out of the country."

"I assumed so, which is why I'm telling you, since you're also Rose's tutor. In the last session she drew her dreams," she handed her three drawings again. They were different scenarios and everything was very strange, it seemed like they were in a forest, then in a castle, and in one of them there were robots, but the yellow character was still there. "I'm afraid Rose is drawing her experience in Romania. I tried to question her about it but she wouldn't answer me. And this session she definitely didn't talk."

Claire turned back to Rose with a frown.

"Again, I wouldn't want to alarm all of us, but I think it's important that you guys, as her guardians, try to talk to her about this. I'd like to avoid a relapse for her, she had a really bad time last time."

Claire shudders at the memory.

Later, at home, it was just the two of them, Leon would go visit a few hours later, so Claire decided to start the talk now.

"Honey, can you come?" she initially called out to Rose, who was in her room playing. It wasn't long before she heard the small careful footsteps coming down the stairs. Rose looked at her with curious eyes as Claire put a plate of princesses on the table. "Eat, I cut some fruit for you."

The little girl obediently climbed into her chair and began eating. Claire didn't wait long to speak.

"Did you sleep well today?" She decided to test the waters. Rose nodded. "You didn't have nightmares?" Rose thought for a bit and then shook her head. "What did you dream about today?"

Rose searched her mind for a few seconds. "I don't remember," she replied. This would be harder than she thought.

"Really?" she feigned surprise. "I dreamed about my mom. It was just the two of us and your dad at our old house. Mom was making us dinner while my brother and I were playing in the living room." Rose didn't look at her as she ate her fruit, but Claire knew she was listening. "Have you ever had a dream like that?"

"I dreamed I was in the snow," she finally said.

"The same dream as always?" 

Rose usually had this nightmare where she was so cold and couldn't move, and there was a witch dressed all in black hurting her. It was more of a memory of something that really happened, but in her childish mind it was just a really bad, scary dream that made her wet the bed.

Rose shook her head. "I was with dad."

"What did you and your daddy do?"

Rose took a piece of pineapple and popped it into her mouth. "We made a snowman."

Claire looked at her as she continued eating. "Weren't you scared?"

Rose smiled. "Nope."

"So this 'dad'... Is your dad Chris?"

Rose laughed this time. "No! I mean Dad Ethan."

"You remember your daddy Ethan?" Rose nodded. "It's been a long time since you've seen him."

"I saw him last night." Claire felt cold. "And he was with Miss Hemmings today." Claire tried not to show her panic in front of the little girl. Rose noticed her change in mood. "Can I tell you a secret?" Claire nodded. "Daddy promised me he'd come to see me soon. He pinkied," she showed her little finger to her aunt. "But he made me promise not to tell anyone... do you promise not to tell anyone?"

Claire had to pinky promise to keep the secret.

Now, Claire's not a woman who's easily scared, but the thought of a ghost going around chasing Rose made her hair stand on end. However, she had to remind herself that Rose was just a child with a limitless imagination, and her small head had already been through enough trauma for a lifetime. She believed what the girl was telling her, but she didn't see the point in alarming her brother with that topic either, he had enough trauma with all this too. Besides, in less than two weeks Rose would forget about any topic regarding Ethan.

So that afternoon, they just went about their usual routine while waiting for Leon to arrive.

***

Claire sent a message to Jill, saying that she would be a little late to get to HQ. Ethan didn't know the other woman's response, but judging by the look on Claire's face, it wasn't good.

The two of them embarked on another trip in Claire's car. Ethan just watched as they drove further and further away from HQ, but didn't comment on it, being deep in Claire's conversation about the last time she'd been on a mission with Jill, Leon, Rebecca, and her brother, even though they were all from different organizations. Apparently, they worked very well together, or so Claire described it, although Ethan had no idea what she meant by 'work'.

It was about a 45-minute drive until they finally arrived. Ethan had never been so far from HQ.

In front of him was a concrete wall about 3 meters high that stretched for several miles around. They approached a metal door where a couple of Hound Wolf soldiers were guarding. Claire pulled the car over to the side of them.

"ID...? Sorry, Miss Redfield," the soldier quickly apologized as Claire rolled down the tinted window and saw her face. "I'll announce you right away."

"Leave it, I'm coming by as a surprise."

Both soldiers stood at attention as the car pulled into the lot.

The first thing Ethan saw was several miles of pure grass and well-trimmed and manicured trees on both sides of the road. As they drove on, houses that looked exactly alike began to appear. It was a suburb with several streets inside the wall. It was impressive.

"Are we going to your house?" Ethan asked. He remembered Claire was babysitting Rose for however long it took for Chris to get back, but she hadn't clarified if she was doing that at her own house.

Looking out the window, there were a few kids playing on the asphalt, couples walking along the sidewalk, and senior citizens sitting on the benches on the sidewalk.

Claire laughed. "Something like that."

They passed a mile-long park, surrounded by more trees, playgrounds, and many more children playing. The place was huge.

He felt the car coming to a stop. "We're here," Claire announced. She pulled up in front of a house that looked just like the others, with a black SUV parked in front of the garage door.

For the first time since the trip started, without Claire distracting him with gossip, he began to consider what was about to happen, and oh shit, he was so nervous.

His stomach felt empty and his palms were secreting an abnormal amount of sweat, it was disgusting.

Claire didn't even give him a choice and she was already turning off the car and getting out, without giving a second glance to Ethan, who was close to a panic attack.

But come on, what could go wrong? Rose is just a kid and you're a man close to middle age, he tried to encourage himself. It wasn't working.

He jumped on his seat when he heard a knock on the window. Claire was waiting for him with a raised eyebrow and asking if he was going to get out. Again, without giving him a choice.

What will Rose be like? Will she be a nice girl or will she be like those spoiled children who throw a tantrum when they don't get what they want? God, he hoped she wasn't like that, he hated those kinds of children. He was like that himself, he knew the hell they caused.

But more importantly, what if Rose doesn't like him? He'd never considered that. The girl would've to put up with him for the rest of her life, leaving home before she was eighteen and not coming back until she was probably married and had some kids, just like he'd done to his parents. He didn't want that.

Those thoughts flooded his mind like a whirlwind as he got out of the car with Claire already waiting in front of the door.

Ethan didn't even notice when Claire rang the bell until the door was opening from the inside as he approached down the stone path. Then, all those thoughts vanished.

Chapter Text

He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, a mere spectator of the scene in front of him, what looked like a mother and daughter greeting each other after a long day at work. Only they weren't mother and daughter but aunt and niece, and the little girl was actually his, even though it still seemed incredible to admit it.

Claire picked up the girl as if she weighed nothing (which, come on, she's a four-year-old girl, she weighs almost nothing) and held her in her arms for a long time while giving her cheek some loud kisses. The girl didn't seem to want to get away from the display of affection that invaded her personal space, but instead laughed in what could be the most tender and contagious sound Ethan had ever heard in his life.

When Claire stopped, he saw her get even closer to the girl's ear and whisper something that made her open her eyes and mouth wide, immediately looking for something around her. Claire finally put her on the ground and stepped aside to let her see.

When they met eyes, it seemed like the world stopped for a moment.

Rose searched in her brain for an image that would remind her where she had seen the person in front of her. She knew she had seen him somewhere, and she knew he was someone important. That blond hair was very familiar to her, it was just too long to be from someone close, since all her uncles had a military cut (except Uncle Leon, but he wasn't a military man). And those green eyes were exactly the same as hers, even in size that were a little too big on their small faces. But no, she was sure she had never seen him, all her uncles were old and wrinkled, even her aunts, and this one looked like a boy not so old, although he wasn't a little boy like her.

While Rose searched in her brain, Ethan searched inside his heart.

Now it was Claire's turn to be a spectator. She had a lump in her throat seeing two of the most important people in her life reunited again, overcoming the impossible, and at the same time she wanted to laugh at seeing the same curious expressions on their faces.

For a long time she thought that Rose had the same face as her mother but, seeing the slightly older girl next to her father, she could see who she really looked like and who she would become in when she grew up.

She watched them both waiting for a reaction from one of them, while they continued searching their brains and hearts for who the person in front of them was.

Only one of them could recognize the other.

"You- you're my dad Ethan," Rose said slowly, moving a little closer to him "right?" She had to make sure he was. In the photos, her dad Ethan had short hair and many scars and spots on his skin. This boy was very different, but she could see the resemblance.

Ethan swallowed before answering. He didn't know why he was so nervous in front of a little girl.

He forced a smile and put one of his knees on the ground to be at the same height as the little girl. "That's right Rose, I'm... I'm your dad," saying it felt forced, broken and oh, so real at the same time.

But, as much as he searched, he couldn't find her in his heart.

Claire wiped away her tears that were no longer of happiness. They were there, just looking at each other from a distance. Two complete strangers. Claire didn't know what she was expecting, but it was something more than this.

The scene was interrupted by a yell coming from inside the house that called the girl's name in desperation.

"Rose!" Ethan saw Claire's friend walk out the door, trying to find the girl. When he saw her he immediately relaxed and turned to look at Claire in annoyance. "Do you want your brother to kill me? I thought she'd left the house again."

"Leon," she hissed, trying to make him see the other person that was with them.

In his rush to find the girl he hadn't noticed him. He immediately snapped to action. "Oh, God."

"Ethan," Claire said. "This is Leon Kennedy, he's uh... he's a friend."

Ethan stood up, still with Rose's curious gaze on him. "Ethan Winters, good to meet you," he introduced himself, shaking Leon's hand.

Leon put his other hand on his shoulder, still not letting go. "Man, this... this is incredible. I'm glad you're back," he squeezed his shoulder tightly as if to show how impressed he was to see him. Ethan's shoulder hurt, but he let him be.

Ethan locked eyes with Claire.

"How about we go inside to make dinner?" Claire invited, noticing that Leon wouldn't let go of Ethan in the next few seconds and Ethan was already getting uncomfortable.

As Leon led Ethan inside, Claire took Rose's hand to get her moving. It was all very odd.

"Where's Rose? I heard you looking for her," said a deep voice coming down the stairs in a hurry, clearly asking Leon. As soon as he heard him calling Rose a couple of times around the house, he turned off the shower to go out and check on his daughter himself.

Chris was fresh out of the shower, his hair wet and he was roughly toweling it dry as naughty droplets ran down his strong, hairy, bare chest. Oh, God, this was getting more and more awkward.

"Chris!" Claire exclaimed, trying to sound casual while scolding her brother, "Ethan's here." That made him stop halfway the stairs and quickly lower the towel over his view to make sure his sister wasn't lying to him. "Please, go put on a shirt. He's staying for dinner." That was Chris' signal to turn around and go back upstairs without saying a word.

Three pairs of eyes rested on Claire waiting for orders.

A few minutes later, the group was where Claire had proposed, which they all accepted without complaint. While she was making dinner, the other three were in the living room watching TV, or trying to. They offered to help her, especially Ethan, but she declined. This would help the men bond, at least she hoped so.

From the kitchen, she could hear Leon and Ethan trying to make small conversation that was bordering on awkward, after all, Ethan didn't know him and Leon was very bad at having a normal conversation with people.

She hadn't heard Rose's voice since they entered the house, but she was probably playing or staring intently at Ethan without blinking.

And Chris, well, he was still upstairs probably trying to avoid Ethan.

Claire was getting tired.

She left the pot of meat cooking on the stove at low heat and the half-cut vegetables on the island to go and force her brother down.

Ethan, Leon and Rose didn't notice her going up the stairs. She crossed the hall to the last door to reach Chris' room. She leaned on the threshold with her arms crossed and lightly knocked on the door with her knuckles, to let him know he had company.

Chris was already dressed and presentable for visitors, he had perhaps overused the cologne a little, but he looked fine.

"Hey, can you help me with the vegetables?" But Chris didn't move, he just looked at the window sitting on the edge of his bed, with both hands on his knees and his back completely straight.

"Why did you bring him here?" He asked harshly.

Claire winced. With each passing minute she regretted the decisions she had made that day.

"Come on, Chris, this had to happen sooner or later."

Chris moved his head slightly towards Claire, without turning around completely. "You could've warned me."

Claire snorted. "For what? So you would run away like you're doing now and like you've done for the past few weeks?"

Chris didn't answer, but Claire saw him frown upon hearing her. Chris stood up and walked over to the window, staring at something that wasn't there. "I could've prepared myself..." he whispered.

Claire sighed. "Look, I won't force you to do anything. I just ask that you behave decently and don't make a fucking face like that every time you see him. You're very rude, you know?"

A little annoyed with her brother, she abruptly stepped away from the door and began walking back downstairs. Before she reached the stairs, she heard Chris' heavy footsteps following close behind. It was a small victory for her.

She could hear Ethan's discreet laughter as he walked down the stairs, probably because of something Leon had said, as he was looking directly at him. However, as soon as Ethan saw them nearby he stopped laughing and tried to be serious, cleared his throat and got up from the couch.

"Hey, Claire, I don't want to be a burden to you. Can you take me back to the hotel?" That stopped any movement from the other four people in the house.

