They say that, in Hell, no one care hear your screams.
But... After years and years of torture and abuse at the hands of these demented jailers and demons, the woman wondered how that statement was true.
Her screams were heard.
Her cries were laughed at.
Her tears were mocked.
She forgot how many years she had spent here.
For the first decade or so,she fought against them. Trying to prove she could handle anything they could throw at her. Trying to show that nothing they did bothered her in any way.
But these demons were crafty...
When physical attacks ceased to work. They found something else.
They found her emotional weakness.
And they exploited it, day after day.
No matter how hard she fought, the emotional scarring eventually became too much.
During her initial breakdown, that was when they pounced.
She still remembered their laughter and jeers...
The woman woke with a scream, sitting bolt upright in the bed, chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath, body bathed in a cold sweat, her clothes and hair stuck to her pale skin.
She felt movement beside her and jumped before she heard that familiar voice.
"It's okay..." The calming voiced urged her gently. "It was just a dream, you're safe." It assured her as she felt strong, careful arms encircle her and pull her close to him.
She sat there for a moment or two, breathing slowly regulating until she was no longer on the verge of hyperventilating.
"I should be stronger than this..." She murmured, voice sounding as though she were on the verge of tears.
"Healing takes time, love." She was told.
"How much time?!" She demanded, pushing away from her savior and glaring up at him. Even in the dark, she could see where he was enough to look him straight in the eye, emerald eyes boring up into those of electric blue.
"Andorra..."
"No, Vergil, I want an answer. How long do I have to have these night terrors? It's been five goddamn years! I've come to terms with the trauma, I've faced those demons in every possible way; literally, metaphorically, physically, and emotionally! They shouldn't be haunting my dreams or my waking moments! Tell me why after dealing with it properly, I can't move on!"
She hasn't realized she was yelling u til she heard a banging on the neighboring wall.
"Hey, shut up!" The groggy voice of her twin brother in law hollered.
"Dante, don't make me come over there!" She threatened, voice nothing more than a low growl, but it seemed to work, because she got no answer.
After a few moments of silence, she sighed and hung her head, using a hand to wipe her eyes as tears stung her eyes and threatened to overflow.
"I'm sorry..." She huffed. "I didn't mean to take all that out on you, I'm just, I'm so tired of dealing with this..." The more she spoke, the more it became evident she would cry, no matter how much she wished not to.
"I know." Vergil replied, reaching over and hauling her into his lap, cradling her close, her head resting against his chest as he gently rested his head atop hers. "I wish I could do more for you."
He must have said something humorous, because she gave a light hearted laugh.
"What?"
"I'm just thinking... You remember back when we were engaged? This scenario wouldn't have happened then." She said.
He smiled a bit.
"We were both different way back then." He admitted. "I was a fool to treat you in a such a manner in the beginning." As he spoke, his smile faded. "Perhaps if I had been better for you, then we would not be having this conversation."
"Don't blame yourself," she chided, moving to look up at him once more. "My anger got the better of me, if I hadn't stormed off like I did and stayed..." She drifted off.
"As I said, we were both very different back then." He stated quietly.
They fell into silence for a few moments before the light crackling of electricity caught their attention before hearing a babe's cries over the monitor.
"Damn, two am already." Andorra said, moving to exit the bed, but she was stopped by Vergil not letting her go.
"You stay, I'll tend to her." He said, gently moving her off his lap. "You try to rest.
"Awe... But I haven't seen her since yesterday morning..." She needed to spend more time with her own daughter...
"I'll bring her to you, but I'd rather you stay in bed and rest up." He told her, kissing her brow before getting up out of the bed.
Andorra nodded and made herself comfortable as he left the room.
Once the covers and pillows were rearranged, she leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. She then looked over on her bedside table and reached for her phone. She scrolled through her contacts until she found the number she was looking for.
She just stared at it. Finger hovering over the call icon despite knowing there would be no answer. There hasn't been in a long while. And there would never be.
Why had she not deleted it?
Because it was the only part of them she had left. The only physical memory. The only thing that she could willingly use to call forth memories she enjoyed.
She sighed and put the phone away.
It was times like this she really missed her parents...
She was brought out of her funk by sensing Vergil enter the room, holding little baby Anne.
"See, there's mama." He was telling the little swaddle, only getting a small fussy whine in response.
"She wouldn't eat, so I figured she needed you." He explained as Andorra reached for the blanket wrapped bundle and smiled.
"Hey little one." She does as she gently laid the babe down on the bed and slowly unswaddled her. The tiny girl stretched her arms as they were freed, little legs curling up to her chest before she relaxed a bit. "Awe, big stretch. You hungry? Hmm?"
Anne grinned as she tried to turn her head and focus on her mother's voice.
"Awe... You missed me, huh?" Andorra cooed and gently lifted the little girl, being careful of her head as she cradled her in the crook of her arm.
The baby cooed and smiled, simply staring up at her mother.
"That seems to be a yes." Vergil stated with a smile as he sat on the edge of the end near them, using the back of one of his fingers to gently caress the little girls cheek.
To the parents, it was often hard for them to agree who the little girl looked after. Andorra felt the Sparda men all had the strongest genes, but to Vergil, it was the Darkes genes to had passed more.
To be fair, she was more of a perfect mix of the two. With the dark hair and pale skin of her mother, but those blue eyes and angelic features of her father.
They simply sat there and enjoyed staring their little one for a moment before the child yawned and then began rooting around as though she were hungry.
"All right, okay... Andorra cooed, taking the bottle from Vergil and gently goading the girl to eat.
She wished she could feed her like she was supposed to, but hell, Andorra was lucky to even conceive Anne in the first place...
With a sigh, Andorra leaned back and got comfortable, watching her kid eat this stinky formula stuff.
She thought back to years ago. How everything that happened then was all just a bit lead up until now. Maybe she needed hardships? Granted, no one deserves what she went through, but everyone was challenged throughout their lives... Maybe if she hadn't been such a hard headed bitch back then... Anne would be older and gornw up already...
She didn't even realize she'd drifted off until she felt Vergil gently pick up Anne out of her arms.
"Mmm." She protested lightly without even opening her eyes.
"Rest, I'll finish feeding her." He told her softly, giving her another kiss on the brow before she finally passed out for the night.
(Short chapter, I know. But what led up to this tender moment? Stay tuned for the next chapter! ~Phoenix )