Chapter 23: She's Back, but she isn't the only one

Dante sat there on the bed while Karen stood in the doorway with an unreadable look on her face. Dante had no idea what to make of it, it made it seem as though his worst nightmares were coming true. He didn't make a move towards her, and she didn't make any movements at all. They froze there for what seemed like eternity. Then she spoke…

"Dante…" Her voice was dry and her only expression was to shake.

"What do you want?" Dante said in a panic, he sounded mean though, but inside it made him want to cry. What if Elli found out? She would never take him back.

"I know I've taken a long time, but I'm finally back…Back to be with you" She sounded as though she would start crying soon. Dante saw something move behind her, and in came a child; a small toddler. Dante stared at the toddler and then looked at Karen in an inquisitive manner.

"This Dante, is my son…Our son…" Karen said, she looked like she was going to smile lovingly until Dante burst out with rage.

"That is not my child! Karen I never slept with you, and he is not mine!" Dante was yelling he was sure of it, but he felt nothing on the inside, the fury was not there and neither was any other feeling at all except guilt.

"I know that, but he is my child, and I thought seeing as we said we would always be together and love each other that you would accept him when I came back" Karen was stroking Dante's hair now, the way she used to. She leaned up to kiss him when someone walked in calling out Dante's name.

Elli dropped the plate she was holding in her hands as she stared at Karen and Dante for a moment. Dante was ready to push Karen to the floor, but by the time he was going to Elli had run off in tears.

"Now where were we" Karen whispered into his ear as she went to kiss him again. Dante pushed Karen away, he wasn't sure how hard he pushed her, but she wasn't going to come that close again.

Dante went flying down the stairs two steps at a time and straight out the large inn doors. He had to find Elli and tell her it was all a misunderstanding, he had to…

Karen's P.O.V

Karen rubbed her arms in shock and went to check on her son. He was fine and she was just a little shaken up. So Dante and Elli huh? He must have gotten with her while she was gone; Elli always was a dirty tramp she thought to herself. No matter, she would win Dante back. And she was going to pay Elli a little visit.

Dante's P.O.V

Dante made it back to the house to find Ann and Cliff were unpacking their stuff and getting ready to have some lunch. As soon as Ann laid eyes on him she turned and walked upstairs. Dante was sure it had to do with Elli; where was she anyway?

"Cliff, have you seen Elli?" Dante asked as casually as he could manage.

"Man Dante, you know you're like my brother, and Elli is like a sister, don't you dare hurt her!" Cliff wasn't yelling, he was being rather placid, but Dante knew Cliff was angry.

"Cliff if you know where she went you need to tell me, I have to find her and explain to her what happened" Dante was almost yelling now.

"Don't worry, she saw it, man how could you do that to her?" Cliff looked absolutely outraged now.

"Look it's not the way it seems, just tell me where she is" Dante was yelling now, and he wasn't going to explain himself to anyone until Elli understood. Cliff stood staring at Dante for what seemed like hours before he grabbed his coat from the coat rack near the door and walked outside. Dante whistled to Fable and grabbed his hat and went outside.

Fable sat intently at the feet of Night. Dante had no idea why Night was there, he had whistled to Fable. He looked up to see that Cliff was on Dawn and was holding onto Night's reigns.

"Are you ready to find your bride brother?" Cliff said looking into the distance. He sounded distant also, but Dante couldn't care less, he wanted to find Elli. He called to Aqua and asked the little Sprite for his help in finding Elli. Aqua held out a note that was written in Elli's handwriting.

" Aqua,

I know you will be tempted to help Dante find me, and I know you could, but as my dearest and closest friend I am asking you to understand that I need to be alone, and so I am asking you not to help Dante.

Elli "

Dante looked at the note, and then at Aqua. He wanted to ask the sprite to help, but the sprite would not answer if he did ask, and asking would be to ask the sprite to violate Elli's wishes and to make the sprite feel uncomfortable about telling Dante when Elli had clearly stated that he should not.

Dante grabbed Night's reigns and jumped onto the horse's back. Night danced around readily and Dante only prayed that the horse was as ready as Dante needed it to be. Where to look first, where to look at all? Well he had no choice but to search everywhere and first place was the forest.

"Let's go Night, Cliff, Fable" He yelled to them all.

