Hello again! I wanted to thank those of you who have reviewed or added this to your favourites. I am greatly honoured by this.

Now, this chapter is a humorous one. We all know how lousy Dante is at gambling, but what happens when the legendary devil hunter actually wins? To find out, please read. ;) I hope you get a good chuckle out of this.

Additionally, this is the last chapter until I return from my vacation, in two week's time. I promise you, there is still plenty more to go.

Without further ado, enjoy. And as always, please review.

Disclaimer: Devil May Cry and its characters are the property of Capcom. This is a non-profit fanfiction, purely for entertainment.

Wager

Dante bellowed a laugh, dropping his cards on to coffee table, a triumphant grin lighting his face.

"Read 'em and weep," he crowed, "royal straight flush!"

Nero's jaw dropped open, the already pale youth blanching further. Beside him, Lady's heterochromatic eyes widened, her mouth forming a comical 'O' of surprise.

In the entire history of Dante and gambling, the devil hunter was seldom known for winning; as in, pretty much never. In fact, the only time that anyone could recall he had won, had been during the death poker match aboard the cruise ship. Having gambled against the demon, whom had possessed each of the players into becoming 'King', it had been quite a different game, than the one he had just been playing. When demons were involved, Dante never lost.

He looked at his companions, relishing their reaction. Leaning back against the couch with his hands clasped at the back of his head, he let out an evil chuckle, enjoying the effect it had on the two sitting opposite from him.

What makes this deal even sweeter are the bets they made. He snorted, bringing Nero and Lady out of their shocked silence.

"No…way." Nero was the first one to speak, his head shaking back and forth slowly.

"Clearly not." Dante replied, grinning.

"There's just no way, you won…" Nero didn't seem to have heard him, the youth staring at the cards as though he expected them to magically change into a losing hand before his eyes.

"The cards don't lie, kid." Dante didn't even bother to control the smug tone of his voice.

"You cheated, didn't you?" Lady accused, finally snapping out of her own stupor. Moving quickly, she swiped the cards from the table, examining them closely. Not finding anything to support her accusation, she frowned.

Dante cocked an eyebrow at her. "Satisfied?" he asked.

"Not really." was the curt reply.

"Well, as amusing as it is, watching you both flounder like this," Dante stretched, and leaned forward, rubbing his hands together enthusiastically, "it's time to pay the piper."

Nero and Lady groaned. Their pained expressions said it all; why, oh why had they agreed to do whatever Dante wanted, if he won?

It's simple, Dante mused, because in a million years, they never expected I would. Serves them right, for making a wager like that!

Lady sighed, her jaw clenching and unclenching. "Alright, what do we have to do?" she asked finally, her cheek twitching.

"Oh, this is just too perfect," Dante gave them both a predatory smile, and placed his hands on the coffee table, "Lady, you have to watch a movie marathon, right here in the Devil May Cry, so that I know you're upholding your side of the bargain."

Lady looked the half devil in confusion, "What's so bad about that?"

Dante let out a dark chuckle, "You have to watch the Twilight movies."

"No…" Lady groaned, "Why does it have to be that, of all things?"

Dante winked at her, "Because of that reaction exactly, my dark-haired beauty."

Lady glared daggers at the last part, her expression changing to one that was most uncharacteristic of her; pleading.

"Come on, can't you come up with something else, anything else?"

Dante stroked the stubble on his chin, pretending to think it over.

"Well, I'll tell you what, Lady." When the female devil hunter's expression became anxious, Dante found himself fighting off the laughter that threatened to consume him.

"What?" she demanded impatiently. Leaning over the table, she narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion.

"If you can be nice to me for 48 hours, I won't subject you to that." He gave her a toothy smile, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't even think it's possible," Nero scoffed, looking pointedly at Lady, "if you manage to pull it off though, you deserve a medal. I sure as hell couldn't do it."

Dante glared at Nero for a moment. The glare disappeared though, and gave way to more sadistic grinning. After all, he still had yet to dole out punishment to the kid…and with that comment he'd made, the kid had sealed his fate. Dante was going to have fun picking out a suitable punishment, indeed.

Lady exhaled slowly. "Alright, I'll do it." She finally agreed, her eyes meeting Dante's.

"Good," Dante replied, "just remember; the moment you stop being nice…" he pointed at the television set.

"Yeah, I read you loud and clear," Lady huffed, "sparkly vampires."

Dante laughed, and turned his gaze to Nero.

"Now, as for you…what should I make you do? After that smart-assed comment of yours, it needs to be really good."

Nero visibly gulped, his eyes widening fearfully. "Now hold on, old man. You know I didn't really mean anything by tha-"

Dante pretended he hadn't heard him, and began drumming his fingers on the table top, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth all the while. The longer he dragged it out, the more he'd get to savour Nero's veiled pleading.

