Chapter 10

Family Ties

Eden pushed down the trash to make it all fit, then brushed her hands off on the sides of her pants. She still had the crust of a piece of pizza she had been eating in her mouth and swallowed the last of it.

Dante was at his desk, talking to someone on the phone about God knows what, and throwing his amulet up and down in the air.

Eden smiled as she walked over to the sofa and sat down. She gasped as she felt something under the cushion. She lifted it up and found a book. She covered her mouth to hide her laugh as she read the title, "How to tell if someone's in Love for Dummies".

She sat down and opened to the page that was marked. "If someone begins to clean up for you that is a sign that they care enough about you to make sure that you look good for both your benefits." She pinched her nose to keep from laughing out loud.

She heard Dante hang up the phone and looked up with a smile as he looked over at her. She looked back at the book, flipping back a few pages to the beginning, "If you love someone and don't know if they love you back, this is a book for you to read. Find out if the one you set your heart on is in love with you back by watching their actions, and this book will help you interpret them."

She saw the shadow over her and looked to see Dante, "Whatcha doin'?" he saw the title of the book and blinked, "Where'd you get that!?" he reached for it and she pulled it away, "I found it!" she laughed, jumping from the couch and running a few steps before looking back, "Why are you reading this book, huh?" she waved the yellow and black cover book at him.

"Give it back, Eden!" he reached for the book but she held it out of his reach. "No! I wanna know why you have it? Why does the rough and tumble Dante have a Love book?"

"Give it!" he reached for it again and she jumped behind his desk, "Not until you tell me!" she laughed. Dante jumped over the desk and reached around her back, grabbing for the book. Eden laughed and leaned over and held the book to her stomach.

Dante tickled her sides and made her buckle and he ripped the book from her arms, "Got it!" he held it over his head, turning and walking back to the desk, opening the drawer with a lock and shoving it in.

"Come on, Dante," she pressed, "Why do you have it?" Dante looked back at her, putting a hand on his hip, looking like he was pondering whether to tell her or not, then shaking his head, "Na…"

Eden pouted, and sat in his chair, "You meany…"

Dante grabbed her arm and pulled her up, sitting in his chair and smiling at her, "Call me what you will, but I'm not tellin'." Eden sighed, "I'm gonna take to take a shower," she walked over to the bathroom door, "Oh," she turned around, "I forgot to tell you that some people called you today. I took notes, there by the phone on the sticky-notes."

She took a shirt from Dante's room and a towel and walked into the bathroom, Dante watching her every move. He smiled to himself and looked at the notes.

5568-8875: Demon infestation, offering $30,000

4487-8996: Demon murderings, offering $780,000

This went on for about three pages of sticky-notes, all having four on each. Clearly business was going well, better than before when the days were slow. He chuckled and listened as the shower started. And, he was sure she did it just to annoy him, she started to sing the same song that he would in the shower.

He laughed at himself, and stood up, looking at the list. "Lets see," he began to fling them around, "Enie, meanie, minie, mo," he finished and chose the one that had $468,000 for taking care of a mob of demons that were harassing the women.

He smiled, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on, grabbing Ebony and Ivory and then looking over his demon weapons. He decided on Agni and Rudra, and Cerbrus. He turned and knocked on the bathroom door, "Eden?"

"Eek!" he heard her jump, "What do you want!?!" He laughed at her, "Relax, I don't wanna join," yet… "I just wanted to tell you I'm headin' out. Will ya be alright for a couple hours?"

"Sure," she said, her voice echoing in the bathroom. "Right, don't wait up," he turned, walking out of the shop and closing the door, locking it for good measure, and to make himself feel better about leaving her alone.

He walked down the street, looking at the address on the sticky-note and then looking up, "110 North Street…this way," he leaped atop a building and ran off into the new coming night.

Eden hummed to herself as she cleaned the trash from the desk, throwing away the left-overs, seeing that there was no room left in the fridge.

She jumped as the door opened with a CLANG of the lock. She looked to see what looked like Dante, but more regal looking. "Dante?" she blinked. She shivered as the same glass colored eyes that Dante had fell on her. Instead of the life filled, carefree look Dante normally had, this pair was cold and heartless.