Ethan shot a quick glance at Chris that didn't go unnoticed by Claire.

"What- Why?- No, no, you're not a burden, Ethan," she immediately chided him, moving closer to him to try to change his mind.

"Yeah," Leon agreed, "please, don't go, it's really nice having you here with us."

Chris glared daggers at Leon for being so bold, saying that as if this was his house.

Ethan looked back at Chris for a millisecond. "I really don't want to impose."

"You're not imposing, silly," Claire laughed, taking one of Ethan's hands in hers. "Ethan, this is your house."

He looked at Chris again, this time lasting much longer than a millisecond. This wasn't his home, or at least it wasn't anymore, it belonged to all the people in there except him. He didn't have a home.

Chris must have seen something in Ethan's big, sad, puppy-like eyes. Ethan always had a melancholic look in him that made Chris want to protect him from the first moment he saw him, and it didn't help that that same look had been passed down to his daughter, who had the same kicked-puppy eyes when she heard that Ethan wanted to get out of there.

Ethan felt like he didn't belong in his own home, and that made Chris feel things. Bad things.

He couldn't break their gaze. Not anymore.

"Stay for dinner," Chris asked quietly, surprising Claire and Leon, who struggled not to show their emotions.

That was enough.

***

Dinner with the Redfields and a Kennedy was silent, and would've been awkward if it weren't for Claire throwing out random comments to try and break the tension. It worked, though it was mostly Leon who answered her.

Ethan and Chris were too focused on not looking away from their plates, having accidentally (if you asked Claire) sat across from each other. For her part, Rose was focused on staring at Ethan, who seemed to be used to the little girl's behavior by now to be bothered by it any further. She was sitting on Ethan's right side. Leon was next to Chris and across from Rose, while Claire had taken one of the headboards at the table. They were random places like every time they used the dining room. No one in this house had a predetermined seat.

"How about some wine?" Claire said suddenly, getting up from the table without waiting for answers. She stopped to turn to Rose, who had raised her head in anticipation. "Grape juice for you." Rose smiled at her aunt.

Ethan accepted the glass Claire offered him. He'd never tried alcohol, as Vasile had forbidden such drinks in his home and when they started all the research on him, getting drunk would be the last thing on his mind.

He took a small sip without noticing the attentive eyes on him as he did so. It was a little strong on his palate, but he could taste the sweetness of the grapes after a second sip. "Mmm, it's not bad," he praised and it was as if everyone released the breath they were holding.

It was like seeing the old Ethan all over again.

The spell was broken when little Rose, with her clumsy little hands of a child, spilled juice on the tablecloth and herself, leaving a large purple stain on both white clothes. "Mmmh..." Rose whimpered as she felt herself getting soaked and her big eyes began to water.

The adults gasped at the sight and immediately stood up to try to clean up the mess, however, none of them were faster than him, who quickly grabbed a cloth napkin from the table and began to gently wipe Rose's legs and arms.

"Don't worry, it's okay, it was an accident. Let's get you changed before you catch a cold," he said as he wiped the tears on the girl's face with the dry parts of the napkin.

Without saying a word, he helped her carefully down from her chair, taking her hands that she seemed to not want to get down so as not to get dirtier while she continued to whimper and more tears ran down her cheeks red from crying.

"My juice..." she lamented in a low voice and with a broken sigh so that only he could hear her.

"After we clean you up, I'll give you some more, okay? But you have to be more careful this time."

Rose nodded sadly as she was led by the hand out of the dining room.

"Ethan," a female voice called out to him and he turned around curiously. "Don't worry... I can take her."

Ethan suddenly stopped. His steps, his movements, even his breathing, he began to process what was going on.

Chris, Claire, and Leon had gotten up from the table after Rose had her accident and the three of them stared at him in shock without making any movement either.

Ethan looked at them for three seconds and then lowered his gaze to the little being in front of him, who was still holding on tightly to his hand and looking at him with completely red eyes, her lower lip trembling, patient even though her pretty white dress was ruined.

Ethan frowned, confused. "Yeah..." he whispered.

Claire slowly approached them, who still seemed in a trance just looking at each other, and gently moved Rose's hand away from Ethan's to take it in her own and lead the little girl away, still with Ethan's gaze following her.

Soothing words could be heard from Claire trying to make Rose feel better as she walked away from the room.

"Ethan?" Leon called carefully.

"I- I want to go home. I'm sorry."

Both men watched the blond leave the house.

***

Leon and Chris had a small but intense discussion about what would happen after that, until they decided who would take Ethan back to his hotel before he walked off alone.

The truth was that neither was a good choice to take him. Leon was a complete stranger to Ethan and Chris, well, he was Chris. They were both in the same place and it was like the atmosphere immediately became heavy.

It wasn't more than five minutes when the winner, Chris, walked out of the house with a light jacket in his hand. It was an unusually cold night for the middle of July.

There was no one outside the house, so he quickly got in his car to intercept the escaping man. He didn't have to drive for more than a minute when he saw him sitting on one of the benches on the sidewalk, still inside the suburb. He put the car in neutral and got out to convince Ethan to go with him. Ethan didn't even hear the sound of the engine near him.

He was downcast, his hands placed on the bench on either side of his legs. He looked like he was thinking.

"Hey," he said softly so as not to scare him.

Ethan immediately looked up at the deep voice and said in a whisper, "Oh, God," before lowering his head again.

"I know I'm the last person you want to see right now," Chris said, "but please let me drive you."

"Don't bother. I'll call John or something," he muttered, still without looking up.

Chris felt a blow inside his chest. He felt betrayed knowing that Ethan preferred someone from the squad over him. But he didn't blame him.

He sat down beside him, far enough to give him personal space but not so far away that he'd feel rejected. Ethan shifted in his spot slightly.

Chris tried to choose the right words.

"I'm sorry... I haven't been there for you," he said slowly, looking straight ahead. He remembered what Claire had said in his room. "If you felt like I was avoiding you. Honestly, I was." Ethan's eyebrow rose in curiosity. "I hope you understand why. Suddenly everything is complicated... again. Seeing you alive after years of trying to get used to being without you... It- it's not easy, Ethan. None of this is." He dared a glance at Ethan and noticed him watching him out of the corner of his eye. "But I want to try to get used to seeing you again. For Rose. I don't want my- for her to go on without her dad when she has him right in front of her."

Chris had been watching Rose. She was too young to fully understand what was going on, and she hadn't fully recognized Ethan, having last seen him as a toddler, but she'd watched Ethan during dinner with such surprise in her eyes that Chris, from now on, would be unable to keep her from seeing her father. Even if she wasn't aware that Chris had been trying to keep them apart, at least for a while. Chris had just arrived from Europe and certainly hadn't known how to break the news to the little girl, nor had he allowed Claire to tell her anything.

Chris dared to make a move and put his big jacket over Ethan's hunched shoulders. Ethan didn't push him away.

"I told you the last time we saw each other. You can refuse, you know that," he nodded to reinforce his words. "We can... we can try to be friends, a relationship isn't necessary. Just stay with Rose, that's all I'm asking. If you want, I'll- I'll leave the house so you don't feel uncomfortable..."

That made Ethan turn to look at him completely, silent.

"Chris, Rose is yours," he declared with a melancholic tone in his voice. "What happened at dinner... that was instinct, I don't know. Muscle memory, maybe. Rebecca said I'd have a lot of that. The thing is, you've been in Rose's life more than I have and, honestly, she doesn't remember me. She doesn't know who I am, and I don't know who she is either. I wouldn't be able to separate you two. You're her dad," Ethan's voice trembled.

Chris felt a lump in his throat as the two of them looked at each other's features closely. "Ethan..."

"I mean it. I'm not going to take your daughter away from you, don't ask me that again."

They continued to look at each other closely for a few more seconds, enough to record their partner's entire face in their memories.

Ethan was impressed by Chris' skin, with wrinkles and scars that told a thousand and one stories of all his adventures, proudly displaying his fifty-plus years. While Ethan's face was the opposite, his skin was so clean it was abnormal. Chris couldn't find a single wrinkle, not even the scars at the corners of his mouth, memories of Jack Baker and a knife he'd used to force him to eat. He was completely clean, surely soft to the touch and Chris gathered all his strength not to caress his cheek.

Chris smiled.

"What," Ethan said quietly as he saw the corners of Chris' lips lift slightly.

"Your freckles are back," he replied in the same level voice.

Ethan blushed. He looked away, unable to help but smile as well.

Chris felt like they had taken a good step, small, but a step nonetheless.

"Let me take you to your hotel," he said, patting him lightly on the back and getting up from the bench.

The ride to Ethan's hotel was silent. Contrary to what he'd thought when he got in, it actually wasn't that bad.

Chris' car was a black Toyota RAV4, with a fairly spacious interior and seats so comfortable that as soon as he sat down he began to doze off for part of the ride, leaving all the work to Chris.

He had put on a Queen-only playlist for the ride and Ethan watched him drum his fingers on the steering wheel during certain parts of the songs.

It was nice.

They arrived in less than 40 minutes, Chris driving much faster than Claire, and they were parked right in front of the building.

"Thanks," Ethan said unbuckling his seatbelt.

Before he could open the door, Chris spoke to him.

"Hey," he sounded a little unsure. "Swear to me that you don't remember anything."

Ethan looked into his eyes. He didn't understand why he needed to be reassured of that fact, but something in his gaze told him that it was important to him.

"I swear I don't remember anything," I don't remember you, Chris, he ended up not saying.

Chris looked at him for a few more seconds until he was satisfied with the answer. Although he wasn't satisfied with the situation.

***

"As they slept, they started dreaming of all the invisible strings they have, and all the strings their friends have, and their friends have, and their friends have, until everyone in the world was connected by invisible strings. And from deep inside they now could clearly see..."

"No one is ever alone," Rose finished for him.

Chris laughed as he listened to her. He had read the book to her so many times that she had learned the narrative, and every time he got to the last page, she would say the last line.

"Now go to sleep," he said into her hair as he placed a goodnight kiss there, and he stood up carefully so as not to scare her sleep away. But, before he left the room, she spoke to him.

"Daddy?" Chris stopped and turned to her. "Did you bring my Teddy?"

Chris suddenly remembered the souvenir he bought at a store in Romania before returning to the country.

"Wait here," he said and watched the excited little girl sit on the bed to wait for her gift.

Chris quickly searched through the suitcase he hadn't unpacked yet. Maybe tomorrow he would, today had been a long day and he just wanted to go to sleep.

He finally found the stuffed monkey for Rose and went back to her room to give it to her right away. With all the fuss that had happened in his house, he'd forgotten to give it to her as soon as he arrived.

It was an eight-inch stuffed animal, pink, cuddly and quite huggable for an almost 5-year-old girl. He was sure she would love it.

However, when he held the stuffed animal in the doorway as if it were alive and waving at Rose, he could see the excitement disappearing from the little girl's face.

"What's wrong, love, you don't like it?" he said worriedly glancing at the toyl. Maybe what he thought was cute, Rose didn't like.

"Daddy, it's not that one," she said sadly shaking her head from side to side.

"But you said a monkey."

"But not that monkey. I want the monkey."

Chris was confused. "But this is a monkey, Rose" he held it up, as if making Rose see it again would make her like it.

Rose crossed her arms with a pout. "Don't worry, daddy," she said again with disappointment. "I'll ask my dad. Night-night."

Chris was more confused than ever.

Chapter Text

He saw Rose again, and again, and again, until there came a time when he stopped counting the visits and they just became his routine.

He didn't see her every day, but Claire, Chris or anyone from the squad made sure of taking him to her at least three times a week.

On one occasion, the girl was the one who came to his door. Her smile showed all her milk teeth while she carried a big bottle of grape juice in both arms, behind her was Chris holding a bottle of wine, also smiling although more discreetly.

That was the first afternoon that they were alone, the three of them, and it was a moment that would remain etched in Ethan's memory.

He and Chris had reached an agreement: they would be friends, for Rose's sake. It wasn't difficult to achieve, without his uniform Chris could be a nice man who could entertain anyone with a conversation, except for the times when it was very difficult to resist the temptation to get close and be able to touch each other without caring about anything else. Those occasions were hell for both of them, especially for Chris. But the arrangement was working out well.

That same afternoon, as Rose was snooping around the apartment despite Chris asking her to stay still on several occasions, she had entered Ethan's room and found what she had been asking Chris for the last months.

"This is the monkey!" they heard a squeal from the living room where they were quietly sharing a glass of wine.

Rose's fuss alerted them, but the little girl went to the living room faster than they could get up, proudly holding the stuffed animal up.

"Look, daddy!"

"Where did you get that?" Chris asked. Suddenly, his expression had changed completely. Ethan noticed he was a little nervous.

"I told you dad would have it."

"Where did you get that?" He asked again, this time directly to Ethan and without changing his expression.

"In Romania. This guy gave it to me and I just kept it. Why?"

