A/N: Thank you to all reviewers. See Chapter one for disclamer.

This chapter was written upon request by Satanic Park of Darkness... so enjoy one and all and don't forget to review.

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me

- Evanescence

Chapter Four: "My Immortal"

"So…" began Lucia, stifling a laugh, "you let Vergil beat you up?"

"Not exactly," Dante answered. He allowed his mind to flash to a time when he hit Vergil in the head with an aluminum bat when they were in Little League. Then he thought of Vergil breaking his kneecaps with a golf club later that day in retaliation. We were five. Where did he find a golf club?

"That whole stunt was followed by weeks of counseling," Vergil glared at Dante, "It seemed that he wasn't happy until the both of us were in trouble."

"I was only helping you vent. Keeping things bottled up is not healthy, you know." Dante smiled and Vergil rolled his eyes at the comment.

Trish turned to the next page. There, plain as day was a teenage Dante getting his hair corn-rowed by a stunning Black girl. She was smiling down at Dante who was clearly wincing while trying to smile for the photo.

"Let me guess," said Trish, "Is that Tanya?"

"Yep... that's my girl. Of course, she didn't really agree to go out with me until our senior year. After graduation, she was signed to a model agency. We don't keep in touch much anymore, but I think she's in Paris or Milan now. "

"What Dante doesn't tell you is that he almost signed too," Vergil said.

Dante frowned. Lucia and Trish lit up, wanting to know more. Vergil flipped through some pages before landing on the well-hidden evidence. It was an advertisement torn from the pages of a magazine. They scan the full paged ad and let out light snickers. It was a topless Dante in cargo shorts, leaning against a rocky buff and casually looking away from the camera. A drop water seemed to travel down his well-defined abs and to his thumbs which were tucked into his belt loops. His hair was much shorter than it is now and neatly styled into small spikes. In the bottom right portion of the ad read 'Abercrombie and Fitch'.

All but Dante were laughing. "'Abercrombie and Fitch', Dante? It makes sense," Lucia exclaimed between breaths.

"There's more," Vergil said almost gleefully. He pulled out a black and white Calvin Kline ad. Dante now beet red from embarrassment, snatched up the flyer before anyone could get a clear look at it.

The girls of course protested. An arrogant smile crept across his face as an idea popped into his head.

Dante crumpled the paper and ate it.

Trish sighed, "I guess that's the end of that."

Lady descended the stairs and asked, "What's going on?"

"You missed it," said Trish, "Vergil was showing us that Dante used to model."

"Are you talking about the Calvin Kline ad? That was all over New York billboards a few years ago. I admit, I stopped and stared while I was there. Let's face it; Dante's hot... especially in his undies," said Lady with fingers dangerously close to pinching his backside. The other two women agreed.

Dante wasn't sure he was more upset about: the fact that his own twin betrayed him or that his female companions now thought of him more as eye candy. Somehow he could feel them mentally undressing him.

Dante frantically flipped through the pages to find anything to change the subject. He stopped at photo of Eva reading a bed time story to the sleeping twins. A tear welled up in Dante's eye at the sight.

Vergil of course, felt like doing the same, but he was never one to show emotion especially when gloomy, let alone share his feelings. "Are you alright, Dante," Lady asking the obvious. He wiped away the tear and smiled. "Yeah," he lied, "just something in my eye."

Trish could see in Dante's face that looking at this picture was particularly painfully. Without a word, she attempted to change the page. Dante placed a hand on hers and said softly, "Its okay."

Vergil could see that Dante was still collecting himself. He went ahead and explained, "This was taken the night Father died and a couple years before Mother was killed."

----

"But now that they arrived, the Lost Boys did not to stay. 'We've sort of decided to stick with Pan,' they said." Eva glanced at her sleeping boys while finishing the final line in the book. "So Wendy, John, and Michael waved good-bye as Peter Pan's ship sailed off through the sky, taking the Lost Boys home to Never Land, where they still live today."

Sparda stood in the doorway and snapped a picture before Eva closed the book.

"Sparda... You've got to warn a girl before take a picture. I must look horrible."

"Not at all, milady; you look positively radiant," he replied walking towards her.

"Oh, really," she questioned. He bent down to kiss her.

Eva was positively trapped by her sons. She sat in the twin-sized bed with their heads weighing down her lap. Sparda picked up Dante and carefully laid him in his own bed. Meanwhile, Eva tenderly slipped out from underneath Vergil, minding his head and all. Both parents kissed the twins on their foreheads, bidding sweet dreams.

Sparda turned to Eva and said, "That is not the Pan I remembered."

"I know," said Eva, "I learned to switch to the Disney versions when Alice in Wonderland gave Dante nightmares."

They quietly left the room and entered their own.

Demon sleeping habits are fickle at best. They may not require sleep, but they will do so anyways. Half-breeds on the other hand require sleep like humans, but are generally light sleepers. Dante on the other hand may the exception to this very rule, for he sleeps like a rock. If a tornado would come crashing through his room right now, he wouldn't be roused.

