6.

Welcome home, Baby

I paced my room, trying to think. I knew Nero was down stairs, which didn't make it any better. They were both waiting on my decision. In Fortuna City, where I had first appeared in this world, I might have a better chance of finding out why I was here and how to get back home. But here, with Dante, I would probably have a better chance of survival.

Not that I didn't think that Nero was capable of looking after me (or at least as capable as Dante was) but there was a chance that Dante had a point and here was safer than Fortuna. I let out a frustrated sigh and tugged at handfuls of my hair. I didn't know what to do!

"Sydney!" Dante howled up, "What's taking you so long!?"

I cursed his impatience, "Keep your pants on!" I shouted back.

"I would," answered Dante, "But Nero keeps pulling them off!"

"I AM NOT!" Nero shouted.

I rolled my eyes, putting my head in my hands. How on Earth did Trish deal with this? My eyes snapped open. Trish! Of course!

I dashed over to the phone by the bed. Trish had left her cell number with me a long while ago, so I looked at the slip of paper as I dialed her number. Three rings and then I heard Trish answer, "This better be important," she growled.

I felt a little flustered, "Um…It's Sydney, Trish," I told her.

"Oh," Trish sounded immediately apologetic, "Hello, Sydney? What's wrong?" she asked.

The moment she asked that, I had to tell her everything that had happened between her departure and now. She listened intently until I was finished, then said, "I'll be right over."

She hung up the phone, and it really wasn't my intention to get her to come over, but as I stared blankly at the receiver, I realized I might've just caused a bigger problem.

"Sydney!" Dante called again, making me jump, "What the hell are you doing!? Taking a popular vote!?"

"Shut up!" I shouted back, ripping open the door to lean over the rail and glared down at them from the loft, "I'll take as long as I want! So leave me alone!"

Dante looked amused and Nero a bit unsure as I turned back to go into the room slamming the door. I returned to my pacing until I heard voices and ripped open my door.

"I knew I should've gotten that phone removed," Dante grumbled as Trish and Lady walked in. Trish glared at him, then looked up at me on the loft.

"Pack your things, dear," she told me, "You're coming with us."

--

Trish didn't give me a second choice. Lady was already leading me out the door as Trish argued with Dante and Nero. "Putting her in this kind of situation is borderline cruelty," she scolded, "Until you boys can figure your acts out, she'll stay with me."

"She was just fine here," Dante said, "It wasn't like I forgot to feed her."

"Don't get smart," Trish said, her arms crossed, "It's Sydney's choice where she stays until we can find a way to get her back home. Forcing her to pick like this," she shook her head, "I never thought you'd be this horrible to a young girl, Dante."

"Oh, would you shut up," Dante scowled and waved his hand, "Fine, take her! See if I care!" he looked out the door as Lady threw some plastic bags of my things into the back of their sleek sports car, waving at me with a forced smile that looked misplaced on his clearly angered features, "So long, Sydney! Nice knowing you!" he then stormed back into the office.

I heard a series of smashes and crashes before Trish and Nero came back out. Nero glared at the ground, then looked at me. Trish waited between us, arms still crossed over her chest, until Nero worked up the courage to walk over to me and say a rushed "Bye" before hurrying away.

"Good Lord," Lady grumbled, hands on her hips as she watched him leave, "You'd think you'd committed a murder the way they're acting. It's like you betrayed them."

I hadn't thought about it that way, but I was now. I looked down at my feet, suddenly ashamed. I didn't think it was possible, at least not for Dante, but I guess…I really did hurt his feelings.

--

I stayed with Trish and Lady for almost a month. I visited Dante's office often, since Trish and Lady's apartment wasn't that far, I could walk there, if I went during the day. Trish didn't like me walking alone at night, since Dante's office was in the worse part of this city, near the bars and strip joints.

But I didn't go this week. The last time I went, like always, Dante barely paid any attention to me. Lady said that was normal, since he was like a spoiled kid when he didn't get his way. I was learning that, since it was often the outcome of whatever I did for him to start pouting. This time, however, before I left, he asked "Why do you even bother coming here?"

I left after that remark. If he didn't know I cared about him and Nero by now, then it wasn't worth it. Trish and Lady was gone for the day, and I was home alone. Lady kept a clean house, so there wasn't really anything for me to do but watch some Daytime TV and munch on some Potato chips. Good thing about this whole "Different Dimension" thing was the fact that they had pretty much the same food, though their TV was different.

I was watching a News broadcast when the phone rang. I swallowed my mouthful and picked up the phone, "Trish and Lady's, this is Sydney," I answered, still digging into the Potato Chips for a bigger one to stuff in my mouth.

"Hey, it's Nero," Nero said.

"Oh, hi!" I was alert, dropping my chips to sit up straight on the couch, grinning, "What's going on? I haven't heard from you in a while. Are you back in Fortuna City? How's everything there? Any problems with the demons? Any sign of my—"

"Slow down!" Nero snapped, "I can't hear a word you say!"