Chris looked back at the small toy. It seemed totally innocent, but Chris looked at it like it had insulted his mother and entire family.

"Chris, are you OK?" he asked carefully.

"Yeah," he answered immediately, but he didn't sound convinced. "It's just... the monkey."

"What about it?"

Chris got up from the couch, walked over to Rose, and the little girl handed him the monkey. Chris looked at it in amazement.

"This was... Rose's best friend when she was a baby," he laughed, going back in time for a minute. "You got her some of these in different sizes, you said you had the same ones when you were little and she loved them, especially this one." Ethan remembered what his dad had told him the last time he'd seen the man. "They kinda used them in the village to play with our heads. And when the house got destroyed, the monkeys were destroyed with it. Honey, I didn't know you remembered this monkey, you never mentioned it before," he said to Rose.

"Dad showed it to me," Rose replied, snatching the monkey out of Chris' hands, as if nothing else mattered.

Ethan frowned in confusion. "No, I didn't." He was sure that was the first time anyone else had seen the monkey, besides the family in Romania.

"Yes, you did," Rose rebutted a little annoyed. She was not a liar. "While we were playing in the snow in my dream, you said I would have it very soon."

Ethan and Chris shared a look.

"Honey, do you mind telling us that dream?"

Rose accepted and began to tell them about the dream where she and Ethan made snowmen in a forest, the same one she'd already told Aunt Claire about. They were dumbfounded.

"Rose, why don't you go play in my room with the monkey, sweetheart?" Ethan invited her and the little girl happily hopped off the couch to go into Ethan's room, leaving them to talk in private.

"I know nothing," Chris clarified as soon as they were alone.

"Maybe she does remember me, after all, I was only gone for two years, it wasn't that much of a time."

Chris didn't seem convinced, but decided to let it go, thinking that he should have a serious talk with Claire later for not telling him about this.

Needless to say, the stuffed monkey returned to its original owner, although no matter how much Chris questioned him, Ethan couldn't quite explain to him how he got it.

***

Six months passed by without them noticing, and life was starting to feel quite normal, even being locked up for more than two hours in a car with a man with whom he had barely exchanged a word.

And well, this had an important reason, and it's that Ethan would no longer be officially dead.

You see, his death certificate was made in December 2017, a few months after the events in Dulvey, because it was better to explain that he'd died rather than to explain why he had to disappear, this way, witness protection would be easier. So, at least in the eyes of society and the government, Ethan Winters had been dead for four years before his real death, or at least the death that was supposed to be the real one.

However, no one expected that having a child while dead would be something complicated. Although his name and Mia's appeared as Rose's parents, legally they did not have any rights over the little girl, because, well, they did not legally exist anymore. So for a while they were both surviving with the documents and false names that the BSAA had given them, and at least Mia would continue to do so.

Ethan, for his part, had grown tired of having to pretend to be some Scott Williams and, if his daughter had the Winters in her name, then he also wanted to be a Winters.

And this, again, turned out to be more complicated than expected.

Fortunately Leon had offered his help, being an agent who had worked for the government for many years, he had a friend, who had a friend, who had a friend, who would help them resolve this without problems. So right now both men were undertaking a trip to Washington DC to pick up those papers and, fortunately, make them closer in the process.

They entertained themselves by talking about the previous day, when they celebrated little Rose's birthday.

Ethan happily helped Claire plan the party and it ended up being a great event.

They celebrated on December 2nd at Red Clover with all their friends and the neighbors in the community, who were a large part of the Hound Wolf workers. Most of them just showed up to drop off presents and congratulate little Rose on her fifth birthday, while only those with children stayed. After all, it was a children's party. Rainbows were Rose's new obsession, so there was colorful vomit everywhere, Ethan's special idea. He was very proud of his work.

By the end of the party, during the evening, the only ones left were some of the closest adults in the family, namely Claire, Leon, the squad, Ethan's parents, an old man who introduced himself as Barry and his wife, and Claire and Leon's friend from Raccoon, Sherry. The rest had left early, hadn't been able to attend but still sent a present, or did like Jill and didn't even let anyone know they wouldn't be coming. Actually, she was the only one who did that. Or, at least, Ethan didn't get the message.

During the party, Ethan tried to be a good host and treat his guests well. Although he wasn't part of the house yet, Chris had begged him to behave like one and mingle with the people a bit. After all, he was the one who organized the whole event.

He made a point of chatting with everyone for at least a few minutes, hearing only praise for how well decorated the house had turned out, while reminding them that Claire had done it too.

With a little help from his friends, he was able to meet Barry and Sherry.

Barry was already retired, but he still kept in touch with his old colleagues, and for Chris and Claire, he and his wife were basically family, so Ethan took care of treating them exceptionally well.

Barry told him about his two daughters, Moira and Polly, who both worked for TerraSave, and Ethan listened for almost an hour to how much Barry was against his girls being put in danger in that way.

Ethan had a lot of questions, knowing that TerraSave didn't work in the middle of wars, but simply provided aid to the victims, so he wasn't sure what danger Mr. Burton was referring to. He saved that information to ask Claire later.

Another person who was like family was Sherry Birkin. Ethan immediately liked the blonde, although he didn't know if it was because of her personality or because they were the only ones of almost the same age in that place.

Sherry was very special to Claire and she had made it known to him from the beginning. To Claire she was her younger sister, and Sherry adored Claire with her life, as if Claire were a mother to her. And after knowing the context of Claire, Sherry and Leon's story in depth, he could understand why the three of them were so close.

Also, it seemed that Sherry had the same ability as Ethan to regenerate her body from any injury. Another point to get close. Although hers was due to a virus, and not a fungus as in his case.

It was nearly five hours of hustle and bustle, and some crying from the little ones who had accidents.

He was sure that Rose had not stopped smiling throughout the entire party and that was the only thing that assured him that it had been a success.

The group then moved inside the house, to drink beers and wine that Chris and Claire served. The cold December weather had prevented them from continuing in the garden, so as soon as the last child left at dusk, Chris invited the adults to continue the party inside so as not to freeze, starting a pleasant conversation that could be heard up to the second floor with soft music in the background.

It was already late, so Ethan had agreed to take Rose to bed after she asked him to, already familiar with the girl's nighttime routine.

Rose was already tucked in bed, clean from the events of the party and totally relaxed by the warmth of her room and Ethan's body next to her. Lately Rose didn't want to leave his side and, although at first it was a little strange, Ethan simply got used to the girl's presence.

He was lying next to her, gently stroking Rose's long hair to help her fall asleep faster, although he was in no hurry to get out of there, being on the verge of falling asleep too.

"Dad?" Rose asked in a whisper without opening her eyes.

"Mmhm?" He didn't have the energy to open his eyes or speak either.

"Can you stay with me today?"

Ethan opened his eyes and smiled when he saw her more asleep than awake. He didn't answer, but he kissed her hair and stopped stroking it to hug her with both arms and settle better in bed.

Feeling her dad closer, Rose relaxed completely and let herself go into Morpheus' arms, with Ethan following closely behind her.

"Is this the first time you've slept next to her?" Leon asked, interrupting Ethan's conversation, his eyes completely ahead.

"That's right," he replied proudly.

The next morning, only Claire, Ron, Lauren, Chris, Ethan and Rose remained in the house.

Ethan woke up in the same position with his arm under Rose's head, no blood circulation, and yet he had slept very comfortably. During the night someone had taken his shoes off and tucked him in as well so he wouldn't get cold in the early morning.

Rose was still asleep, but it wouldn't take long for her to wake up as soon as she felt alone in bed.

When he came down a few minutes later, Ron and Claire were in the kitchen making breakfast while Lauren and Chris cleaned up the mess from the previous night outside the house.

"What time did everyone leave?" Ethan asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Ron greeted as soon as he saw him. "They left very late, in the early morning."

"God, for how much time did I sleep?" he said, a little embarrassed for not saying goodbye to the group earlier.

"You were snoring by 10," Claire said and Ron laughed.

As Ethan helped them set the table, little Rose slowly entered the kitchen, rubbing her eye.

"Aww, there she is."

"How did Sleeping Beauty sleep?" her grandfather's question made her laugh, as he approached her to pick her up in his arms.

"How come she's Sleeping Beauty and I'm just sleepyhead?" Ethan joked, watching the scene.

"You wish you were a beauty as her," Ron replied without looking at him.

Ethan shared an incredulous look with Claire as she laughed.

When they were having breakfast, Leon arrived at the house. Ethan could see the annoyance on Chris' face up close when he saw Leon and the blond found it very funny. After many years, and despite the strong friendship between Chris and Leon, it seems that the only thing that could break it is if Leon decides to be with Chris' younger sister, but that would be a topic for another time.

"Sherry had already mentioned it to me before, and Jill, and Rebecca, and your mom, but does he really hate me that much?" Leon asked in an annoyed tone.

"He doesn't hate you. He hates the fact that you want to be with Claire."

"Well, thank goodness it's not... wait, what do you mean I want to be with Claire?"

Ethan made sure to send him his most 'seriously, dude?' look.

Anyway.

They finished eating between chatter and laughter, like a normal family. Maybe they were, but there was still a long way to go.

And finally they got to the topic of the change in Ethan's legal documents, which Leon and he were strapped into that car for.

"I'm scheduled to go get them tomorrow," Ethan had answered when his mom asked about 'the papers', as they had grown accustomed to calling them.

"You're going alone?" Lauren asked.

"I'll take him," Chris answered quickly. "I have to do some paperwork at HQ early, but as soon as I get here we're on our way."

"Chris, I have to be there before noon," Ethan announced, not wanting to ruin his plans but doing so anyway.

"That's when the trouble started. You flat out denied Chris' kindness."

"Shut up, I couldn't accept it anyway!"

He understood Chris' nice gesture, but he knew that this paperwork was going to take him until at least noon, and he had to leave Red Clover at 8 in the morning.

"Don't worry, Chris, I can go with him," Leon offered.

Ethan saw the unfriendly look on Chris' face again.

"Now that's when the trouble started. He was already upset that you want to screw his little sister..."

"I what?! Wait-"

"...And then you want to get into his marital problems."

"I don't-"

"I think Chris definitely hates you, Leon."

"No need for someone to go with me, guys, just lend me a car and I can go by myself."

"Nonsense, let me take you. It's too long a road for you to go by yourself."

"Have Claire go with you too," Chris requested to which his sister immediately denied.

"Uh-uh, I have a lot of paperwork too."

"Can I go?" Rose asked him trying to use her sweet little face to convince him.

Ethan caressed her chin with his thumb as he answered. "That would be great, but it's too many hours in the car for you, baby. Can you take care of her?" He asked his parents, who happily agreed.

Chris, for his part, didn't seem to agree with the plan, but he didn't see the point in opposing it, after all, there was nothing he could do to go with Ethan.

***

"OK, first of, Chris loves me," Leon rebutted. "Second of, Chris may hate me a little but it's because he's jealous, Ethan."

"Jealous?" his face immediately flushed.

"You said it, he didn't like me butting into his marital affairs."

"OK, that was a joke. Jealous... why would Chris be jealous?" he said in disbelief.

"Dude, you do nothing but reject and avoid him. When you guys finally get to have a moment alone, you, Ethan, ruin it. So of course, when you accepted my plan to bring you to DC -which, by the way, we've arrived- instead of accepting him, it's normal for him to feel upset with both of us."

"Well, but is that enough to make him stop talking to me?" he asked desperately. Leon just shrugged, he didn't want to judge Chris.

Ethan rolled his eyes.

He had been frustrated for several hours. Chris was upset with him, even though he hadn't said it to his face, and that was reflected in the captain giving him the silent treatment since the morning of the previous day.

Every time he spoke to him, Chris responded with snorts instead of giving a vocal comment, while he didn't even look at Leon, even though Leon seemed already used to Chris' behavior. Ethan hated it.

"If you want to fix it," Leon said, parking next to the government building. "Talk to him and explain that you didn't do it because you love my company more than his... Although it's completely understandable if you prefer me over him."

"Nice try, but I'm a married man," he joked, seeing Leon's sideways smile. Ethan sighed. "I think I'll fix this the day you and Claire declare your feelings."

"Ha-ha, you're very funny... Why, did Claire say something to you?"

Ethan smiled. "Get out of the car now."

It was the longest two and a half hours of his life, but he would definitely do it again.

The two of them climbed the steps that led to the building.

It was a nice day, sunny and just the right amount of cold so that he didn't sweat inside all the layers of clothing he was wearing, but also didn't freeze in the light wind. Although he had noticed several people coughing heavily as they entered through the doors, maybe the cold was more than he noticed.

He just wanted to get to Leon's contact, take his documents, thank him and go get something to eat with his partner. The guy had told him over the phone that the whole process wouldn't take more than twenty minutes, and his stomach thanked him for it.

However, as he heard people coughing around him, he didn't count on his stay in the building taking much longer than just twenty minutes.

Chapter Text

He didn't see it coming, none of it.

He had spent fifteen minutes sitting beside Leon in the waiting room, watching people come and go from the office whilst he waited for his turn.