After several long, agonizing minutes, with Nero going back and forth between begging and threatening, Dante finally announced the white-haired youth's fate.

"No," Nero choked out, his blue eyes wide with panic, "not that. Please, old man! Anything but that! I'll wash and wax your car, I'll clean the office for a month straight, I'll…"

Dante held up a hand, interrupting Nero's frantic bargaining. "I'm sure Patty would appreciate that last part, but…" suddenly, an idea struck him.

A grin slowly appeared on his face, giving way to maniacal cackling.

Both Nero and Lady exchanged a worried glance; there was something very disconcerting about that laugh.

"That's it," Dante struck the palm of his hand with a fist, "Patty! She'll want to see this!"

Nero groaned again. "Aw c'mon, Dante…"

Dante grinned knowingly; the kid only called him by his name, when he was about to go into full-blown grovelling mode. His icy blue eyes twinkled mischievously, waiting for Nero to continue.

"Isn't it degrading enough, without bringing a blonde twelve-year-old into the mix?"

Dante didn't think so, and told the younger man as much.

Nero sighed, and looked at Lady. What had they gotten themselves into?

Nero had spent hours trying to change the elder devil hunter's mind, but to no avail. As entertaining as it was, watching the kid's discomfort, Dante was dead set on making him really squirm.

Now, it was the following day, and the youth resigned himself to his fate. From the scowl on his face, Dante could tell the younger man felt he'd gotten the shortest straw. Little did he know, Lady would suffer a lot, in her own special way.

Dante had known Lady for years; this challenge would not be easy on her. Before the 48 hours was done, he was sure she'd be flopped on the couch, bemoaning the horrid plotline on the television set, and gagging at every disgustingly sweet bit of dialogue that came with it.

Returning to the task at hand, Dante motioned for Nero to turn around. Laughing as the youth let out a growl, he zipped up the back of the shirt the kid was wearing.

Well, shirt didn't quite cover it; it was a black and red strapless bustier, complete with frills. In addition to the bustier, Nero wore a frilly white skirt, complete with cream coloured laced, knee-high boots.

To add insult to injury, Dante had also put make-up on the kid's face. Peacock blue eye shadow was layered on thick, reaching Nero's silvery eyebrows. Black eyeliner accented his upper eyelids, with fake eyelashes glued on for good measure. A deep pink blush graced his cheeks, and of course, the pièce de résistance, blood red lipstick.

The wounded scowl on Nero's face only caused Dante to double over, succumbing to hoarse laughter.

When his mirth subsided to giggles, Nero let out an exasperated sigh. "Do I really have to go out all day like this?"

"Afraid so, kid." Dante chuckled, grabbing the digital camera from the corner of his desk, and snapping a bunch of pictures before Nero even had time to react.

Ignoring the youth's indignant "Hey!" Dante scrolled through the pictures, grinning all the while.

"These will do nicely." He drawled.

"What do you mean? For what?" Nero's voice had taken on an edge of desperation, his eyes widening exponentially, the longer it took for Dante to answer.

"Incentive," Dante answered coyly, "gotta keep that smart mouth of yours in check, somehow."

Nero's face fell. "You're blackmailing me?"

"Yup."

"On top of everything else I'm going to suffer through with this…you're blackmailing me." It was no longer a question, but a deadpan affirmation.

"You got it, kid."

After a moment, Nero opened his mouth. "Dante, please-"

"Ah ah," Dante chided, wagging a finger at Nero mockingly, "no more begging, kid. Deal with the cards you've been dealt."

Nero actually whimpered at this statement; from the anguished expression on the younger man's face, he knew Dante had used the analogy purposely.

Thinking he'd salted those particular wounds enough, he strode over to his desk, and picked up the phone. "Well, now that that's settled, there's a former orphan girl to invite over."

The moment the pre-teen sauntered into the Devil May Cry office, her eyes fell on Nero. Her mouth hung open, her blue eyes widening in shock. Then came the giggles; the giggles gave way to chuckles, which gave way to full-blown hysterical laughter.

Wiping the mirth from her eyes, she smiled up at Nero apologetically.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, around a renewed wave of giggling, "This is just too much."

Dante watched from his high-backed chair, his feet propped up on their usual spot on his desk. He took note of Nero's face, the youth's frown deepening with each one of Patty's giggles.

"So, this is all because you lost a game of poker to Dante?" the girl couldn't hide the surprise in her voice. Her gaze met the legendary devil hunter's, a single eyebrow arched inquiringly.

"Who knew, right?" Dante declared, clapping a hand onto his desk, conveying his own amusement.