Vergil awoke to sounds coming from the other room. It was Sparda and Eva speaking. He stood on his bed and pressed his ear to the wall. It was very faint, but he could make out what they were saying.

If a devil wanted to, he could know every detail of what is going on in another room. Sure remote viewing was a possibility for some, but sound was used by most. Just by using sounds in a room, a demon could tell how many people are present based on heart beats and their positions based on echoes.

Vergil could detect the anxiety in their voices. It had scared him to the point that he had to wake Dante.

"Dante, get up," Vergil whispered while violently shaking his other.

"What, V," said the six-year-old.

"Just get up here listen." Dante obeyed.

"Split them up," Eva questioned, "They are all they've got. I honestly believe they will not survive if they are separated." She could see the logic in Sparda's plan. If the devils caught one, they could not gain power without the other. But Dante and Vergil had never really been apart. They did just about every thing together. As a mother, she couldn't leave them in that situation.

"You could take both of them; I will head them off and take them off your trail." Eva definitely preferred this plan, but it did mean that she may never see her husband ever again.

"My sources tell me that they are on the move and that they will be upon us in mere days. We should move them soon, milady, whist we have the upper hand."

Eva agreed. "I'll go wake them," she said.

She wasn't surprised to walk into the room and find that the twins were awake and knew to a point what was happening.

"Mom, why do we have to leave," Dante asked.

She sat Vergil on the bed next to him and crouched to their level. She sighed and said, "Do you remember when Mommy said that you both have something special inside of you?" The boys nodded.

"Well, there are some bad... " she paused, groping for the right words, "...people out there who want to take that special something. Mommy and Daddy are going to make sure they don't get it. So, now we have to go and hide."

Eva had been prepared for moment that devils had figured out that the "traitorous" Sparda had offspring. She kept it in the back of mind when scrapped knees were instantaneouslyhealed or when the boy managed to lift items that weighed twice as much as they did.

Images of devils capturing her sons, invaded her waking thoughts for six years. Even at birth, she often thought about what powers they would acquire… If any. Still… she had to push these aside and think of only one thing… survival.

She silently helped the boys get dressed and packed. Within the hour, they had loaded up the car and said goodbye to their home forever.

They settled into the black sedan for a long road trip. The boys quietly played with action figures in the backseat as a decidedly worried Eva fiddled with her fingers in the front passenger seat. The perpetually calm, Sparda placed a hand on hers in attempt to quell her fears.

So, Sparda drove into the night, tailed only by the full moon. Eva glanced behind her to see that the twins had already dozed off; she on the other hand, was still far too manic to sleep.

Just after midnight, he stopped on a wooded dirt road and turned off the car.

"What's going on," questioned Eva.

"This is where we part," Sparda answered in a solemn voice. He leaned over the center console and planted a tender kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said with tears in her eyes. He gingerly wiped them away with his thumb.

He reached under the seat and handed her a set of handguns and said, "These are Luce and Ombra. They work just the Glocks we practiced with at home. There's the gray duffle bag in the back for the boys, please make sure they receive it on their sixteenth birthdays."

Eva knew exactly what he was referred to. She nodded, speechless. He kissed her once again. "Azrael will be here in a moment to escort you. Please, be safe darling."

Just as Sparda exited the car, Azrael, for lack of a better word, swooped in.

He landed just in front of the still-burning headlights almost soundlessly, giving Eva a start. He stood at an unassuming five foot eight inches and appeared to be a bit underweight. His pale skin and amber eyes reflected on the moonlight. His black and plum-streaked hair was brushed back into short spikes. He could very well pass for Sparda's younger brother, despite the hair and eye colors.

Sparda bent down and said to Eva through an open window, "This is Azrael. He's a trusted friend and a skilled warrior. As long as you follow what he says, you should fine." Azrael seemed to be no older than twenty.

The sight of the young man decked out in punky garb, nearly made her scoff. Perish the thought that a youngster would be a great fighter!

Eva also knew that a demon's true age held no correlation to their human appearance. Besides, Sparda would never trust another demon without good reason. If her husband relied on him, she could too.

Sparda opened the backdoor and kissed his sleeping sons on the top of their heads. He whispered, "I want you both to know that no matter what, you were loved."

He tried his best to hide the fact that his heart breaking. He flashed a half-hearted smile to his wife as his deep blue eyes bid a final farewell.

He once again left the car and traded words with Azrael. Translucent wings sprouted from his back as Force Edge materialized in his hands. Azrael bowed and Sparda was off.

Once Sparda was out of sight, Azrael jumped into the driver seat, started the car and took off at full speed.

"Good evening, milady. I am Azrael and I am here at your service. Do not worry; I shall have you at your destination at no time at all." A grin crept across his face as he concentrated on his driving… if you could call it that.