"I'm counting on you Night, I need to find her…"He whispered to his horse. And with that they all set off at a gallop, and for fable, a run, to find Elli before something happened.

Elli's P.O.V

Elli sat there on the top of the mountain and watched the sun start to go down. It was beautiful, and it reminded her of back when it was her and Dante up here playing their flute and ocarina together. The thought of it sent a cold shiver down her spine, and a cold droplet down her cheek. She scrubbed at her face to try to get rid of the residue from the tears, but nothing seemed to help, she just seemed to cry even harder. Her grandmother had always told her that if she needed to cry she could always come to her, but Elli knew that if she went there she would be found for sure, and right now she just wanted to be left alone.

Elli rubbed her stomach, only herself and Ann knew. She got up and felt light-headed and dizzy. She had birthed many children before at the clinic, but carrying her own was an entirely new experience. Elli gathered herself and prepared to go the hike down the mountain, though in her usually dress and apron that would be hard, so she was glad she had decided to wear jeans and sturdy running shoes today. As she went to got through threes towards the rocky path down Mother's Hill she heard footsteps and thought it might be Dante so she stayed where she was. But when the figure came through the bushes it was not Dante at all, it was Karen!

"So this is where you are hiding you evil tramp!" Karen hissed at her. Well if that was the way she wanted to play it then that was the way Elli intended to play.

"I do believe you are the one with a son, you skanky little…." Elli left the last word, as she knew that Karen would know exactly what she was about to say.

"It's Dante's son also, or didn't he tell you that?" Karen said smiling wickedly.

"That's not Dante's, he never even slept with you, but you wish he did, me on the other hand…" Elli smiled vexedly at her, but when Karen heard what Elli had said she was ready to take her on.

"your pregnant aren't you?" Karen said to her in an almost yelling tone. Elli only nodded and Karen mumbled.

"If Dante is not going to have my son, then he isn't going to have your child either" Elli only raised an eyebrow at her but when Karen leaped at her she knew exactly what her intention had been.

Both of them went tubling down the side of Mother's Hill, hitting rocks and ravines and other harsh elements. They both rolled through a muddly lake that was there ad the lake near the mines. Both of them ended up in front of the hot spring so hurt that neither of them could pull themselves to get up.

Elli looked down at her stomach and thought of how many times she might have landed on it as hard as she had tried not to and her anger was released. She pulled herself up with all of her strength and walked over to Karen slowly. She looked down at Karen and almost smiled.

"This is for my Marriage!" She said to Karen as she kicked her hard in the ribs.

"This is for Dante!" Again kicking Karen in the ribs.

"And this, this is for my unborn child!" She said as she kicked Karen square in the face and made her scream and kick in pain. Elli then went to say something else, but as she did she could feel herself beginning to fall to the ground. And after that, she passed out.

Dante's P.O.V

Dante caught Elli just as she fell from exhaustion. He had no idea what had happened or bee said, but he saw Elli kick Karen in the face and begin to lose balance. Karen lay on the floor passing out herself, but Dante didn't care if she lay there and died. He and Cliff helped Elli onto Nights back and Dante gathered around her so that he could hold her as he raced to the hospital.

"I'll go and get someone to help Karen, much as I hate her for what she has done for Elli, if we leave her here and she dies it could be classed as a hit and run, and the three of us could go to jail." Cliff said to Dante as Dante prepared Elli for the race to the hospital. Dante only nodded and held onto Elli tightly as he galloped in the direction of the hospital.

Dante could feel her breathing getting lighter and her heartbeat was starting to slow. He urged Night to go faster and the stallion did so with great speed. Dante held Elli tighter and prayed that she would be ok.

2 hours later

Dante sat in the waiting area of the hospital as he had been forbidden into the surgery room that Elli was in. Dante and Fable waited together patiently and all that was running through Dante's head was what had actually happened, and was Elli going to be seriously harmed even after she had been to the hospital.

Fable started to bark happily when the Doctor emerged from the surgery room. But she stopped and sat down when she saw the gloomy look on his face. He came up to Dante and told him what he assumed had happened given what her bruises were like. Dante sunk into himself as the Doctor went on and he tried so hard to not start crying then and there. But then the Doctor began to ask him a question and Dante began to listen better.

"Dante, did you know Elli was pregnant?" Dante shook his head and smiled proudly on the inside.

"Well then I am dreadfully sorry, bit I fear she may have lost the baby..."