Nero grumbled under his breath, and decided to go sit on the couch with his mutual victim. Lady didn't even have the heart to laugh at the white-haired young man; not when her own fate hung in the balance.

"So, what does Lady have to do?" Patty asked, approaching Dante's desk.

The half devil snickered. "Oh, nothing much. She just has to be nice to me for 48 hours, or else…"

Patty cast a sidelong glance at Lady, noting the female devil hunter's resigned expression.

"Or else what?" Patty prompted, returning her gaze to Dante.

"Or, she has to watch all of the Twilight movies, back to back, right there on that couch-with me keeping an eye on her. After all, I don't want her falling asleep, or anything."

He let out a chuckle, watching as Patty's jaw dropped.

After a moment, the blonde girl covered her mouth with a hand, trying to conceal her own amusement. "Oh Dante, that is cruel!"

Dante leaned forward conspiratorially, motioning with his hand for Patty to come closer. When she complied, he cupped his hand around her ear, his mouth an inch from the lobe.

"I'll get the whole thing on video for you when she cracks, if you do me one little favour." His whispers tickled her ear, but she nodded, and listened intently.

Clapping both hands over her mouth to keep from laughing, she nodded her agreement.

Casting a look at the miserable duo on his couch, Dante grinned wickedly. They had both noticed the exchange, but unable to hear, wore expressions of bewilderment and fear.

Of course, even if they had heard, they'd look much the same; perhaps even more so… Dante grinned to himself.

Passing the digital camera to Patty, he indicated the 'record' function. The girl giggled, and sauntered over to Nero.

"Hey Nero, I'm in the mood for some ice cream," Patty declared cheerfully, "Let's go together."

Nero cast an angry look at Dante, only succeeding in causing the devil hunter to erupt into another fit of laughter.

Grumbling, the younger man got up from the couch, looking at Lady in despair. "Good luck." He told her, his voice solemn.

Lady nodded back at him. "You, too."

With that, Patty skipped over to the double doors, smiling as she held them open for Nero. Reluctantly, the youth stepped out into the bright sunlight, the doors closing with a resounding clang.

Dante smirked, and looked over at Lady. "Looks like it's just you and me, hot stuff."

When Nero and Patty returned, Dante greeted them enthusiastically.

"So, how did it go, kid? Did you manage to land a date?"

Nero gritted his teeth, but said nothing.

"No dates," Patty reported, "but quite a few wolf-whistles." She handed the camera back to Dante, and turned to Nero.

The white-haired youth wore a disgruntled expression, not even meeting her gaze.

"I'm really sorry, Nero." Patty said to him, grasping his Devil Bringer between both of her own hands. "I kind of owed Dante a favour. I hope there are no hard feelings."

Staring down at the innocent blue orbs that were Patty's eyes, Nero exhaled.

"No hard feelings," he replied, ruffling her hair, "it's not your fault." He looked pointedly at Dante, earning a look of smug satisfaction for his efforts.

A loud groan punctuated the silence, all three sets of eyes falling on Lady. The female devil hunter was slumped on the sofa, her head in her hands.

Both Patty and Nero looked at Dante. The devil hunter grinned in reply.

"When did…?" Patty began, Dante cutting her off.

"About three hours after you guys left." He replied, laughter in his voice. "Don't worry, it's recording right now."

He indicated the camcorder, resting on its tripod next to the television set.

"Are you really going to make her watch all of them?" Patty whispered.

"Nah, even I'm not that heartless." Dante chortled. "Once this one is over, I'll cut her some slack."

Nero grumbled, a sour expression darkening his face.

Taking notice of this, Dante clapped a hand on the youth's shoulder.

"Okay, kid. You've suffered enough. Go clean up," the half devil gestured to the upstairs, where Nero's clothes awaited him, "and tell you what. To make up for some of the humiliation you suffered, I'll give you a little something."

Instantly intrigued, Nero's eyes brightened. "Oh, yeah? And what would that be?"

Dante leaned closer, his voice barely a whisper. "When Lady leaves, you can watch the video of her 'critique' of Twilight with us later."

The elder hunter watched the youth, noting his facial expressions going from thoughtful to overly cheerful. After all, hadn't it been Lady's fault that he had gone along with the wager, in the first place? She had assured Nero that Dante wouldn't win, and he had paid a high price for listening to her.

Seeing the justification in the kid's eyes, Dante only smirked. As the kid headed up the stairs to change, he turned, noticing Patty grinning at him knowingly.

"If I know anything about you, there's more to this than you're letting on." She said in an undertone, as to not draw attention to either of them.

Dante shrugged, a lopsided grin gracing his face.

"I just can't fool you, little lady." He winked playfully.

After all, he hadn't said anything about the video of Nero…he was sure Lady would get a real kick out of it, later on.