What freaked Eva out more was not only did this man look like he could be in his teens; he drove like he was too.

As promised, he brought Eva to her new home. Less than two hours after Sparda's departure, they pulled into the driveway of a suburban "cookie cutter", colonial-styled house.

Azrael parked and turned off the car. He jangled some keys in his pocket, searching for the house keys.

Eva may have kept in mind that she would have to eventually hide the twins, but Azrael and Sparda had actually planned it to a "tee."

Azrael opened the car door for Eva and proceeded to carry Vergil into the house as she held Dante. She was somewhat astonished to see that the house was fully furnished and decorated.

They redressed the boys and brought them to their beds. Azrael showed Eva to her room and then unloaded the car. Some moments later, he returned to her and said, "I must assist Sparda. Rest well, milady." He turned and disappeared. She couldn't tell if he teleported or simply phased through the wall. With devils, she could never tell.

------

In mere moments, Azrael was at Sparda's side facing the hordes demons.

"I thought archangels of death do not dirty themselves with the blood of devils."

"I thought devils didn't marry humans," Azrael replied with a smirk, "Besides, you forget one thing, Sparda."

"What's that?"

"I was an archangel long before I was a messenger of death." At the end of his statement, a flaming broadsword appeared in his hands.

Sparda cracked a smile and they rushed at the ranks. In mid stride, each went into his respective triggers. Sparda standing at least seven feet tall in his dark armor topped with imposing horns and glowing mauve aura. Azrael was now in shiny silver armor and steely gray wings protruding from his back surrounded by a tawny glow.

Some of the lesser demons saw this and ran back to hell. Still the many others stood and fought. Each of the knights made swift, broad strokes. Many were felled on their swords and more came in droves.

-----

Eva found herself in the boys' room just barely awake, holding surveillance. Before she knew it, the sun was rising and it was time wake the boys and ready them for school. Just as she was about to rouse them, she realized that hadn't enrolled them into their new school yet. She chuckled at the thought.

Who could blame her? It had been a pretty neurotic night.

Best to let them rest, she thought.

Her back stiffened at the crashing sound just outside the window. She opened the curtains a peered out at the front lawn. She spied and man dressed in white lying there.

Without another thought, she raced downstairs and out the door. A second passed as she staring at the motionless, white clad body. She turned it over to see the boyish face of Azrael.

Blood trailed out the corner of his mouth. She saw that he was bleeding profusely from the abdomen. Blood even stained his steely wings.

"Azrael," Eva called patting at his cheeks.

"Azrael?" A moan escaped his throat. Eva looked around for witnesses as she dragged the angel into the house.

His pallor was now alarming close to color of his robes.

To Eva's surprise, she was able to easily lift Azrael and lay him on the couch in the den. He was actually not much heavier than one of the twins.

She rushed to the bathroom and returned with an arm load of towels. Eva placed a towel and pressure on the wound. The very real possibility that the man could bleed to death on her sofa was quickly brought to mind. Azrael was a devil… right? So, why wasn't he healing?

Azrael's eyes flickered open for a moment and began to close again.

"Azrael!" She called in his ear, desperately trying to keep him awake.

"Azrael!" she called again to gain his attention, "What can I do to help you heal? What is it that devils need?"

"I –" He was cut off by a series of wet coughs. "I am not… one of the fallen. I am the archangel of death."

Eva was beginning to understand. Still needing more, she asked, "Why aren't you healing?"

He groaned trying to sit up. "I'm fine... I just can't transform… been in the Underworld for too long." Her eyes widened in horror when she realized what he was getting at.

"What happened to Sparda?" She was almost to afraid to ask.

"We chased some back to Hell… but then there were so many… I was getting weaker… I'm sorry, milady, Sir Sparda did not make it."

All she could do was gasp at the news. She dropped to her knees and wept and wailed. Azrael comforted the woman.

"I swear to you, I will train your sons in the way he would have wanted and I want you to know that he fought valiantly and it was an honor to do battle at his side."

Eva was inconsolable, as she rightfully should be. In one night, she lost her husband and soul mate. The war waged on inside. She stood there numb, unable to display emotion. Her eyes and nose were now rosy as she let out small sobs.

She and Azrael heard a floor board creek. Their heads snapped over to see Vergil and Dante, standing there in a matching set of Power Ranger pajamas. Eva beckoned them over and embraced her sons.

"I have to tell you something –" Eva began.

She was cut off by Dante, "Daddy's not coming home. Is he?"

She should have known that they knew… After all they are his sons.

I seriously could have done better...

My favorite part about this was imagining the A&F ad. (Ladies, feel free to swoon!)

As soon as my final papers come into fruition, I will update and take my time on it.

Here's a little tidbit: the archangel of death in many Islamic, Judeo-Christian, and Hebrew beliefs is known as Azrael (The spelling does differ in certain traditions).

Reviews?