This can't be happening. I… I won't allow it. There's no way-

"Vergil…?" Lady's concerned voice pulled Vergil out of his frantic thoughts. "Is something the matter?"

Vergil's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Sorry, I… I thought I'd forgotten to do something," Vergil said stiffly. He quickly turned into the parking lot of the restaurant, desperately hoping that Lady hadn't noticed what he'd just seen. It's fine. It's not the only vehicle of its type. Besides, they're far too uncultured to eat somewhere like this.

"Oh my goodness, is this the Ristorante Stravagante?!" Lady squealed in excitement as she caught sight of one of the signs. "I've always wanted to come here!" She looked out of the window and gasped as they passed under an archway of sparking lights. Vergil smiled. Trish's recommendation had been a success. However… He glanced up at the rearview mirror, hoping to prove his concerns wrong. He groaned internally as he caught sight of the fluorescent blue sign-writing on the side of the van. "How did you even get a booking here?" Lady was asking. "Isn't this place super exclusive?"

"You can thank your friend," Vergil said a little too coldly. Truth be told, he had no idea how Trish had managed to secure them a booking at such short notice. He didn't really want to know either.

"I knew she was hiding something!" Lady grinned. "She was almost more excited about tonight than I was!" She let out a happy sigh and stared at the building while Vergil tried to find somewhere to park.

"We chose well then?" he mumbled, trying to find a space as far away from the entrance as possible.

"I don't think you could have chosen better," Lady said, reaching over and giving Vergil's arm a light squeeze. She waited for Vergil to finish maneuvering the vehicle then continued. "I've eaten in the restaurant opposite so many times," she said. "It's not bad either, but every time I go there I just spend the whole time staring out of the window and wishing I was in here instead."

"There's… another restaurant?" Vergil asked, hope suddenly blossoming in his chest.

"Yeah, right opposite this one," Lady explained. "They're in competition I think, but this one always comes out on top in reviews and the like." She hummed thoughtfully. "The other one is the Ristorante Gustoso. To their credit, they do have really good food. You get quite a lot of it too."

"You seem to have quite excessive knowledge of these places… How is it that we have never dined at either of the restaurants together before?" Vergil asked.

Lady's eyes widened slightly and she looked away. "Ah well… It's just that I usually went to the other one with Dante and Trish, so…"

"I see," Vergil said absently, glancing into the rear-view mirror again. They were now too far away to see the other vehicle, but if what Lady was saying was true, then he likely didn't need to worry about it any more anyway.

"Please don't take it the wrong way!" Lady said nervously. "It's not like I didn't want to invite you, it's just that, I dunno, it would feel kind of weird without Dante there, you know? I didn't want it to seem like I'd replaced him and-"

"It's fine," Vergil said, turning to smile at her. "I can understand your reasoning. Lots of people have places which hold a special meaning for them."

Lady sighed and looked up at him again. She reached up and started to fiddle with a piece of her hair. "Do... you have anywhere like that?" she asked. Despite spending the last year together, it seemed there was still so much they didn't know about each other. Even now, she found herself desperately grasping at any opportunity she could to learn more about the man in front of her.

Vergil thought back to the charred ruins of his childhood home and shuddered. He had long since given up on sentimentalism. "Not any more," he mumbled. Then, "Shall we?"

"...Yeah I guess," Lady said, sounding somewhat disappointed. She knew she wanted to question him further on what he'd just said, but now probably wasn't the right time. He hardly ever seemed to open up when directly questioned anyway.

Vergil slipped out of the car and walked over to Lady's side to open the door for her. There was an odd smell in the air. It was damp and strangely familiar - rain perhaps? Vergil was glad that he'd chosen to disguise the Yamato as an umbrella for their outing. There would be far fewer questions now. He moved to the rear of the vehicle to retrieve the weapon while Lady stepped out and straightened her dress.

"Hey, no fair!" Lady pouted as she caught sight of the wrapped sword. "Trish told me this was a no-weapons night!"

"For you perhaps," Vergil smirked. "Besides, I have no plans to use this," he added seriously. "It's here just in case."

"I always bring weapons just in case," Lady retorted. "It's not like I want to fight demons every time we try to go out on a proper date!"

