A/N: Back by popular demand! Psych! This has been a journey in the making and now this fic has ended in about 107 pages! Whew! It's the final countdown and I did promise you all a surprise... You get to choose the ending. I included two, because I just couldn't decide. So your only job is to sit back and enjoy, let me know which the conclusion suits your fancy, and help me tie up some loose ends... You all have the final word!

Chapter 11: When All Is Said…

The sounds approached him first... the lively background music of a cartoon. Cartoon? Wasn't he watching some cartoon earlier? Johnson opened his eyes to see that he was still sitting in the waiting room. He glanced up at the wall-mounted TV to see that the stupid character was hit in the head with a mallet again. It was as if time had stood still while he had his conversation. Was it all a dream? A talk with a ghost... who'd believe it? No. It was too vivid to be a simple reverie.

Johnson looked to his side to see that his partner seemed to napping in the chair next to his. He reached over and shook Ralph awake.

"Huh? Wha-?"

"Back to work, Ralph."

As soon a Ralph was a little more alert, Johnson and his partner talked for a while, mainly about the answers Malina gave in his absence. The more Ralph spoke, the more Carl's suspicions made known to Dante were confirmed.

"The girl's smart," Ralph said, "she's just a little aloof. I believe she told us the truth, but she was careful to leave things out. There were a few times I asked her about Arinna's whereabouts and she either avoided the question or said that no one will find her."

"So you think that Arinna's dead, but the girl's not talking."

"Not necessarily. With all the things Malina says, you'd think that Arinna is dead. But logistics just say that she's alive somewhere. We have blood evidence and a weapon, but no body."

"It all boils down to Vergil."

"Exactly. He could have killed her in Malina's defense, but there's no body. What time could they have to dispose of it... Sometime between him almost bleeding to death or her calling out for help? That's the conundrum."

In any normal case, this brainstorm would be pretty reasonable. Mortal logic, given the incident and time constraints would place the woman as still living. But in the demon world, logic meant nothing and boy, did Carl know it. The worst part was that he knew that Arinna was dead and he couldn't tell his partner the truth. And how could he? There was just no explanation that he could offer without sounding like a nut.

"Sounds like a pickle... We'll just have to write it up and maybe some poor soul will come along later to solve it," Carl lied. He could solve it now and be rid of this case forever. But out of fear of Dante, he kept his mouth shut. Carl went for another cup of coffee and a honey bun from the vending machine. As his partner snacked, Ralph went to find out where they moved Vergil.

Now, Vergil was could no longer be considered a suspect. Malina had confirmed for them that had nothing to do with her disappearance or Aurora's death and attested that others at her old coven could verify the facts. But still, just to be thorough, it would be prudent to get his statement. Some time later they were on the second floor and making their way to his room. They stopped just shy of the doorway to talk to yet another doctor.

He quietly exited the room and spoke to the detectives, "The folks downstairs already told me that you two were coming here. He's starting to wake up, but he may still be too groggy to give you straight answers. Please keep your questions at a limit." With that the doctor continued on to his rounds. The two cops entered the room and approached the bed closest to the window.

Vergil lay in the bed with nourishment and painkillers feed to him intravenously and air supplied by a nasal cannula. The two approached the seemingly sleeping man. They hadn't gotten within a foot of the bed when Vergil asked with eyes still closed, "Is Malina okay?" The cops were a little taken aback, that Vergil was able to sense their quiet presence in his drugged state.

"She's fine," Ralph answered, "We'll send her in to see you a little bit later." Vergil brought his non-IVed hand up to run through his hair. He sighed and opened his eyes. Was it a sigh of relief or was it sign of his sheer exhaustion? He had been running through an insane gauntlet nearly all month and into an equally tough pinnacle today. It was even far beyond him to know just what this sigh was.

"Vergil, I won't mince words," Ralph began in a low, even voice, "We came to ask you about the events that led up today, including the whereabouts of Arrina. I understand that you maybe very tired, but we need as much information as we can get and we need it as quickly as possible."

"What do you want to know," Vergil replied with a strained voice.

Ralph pulled a small note pad out of his breast pocket said, "Why don't we start from the beginning? I believe that it was your brother's case that was jumping-off point for all of this. Can you tell me about this?" Since his conversation with Dante, Carl had taken a backseat to Ralph during the investigation. He had slackened the reigns and Ralph took them up.

"What's there to say? Dante was murdered and the perpetrator was found." Vergil's azure eyes met with Ralph's and shifted to Carl.

"So what happened? You seem to believe that a young woman from a local Wiccian coven killed your brother. What happened to her?"

"Are you referring to Arinna," Vergil cryptically asked.

Ralph was wearing thin on patience. He let out a low growl, ready to yank up the half-devil by the scruff of his hospital gown, but instead he allowed Vergil to continue. "If you are talking about her, I can tell you that she will not be found." He continued to explain had happened, taking care to omit the parts concerning his and Arinna— or Lilith's demonic heritage.