And when he'd finally met up with Carl, it was two minutes before the chaos began.

"If your kid is already in school," Carl mentioned, handing him a blue folder with his updated birth certificate and other documents. "Present these papers so that she not only has your partner as a guardian, but the school also knows that she has a father."

Ethan glanced at the paper where was written his real name, Ethan Winters, and immediately a smile appeared on his face.

He thought about how he could finally be treated like a normal person in society, he could be a father and his mind wandered so far that marriage crossed his mind.

He was so focused on reading the information, that he almost didn't hear a female scream in the distance. He and Carl shared a look.

"What' was that?" He asked, looking at Carl, just as confused as he was.

A second scream was heard, but it was accompanied by some beastly growls and this one was only a few feet away. Both grown men jumped in fright at hearing it.

"Ethan!" Leon's voice came from behind the door. "Don't- don't come out!"

No shit! You'd have to be crazy to go out after hearing those sounds and then professional agent telling you not to come out.

Ethan looked worried as Carl approached the door while he heard scuffling in the hallway.

"Carl, I don't think it's a good idea-" but it was like he was talking to a wall.

Carl opened the door in a quick movement. In front of him was a man on the chest of another, he was punching the other's head, dropping his fists on it in fury. He was crushing his skull. There was a pool of blood on the floor and Ethan was sure he was looking at the guy's brains.

Ethan instinctively went to close the door, but as he started to move, the man raised his head and saw Carl in front of him. With inhuman speed he stood up and jumped almost at the same time, tackling Carl hard to the ground and starting to beat him.

Ethan looked around the office for something to stop the crazy man, any weapon, dammit. He couldn't physically stop someone who could knock a grown man of maybe three hundred pounds like Carl to the ground.

Unable to find anything but papers and folders, and unable to lift and throw a locker, he grabbed the computer's CPU on the desk and threw it at the attacker with all his might.

The guy was knocked sideways by the blow, finally moving away from Carl, but that simple blow didn't stop him.

With no other ideas, Ethan grabbed the computer screen and quickly approached the guy to smash the device over the man's head repeatedly until he was immobile.

One, two, three, four, five blows.

"Shit!" he yelled as he stopped.

He tried to catch his breath.

The person beneath him was still spasming in his body, but he wasn't reacting anymore.

"Fuck," he cursed again. He had just brutalized a person.

Afraid, with trembling legs, he got up from the guy's chest and went to see Carl. It was beyond repair, Carl had no pulse.

He looked back at the attacker with caution. How could someone be able to kill another person with their bare hands?

Another thought crossed his mind: Leon. Where was Leon? A minute ago he was outside the office.

He walked out into the hallway, he had to find him to get out of there.

As he approached the waiting room on that floor, he could see more people attacking others. They were like beasts. The attackers struck with zero remorse and drooled over their victims, when they saw that they stopped moving and screaming, they took a few seconds to catch their breath and cough hard enough to expel a lung, then they looked around to attack the next unfortunate soul they found.

Ethan remembered the people he had heard coughing as he and Leon entered the building. But they seemed normal, maybe having a cold, they certainly didn't look like they wanted to kill the rest of the people in the building.

There was no sign of Leon. He'd probably gone downstairs to leave.

With that in mind, he quietly approached the emergency stairs. He was praying that none of those crazy people would follow him into that narrow place, it would be very difficult to defend himself there, and he didn't even have anything to defend himself with.

There were blood stains splattering the stairs and the white walls, but he didn't know if it was blood from the people who had escaped from the upper floors, or from the crazy people who could had been following someone.

When he set foot on the floor below, everything was silent. The room was a mess, the cubicles had no walls separating them and there were more bloody bodies, the desks were knocked over and next to them the electronic devices that had been on top, some chairs smashed.

He was alone. Below, more distant screams could be heard.

As he made his way back to the door that led to the stairs, he heard a noise coming from the bathrooms in front of him, on the other side of the large floor. He turned to see a man coming out of the ladies' room. He might have looked like someone who was simply hiding, if it weren't for the large amount of blood that filled his clothes and dripped from his face and clenched fists.

They both stopped, testing each other.

Since the guy didn't lunge at him at the first second, Ethan was about to approach him, wanting to help.

"Are you OK?" he asked, raising his voice a little so that he could hear.

A smile began to form on the guy's face, not a friendly one. A sinister smile. Ethan felt chills.

The man began to walk slowly towards him whilst running his tongue along his upper teeth. He had definitely found his prey.

Ethan assessed the area. Near him was a laptop on the floor. If it worked once, it would probably work a second time. God, please make it work a second time.

The man started coming quickly towards him, drooling and growling. Ethan managed to dive to the side on the floor to grab the laptop, but it wasn't necessary to use it.

With lightning speed, a body collided hard with the madman's before it reached Ethan, falling both hard to the floor. From the sound alone, he could predict that he'd have several broken bones.

Ethan didn't even see or hear the other person in the area.

As he got up from the ground, he could see straight, light locks of hair on top of the one who was about to attack him. Ethan sighed, he had finally found Leon.

Ethan saw him grab the guy's head with one hand, and a single slam against the floor was enough to knock him out.

"Leon!" he exclaimed after everything calmed down. The older man turned around and stood up, fixing his clothes. "I've been looking for you."

"There you are," he rasped as he approached Ethan. "I had to get away from the office. There were ten of those nutcases chasing me out of nowhere, I had to get them away from you."

"Are you OK? What's going on?" Ethan asked, searching for any wounds on Leon's body.

"I don't know, they seem to attack everyone in front of them."

"How many are there? You said ten were chasing you? There were about five on the floor we were on."

They both approached the guy Leon had just defeated.

"It has to be a virus. I saw them coughing, drooling, they look sick."

"A virus, like in Raccoon?" Ethan asked.

The man was pale, there were beads of sweat on his forehead and his body was spasming as if he had chills. He might have a fever, but Ethan honestly didn't want to touch him.

"No, this is different. These aren't trying to eat you, they just want to beat you to death."

He could still hear chaos coming from below, people who were being victimized right now. What if it was a virus that spread through the air? The attackers all seemed to have the same symptoms, the whole city could be sick by now.

He may had unwittingly spoken his thoughts out loud so Leon put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ethan, I need you to calm down," he said softly. "I already called Chris, they're on their way. The police probably already know about it too. As long as you stay close to me, you'll be safe, okay? I'll protect you."

Leon's words were an instant calmer.

Having the man who saved the president's daughter on your side could only bring good benefits. He hoped so.

"I'm fine," he let him know.

"Fine, we need to get out of here. It'll be a little difficult, since we don't have any weapons, but we'll manage." Ethan agreed.

Taking them by surprise, a men and a woman came in through the emergency stairs, with the same features as the others.

Ethan prepared himself to be attacked, clenching his fists and tensing his body, but both guys ran towards Leon, completely ignoring him.

Leon kicked the closest one hard in the chest, sending her several meters back without much effort. He then grabbed the guy by the neck, lifted him a few inches into the air and slammed him to the ground, hitting his head just like the man from a few minutes earlier.

When the woman stood up, Leon didn't hesitate to approach her and give her a powerful punch in the face.

Once she fell, Leon wiped his right fist full of blood and saliva from the infected on her clothes.

He stood up as if nothing had happened, without a single hair out of place.

He saw Leon start checking all the windows and he followed him like a lost puppy. "We can't jump out the window, not without hurting yourself."

"I regenerate fast, have you forgotten?" If he had to jump out of a window into the void, he would do it without thinking.

"But not me, I heal like a normal person and having broken legs wouldn't help us much right now." Ethan agreed again. "I don't know how the situation is downstairs, maybe it's best to take shelter on the roof until help arrives, and before more come in here."

"We won't help anyone?"

Leon looked at him worriedly. "Do you have a death wish or something? Ethan, we don't know the situation," he said each word slowly. "You and I could both be infected right now. If we go downstairs to try to help and we turn there, it would only affect those still standing."

Ethan paused for a moment to try to think, still with Leon's gaze on him.

"I left out a detail," Leon admitted, he hadn't said anything to not worry Ethan. "I think they're after me."

He looked at him confused. "Why do you think that?"

As he waited for Ethan in the waiting room and chaos began on that floor, the infected didn't give a second glance to the other people waiting sitting down, but quickly swarmed Leon, who had also been sitting down at the time.

As he escaped the place, the stragglers began to attack the rest.

No matter where he went, the infected seemed to find him anyway.

Seeing that they attacked him before Ethan, even though Ethan was closer to them, confirmed his suspicions.

"And why would they want you?" Ethan asked as soon as he finished telling him.

"This job has left me a lot of enemies. It wouldn't be the first time I've had a group of people infected with something tryna catch my ass, probably won't be the last either."

"Okay. Alright. I won't let them catch you."

Leon gave him an amused look. "Don't worry about it, we need to get you to safety." He started walking to the emergency stairs.

He needed to get Ethan safe quickly. If they were looking for him, then they would find Ethan, and that was something he wouldn't allow.

"Leon, I'm not the priority right now," he started whispering as they went up, the echo of the confined space making him feel like there was something nearby. "You have to worry about yourself."

"No, you have to worry about yourself. You're with me right now, so you're at a big risk. Now walk faster."

Ethan tried to keep up with Leon, even though he was taking very long strides.

They climbed a total of six floors until they reached the top of the stairs, where the door that led up to the roof was blocked.

"Shit," Leon cursed, unable to open it; it had a padlock so big that it would be useless to kick it. "Let's go into this floor, there has to be something to open the door."

Only by being on the roof of the building could they be rescued without trouble. Chris and the team were already on their way, and of course they would come by helicopter.

Following Leon's idea, they went down the stairs to enter the top floor. This one was also empty, and like the rest, destroyed. It was the meeting area and the offices of the department's directors.

Leon quickly checked the walls for an emergency tool, and found it next to one of the fire extinguishers.

He used a stapler on a desk to hit the glass that separated the axe from his grip. It was large and heavy, though not very sharp, but it would be enough to break the lock and defend himself.

While Leon looked for something for Ethan, he walked over to the windows to see the street below. There were already police cars surrounding the building, but he wasn't sure how well they were doing, the shooting had already started.

"Ethan," Leon called and tossed him a piece of wood. It looked like a chair leg. Ethan tested it in his hands. "We need to go up."

Feeling more confident, they approached the emergency doors again, when they heard loud, fast footsteps and growls coming their way. The infected were coming up.

"Ethan, behind me!"

The first infected was quickly subdued with an axe maneuver, but the rest didn't stop coming.

Most of them went after Leon, but he was too fast to get caught and fought like a pro.

Ethan, on the other hand, had moved considerably away from Leon, trying to help him by hitting two of them, but some began to surround him. However, they didn't attack him, they just gave him the same look as the one who had left the women's bathroom.

Ethan didn't stop fighting, he began to threaten them with the wood, brandishing it menacingly at each person who approached, and that made them back off so they wouldn't be hit by a blow.

Suddenly, he had no way out, he was cornered.

A brave one threw himself at him. Ethan managed to hit him on the shoulder, but it was useless. He felt more hands on his body and he began to move desperately. His weapon had fallen.

He had a big one behind him that had wrapped his arms around Ethan's torso and no matter how many times Ethan hit him, the guy wouldn't let go. Suddenly, his feet stopped touching the ground. The bastards had lifted him up. Some helped to grab his legs and hold his arms that just wouldn't stop moving, and Ethan felt like they were taking him somewhere.

He panicked at the thought that they would throw him out of one of the windows to get rid of him, being dangerously close to one. Before, it hadn't seemed like a bad idea, but then he was several floors down, from here his body would definitely be destroyed.

"Get off of me!" Ethan shouted with all his strength, without stopping fighting.

That caught Leon's attention. He was still in his own fight, but he saw a group of infected taking Ethan by force. He had already taken enough time.

With one last kick, he sent the last attacker unconscious down the stairs, and without taking a second to breathe, he strode over to where they had Ethan.

"He said get off," he growled, using his axe on the nearest guy.

The next thing was a blur for Ethan. As he writhed in the infected's grasp, he stopped paying attention to his surroundings, until he felt himself fall to the ground like a rag doll, letting out an "Ugh."

The growling had stopped.

"Sorry, I think I hit you by accident." Leon was kneeling beside him, holding his back with one hand. "Are you okay?"

Ethan forced his brain to focus, feeling a ringing in his left ear and his vision blurry. "Mmmh... Le—Leon!" he exclaimed, remembering that Leon was in trouble. He calmed down considerably when he saw him. "Hey, are you okay? Woah, you have pretty eyes," he breathed.

Leon was checking him out closely. “I think I gave you a concussion.” Ethan was blinking hard, trying to focus. “Come on, I’ll get you out of here.”

He gently lifted Ethan up so as not to cause any more trouble for his head, he still looked out of it.

Leon carried him to the stairs, which were now pooled in blood. He left Ethan leaning against the wall.

“I wanna throw up,” Ethan whined, looking at the carnage, his nausea related to the concussion.