"Would you rather we came here defenceless?" Vergil snapped. Lady's eyes narrowed slightly and Vergil sighed. This wasn't how he had envisioned the evening going. He needed to do something before he ruined it irreparably.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather go on the date with your sword?" Lady said mockingly. "You've spent more time with that thing than me in the last couple of days after all."

"Alright, enough, " Vergil stressed. "I'm sorry if I've upset you. I can go back and bring one of your guns here if you like-"

"No need," Lady said, reaching into her small shoulder bag. She retrieved a tiny handgun and held it up in front of Vergil's face. "I was just messing with ya. As if I'd come unprepared!"

"Damn it Mary," Vergil grumbled, smiling a little despite himself. He swiped for the weapon and missed it as Lady tossed it into the air. She caught it with ease and twirled it around before dropping it back into her bag.

"Don't worry, I have no plans to use this," she said sticking out her tongue. "It's here just in case."

"You really are…" Vergil looked her up and down and sighed. He couldn't bring himself to feel angry at her; he hardly ever could these days… He felt a familiar pang in his chest as her eyes met his. An entire year and she still hasn't run away… "Can we please just go inside already?" Vergil asked bluntly. "I'd rather not be late to our reservation."

"Alright, alright," Lady said airily. She walked over to Vergil and slid her arm around his. "Let's have a good night, okay?" she said, slightly more seriously. She rested her head on his shoulder. "We deserve it."

"Perhaps you do," Vergil murmured, pulling Lady into a gentle kiss before she could retort with anything clever. "Let's go."

"Man this sucks," Dante grumbled, looking around the busy restaurant.

"Wow, grateful much?" Nero said sarcastically. "You're lucky we managed to get in here at such short notice, at least try to-"

"I just wish Lady and Vergil were here," Dante sighed, fiddling with his napkin. "It doesn't feel the same without them…"

"I wish the food was here," Nico groaned next to him. "How long's it take to get some damn service around here? " she asked a little too loudly. A few heads turned in their direction, followed by the odd tut. Dante sank lower into his seat, suddenly grateful for the semi-private booth they were sitting in. There was enough room for at least eight people just in case, and they were all sitting at the ends closest to the restaurant. Dante quietly shifted closer to the wall.

"C'mon Nico, we only just got here," Nero said. "You can see how busy it is."

"Ain't no excuse," Nico huffed, crossing her arms. "They haven't even taken our drinks order yet."

"You're um… not planning to order any alcohol are you?" Kyrie asked timidly. She and Nero were sitting opposite Nico and Dante, and she caught Dante's eye as she said it. Dante straightened up slightly and looked over at Nico with mild amusement.

"Even if she did, it wouldn't make her driving any worse," Dante smirked.

"Hey now, I take offence to that," Nico said. "I actually drive much better when I'm drunk!"

"Then isn't what I said technically true?"

"Alright guys, enough," Nero sighed. "This is meant to be a heartfelt reunion or whatever, remember? So no arguing."

"He started it," Nico said, pulling a face at Dante.

"Some reunion," Dante said, ignoring her. "Maybe we shoulda just rescheduled this thing… I mean, you guys already caught up with each other anyway, and I've been stuck with Nero for the last year-"

"Wow, thanks," Nero said, rolling his eyes.

"I-I'm quite enjoying the opportunity to see you again, Dante," Kyrie piped up. "So I don't think this was an entirely bad idea…"

"Well thanks, I appreciate that," Dante grinned. "But still…" he looked around the half-empty booth. "Doesn't it feel a little…"

"Trish should be here soon though, right?" Nico asked, her eyes shining. "I wonder what kinda outfit she chose for tonight…"

"She should be," Dante sighed. "Whether she'll actually turn up or not though is a different matter…"

"She's probably keeping an eye on those two ," Nico said, giving Kyrie a far too obvious wink.

"Vergil and Lady?" Nero asked. "I don't remember them mentioning that she was part of their job this evening…"

"Oh you poor thing," Nico said, shaking her head.

"Huh?" Nero looked between Kyrie and Dante. "What's she talking about?"

"Beats me," Dante said with a shrug. His eyes flickered over to Nico who was looking at him with something that resembled disbelief.

"Wait… For real?" Nico asked, squinting at Dante. Dante just stared back at her impassively. "You… Oh I get it!" she grinned. "Gotta respect their privacy, huh?"

"Who's privacy? Dante, what's she talking about?" Nero asked desperately.