"So she attacked you and the girl and you fought back in self-defense? Is she still alive? Where is she?"

"I have no idea," he lied, "I guessing that after that fight, she skipped town."

Realizing that he wasn't going to get any more answers from the white-haired man, Ralph began wrapping up his questioning. "Okay... we're going to allow you to get your rest, but we'll be in touch." They shook hands and the two detectives took their exit, leaving Vergil to succumb to sleep again.

--

Malina sat in a waiting room not too far from the ward that Vergil was being cared for. The clothes that she wore into the hospital were disposed of; traded for a clean set of powder blue scrubs. She stretched back on the semi-comfortable chairs as she restlessly swung her legs back and forth. She was truly grateful to the nurses for allowing her to have use of a show and her current clothing. She hadn't felt this good in weeks. But, her thoughts were still on Vergil. It had been sometime since she was updated on his condition and when it came down to it, she couldn't be sure that he was still alive. Normally, she would not have bothered to worry about a demon, not because of the intense hatred that she once harbored for them; but for the fact that they could heal themselves, making them virtually indestructible. Then again, if someone as strong as Dante could die, the grim reasoning stood that so could Vergil.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of music wafting down the halls. Malina brought herself to her feet and made a full circle as she tried to discern which direction the gentle guitar melody came. She deduced the direction and began to follow the pleasant sounds. She pursued the strums from a Spanish guitar to an empty hospital room.

She walked in to see a boy about her age sitting on a gurney while deftly playing a black and orange guitar. He had long raven hair and with the same color covering his nails. He was dressed normally in a plain black tee shirt and blue jeans. He continue to play, unknowing her company. When he ended his song, she applauded. Just then he looked up to thank his audience that had mainly gone unnoticed. His sparkling green eyes met with hers and he made a gentlemanly bow. "I didn't know anyone was watching," he said nervously as he put a hand up to the back of his head.

"Are you a patient here," she asked the boy.

"No... I'm actually just waiting for someone," he replied, "what about you? You seem to be a little too young to be a doctor or nurse."

"Oh, no," she chuckled, "My friend was admitted here this morning and the nurse let me wear these scrubs because my clothes got all messed up."

"Aw... that's too bad about your friend. Is he gonna be okay?" The boy's eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"I honestly don't know," she said as she bowed her head.

"Well, I hope your friend gets well soon. Scratch that. I know he will; it is only a matter of time. What you need to is to concentrate on what you are going to do for him when he gets better." His lips spread into a grin to convey his optimism. He obliviously knew that it was no use to stay gloomy in a place that was already wrought with disease and death.

"I- I –I don't know what I could do for him."

"Hmm," he put a finger to his chin, "You did say that your friend is a dude, right?" Malina nodded. "Well, flowers are out of the question and cards and balloons are just too cheesy. The thing that's really going to lift his spirits is something from the heart."

"I haven't known him that long, so I don't know what he likes."

"Ya'know... When ever my brother got sick I played a little song for him. That seemed to brighten up his day." He began to aimlessly strumming his guitar. "Do you sing," he asked.

"Nooo," she said shyly, "I've never been very good at music."

"How 'bout I teach you something," he said with his eyes still on his guitar.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it won't take long... Plus I just know that he'll love. Best case scenario, you walk away knowing some things about music, the worst thing would probably be that thesongwillcomeouthorribly," he said the last bit in a single breath hoping that she didn't catch it. She did and he smiled wide and exclaimed, "Kidding! Okay? It'll be fine." In the end, it was his dazzling eyes and smile that won her over. She agreed to learn a song as a gift to Vergil.

"Hmm, a simple melody," he thought aloud. "What's your friend's name?"

"Vergil."

"A song for Vergil... here we go." The boy really thought hard about an easy tune for her to learn that wasn't public domain. "Okay, I got," he exclaimed as he began playing the instrument. His skilled fingers plucking gentle notes, beginning with a D, into an F sharp, and back and forth. He moved into a B minor, then G major, and on into A. He suspended the A and continued into a repetition. "Okay... the lyrics to this song doesn't really go with your current situation... In fact the lyrics are a little 'stalkerish', but the melody is pretty."

"I know this song," her voice brightened, "Its 'Hey There Delilah'."

"Yep, and good thing that it's easy. There are only a couple of main cords that you need to know. The tricky part comes from switching your fingering." He gave a quick example placing his fingers on specified strings and in between certain frets. "Then you're gonna pluck these strings like this." He began alternating between the second and fifth strings.

He handed her his guitar came around behind her to assist. "Right or left handed."

"Right."

"Good." He orientated the instrument for her. "Your right hand is for plucking and your left is in control of the cords."

For a while he assisted with fingering and plucking until she got the hang of it on her own. An hour had passed and she was playing quite well, albeit a bit haltingly. "Look's like you're ready to present your gift," the boy said.