He had spiked hair and wore dark blue and black, holding a sword at his side. Eden noticed that this was not Dante, and felt everything in her body scream for her to run. She cleared her throat and stood up straight, "Um, can I help you?"

The man walked about, "Maybe you can," Enzo came back to her mind, and she let her eyes cast down, "Where is Dante?"

"Out," she answered, not wanting to give away too much, fearing she may endanger him. "Where?" he began to circle her, looking over her, as if to see if she could put up a fight, "I'm not sure…" she answered again.

The man began to walk toward her, backing her into the desk, "You're not sure, or you're not telling?" Eden let her hand drift onto the desk, edging toward the gun Dante had given her back at her mansion, "What does it matter to you? Who are you?"

The man smiled coldly at her, "What does it matter to you?" Eden gripped the gun handle and held it to his neck, "It doesn't, I just wanted to see if you were one of his friends or not."

The man smiled, "I see," his eyes looked amused, "You want to know who you are trying to kill?" Eden frowned, "I don't want to kill anyone, or you. But I wanted to give you a chance to explain yourself. Not many people can get in a locked door without a key," she shrugged, "Unless they're determined."

"What makes you think I'm not?"

"Only two types of people are that determined, thieves and perverts," she smiled, "So you must be one of the two."

The man grabbed her arm and twisted it around, pinning both her arms behind her back, "Well, maybe I just want to see Dante."

"Oh," she smiled, "Well he's not here…" "Then I'll wait for him," he smiled against her neck, "Perhaps you'd like to keep me company?"

Eden raised her leg and kicked him in the crotch, making him recoil back, "Sorry," she smiled, pointing her gun, "I'm not very good at keeping strangers company." She fired two shots, but he pulled his sword and blocked them both. Eden blinked before firing again, three more shots rang out, and three bullets clanged on the floor.

"This is a waste of time," the man sighed, Eden glared and fired again. Still, he was unharmed, unfazed. "Enough of this foolishness," he dashed forward and knocked the gun from her hand, sending it tumbling to the ground.

His arms rapped around her waist and lifted her over his shoulders. "Ah! Put me down!! Put me down!!" she began to beat on his back. "Be still!" he snapped at her. "HELP!!" she screamed, hoping someone could here.

"Shut up!" he snapped again, walking over toward the pool table. "Dante!!!' she screamed once more. On cue, the front doors blasted open, and Dante stood there, guns raised and eyes a blaze. "What the hell is going on here!?!" he growled, pointing the gun at the man.

"Vergil," he sighed, "Should've guessed you'd come here." Vergil grinned, "Hello, brother." Eden looked from Vergil to Dante, "Brother!? This jerk's your brother!?!"

"My twin to be exact," Dante grinned. Eden let her head drop, "Then 'jerkism' must run in the family…PUT ME DOWN!!" she whacked Vergil over the head and found herself tumbling to the floor, landing on her newly healed arm. "Ouch!" she rubbed her hip and arm, "You…" she didn't finish, he had pointed the tip of his sword to her neck, "Be silent, I don't tolerate insults from women."

Eden glared at him, "Oh, that's not an insult, this is!!" she kicked him hard in-between his legs, and as he leaned over she scrambled to her feet and ran over to Dante, stepping behind him.

"Ow," Dante made a face, "Did ya have to do that number?" he looked back at Eden. Eden glared at him, "He deserved it!" "For what?" Dante looked back at his brother. "For being…well, there's a long list, but that was mostly for my own benefit."

Vergil glared at her, "You bitch!" he pointed his sword at her, "I should kill you for that!" Dante's face lost its sarcasms, "Lay one finger on her," he raised Ebony, "And I'll kill you myself."

Vergil looked half amused, "So, taking up protecting little girls now?" "I'm not little, you ass!" Eden glared at him, "I'm almost as old as you!!" Dante sighed, "Just shut it, Eden." "You…" she gritted her teeth, but it was Vergil who cut her off as he charged Dante.

Dante pulled Rebellion and the two demons swords crossed, making a clanging sound that hurt Eden's ears. She flinched and backed away, everything in her screaming that she better run, but she had to stay.

Her human instincts for survival told her that she was in danger, to run away as far as possible, but she ignored them, wanting to stay here. Besides, were would she go? Her home was gone, and Dante had invited her to live with him.