"I honestly have no idea," Dante said, looking past Nico towards the rest of the restaurant again. "Hey, we did tell Trish where we are, right?"

"I texted her to confirm it earlier," Nero sighed. "Nico, what are you-"

A shadow suddenly fell over the table. The group looked up to see a very well presented waitress standing before them with a small notebook in her hand. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, our sincere apologies for the delay. May I please take your drinks order?"

"Finally," Nico said obnoxiously. "Sure you can take our drinks order, but you better be takin' the rest too before I waste away!"

"Sparda," Vergil said coldly to the man behind the desk at the door. "A table for two. It shouldn't be difficult."

"My apologies," the man said flusteredly. "There just seems to be an issue with the system. Just let me reboot it and-"

"What happened to using pen and paper?" Vergil said exasperatedly, crossing his arms. "For such an allegedly high end restaurant, you seem terribly organised."

"Vergil! " Lady hissed, subtly elbowing him in the ribs. "It's okay sir, we can wait."

"I-I'm so sorry, please bear with me…" the man stammered. "We've been having a few issues this evening and-"

"Mr Sparda?" The trio looked up to see a fancy looking waiter standing in the doorway. "We've been expecting you. This way please."

"Wait!" The man at the desk called out. "There's an issue with-"

"We'll sort it out later," the waiter snapped. Lady could have sworn she saw him wink at the other man, but she couldn't be sure. "Please," the waiter said with a bow and gestured for Lady and Vergil to follow him.

He led the pair through a collection of exquisitely decorated tables, all of them filled with men and women in their finest evening wear. Eventually they reached a short staircase and ascended. Lady and Vergil glanced at each other nervously.

"I didn't even know this place had an upper floor," Lady whispered to Vergil.

They continued to follow the waiter as they walked across what they now realised was a small balcony of sorts looking over the main area of the restaurant. Finally they came to a stop in front of a small private booth for two people. There were a few more lined up on either side, and it seemed the rest were already full. Rather than a wall, there was a large window giving a rather beautiful view of the restaurant's forecourt below and the city beyond. The large fountain beneath the window reminded them both a little too much of a certain other restaurant they had been to not too long ago, but they were quick to dismiss the thought. Tonight was not one to spend on painful memories.

"Please, take a seat," the waiter said, gesturing to the booth.

"Thank you," Lady smiled, carefully slipping into the right hand seat while trying to make sure her dress stayed in an appropriate position. Vergil just nodded in thanks and moved into the seat opposite. He carefully propped the Yamato up between himself and the window, grateful that no-one had offered to take it.

"I'll be back shortly to take your order," the waiter said with another bow.

As soon as the waiter was out of sight, Lady's hands short forwards and gripped Vergil's. "Isn't this amazing ?!" she said excitedly. Even in the dim candlelight, her eyes shone.

"It's… certainly something," Vergil said, gently prising his fingers free so that he could gently place his hands on top of Lady's instead. Her skin felt so soft compared to his own… He looked out of the window and stiffened as he caught sight of it again. Fortunately, it was mostly hidden by one of the walls surrounding the restaurant. If you were familiar with it however, then even the small corner that was visible was enough to… "That waiter," Vergil blurted out, trying to distract himself.

"Hm, what about him?"

"Didn't something seem…" Vergil's brow furrowed. What had it been? There'd been something odd about their attendant, but now that they were out of sight Vergil could barely even remember what they'd looked like. "Forget it," Vergil said, shaking his head. "This is definitely a lot more impressive than I was expecting given our bungled welcome."

"It's perfect," Lady sighed happily, turning to look outside. "Gosh isn't this view amazing?" She slid one of her hands free and pointed at a shorter white building below. "Oh look, there's the other restaurant I mentioned!" her gaze moved down slightly, towards the road. "Hey, doesn't that look kinda like-"

"Mary," Vergil said suddenly. He reached out and cupped her face, turning her towards him.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Just…" Vergil's eyes flickered towards the window again. It suddenly hit him how exposed they were, sitting in the window. If one of the others were for some reason to come out of the restaurant and look up… No . He was being ridiculous. Even if they did look up, the darkness of the restaurant, and the distance between them and the streets below would make them all but impossible to identify. Right?

"Um…" Lady said, blushing deeply. "I-Is there something wrong with my face?"