"Uh... I don't know—"

"You'll do great!"

"Thank you," she said sheepishly, "I didn't catch your name."

"Seth."

"Thank you, Seth," she said trying to pass his guitar back to him.

"The pleasure is mine, miss—," he raised an eyebrow signaling that he wanted to know the girl's name.

"Malina."

"And a beautiful name that suits a girl of the same. You can keep the guitar," he said, "just try your best for your friend is all I ask."

"Hey, you said that you're waiting on someone."

"Yeah, we'll meet in a little while longer and you and I shall meet again someday," with that, Seth was gone from the room and maybe even her life.

Malina stepped out of the room and down the hall. She was eventually picked up by Johnson and escorted to Vergil's room. She hesitantly approached his bed, only to find him asleep. "Vergil?" There was no response, not even a twitch. She took her guitar and sat in a chair facing the bed and studied the man before her. There was an eeriness to the serenity in his face. She knew that he was in a drug induced sleep, but it all seemed so similar the expression on his face in that alley.

She turned to the window and watched the raindrops patter softly on the window pane. As the water dressed the glass in a lovely haze, she began her song. She gingerly moved her fingers as best as she could, trying not to wake Vergil, or the rest of the ward for that matter. She continued... a private show for her latent audience.

After a while, she stopped and leaned the guitar against the wall. "Please," Vergil's low, scratchy voice from across the room, "Please... don't stop. You play beautifully."

"Thanks," she said with a slight blush. She obliged his request. "It's nothing really. Someone taught how to play a little while ago," she said, "How do you feel?"

With a slight groan, he said, "Your music and the morphine helps a lot. Who taught you?"

"A boy down the hall. He said his name was Seth. The funny thing was that I felt like I have met him before, but I know I have never laid eyes on him." Vergil was a little surprised by her answer but he hid it behind a low chuckle. "When I was much younger and had the flu, I remember that Dante came into my room and played songs for me. To tell you the truth, he was quite horrible at it, at the time. I remember throwing a shoe at him. I didn't appreciate it much back then, but now I realize that he was merely trying to distract me from my sickness." As he spoke, his gaze wavered from her face and out to the rain soaked world past the window. "Now that I think about it, Seth being here just may be my brother's way of reminding me of that much simpler time. Maybe Dante is just living up to his promise."

Without warning, Malina shot up and wrapped her arms around Vergil. He winced lightly at the pressure she was causing. He began to blush slightly at the sudden show of affection and hoped that she didn't see. "Hey, now! I'm not back to one hundred percent."

"I know," she replied with eyes tearing up, "I'm just glad to have you back."

--

Some months later, Vergil was back to full health and expertly fighting off hordes of demons as he once had. Trish and Lucia were glad to have him back, the elegant fighter and the man who had turned over a new leaf; the man who once nearly destroyed humankind had learned to be more peaceful and settled his hostilities.

Malina had gone back to her coven and was welcomed with open arms. She found a guardian in Vergil, who kept an eye one her and made it his duty to teach her combat. Not that she needed it.

A few locks of hair began to turn stark white It seemed that she had indeed inherited the late hunter's abilities. Not only was she able to heal almost instantaneously, she began displaying some very familiar sword skills. She was already a formidable swordswoman. Still, it didn't hurt to spar once and a while.

Both he and Malina fought side by side understanding more of the other species. She learned that not all demons are evil and he was beginning to warm up more to humans.

Vergil stood in a road facing a monstrous figure stretching its eight foot tall frame through a portal. He didn't bother getting into a fighting stance. He only stood in a comfortable stance and brushed the front of his trademark blue coat to reveal his O-katana. "Return back to your world now, or die," he calmly said. The wind wisped around him, rippling through his clothes and hair. The dark clouds gathered in the skies above. "You, a mere mortal dare challenge me," the creature spat out in a guttural voice.

Vergil went to draw his sword when he sense movement behind him. "Didn't I tell you to evacuate the people," he hissed without looking over his shoulder. A figure approached from behind dressed in a forest green cloak. The cloaked one removed the hood. It was Malina readying herself for a fight with a gleaming straight sword. "Well, I couldn't let you have all the fun."

"Very well, then," he replied, "It's about time to get this show on the roll."

Malina leaned in taunting the monster with gestures that just screamed, just bring it! She twirled her sword around before saying, "Let's Rock." With that she charged in.

"Hurry up, old man," she shouted back to Vergil.

"Show off," he muttered with a slight grin before joining the fray.

The End

Let me just say that:

A.) This stuff that just happened is most likely not real police or hospital procedure.

B.) "Hey There Delilah"... Just because the song is fairly easy to play. First thing that cam to mind

C.) I tried to gauge you the readers and wasn't sure if a Deus Ex Machina ending would offend you. So with that... I thank you all who have stopped by to read, review me to help me grow, subscribed and added me or this story to your alerts.

Boos? Or Applause? Now you have some decisions to make, so get cracking!