So, this was her home as much as his. She was going to stay, at the very least, Dante needed a housekeeper. She's seen the bathroom…

She was cut from her thoughts as another; new sound rang in her ears, the sound of flesh being cut. Fearing that Dante was hurt, she looked to see that he was alone. Vergil had disappeared, and Dante was leaned over, holding his abdomen, "Damn it…" he had a slight chuckle to his voice, and his sword was blood stained by Vergil's blood. "Dante!" she dashed up, "Are you alright?!" she stood in front of him and held his shoulder's, "Fine," he mumbled, straightening again and looking down at his wound.

He removed his hand from the gapping hole, blood trailing up his arm and down his abs. Eden covered her mouth, looking at the wound that looked like no man could stand from, yet here he was. I hope I get use to this… she thought.

"He got me didn't he? Damn…" he tried to limp to the sofa, but failed, leaning on the metal post, "This is gonna leave a mark." "What the hell are you worried about MARKS for!?!" Eden pulled his arm over her shoulder and he let go of Rebellion's handle, the sword clattering to the ground.

Dante didn't completely lean on her, but he aloud her to help him to the couch. He slumped down, gritting his teeth, "I forgot how much that sword could hurt," he smiled to himself, leaning his head back.

Eden glared at him, "I blink and you two have slauttered each other!" she shook her head, "I feel so sorry for your mother…having to put up with all this crap…" she mumbled as she walked to the bathroom to find a cloth and water.

Dante was shifting to lay down when she returned. She knelt next to him and poured peroxide onto the cloth, "This may sting…" she said as she placed it over the wound. Dante's chest froze on impacted, but then he relaxed, "You don't have to do that," he said as she began to whip away blood around the wound. "Hush," she snapped, "It's for my own benefit."

"Why do you want to do this then?" he smiled, "You know I can heal a lot faster than you, or anyone for that matter." "Oh, I know," she sighed, pouring a bit more peroxide onto the cloth and dabbing the wound, "But…I guess it's to make me think that you're still…part human."

Dante raised an eyebrow, "I eat, isn't that enough?" "Ha, ha, very funny," she made a pouting face, "It's to make me feel better, alright? Let's leave it at that." She pulled a cotton square from the first aid kit and med-tape, covering the wound and then taping over it.

"I'm just going to have to take it off in the morning…" he pocked at his bandages, frowning a bit. "Don't be such a baby," she slapped his hand, "Don't touch it." He raised both his hands in defeat, "Yes, mistress!"

Eden smiled brightly, "Good boy," she patted his head, "Now stay." She picked up everything she had and returned to the bathroom, coming back with a cup of water from the tap, "So, does your brother come by often?"

Dante took it, frowning a bit, "No." Eden sat down, "You two don't seem to get along to well." Dante laughed as he drank a bit of water, "Vergil…he's kinda like my polar opposite. We couldn't be more different if he was a wolf and I was a tiger."

Eden nodded, "He came looking for you though." "Oh," Dante laughed, putting the cup on the floor, "He was looking for me alright, looking to kill me. It's been that way for a while now. He wants Rebellion or something…"

"You mean," she sat on the arm of the sofa at his feet, "You don't know why he's fighting you?" "Oh," Dante shrugged, "I know one reason." "What?" Eden tilted her head, "I'm in the way," he chuckled.

"'In the way'?" Eden repeated. Dante put his hands behind his head, "Vergil wants to rule the world…or something like that. He's like your Aaron, he wants power." He tapped his amulet, "See this?" Eden nodded, "He's after it. So are a lot of other people. It's one of the keys to hell." He shrugged, "We've both got one, me and Vergil. It was a gift from my mom before she died."

Eden looked down at the floor, then at his desk. Seeing the picture that was framed, she got up and walked over, lifting it into her hands, looking over the blonde woman, then walking back to him. "Is this her?" she sat on the edge of the sofa by his side, holding it at an angle so he could see.

Dante slowly took the picture and looked at it. Over the years, he had gotten three different frames for it. The silver and gold frame was the newest, with the new glass he had put in after Arkam had tipped the desk.