I covered my mouth, "Oh, sorry…"

"It's fine, just…" I heard something in the background that sounded like Dante cursing and then shouting for Nero's help, "I'll be right there! Can't you just---NO I WILL NOT!"

"Nero?" I shot to my feet, "What's going on? Is everything okay?!"

"Yes…well, yes and no…I mean…." He grumbled and said, "Look, can you come to Dante's place for a while, please?"

"I'll be right over," I told him, and hung up. I didn't know what to make of everything, but I pulled on my jacket and rushed outside. I nearly ran the entire way to office, and threw myself on the door and barged in, "What's going on!?" I demanded.

Dante and Nero spun around like I had caught them red-handed, elbow to elbow, blocking the desk from my view.

"H-Hey, Sydney…" Dante said with a forced grin, "What brings you here?"

I was suddenly annoyed. All the way here I was imaging Dante nearly dead on the floor, or the two of them outnumbered by demons or something along those lines. But they both looked fine, in fact, they both looked suspicious.

I indicated lazily to Nero with a scowl and said, "I was called here. What's going on? The way you two sounded, I thought there would be a mob on you guys or you had murdered each other."

"Well, I'm close to murdering this kid," Dante growled angrily at Nero, grabbing him by the collar and whispering harshly, "I told you I had it all under control!"

"Please," Nero whispered back, "Neither of us have a clue what to do!"

"Look at her!" he snapped, "Does she look old enough to know about this!?"

"Um, I can hear every word you say," I said, glaring at them, "And what don't I know—"

A sound from behind the two of them made me freeze. It started out soft, then became a desperate wail. I gasped, looking at Dante and said, "Oh God, you didn't!" before rushing forward, pushing the two of them aside.

Laying on the desk, surrounded by ripped apart disposable dippers and laying in a sea of white powder was a baby, squirming and crying as it wore a backwards dipper and its face covered in powder. It even looked like someone tried to draw on it!

I glared at Dante, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NOW, YOU NO GOOD SON OF A BITCH!?" I shouted before taking the baby into my arms and trying to sooth it by gently bouncing it and rocking it back and forth.

"IT WASN'T ME!!" Dante snapped, pointed at Nero, "HE BROUGHT IT HERE!"

Nero glared at him, "I FOUND IT ON YOUR DOORSTEP, YOU NUMBSKULL!"

"So that automatically means it's MINE!?" Dante glared back.

"You're the one who goes to the local strip-houses like it's a doctor visit!" Nero shouted.

"Why I outta—" Dante pulled a gun and pointed it at Nero, but I picked up the broom and smacked him hard in the face (with the stick not the bristles) backing him fall to the ground, stunned as he looked up at me.

"Be quiet!" I snapped, "You're upsetting the baby!"

I turned around and dug through the piles of ripped and tattered dippers until I found one that hadn't been ruined. I properly changed the infants dipper and brushed him free of powder. "Well, it's a boy," I told them after I had wrapped it in a blanket and cradled it in my arms.

"We figured that much," Dante grumbled, leaning over to look at him, "He doesn't even look like me. He can't be mine."

"He could look like his mom," Nero said, "Which would be a good thing. What baby would want you for a dad anyway."

A vein on Dante's brow popped and he punched Nero hard in the lower-jaw, making him fly across the room, "Be quiet, you fucking bastard!" he yelled.

"You no good son of a—" Nero got up, pulling Blue Rose.

"What did I tell you two!?" I hit the both of them with the broom this time, making them freeze. "This is no way to behave in front of a infant! Now the two of you get your acts together now!"

They both muttered a "Sorry" before settling down.

We all sat down and as I made some milk for the baby to eat, Nero told his story.

"I was just passing by to give Dante an update like always on Fortuna City," Nero said, "When I found this guy in a picnic basket by the door-step. There was a letter," he reached into his coat pocket and gave it to me to read. I handed him the baby, making him falter and fumble to imitate the way I held him while I opened and read the letter.

Please take care of your son. I'm sorry, but I can't support him anymore.

That was all there was. I glared at Dante, waving the letter at him, "You didn't use protection did you!?" I snapped.

Dante glared back, "Why is that any of your business?"

"Because, according to this, you're a father!" I snapped.

"Let me see that!" he snatched it away, then after reading it he said, "All this could mean is somebody's abandoning a kid on my door-step! Lord," he got to his feet and ripped it apart, "What is this? Some cheesy kid's flick!?"

The baby started to whine and cry, so I took him back, making him settle down again. Thank God all those years baby-sitting my baby cousins and others were coming in handy. "What are you going to do with him?" I asked.

"Me!?" Dante spun around.

"Whether or not you are the dad," I said, "He's still been orphaned on your property. It's up to you what happens to him now."

This seemed to take Dante by surprise. He looked at the kid, then to me, then Nero and groaned, turning away and ruffling his hair, "Shit…I can't…" he muttered, then paced. He ran a hand down his face, scratched his chin, then looked again to the baby in my arms as he finished the bottle.

"Couldn't you keep him?" he asked.