Vergil's eyes widened, as if he'd suddenly just remembered what he was doing. "No!" he said frantically. He leaned forward in his seat and pulled Lady into a kiss. "It's just… you look so beautiful tonight, I…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say. Telling her not to look out of the window would only raise further suspicion. "I… want your eyes to only be on me tonight…" Vergil cursed himself internally. What a pathetic thing to say.

"Well aren't you sweet," Lady said with a slight smirk. She reached up and pulled his hands away. "You're not looking too bad yourself," Lady stated, gently kissing the back of his hands before placing them down on the table.

Vergil felt heat flush into his cheeks. "We should look over the menu," he said quickly, suddenly realising that the perfect distraction had been sitting in front of them all along.

"Oh yeah, you're right," Lady said, picking up the velvet covered menu. "Providing I'm allowed to look at it that is?"

"What do you- Oh…" Vergil glanced away in embarrassment. "Forget what I just said, it was…"

"It's okay, I thought it was cute," Lady giggled. Vergil said nothing and hid his face behind the menu. "So, do you want to order some wine?" Lady asked, scanning the list of drinks in front of her. "That waiter guy should be back soon."

"I'm driving," Vergil reminded her.

"Oh yeah that's right…" Lady pouted. "What a shame, you're pretty amusing when you're-"

"Dante," Vergil said suddenly. He'd chanced a glance out of the window again at just the right (or wrong?) moment. In the restaurant's forecourt below, the tails of Dante's coat had just disappeared behind the same wall that was hiding the van.

"What?"

"I-I wonder where Dante and the others are tonight…" Vergil stammered, turning his gaze back towards the menu in front of him.

"He didn't tell you?" Lady asked.

"I told him there was no need," Vergil said. He suddenly wished he'd taken the time to question his brother more. Perhaps then he could have planned better for- "Wait a minute," he said coldly, folding the menu closed and placing it on the table. "Did he tell you where he was going?"

"They hadn't managed to book anywhere when I last spoke to him about it," Lady shrugged. "Didn't seem much point in asking after I already told him I couldn't go."

"Did the she-devil know?"

"Well yeah I guess so since she was planning to attend," Lady said, looking at Vergil in confusion. "Is something wrong?"

She did this on purpose, that's what's wrong! "...Nothing," Vergil forced out. "I just… wouldn't want to accidentally run into them. I'm sure you can understand." That goddamn-!

"I'd say it's unlikely," Lady said. She turned to look out of the window again. "I do feel kinda bad though," she sighed. "We'll definitely need to make this up to them somehow."

"I'm sure we'll work something out," Vergil said. His nails were digging into his palms and he quickly slid his hands under the table. If anything went wrong tonight, he'd be making it up to her, that's for sure. He looked outside again and saw that the sky had darkened somewhat. He was surprised that the rain hadn't started to fall yet. "So, about these drinks..."

"Oh right!" Lady exclaimed, turning her gaze back towards the table. "Do you mind if I order myself a cocktail?"

"Man, that was a long-ass bathroom break," Nico said as Dante returned to the table. "We've pretty much finished our starters, you're lucky I didn't eat yours too."

"Sorry," Dante huffed, sounding out of breath. He slid past Nico as she stood up to let him back into the booth.

"Everything okay?" Nero asked seriously. Dante had suddenly rushed out not long after they'd finished making their order.

"For now," Dante nodded. "Looks like it's gonna start raining soon though. We should probably leave here before it gets too heavy."

"Whatchu talkin' about?" Nico asked. "Rain ain't gonna make any difference-"

"I agree," Nero said, looking Dante in the eye. "Wouldn't want the girls to get too cold."

"The hell are you guys talkin' about?" Nico asked, looking between them. Kyrie looked over at her and shrugged.

"No sign of Trish yet?" Dante asked, hastily shovelling the stuffed peppers he'd ordered into his mouth.

"Trish can't make it," Kyrie piped up. "She messaged Nero while you were gone."

"Man, that's really unfortunate…" Dante mumbled, quickly downing half of his drink. "Guess we won't need to stick around here for too long after all."

"What a shame…" Nero said absently, glancing out over the restaurant.

Outside, the first sounds of thunder rumbled through the sky.

A/N - Sorry it's taken a while! Finding time to write with my new job has proven weirdly difficult... Got there in the end though! Hope you enjoy ^_^