"Yeah," he smiled, "That's my mother, Eva." Eden nodded, and then took the picture, "She reminds me of my mom," she smiled, tapping Eva's lips, "They have the same smile. My Uncle called it the mother's smile."

Dante looked at it, and then sighed, shifting and pulling the photo from his pocket, "I found this in your mansion before it burned down." Eden blinked, placing the picture of Eva carefully on the floor before taking the photo. Blinking, she traced the people, as if not recognizing them, then her mouth quivered into a smile.

"I haven't seen this picture since I was little…" she smiled at him; "This is my family…" she looked back. Dante watched her for a while, not understanding what was going through her mind.

For almost ten or so years, she had been living an almost isolated life. She never had any friends out of the mansion, and the ones she called friends were more like hired friends. Her own uncle barely saw her, and her family died so early in her life she either can't remember them or have faded memories of them.

"My brother," she tapped the young boy's face, "He would've carried on the family…Seth wasn't suppose to die."

Seth? Dante remembered the name on the gun. "I was the first girl ever born in my family," Eden sighed, "And my father had no idea what to do." She laughed a bit, "Jonathan always said that when I was a baby, my dad was scared to leave me alone. He was afraid that something would happen to me, because I was different."

Dante sat up and looked at the picture with her. The man with dark hair and light green eyes was looking at his newborn daughter with such happiness, Dante could only imagine what he must've felt, the burden of a small, frail, defenseless and helpless life on his hands.

Dante let his eyes dart up to Eden. She wasn't helpless anymore, though some part of her remand frail. "How much do you remember of your father?" the words slipped from his mouth, and upon noticing the look she had, he regretted them.

But he couldn't take back what he said, and she was ready to answer, "Almost nothing," she sighed, "I remember once, in the catacombs, I got lost…in almost the same place you left me," she grinned at him as he sighed, remembering when they had first met. "I stayed there for almost three hours, and I was only three, so three hours was torture."

"Then," she smiled, "He just…appeared, out of thin air it seemed…"

"Daddy…" the little Eden curled up into a ball in the middle of the dirty stone floor, "I'm scared daddy…daddy…" she rubbed her eyes, "Daddy, save me…"

She sat up again, sobbing loudly and screaming for her father. Then, in a swirl of black and blue, there he stood, "Eden!" he fell to his knees and embraced his little daughter with his strong arms, sighing and stroking her hair, showering her in soft kisses on her head, "Oh, I thought I lost you, sweetie…" he said softly.

Eden held tight to her father's neck, "Daddy! Daddy!" she sobbed. "Hush, hush…Shh…" he rubbed her back and rocked her back and forth, "How'd you get down here honey?" he asked as he rose to his feet. "I don't know…"

"It's alright," he sighed, patting her back as she rested on his shoulder, "We'll take you back upstairs and you can go back to sleep. You had Seth worried to y'know."

Eden smiled, "Seth isn't worried about me…" "Of course he is," he laughed, "You scared us all. Jonathan was about to call the police thinking that you had been kidnapped."

Eden giggled, then yawned, "Go to sleep, little one. I'll take care of you."


"He just appeared?" Dante raised an eyebrow. Eden smiled, "Yeah…" her brow creased, "Y'know, up till now, I never thought about it. I guess that should've been the sign that my family wasn't normal, right?" she smiled at him, "I'm not the most observant of people."

"No," Dante laid back, putting his arms behind his head, "You're not." "You are such a gentleman." Eden said sarcastically. Dante opened one eye, "Why thank you, miss."

Eden punched his leg lightly, smiling as he chuckled at her. She yawned, tugging at the shirt, "Your clothes are a little big on me." "I'm sorry I'm not a girl…" Dante said tiredly. "You ass…" she stood up, "I meant, tomorrow is your day off."

"I don't get days off," Dante opened his eyes, watching her walk over and open the fridge, pulling out a cold piece of pizza, "It is now," she smiled smartly, "And your going with me."

"Where?" Dante sat up as she walked toward the bedroom door. She turned around and smiled at him, holding the pizza inches from her lips, "Shopping."

She slipped into the room and shut the door with a soft click. Dante blinked, then groaned, falling back onto the arm of the sofa. If he had known the trouble she'd be, he'd have left her in that mansion.