"Me?" I blinked, "What are you talking about!?"

"He likes you!" Dante said, sounding like it was a puppy, not a baby, "Couldn't you keep him?"

I glared, "I'm not old enough to be a mom, you idiot! How could I keep him? Besides, I'm not from this world, remember? What happens when I leave?"

Everything fell silent for a moment, like I had said something no one knew. I was going to leave, didn't they know that? I sighed, looking at the baby again.

He looked just old enough to hold up his head, and he was pretty tiny. He had the cutest face, with thin blonde hair, and light pink skin. He was completely adorable.

"For now," I said, rocking him as he finished the bottle, "We'll just have to keep him. We can report a found child to the police, right? And if no one claims him then we can…decide from there."

Nero nodded, agreeing that would be best, but Dante still seemed a bit unsure. It would have to do for now.

--

How I kept this a secret from Trish and Lady was really a stroke of good luck. They would be gone for a few months, going to a different town called Blue Hallow. Never heard of that one in the game, but this was a whole different world. It couldn't just be two cities.

I called them and said I'd be staying at Dante's while they were gone, just in case I ran into trouble. Trish reluctantly agreed that would be best.

Really, why I was there was to play "mom". Nero and Dante were like two different Dads. While Dante was content to just take the kid off my hands and play peek-a-boo every now and then (which was actually pretty funny since he was the only one who could make the baby laugh) Nero would run back and forth and get me whatever I asked for, like milk, bottles, dippers, clothes, etc.

Dante wanted to call the baby "D.J.", or Dante Jr., but I refused to let that fly. I called him Ethan. Ethan was a very picky child. He'd cry if he wasn't being held or played with, he would only sleep if I put on some soft music for him to listen to, and he would only eat while I held him, otherwise he'd only fuss.

It was very tiring, but we got through it. The men were lucky, they got to run from the office every day, going back to Fortuna or to a mission. Me, I was stuck with Ethan. And while I was coming to love the little guy, I was pretty tired.

"Well, I'm off," Dante said with a grin and a stretch, "See you when I get home, Mama," he winked at me before heading for the door.

"Wait! Dante!" I was holding Ethan while sitting on the sofa and said, "Could you pick up some dippers and baby-wipes on your way back? I'm almost out."

"Sure, sure," Dante waved his hand as he walked out the door.

I groaned, shaking my head, 'I feel sorry for whoever becomes is wife, if this is what she'll have to deal with when he actually does have a kid…'

Ethan cooed and played with my hair and shirt. He had blue-green eyes that were always looking at something, and he seemed to be very entrusted in Dante's weapons. Dante loved that, he would constantly, whenever I gave him the baby or turned my back, would take little Ethan over to his weapons stash and let Ethan touch and play with some of them. I caught him trying to put Cerberus into his mouth once, and nearly cut off Dante's head.

Still, after a good burp, I took Ethan upstairs to my room, where Nero had set up a cradle for him to sleep in. It was covered in light blue lace and it was beautiful with a little pocket on the side for a baby-monitor. I placed him in the cradle and turned on his musical-mobile and rocked the cradle slowly until he was sound asleep, then tip-toed out and closed the door.

I was beginning to understand the things my mother felt. I was constantly worrying about Ethan, what he could get himself into, and what other awful things could befall him. I was already praying for his good future. But on top of that…there was something about these guys.

Dante had his moments with Ethan. Like a few nights ago, I had fallen asleep after I thought Ethan would rest for a few hours. I woke up, realizing that it was almost three, and expected to hear Dante screaming for me to quiet the baby down.

Instead, I found him in his desk chair, rocking it back and forth with his head back, half asleep himself with Ethan fast asleep in his arms.

Then there was Nero. He kept running back and forth like a go-fer, but when he had the chance (and seemingly when only Dante was gone) he'd stop to play with Ethan, tickling him and making funny faces. It was hilarious to watch.

As I went down stairs and started to clean up, taking out the trash and folding baby-blankets, I thought for a moment. What would happen to these guys when I left? They'd become a video game again to me, but they were so much more than that to me know.

Of course, what girl doesn't play Devil May Cry and fall in love with Dante's witty come-backs or Nero's stubborn chivalry? But now…it was getting hard to imagine life without them…

I sighed, deciding that now wasn't the time, and was going back into the building, when something dropped in front of me. I stopped, and looked down at my feet. Sand? It was a small pile of fine sand. I looked up and my eyes grew wide. I let out a shrill scream as a demon jumped down on top of me, making me fall back against the stone steps and crack my head hard.

Pain shot up through my skull and vibrated down my spine and seemed to spazim in my toes. My last memory was of the strange, cackling laughter the demon made, and the scream of Ethan from inside.

--

A/N: Whoot, update!! -dies- Sorry that it took so long. With school and a few other things popping up, I haven't got around to my stories lately! I'll work hard to get this one finished, because it's quickly becoming one of my favorite stories of all time!!

Thanks again for reading, and please review! I love hearing from you all!

-Alma Theresa