He watched Leon hit the padlock twice with the axe until it came loose.

“Come on,” he put his arm around Ethan’s waist to steady him and they made their way to the roof of the building. There it was empty.

Leon dropped Ethan to the ground, leaning against a wall in the shadow, as he tried to lock the door. Ethan began to shake, clutching his head.

Gunshots could be heard in the street.

Watching Ethan, Leon pulled out his cell phone to call Chris. He had made a promise and wanted to let him know that he'd kept it. Chris answered at the first beep.

"Yeah, he's okay. We both are. We're on the roof. OK," then hung up. "Hey," he said, walking over to Ethan and sitting next to him.

"Was that Chris?"

Leon nodded. "They'll be here in two minutes."

Ethan mentally thanked him. It had been horrible what they had been through during those minutes. Without Leon, he didn't want to imagine what would had happened.

"Are you OK?" He asked, taking Ethan's head in his hand, worried about the damage. "Do you still want to throw up?"

Ethan shook his head. "It's clearer now. Thanks, Leon." He said sincerely, thanking him for everything. Leon understood.

***

The Squad's helicopter arrived a few seconds later, dropping ropes from which several uniformed men slid down. Ethan and Leon stood up to greet them. One of them took off his helmet, revealing Chris' face.

"Ethan!" he called as he approached him. Ethan didn't expect the strong body to crash into his. Without Chris' arms around him, he would definitely have fallen flat on his own back. They stayed in that position for a few seconds. "Tell me you're fine," he asked as he separated and began to check his body for any signs of injury. The rest of the Squad entered the building.

"I'm fine, Chris, don't worry."

"He has a concussion," Leon contradicted.

Ethan looked at the agent with betrayal in his eyes.

Chris checked said eyes like Leon had done before.

"I'm really okay," he tried to convince them, but it was no use.

Chris ordered them to get into the helicopter, he had to stay to make sure his team acted according to plan.

While Ethan was being lifted into the helicopter with a harness, Chris spoke to Leon. "Make sure he gets home safely," he asked and Leon nodded. He would keep one more promise.

Chapter Text

At HQ, Rebecca is already waiting for him and more victims to check them out.

Leon and Dion accompanied him in the helicopter while the rest of the team controls the problem, another helicopter was on its way to support.

One of the investigators immediately approaches to take their testimonies and they tell her everything in great detail, while someone else takes samples of their blood.

Ethan obeys being carried from one side to the other until he gets fed up and gently pushes Rebecca's hands away from him. "Seriously, I'm fine."

Whatever trouble he suffered from Leon's blow, it seems to have disappeared after a few minutes, although that doesn't take away the concern of the doctors and his friends, no matter how hard he tries to make them understand.

Rebecca sighs defeated and finally moves away from him.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes, trying not to make them feel bad. "But if I tell you I'm fine, I'm really fine, believe me. You should go check on the others, or at least check on Leon," he says directly to Rebecca.

Leon immediately refuses, "I'm fine, go with the others," though none of them believe him.

"Okay," Rebecca murmurs eyeing him. "Go home, Ethan, you need to rest."

The three men watch the short woman leave the office.

"Come on, Ethan," Leon says. "I'll take you home."

"I'll take you both," Dion joins in, starting to gather his things and adds, "Your car is still in Washington, Leon."

"Fuck me," the agent curses under his breath remembering it.

***

When they get home, Claire greets them both with a big hug. "Thank God you're okay, I was really worried," her hug with Leon lingers a bit more. "What the hell happened?"

They try to explain the events, as Ethan takes off the extra layers of blood stained clothing whilst he carries Rose in his arms, and Leon drops down on the couch, rubbing his back with a wince. Claire sits next to him and massages where Leon indicates. Ethan knew  he'd lied to Rebecca and he wasn't all that well.

"Do you know who could've sent them?" Claire asks him.

Leon shakes his head. "But I can find out."

"You're crazy, if it's true that they're coming for you it's better that you stay safe at home. Let Chris do his job, okay?"

Leon seemed ready to argue, but with one look from Claire he remained silent. Ethan looked away when he saw Leon put his hand on Claire's thigh.

"I'll go change," he called, taking the little girl in his arms to give them some privacy.

Rose was clinging to his neck, afraid to let him go. Ethan could only imagine the worry she'd felt. Seeing her acting like that, he could assume she'd figured out what had been going on.

He sat on Chris' bed with Rose on his lap. The little girl wasn't looking at him. "Hey," he spoke softly to her. "You okay?"

Rose shrugged her small shoulders.

"Were you afraid?"

She nodded softly and Ethan copied the motion.

"Yeah... me too," he admitted. "Sorry I worried you, baby. But I'm home now, OK?"

Rose buried her face in Ethan's chest, still not wanting to look at him.

Ethan had been shivering since Washington.

***

Chris arrived after Leon and Ethan were already cleaned up and a little more relaxed.

He saw them both wearing his clothes, and decided to ignore it, although a primitive feeling settled inside him as soon as he saw Ethan wearing a sweater that was much bigger than him and that surely still retained his own scent.

With his arrival, the planning began. Ethan preferred to get away from the room, where the Squad, Leon, Jill, Claire and some other people were going over the facts and discussing the best strategy. Ethan quickly left with Rose, who still didn't want to leave his side, as soon as he heard them start talking about the infected.

He took her outside, to the park, for however long it took for those people to leave the house.

Rose had fun for a while on the playground, inviting Ethan to slide down with her, to swing around, and to help catch her when her hands were not holding tight on to the handrail. They both had fun for a good while.

Near dusk, Rose was exhausted. She didn't have to say anything to Ethan, he could tell just by looking at her.

Ethan took her in his arms and rocked her like she was still a baby. Rose clung to his neck and moved her head on Ethan's shoulder until she found a comfortable position.

Ethan walked around the park until Rose's thin arms loosened and her breathing became slow. His arms were sore but he didn't want to go back to the house where he'd have to put her to bed. He realized he didn't want to be separated from her either.

The temperature had dropped considerably and the sun had completely set when Chris went out to find them, carrying one of his leather jackets in his hand.

He smiled at the sight of his family.

Ethan watched him approach. He was still rocking Rose like she was still awake.

"Let's go home before you catch a cold," Chris said, putting the jacket over Ethan's shoulders. It was so big on him that it covered Rose perfectly as well. Ethan realized how cold it really was when he felt the warmth of the jacket.

Rose sighed in relief, he was making the little girl feel cold. But he didn't want to go back yet, there were still a couple of unfamiliar cars outside the house.

"What you gonna do?" he asked, ignoring Chris' suggestion.

"No action for now," he sighed, crossing his arms. "We'll wait for the results of the infected to see what we're dealing with. Rebecca just said it's not contagious."

"And what about Leon? He's in danger?"

"We can't confirm it, but we won't let our guard down until we know what's going on. Do you want me to help you?" he asked, looking at Rose.

Ethan shook his head and, without realizing it, turned a few inches to move the girl away from Chris. He did notice.

"And once you know what they are, what will you do?"

"Find out where they came from. The squad's already looking up their identities, we'll be able to see what they have in common and track them down from there."  

"What if they attack again before you can find out?"

Chris noticed Ethan was a little paranoid. It would be better to calm him down before it got serious.

"Then we fight back. I won't let anything happen to you, OK?"

"I'm not worried about myself."

"Nothing will happen to Leon either. He knows how to defend himself, you saw him in action today." That didn't make him any less worried. "There's still Emily, Dion, and Jill at the house. Leon's staying tonight. Do you want me to keep you company?" Fortunately Chris understood his desire to stay out there.

For some reason, Ethan didn't want to say no.

They both sat on a bench in front of the house, across the street. It was freezing cold but it quickly adjusted to the temperature of their bodies.

Chris put Rose's legs on his lap while she kept sleeping on Ethan's chest, under his jacket. Ethan was looking at her, trying to record every detail of her face in his memory. Maybe then he wouldn't forget her again.

"By the way, we couldn't find your documents," Chris said apologetically. "I'll see what I can do to fix your name."

"Chris, that's the least of my worries right now."

Chris nodded, understanding.

"You know," the older man spoke after a few minutes of silence. "You never asked me about my job before. It was always me going on and on about the B.O.W.s I was facing or my friends were facing and you'd change the subject or tell me to shut up, that you didn't want to hear about it," Chris laughed remembering those times. "And now you just brought it up by your own choice."

Ethan shrugged. "I don't want anything to happen to my friend."

Even though your friends were in danger before, you didn't talk about the subject, Chris thought. Of course he didn't tell him.

"So... you're not mad at me anymore?" Ethan asked carefully.

Chris snorted a laugh. "I wasn't mad, Ethan. I'm sorry, I act like a jerk sometimes."

Ethan didn't deny it, and they looked at each other, and smiled.

"Don't do it, don't do that. Don't get upset and stop talking to me," Ethan asked shyly.

"I'm sorry," Chris would apologize as many times as necessary. "I won't do it again, I swear."

"Are you gonna tell me what upset you?"

Chris would rather not, feeling ashamed when he remembered it. But he had to do it, he had to start getting used to talking again.

After several years, today he felt like he was losing someone he loved again and, if that misfortune had really happened, he wouldn't have had time to talk to Ethan again because of his stupid pride and mechanism to express his annoyance.

"Leon said you got jealous," Ethan muttered, perhaps just as embarrassed as Chris.

"I felt..." The older man cleared his throat. "I was upset... because you preferred him."

Ethan frowned. "I didn't 'prefer' him, Chris. It's just that... well, he was the only one available, he knows the place, he knows the people-"

"I know, I know, I'm really sorry, Ethan," he hung his head in shame.

"It's okay. If you hadn't been busy, I would've gone with you. Seriously," They turned to see each other and smiled. "Besides, we're trying to be friends and stuff..."

"Yeah..." Chris looked ahead.

A few more minutes passed in silence. A light night breeze made it feel colder than it actually was.

They both saw the short-haired woman leave the house and approach her car. Jill saw them from the other side. She exchanged glances with Chris.

Ethan tried to discreetly see his reaction.

"I'll go say goodbye," Chris said without taking his eyes off Jill, and Ethan saw him approach her.

From the distance he was at he couldn't hear anything they were saying, but they were both too close to each other, sharing that private conversation. It had to be something very, very important.

After a while of continuing to breathe each other's air, Ethan saw them come closer to share a goodbye hug. Seeing Jill's delicate hands on his broad shoulders, and Chris' strong arms around Jill's small waist was enough to make him want to enter the house.

With some difficulty he stood up from the bench, quickly but mindful of Rose's sleep, and like lightning he passed by the couple murmuring a simple "It's cold." and entered without looking back.

Was it rude not to say goodbye to Jill? Yes. But did he want to? Absolutely not.

That day he'd already witnessed two scenes of couples who couldn't agree on what they really were. On both occasions, he had left the place to give them privacy in a moment of intimacy, the difference was that with Claire and Leon he hadn't felt that bubbling, suffocating heat in his stomach like right now.

Dion and Emily were still in the house, he was glad to see them.

"Hey, how are you?" Emily asked in a friendly manner, obviously referring to the small outbreak.

It had been several months since he saw those two together, basically since Romania. And seeing them together was like that was the right thing to do. He liked the rest of the Squad a lot, but Canine and Tundra were just special. He would try not to let Lobo know that.

They talked for a few minutes on the couch, avoiding any topic related to bioweapons, thank God, until they decided it was time to leave and let them rest.

"Do you want us to drop you off at your hotel?" Dion asked.

Ethan looked at Rose for a moment. "No, I'd like to stay. If it's possible," he added, looking at Claire.

She smiled. "Of course, Ethan."

It wasn't until Dion and Emily walked out the door that Chris finally made it back into the house. Ethan could hear two car engines. He couldn't help but wonder what he had been talking about with Jill and why their private conversation had to take so long.

When Chris walked in, Ethan didn't bother to look at him.

"I'll stay in Rose's room," he announced to no one in particular.

"No, I'll take the couch, sleep in my bed," Chris ordered, leaving the living room without giving him a chance to refuse.

In the end, Claire convinced him to do as Chris said, after all, Leon would be staying with her in her room and Rose's bed was too small for both of them to fit in.

Ethan went to Chris' room and took his time dressing Rose in her pajamas. She slept through it all and would probably sleep through the rest of the night. Ethan hoped he could too.

***

That night he slept like a baby.

Having Rose's small body close, as well as Chris' comfortable sheets that kept his scent around him, helped him spend a peaceful night.

It was the next night, when he was in the solitude of the hotel, that his mind began to take its toll.

It had started normally. For the first time he had imagined himself next to Mia, full body with emotions involved and the whole show. She was in front of him on what looked like a ship. A cruise ship, perhaps? And the blue sea could be seen behind her reaching the corners of the world, with the sunset making her hair look like it was on fire.

Mia looked beautiful, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever had the opportunity to meet and he couldn't ask for more in life than this very moment.

He felt like a completely lucky man to have her by his side.

But happiness comes to an end at any moment, and for him it had to happen in the blink of an eye.

From one moment to the next he found himself locked in a damp and dark place, his body unable to control the strong tremors in his legs and hands that barely let him move forward.

As much as he tried to look for a way out, completely maddened after a while that seemed like hours, he couldn't find anything. Not a way out, not a safe place, not Mia, although he wasn't sure if he still wanted to find her.

Wherever he went he found that disgusting black slime accumulated in the hallways, and there was a point where it began to come out of his body. That was part of him, and he had to get used to accepting it.

And in addition to the darkness, he wasn't alone in it either.

A man was constantly stalking him.

Bugs bit his body looking to quench their thirst.

The loud laughter of a mad man resonated in his ears.

And he kept seeing a dark, small silhouette out of the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, one of his hands had disappeared, the pain was unbearable, inexplicable. And if he thought things couldn't get any worse, that was when the black slime began to come out of his amputated arm forming a completely deformed hand attached to his body, bizarrely trying to look like a human hand, with claws so thin that it could cut flesh in a single movement.

In the blink of an eye, it wasn't just his hand, it was his entire arm. Then his other arm, his torso, his legs, until finally he became a creature extracted from the jaws of hell, without the power to control his thoughts, or his actions.

He was a monster.

***

In the middle of the night Ethan woke up with a scream stuck in his throat.

It had been a dream. No, it had been a memory. A memory of his nightmare in the real world at the Baker house.

He quickly sat up in bed with his legs drawn up to his chest, feeling that if he paid attention to the shadows Jack would come out to attack him. He'd finally remembered his fear of darkness and loneliness.

It took Ethan many minutes to compose himself. He had to use the breathing exercises that Rolando had taught him six years ago to control his panic attacks that would break out when he remembered Dulvey.

It wasn't until his body finally understood that he wasn't in the middle of real danger, but in the safety of a hotel where a simple call would be enough to bring help, that he was able to lie down again. But the fear wouldn't go away, after Dulvey it never did, and it would surely never leave his side. That was what scared him the most.

Without realizing, he had almost a year of peace by not remembering that nightmare. Losing his memories had served as a refuge from the constant hell he found himself in for so many years, and it only took a crisis in Washington to bring him back.

After all, happiness always comes to an end.

Chapter Text

Ethan took a while to consider how good an idea it was to ask his father for more information about Mia.

The dream he'd had several nights ago was like cleaning windows after a sandstorm.

Many things were clear after that. Information he'd been told during that year that had previously seemed like a fantasy tale, was now his reality, although there was still a piece of the puzzle missing to feel complete.

He hadn't told anyone this yet.

His friends had noticed something strange about him, but they simply attributed it to the trauma he'd just gone through in Washington. And he let them believe that, he didn't want to make them worry with trifles when they were still trying to figure out why there had been an outbreak in the district.

They'd made very little progress, although they did discover something.

Apparently, all the infected were people who'd disappeared during the last five years around the continent, and what they managed to find in the infected's system was something totally unknown to them, for now. On top of that, there was nothing that connected them to each other.

They didn't have a cure either, so the few infected who were still alive were sheltered in the HQ, and they hadn't yet made the decision to sacrifice them if they definitely didn't find the cure. It was a serious problem.

TerraSave, meanwhile, was in charge of contacting the families of the missing, to let them know the terrible news.

Everything was very tense.

That's why he preferred to make his move in secret.

Fully supporting him in his decision, his father sent him by message the location of the asylum where Mia was interned.

Ron bought him the round-trip ticket and he would go using the name of Scott Williams. He could come and go and no one would know he was missing.

So there he was in Austin, in the city where his ex-wife was born, or at least that's what she'd told him. He no longer knew what was true and what wasn't in Mia's life.

Leaving the hotel where he would be staying for the night, he left in a taxi headed to Austin State Hospital. His father, as Mia's guardian, had announced the day before that she'd have visitors, so Ethan's entrance was not a problem.

The only problem was that they didn't know he was her ex-husband, and Mia had cited his death as the reason to intern herself to begin with. He just hoped they wouldn't ask questions.

"Mr. Williams, Mrs. Nelson will see you in a minute," said the nurse who had taken him to the visiting room. Ethan thanked him, sitting at the table that had been assigned to him. He had forgotten the brunette's maiden name.

There were other patients in the room with their visitors, but in general it was very calm there.

He wiped the sweat from his hands on his pants. It was cool inside, but boy was his body sweating in places he didn't know could sweat, and all thanks to his nerves of seeing Mia again.

Ethan was in a big dilemma.

For many years he loved Mia, loved her with his heart and soul. He'd sworn she was the love of his life and always would be. She was his best friend, she was his everything.

Shit, he had spent three painful years trying to find her, unable to believe that she was dead, as the police had tried so many times to convince him.

And when he finally found out where she was, he didn't hesitate for a second to go after her, to rescue her, to try to continue the life they once swore to share together.

But on the other hand, this isn't the Mia he fell in love with on a college campus in Texas. This is the Mia who lied to him, who manipulated him, and, what hurts him most, who caused one of his greatest traumas, even if she wasn't herself when she was hurting him.

Weeks later, he would remember what it was like to close his eyes and see in flashes Mia's deformed and terrifying face growling in his face and on top of him, effortlessly throwing him against walls and amputating his arm with a saw.

Unfortunately, that Mia was the one who would always accompany him.

However, he owes her this visit.

Mia was just as much or more of a victim than he was, and he is the main reason why she decided to isolate herself from the world.

She deserves to at least know that he's alive. For her sake, for the sake of the daughter they share together.

Also, although in a totally different way, a part of his heart still loves her.

Ethan stood for a while looking at the decorations in the room while he waited. While it was still a neutral place so as not to contribute to the patients' uncontrollable thoughts, there were some Christmas decorations in the place. After all, tomorrow would be Christmas Eve.

Ethan made a small reminder to buy presents for his friends and, more importantly, for Rose. He didn't even know if the girl was a believer in Santa.

Wandering a little in his thoughts, Ethan heard the double doors of the room open. Instinctively he raised his head and there she was. He felt a small blow in his heart when he saw her like that.

Thin. Disheveled. Lost.

Ethan stood up to greet her, but Mia stood at the entrance of the room, totally frozen and looking like she'd just seen a dead person. And well, that was exactly what had happened.

Mia began to murmur softly to herself and looked away from Ethan, lowering her head.

Her words were confused with the light sound of conversation around them.

Ethan watched her touch her own hands that had begun to shake. Mia was hurting herself, scratching her skin hard in an almost invisible movement so that her nurses wouldn't notice.

Ethan approached her to try to stop her before she made herself bleed. "Mia-"

"No," her hoarse voice interrupted him. "No. No. No. No," she repeated as a mantra shaking her head, still unable to look up. "Go away. You shouldn't be here," Ethan could hear her whispers as he got closer. "You shouldn't. Go away. Go away. Not here. No. No. No."

"Mia, please," he said in her same voice level as she continued to murmur. "Please, look at me. It's me, it's Ethan."

Mia refused to look at him. He had to let her know that he was there, and that he was real.

"Mia, please," he pleaded, choking back a sob. It hurt so much to see her like this, so helpless, so out of it. "Please, honey, look at me," he slowly put his hand on Mia's arm, just so she could feel him physically.

Mia flinched at the feeling, scaring him too, but she finally snapped out of her trance.

"You're not real," she murmured, beginning to cry softly.

"I'm real, Mia. I'm completely real, see? You can feel me, right? I swear I'm real."

Ethan gently took Mia's hands in his, placed each one in his arms, and Mia continued to touch him. She kept shaking her head.

"I'm right here, honey."

Mia finally worked up the courage to look up at Ethan's face. She let out a sob when she saw his eyes. It was impossible.

"Mia?"

"How?"

He couldn't explain it to her exactly. He didn't know how either, but one thing was clear.

"The mold," he whispered.

"The mold," she repeated.

***

Mia had finally calmed down.

Some nurses had come over to try to control the situation before she panicked, for the safety of Mia, her companion, and the people around. Mia had a tendency to get violent during her attacks. Fortunately, it hadn't gone any further.

They were sitting face to face. Mia hadn't wanted to let go of his hands and just watched him intently, like the first time Rose had seen him half a year ago, while Ethan tried to explain to her what his life had been like during this time. He didn't know if Mia was listening to him, or even understanding, but he took comfort in simply talking to her.

"You're here," he heard her say for the thousandth time between one of her silences.

Ethan looked at her sadly and squeezed her hands.

"Mia, why are you still here? Why aren't you with Rose?"

"Rose..." she wailed, staring into space. "I can't. She needs someone strong," for the first time she said a long sentence. "She's better off with Chris, not me."

"But you could get out of here. Dad says you're much better and you're almost off your meds."

Mia smiled, shaking her head. "I can't," Ethan interpreted that as an 'I don't want to.'

He could understand her, to a certain extent. Mia had spent many years suffering inside her own head, during and after Eveline. That girl had sucked every bit of normalcy out of his wife to leave something hideous in its place. And, even though the treatment indicated she was better, she still didn't feel ready to return to the real world.

She'd made many mistakes that she would regret for the rest of her life, and the biggest one was hurting Rose when the girl was the only thing she had left and the thing she loved the most.

Mia was afraid of hurting her daughter again.

Ethan squeezed her hand once more. "Whenever you're ready," he let her know. He could wait as long as it took. "I know you're not allowed to see Rose unsupervised, but anytime you want to see her, just let me know," though they would have to wait for her to get out, the hospital didn't allow minors to visit.

Mia smiled shyly. "Thanks." She seemed to want to add something else and Ethan tried to encourage her to continue with a look. "Tomorrow... We're having a Christmas dinner here -for patients and families-. Do you... do you want to join me?"

Ethan really thought about it for a few seconds. If he stayed on Christmas Eve, he would most likely miss Christmas with Rose, and he really wanted to be with his little girl.

Then Mia seemed about to back out.

"I'd love to."

***

He had to tell Dad to buy another flight for him for the 26th.

He made a mental note to call Chris. Or Claire. Or Leon. Or whoever to let them know he would be away for Christmas.

He felt guilty.

He really wanted to be with them, they had made plans for the past few weeks for that day. It would be a big celebration where the whole community would be present and the next day it would just be a small, private family gathering for the closest ones.

But he had to do this for Mia, he didn't want her to be alone anymore. She deserved more than this.

That same day he went shopping. He had no qualms about using the credit card Chris had provided some time ago to meet his own needs.

He bought gifts for Rose, and for everyone else he could think of at the moment and knew he would see when he returned.

Of course, he also made sure to buy something for Mia, as well as getting himself an outfit suitable for the occasion. He hadn't brought anything formal in his suitcase.

While still at the mall, wandering through the shops to pass the time, Ethan received a call from Chris and answered immediately. He had forgotten to communicate.

"Hey-"

"Where the hell are you?" he asked in a frantic voice.

"Relax, I'm fine. I'm in Texas."

"What?!" he shouted in his ear. "The fuck you're doin' there?"

"I came to see Mia," that seemed to calm Chris down. Or at least it silenced him for a good five seconds.

"Mia? Well- Okay. Wha- what time are you coming back? You haven't booked your flight yet?"

"Yeah, about that..." Ethan grimaced. "I'm staying a couple days. I want to spend Christmas Eve with Mia, and Dad couldn't get a flight for the 25th, so I'm coming back on the 26th."

Ethan didn't want to explain exactly why he was staying with Mia. If she had wanted to keep it a secret, then he would respect that decision.

Chris fell silent once more and Ethan waited for his answer.

"Until the 26th?" he sighed. "What about Christmas?"

"I'm sorry, Chris..."

"No, no, it's okay. Don't worry," he could hear the disappointment in his voice, even though he tried to hide it. "We'll wait for you on the 26th. So, you'll stay with her?" He muttered at the end.

Ethan almost laughed at his jealousy. "Nope. I'll have dinner with her and then I'll stay at my hotel."

On the other end of the phone, Chris sighed in relief. Ethan didn't hear him.

"Okay. Take care, Ethan."

"You too. I'll see you on the 26th."

"I'll see you on the 26th," he repeated and hung up the call.

***

On Christmas Eve, Ethan made sure to leave himself well presentable.

He wore a white button down shirt and black slacks that hugged his legs in a way that made him feel good about himself.

The mirror let him know how he looked, and it certainly wasn't an unpleasant sight.

He had long forgotten that feeling of being comfortable in his skin.

As a young man, he would spend a good hour in front of the mirror fixing his hair and skin every day to prove his good looks.

His mom called him vain, and maybe he was, if the hundreds of compliments he had received over time were any indicator.

He knew he wasn't the most handsome man on the planet, in fact, he felt far from it. His eyes were big, his head small, and his ears pointed; he had a slightly aquiline and wide nose, as well as a lot of flesh concentrated on his cheeks that his body seemed to carry there voluntarily instead of the rest of his body that always bordered on skeletal. The only sharp part of his face was his chin. Although, his long and slightly curled eyelashes enveloped his light eyes in such a way that it was the first thing that caught the attention on his face.

Besides, he couldn't look rude even if he tried, since he couldn't grow a proper beard and his hundreds of freckles gave him away.

He was not a handsome man, much less manly. His beauty was more on the feminine spectrum, and instead of causing him insecurity, that was precisely what made him receive so many compliments, especially among older women and men who once tried to conquer him.

But those times of youth must come to an end and for him it was after losing Mia almost ten years ago. Suddenly he was carrying a weight much bigger than him, which had caused him to neglect himself too much, and over time it only got worse.

The last time he had cared about his physical appearance had been when he started dating Chris. That man had reminded him how much he loved taking care of himself, and Ethan groomed himself with greater enthusiasm when doing it for him.

Anyway, leaving far behind his premature aging back in Romania from all the stress he had been carrying for years, his new youth had brought with it his old attributes that he had once been so proud of.

He felt pretty and attractive.

Finally, he gave a smile to the mirror and mentally prepared himself to go to the hospital.

His black shoes, like the rest of his outfit, were new, and he put them on hoping they wouldn't hurt his feet at the end of the night.

He took a taxi to get to the hospital, making sure to take Mia's gift with him.

There he was greeted by some of the employees who had been assigned to work on Christmas Eve, although they didn't seem bothered by being there on that precise date.

Ethan handed them his black trench coat and walked into the hallways. God, he had spent a lot. But then, Chris had already made it clear to him that he could use as much money as he needed without any commitments, and in all that time he hadn't touched the card except to buy food once a week.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Mia inside the room where he had been told to go.

The place was decorated in a totally homely way and there were many presents under the tree, surely for each of the patients.

In the living room there was a long table right in the center, where they would serve dinner later.

There were a good number of people in the place, several patients with their families, and there were a few who were by themselves.

Mia had stood immediately when she saw him. She was wearing a long, soft blue dress that covered her legs and arms. Her hair was up and a few strands were sticking out of the bun. It wasn't her most elegant outfit, but she looked comfortable and very pretty.

Ethan walked up to her and his smile faded when he saw her start to sob. He quickly went over to check on her.

"Mia, hey, what's wrong?" He took her in his arms, her face buried in her own hands, leaning on Ethan's chest.

Mia pulled away after a few seconds and lowered her hands. Beneath her tears was a shaky smile. "You did come."

Ethan looked at her sadly, it seemed to be the only expression he could muster in front of her.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," that made her laugh softly.

All last night she had believed that Ethan's sight had been a figment of her imagination, as it had happened so many times after Miranda.

Suddenly Ethan would appear anywhere in the small house where the Hound Wolf had her and Rose locked up, to torment her and remind her of all her sins, slowly driving her insane.

It took asking her doctor and nurses several times if his visit had been real. Begging them to describe to her over and over again what Scott Williams looked like to finally believe that no, she hadn't had a relapse, and Ethan had indeed returned from the ashes.

She would have admitted that it was impossible, but few things in this world were.

Ethan wiped her tears tenderly, he had never liked to see her cry.

Ethan handed her the gift and her whole face seemed to light up at the sight, she looked close to tears again.

Mia thanked him profusely, but she didn't open it yet. She wouldn't open it until midnight, as they both used to do during their relationship when they gave each other their Christmas presents.

Ethan sat next to her, and Mia told him a little about what her life was like in the hospital during those last few years. She had had a very lonely few months, but she was slowly feeling better. Ethan let her know how proud he was of her as she blushed slightly.

Looking around the room, he kept noticing some patients who were alone, they kept each other company and sometimes the nurses would come over to check on them, but there were no family members with them even an hour and a half after they had started receiving everyone.

Ethan felt very sorry for them. With a lump in his throat, he began to think about how some people were forced to spend the holidays alone, forgotten by their families perhaps from the first moment they were admitted there.

He was close to tears when he thought about how Mia had been in that group the last two Christmases. Alone and forgotten.

He was grateful to be there with her and see her face relieved to have by her side someone who cared about her well-being. As long as Ethan was there, Mia would not suffer alone anymore.

Dinner was delicious. They went for a classic stuffed turkey that they would also be enjoying at Red Clover by now.

The atmosphere was very calm, they didn't have music so as not to make the patients nervous -the ones that might react that way-, but that didn't make it boring.

Ethan was able to talk for hours with Mia and also heard stories from some of the patients and their family members. It was a very good event, going through the cake and the delivery of gifts to each of the patients around twelve. The party was about to end.

Mia received a gift from her caretakers, as did all of her mates. Each of them received a simple gift, but one that meant a lot to them. The workers there knew their people very well.

She opened the box in white wrapping paper with a silver bow, having everyone's attention on her. From there she took out a pair of brown flats.

"They're the most comfortable we could find," one of her doctors mentioned.

Ethan didn't understand what was so special about them for Mia, but some tears came out of her eyes as she thanked them and everyone clapped softly -avoiding scandals, so as not to provoke the wrong reaction-. Ethan watched everything with a smile.

It had finally struck twelve in the morning, and some were still opening presents on behalf of their families.

Ethan took that moment to remind Mia to open his gift, while they were sitting at the center table.

Her eyes lit up again and she took the gift bag with excitement. Inside was a pink velvet box that she opened with curiosity, giving Ethan shy glances.

When Mia opened the small box, her eyes immediately watered. Ethan knew then that she had loved it.

"Ethan," she sobbed softly, still looking at the gift. "It's beautiful."

It was a gold necklace, with a small rose-shaped pendant and small inlays around it that made it shine slightly.

It was small, and simple, but it had a special meaning for both of them that goes without saying.

"I know you're not allowed to wear these accessories here, that's why I bought you the second gift," it was a wool cardigan, the most comfortable and beautiful one Ethan could find, and it was at the bottom of the gift bag. "But I couldn't help but buy it thinking of you. I know it was dumb because you won't be able to wear it until you get out, but it will be waiting for you with me. When you're ready."

Mia nodded several times, wiping away her tears uselessly as her face continued to get soaked with each passing second.

Ethan put his arms around her when she approached, and they stayed like that for a few minutes, Mia crying softly on his shoulder and Ethan close to tears as well.

It was time to leave, and Mia hadn't felt this happy in a long time.

Ethan put off saying goodbye until he was the last to leave the building, the rest of the relatives returning home and the patients going to their respective rooms to sleep.

Ethan left, promising to return to her soon, and although Mia seemed reluctant to let him go, she finally let go of his hand.

There was a moment in the night when Mia had been so close to him that Ethan was sure she would kiss him. If that happened, Ethan didn't know how he would have reacted.

He had been frozen, just watching her slowly approach. For a second he felt like he was in the past, about thirteen years ago, back when they were dating and madly in love.

Mia kissed him, and he kissed her back. A simple touch of lips that sent its meaning without saying words. I love you.

Then he came back to reality, and turned his head to the other side, rejecting her. That made her come out of her trance as well and they both returned to the conversation with the rest of the guests.

Ethan blushed at the thought as he left the building and put on his coat, wishing the security guard a merry Christmas, the velvet box with the necklace and the rose pendant in the back pocket of his pants.

For a second he had thought about closing the distance between his face and Mia's, and just pretending the rest of the world didn't exist.

And honestly, he was happy he didn't. Too happy once he saw the person in front of him.

"Merry Christmas," Chris said, casually leaning on the other side of the wall that separated the hospital from the street.

Ethan's mouth dropped open in surprise. He laughed, not believing Chris was there, that he had come for him.

His next move wasn't overthought, he just knew it was the right thing to do.

With a giant grin on his face, Chris welcomed him into his arms as Ethan jumped towards him, taking all of Ethan's weight without problem.

In a blink, Ethan wrapped his arms around Chris' neck. The next second, he had moved his head away just enough to crash his lips into the captain's. Both of them kept their smiles on in the middle of the kiss.

It was a slow, soft, perfect kiss.

Their lips caressing opposites, fitting together in a way that would never be equaled by another.

The emotion they felt was totally inexplicable as they separated, foreheads pressed together, rosy cheeks and goofy smiles.

Finally, they were home.

Chapter Text

Despite the cold temperature, there was no hurry to return. After all, they had still some hours until dawn.

They walked slowly along the sidewalk to the hotel to pick up his suitcase, and then continued walking at Chris' request, exchanging few words, only the necessary ones.

It was a long distance, and his feet hurt from the new shoes, but not even for that discomfort did he want to speed up his pace.

They walked hand in hand the whole way, like a couple of lovers who had just shared their first kiss.

When they wanted to see each other and exchanged glances, the two became shy, but did not break the moment, just shared a happy smile.

Hearing that Ethan had gone with Mia, Chris would not deny that a small moment of fury tried to take over him after hanging up the call. However, he tried to calm down when Rose's attentive gaze was on him, asking where her dad was.

At her request, they had gone to Ethan's place to visit him. Ethan hadn't been spending much time at their house lately and that was starting to make Rose nervous, so a surprise visit might just work.

He was wrong. Ethan wasn't there.

Before he panicked over his own constant need to know Ethan's whereabouts, he decided to call him and thankfully he picked up at the first beep.

Rose kept staring at him with her big eyes, and he didn't have the heart to tell her that Dad wasn't coming for Christmas.

So, he made up his mind.

Ethan had mentioned his own father on the call, so in a conversation that lasted about two minutes, Ron spit out where he could find Ethan and Mia as soon as he told him his plan.

Hearing that she was in a mental hospital didn't surprise him at all, being that Mia was an unstable person even before he met her. It was the best thing for her and Rose, and also for Ethan since he was back.

As they walked down the sidewalk, still holding hands, Ethan spoke.

"How did you get here so fast?"

Chris laughed and didn't answer. Ethan looked at him impatiently. The blond was always annoyed when those close to him kept important information from him, and he always got angry with Chris when he blatantly evaded answering his questions. His brow and nose furrowed adorably and a pout formed on his lips, which Chris never hesitated to wipe away with his own lips by kissing Ethan's.

This time, Ethan laughed when he realized that Chris wouldn't answer. "Come on, tell me," he said, poking Chris' arm with his index finger. He stopped when Chris stopped walking.

"You're about to find out," he replied. Chris raised his hand, then, to show him the way. He pointed to the building they were in front of, and with some confusion, Ethan walked in that direction.

Like a true gentleman, Chris opened the door for Ethan and led him the rest of the way. Ethan's questions were reflected in his curious eyes, but Chris wouldn't tell him anything.

They rode the elevator up to the top floor and flags went up in Ethan's mind. "I thought we were going home," he said confused, stopping in the middle of the hallway.

Ethan instantly thought they would be staying in a room in that hotel together for the night and Ethan pulled away from Chris slightly. Shit, he wasn't ready.

Not noticing the change in his mood, Chris nodded. "We will," and then continued walking toward the emergency stairs.

Ethan sighed quietly, relieved that he wouldn't have to do anything intimate with Chris tonight, and then slightly frustrated with himself for reacting that way to the idea of being together with Chris in an intimate way.

He followed Chris up the stairs to the metal door at the end of them. Again, Chris held the door open for him to get in. Or get out.

His mind calmed down once he was up on the roof and, for the second time that night, his mouth opened in an O-shape at what was in front of him.

He turned to Chris in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

Chris laughed. "Surprise," he said, moving past Ethan and walking towards the large helicopter that would be his transport back to Virginia.

A lot of questions began to form in Ethan like how the hell did Chris manage to land a helicopter on that very hotel? But being the leader of the Hound Wolf perhaps had its perks. Below the helicopter was a large landing sign for that type of transport, as well as strategically placed red lights to ensure a good descent of the machine. Turning slightly to his left, on the wall behind him he managed to see the BSAA logo, and right next to it the HW logo, as if marking territory on the building, and then everything made sense.

Chris was waiting for him at the side of the helicopter, the door open for him to climb in once he stopped staring at the rooftop. Chris laughed as Ethan looked at him in disbelief as he took the co-pilot seat.

"I didn't know you could fly these things," he said as Chris sat on the right side and helped buckle the seat belts over Ethan's torso.

"Yeah, I'm actually a pilot," he replied, placing the headset on Ethan. Again, his lips formed an O. There was still so much he had to learn - or remember - about Chris.

He discovered he wasn't afraid to fly with Chris, even less so if he was the one piloting the aircraft. In that place he felt safer than he could feel with his feet on the ground. He still didn't know if it was because of Chris' talent or because he was simply Chris, and Ethan felt safe wherever he was as long as the captain was next to him.

For the hours the flight lasted, Ethan didn't take his eyes off the magnificent sight that was Chris.

And when they arrived home in the SUV Chris left at the base, the sky was beginning to lighten.

Although he was tired, Ethan didn't want to sleep, still too busy observing Chris.

He parked the car in front of the garage and they stayed inside it. The house was still dark, being too early for any normal person to wake up on that day.

Ethan decided to take the initiative this time, and he intertwined his hand with Chris', watching their fingers hugging each other. In size there was only a slight difference, but Chris' fingers were much thicker and tanner than his own, and were scraping his skin with calluses developed over decades. Chris also seemed fascinated with the difference.

"Thanks for taking me home," Ethan broke the silence. Chris smirked and brought their intertwined hands to his lips, leaving a chaste kiss on Ethan's soft skin, looking into his eyes. That gesture alone stirred the butterflies in his belly.

"Always," Chris affirmed.

***

With the rest of the house silent, together they made breakfast for the guests who didn't yet know they were there. Chris was aware of Claire and Leon's unrestricted stay - especially since both of them, with little Rose in the middle, had fallen asleep on the living room floor on a large inflatable bed, all three wearing the red Christmas pajamas that Rose and Claire had required everyone to wear for that morning - however, seeing Sherry enter the kitchen was a huge surprise.

"Well, good morning and merry Christmas to you," Ethan greeted, as he cut up fruit to put in a large bowl.

"Merry Christmas," the blond woman replied, her voice still raspy from disuse, an embarrassed smile on her face. "When did you guys get back?"

"About an hour ago," Chris replied from the stove, reheating some of yesterday's food.

"Honestly we all thought it would take you longer," Sherry had sat at the island, watching them work with a smile.

When Rebecca came down next, slightly more presentable than Sherry, neither of them could contain their surprise.

"Guys, mi casa es su casa, and all that," Chris was the first to speak. "But who else is in my house?"

Rebecca and Sherry locked eyes and shared a laugh. Ethan and Chris shared a worried look.

Barry, Kathy, Moira and Polly Burton, Emily, Dion and Charlie were the next to come down the stairs.

"Relax," Charlie said as he greeted them. "I'm the last one."

They all started a good chat where they told the new couple about yesterday's party.

Before the three in the living room woke up, Sherry took a picture of them with her cell phone and then sent it to her contacts who were in that house. In their pajamas, Claire and Rose looked adorable, while Leon looked ridiculous, and the girls couldn't stop laughing at seeing him in the picture.

At that moment, Sherry hurried Chris and Ethan to go change into their own pajamas before Rose woke up.

"Are they gonna make fun of us?" Ethan asked as they left the kitchen.

"Obviously," the girls answered in unison, along with Dion and Charlie's jeers.

Ethan tried to change as quickly as possible and when he left the room Chris was already waiting for him, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "How do I look?" He asked immediately. Ethan couldn't help but giggle at the sight of him wearing his large pajamas.

Chris lowered his head, defeated. He shook his head, unable to help his own laughter. Then, he opened his arms in invitation. "Come here."

Ethan entered the hug quickly, feeling Chris' hands on the small of his back, and standing on his tiptoes he joined his lips with Chris'.

It was only the second kiss they shared, but Ethan already felt quite familiar in that position, thinking that he could spend the rest of the day rediscovering himself in different levels with the older man without a problem. However, for now he didn't feel capable of opening his lips to let him in to explore.

One step at a time.

With one last chaste and slightly wet kiss, Chris patted his waist, letting him know with the touch that it was time to go downstairs, much to his disappointment.

Downstairs, Leon was already out of bed, drinking coffee with a sour face and trying to ignore the comments about his outfit that Sherry found hilarious, while the others were having breakfast in the dining room and Barry and his wife were cooking something else in the kitchen.

Still on the inflatable bed, Claire was already awake but was holding little Rose to her chest. The girl had her eyes closed, one arm around her aunt's waist to keep her from moving away, and she seemed upset. Although she was always upset when she woke up.

Claire immediately smiled as she watched them come down, and said something in Rose's ear, who groaned and tried to bury her face in Claire's bust to silence her voice.

Chris stepped forward. "Watch this," he said in Ethan's ear.

Slowly, Chris climbed onto the inflatable bed so as not to attract Rose's attention, under the curious gaze of Claire and Ethan. When he was behind the girl, he slowly brought his face towards Rose's neck, where he immediately began to attack her with his beard and mustache, letting out playful growls. As if he had turned on a switch, the girl screamed sharply and began to laugh, turning her head to try to cover her neck from her daddy's attacks.

Without stopping the game, Chris separated her from his sister's body to hold her in his arms with ease, biting without any force on the sides of the girl's body to tickle her. When he thought it was enough, he finally stopped, letting her catch her breath after her fit of laughter, lying in his arms.

"Merry Christmas, my love," he greeted her, both of them grinning like fools at each other.

Suddenly, something clicked in Rose's mind. "Daddy?"

Hearing the name, Chris turned around so Rose could see him. One more squeal echoed off the walls of the house and the guests, who had stopped their activities to witness the familiar scene, began to laugh.

Rose practically jumped out of Chris' arms and into Ethan's as he bent down to catch her. "Hello, baby," he greeted her, burying his face in the little girl's soft hair.

After greeting everyone, Rose opened her presents -which were too many only for her- and after breakfast, the adults passed around the presents that belonged to each one and that they had put on the tree in the Redfield household.

By midday, when the Burton family had left with the promise of seeing each other again for New Year's, this time in Canada, Sherry, Charlie, Claire, and Rebecca had gone out to clean up the mess from the previous night's meeting, which was in the community's main park, while Leon, Dion and Emily were in the backyard trying to have a barbecue in the middle of winter. Surprisingly, they were doing well. Ethan and Chris had stayed inside the house to clean the kitchen and living room of the gift wrappers that Rose had scattered.

When they finished, both men dropped onto the couch. Rose was in front of them, roughly brushing the hair of one of her new dolls. Chris had his arm around Ethan's shoulders and he was leaning completely against Chris.

Without Ethan knowing where, the older man pulled out another gift and placed it in front of him. Ethan looked at it excitedly. He carefully opened the wrapping, so as not to throw away more trash, and when he saw the gift he smiled tenderly. It was a sketchbook with a set of graphite pencils of different grades and colored pencils, erasers and sharpeners. He quickly turned to Chris to give him a thunderous kiss on the cheek.

"Wait here," he said, putting the things aside, getting up from the couch and going to his luggage, which he had left at the entrance of the house. He took out what he was looking for in a brown crumpled paper bag and laughed embarrassedly returning to Chris. "I'm sorry, I didn't have time to wrap it properly."

Chris didn't even pay attention to what was in his hands, simply looking at him as if he was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life. Ethan urged him to look inside the bag, when Chris didn't take his eyes off him.

Finally, the captain pulled the object out of the bag and, when he held it out and noticed the Hawaiian shirt, the loudest laugh Ethan had ever heard from him came out of his mouth, even surprising Rose. Seeing his reaction, Ethan burst out laughing too.

"Oh, God, who told you?" he asked, wiping away the small tears from his eyes.

"Your sister. I heard the story and I couldn't live comfortably knowing that there was a Captain Redfield wearing a Hawaiian shirt and I never witnessed it."

Chris laughs again, standing up and going to Ethan. "Come here," he demands and doesn't have to tell him twice to feel Ethan's kiss on his lips.

So, as they kiss in the middle of the living room, Rose watches with fascination -and a curiosity- as her two dads share their affection with each other.

***

Ethan continued to bite the nails on his left hand while holding his cell phone to his ear with his right, waiting for someone to answer on the other end, since a message wasn't drawing their attention.

He had to listen to three beeps until he finally heard the voice on the other end.

"Hello, brother!" Anca's sweet voice greeted him.

Ethan smiled and took his hand away from his mouth immediately, relieved. "How are you, sweetie?"

Anca began to tell him everything about her day. Back in Romania it was around noon on Saturday, so they had already finished their chores around the house and the farm, and Anca was reading a novel, while Ivantie was studying a biology book. Vasile wasn't home.

"I think he's dating someone," the teenager suddenly blurted out, leaving Ethan with his mouth open. "Ivantie doesn't believe it though, he says it's impossible, so we made a bet."

Vasile had started talking to one of the widows in the village. Apparently, they had known each other since childhood, like most people in any small town, and a couple of years ago the woman had lost her husband in an accident. Ethan thought it was great that Vasile considered starting to meet people that way. Ivantie, on the other hand, was not very happy about it.

They continued talking for over half an hour, and Ethan felt comforted just by hearing her excited voice. He missed them very much.

"Oh, but why did you call, brother?" the girl asked, genuinely curious. "It must be very early there and we only talked yesterday."

Ethan considered telling her the reason, but he didn't want to worry them. "I woke up early to exercise and I wondered what you were doing," he hoped that would be enough of an answer. Anca accepted it.

By the time they hung up, another half hour later, Ethan could breathe normally. His face felt dry from the tears he had shed earlier and his eyes were still swollen, but he felt better now.

It was a nightmare, as always. One that feels too real to be just a fantasy, but is too unrecognizable to be a memory. His week had been plagued with those, and they were all too different from each other to remember and make sense of.

He just knew he was in Romania in all of them. The cold weather of that place was very familiar to him from the months he lived there a year ago, so he would recognize it at any moment.

His dreams were all different, sometimes he was with his parents while he was little, or he was sitting at a long table with the people from Red Clover while they ate, he had also dreamed of himself with Mia, while she held baby Rose in her arms.

They were very normal dreams at first glance. However, there were a couple of constant things in those dreams.

The first was the view: an open field covered in snow and trees dried by the weather, with a sky of a strange reddish color and, instead of clouds, there were black balls rising for miles, they seemed to expel the black mold, and it was as if they were supported by it.

The second constant: he always died.

From one minute to the next there was a large beast on top of him, tearing his skin and flesh completely and quickly, while his companions continued their activities as if there was no man being slaughtered right in front of them. Not helping him no matter how much he shouted the word.

It was disturbing.

And after those dreams, turned into nightmares, a feeling of uncertainty settled inside him.

He was afraid, although he didn't know of what.

Not even calling his parents, spending time with Chris and Rose at their house, or visiting Mia, would make that fear go away.

That time he had specifically dreamed about the Moises. He had started his dream on the other side of the village, and had crossed it entirely until he reached the home that had welcomed him long ago. There was absolutely no one there, no people, no animals, it was a ghost place.

And, when he arrived at the house, a terrifying scene had greeted him. Somehow, the house was flooded in blood that reached his waist, it was very difficult to move and he had tried to get out of there until his feet had been completely trapped, as if the blood were quicksand. As he screamed and struggled to move, outside he clearly heard growls that came closer and closer. He immediately thought it was the beast that in all his dreams ended up tearing him apart, so in complete panic he screamed louder and moved harder. When he knew that the beast was right behind the door, about to enter to catch him, three bodies appeared in front of him, floating in the blood.

He woke up with the sheets soaked in sweat.

It was the first time he hadn't died in a nightmare, and that worried him a thousand times more.

Rebecca had tried to dissuade him at first, saying it was all a figment of his imagination brought on by Dulvey's trauma and what had recently happened in DC. But something was... off.

He had an urgent need to contact Romania. Fortunately, Anca didn't notice anything strange about her brother, and he said goodbye asking for her to call him if they needed anything.

He hung up a few minutes later, and took a shower, tried to eat something to calm the emptiness in his stomach and cleaned the room a bit before Chris came for him to take him to the community.

Chris had tried to convince him to live with them, he had also offered him a house in the community. If he didn't live in their house, at least they wanted to have him close by. But Ethan didn't accept. Not yet.

Chris was waiting for him leaning on his SUV with his characteristic casual pose every time he saw Ethan. He smiled immediately.

His cheeks turned slightly red the closer he got, because of the feeling Chris provoked in him. He was an adult man of almost forty years, but with Chris he felt like a high school girl about to have her first kiss.

After sharing a hug and a couple of kisses as a greeting, they got into the car.

Ethan was already calm after a few hours of having that nightmare, but that feeling of uneasiness was still deep in his chest. In addition to the calls, he sent messages to Anca to find out what everyone was doing, and in the last few days they had maintained a conversation about nothing and anything. However, there were times when the girl took hours to respond and that made Ethan nervous

"What's wrong?" Chris asked, looking for Ethan's left hand to hold it in his own, without taking his eyes off the road.

Ethan stopped looking at the cell phone, trying to smile comfortingly so as not to worry Chris. He thought he wasn't showing his concern, but Chris always knew how to read him as if he was a children's tale.

"It's just the damn nightmares."

"What was it this time?"

Ethan took a breath and sighed deeply before telling him the whole dream. Chris listened intently, frowning throughout the story.

"I'm sorry you're going through this," he said as soon as Ethan finished. "But it's just dreams, Ethan, they're okay. You heard what Becca said-"

"I know, Chris, but it's not just nightmares," he interrupted him before he could continue telling him that it was all part of his imagination and blah blah blah. "It's this feeling that hasn't left me since they started. Like something bad's gonna happen."

Chris fell silent for a few minutes.

Their hands were still intertwined, and Ethan was still waiting for an answer from Anca as he looked out the window at the road.

"How about I send a team to make sure they're okay?" Chris finally spoke. "Would you feel better?"

The truth is, yes.

"Would you do that?"

Chris turned to look at him momentarily, a smile that said everything on his lips. "Anything to make you at peace. Anything for you."

His heart exploded with feels.