It's been nearly a year since she met her father and Beatrice still wants to be anywhere but at the California mansion. She likes Rhodey and she enjoys her father's company, when he's not drunk or sleep drunk, but she wants to be back at Ms. Eva and Mr. Sparda's house with Vergil and Dante. Even with most of her time being spent on learning how to access her abilities, her grace according to the note left by her mother, and how to defend herself while also picking up things from watching her father work or listening to Rhodey talk about military movements, she misses those days of sparing with Vergil and teasing Dante for falling on his bottom again while trying to show off.
"Ms. Beatrice?" Happy calls from the driver seat, startling Beatrice from her thoughts. She turns in the passenger seat to look at Happy curiously, getting a nervous smile in return.
"Is there anywhere you would like to stop?" he offers, nodding down the street they're driving on. Beatrice looks back out the window, watching the stores and people pass by. Children running in front of their parents, couples laughing at inside joke, businessmen and women talking rapidly on their phones, a toyshop chain she remembers from home with a boy around her age staring at it while carrying a large sword.
"STOP!" Beatrice shrieks, slamming her hands against the door window. Happy slams on the brakes, cursing rapidly as a car behind them swerves hard and drives around them. Beatrice ignores the curses as she leaps out of the car, running toward the boy in front of the toyshop, pushing her way past adults and children alike. Spotting him walking towards an alleyway, Beatrice bows her head and picks up speed, her sneakers squeaking in protest on the marble in front of the doors of the toyshop. She practically bowls into the boy, causing him to drop the sword and snarl at her. Beatrice swats his hands away, pinning them beside his head and looking at his face. Dried blood trails from his nose and his eyes are colder, meaner, than she remembers and his hair is longer and so dirty that it almost doesn't look like the natural white it is and and and…
"Dante?" Beatrice whimpers, blinking back tears. He stills under her, blinking in surprise and wonder and anguish and and and…
"Bea? That you?" Dante croaks, trembling under her hands. Beatrice nods rapidly, sniffling back tears before dropping forward to hug him. Dante reaches up to return the hug, clinging to her desperately. Beatrice swallows around the lump in her throat, ignoring the whispers around her as Happy jogs up behind them.
"Ms. Beatrice, we need to get back to the car," Happy tells her. Beatrice nods and starts to pull away, stopping when Dante tightens his grip on her shirt. She looks up helplessly at Happy, who sighs and shakes his head, before coaxing Dante to stand up as best she can.
"C'mon Dante. We need to get to the car. We can get you something to eat too," Beatrice offers, pulling him up and toward the car. Dante lets go of her shirt, only to grab her hand tightly while picking up the large sword she recognized as Rebellion. He follows mutely, his body trembling lightly as he drags Rebellion behind him like a security blanket. Happy watches Dante warily as Beatrice loads Rebellion into the trunk of the car before returning to the passenger seat, buckling into the seat.
"Ms. Beatrice, are you sure about this?" Happy asks nervously, glancing in the rearview mirror to keep an eye on Dante, who looks around the car curiously. Beatrice nods, looking along the street for a restaurant to stop at. Once she spots a McDonalds, Beatrice asks, "Is McDonalds good for you, Dante?"
"It's fine," Dante answers quietly. Beatrice bites her bottom lip as Happy drives up to the drive thru, rolling down the window.
"Welcome to McDonalds. How can I help you?" the employee asks through the microphone's speaker.
"Yeah we need-" Happy gets cut off by Beatrice pulling against the seatbelt to lean over the parking brake and call out, "Two large number ones and an extra medium fry with two cokes, please." The employee pauses before announcing, "That will be $3.68. Drive around, please." Happy gives her a disapproving look but still drives around. After exchanging the money for food, Happy hands the bag to Beatrice, who hands it to Dante. Dante practically rips the bag open, pulling out a burger and shoving it in his mouth. Happy grabs the two coca-colas and sets them in the cup holders, glancing at Dante in surprise as he devours the burgers and fries eagerly.
"Dante, slow down. You might choke," Beatrice tells him, only for Dante to start audibly choking. Sighing, Beatrice hands a drink back to Dante, who starts chugging the drink down.
"Thank you," Dante manages, before shoving more fries into his mouth. Beatrice smiles shyly at Happy, getting a smile in return.
"You know your Dad is going to freak out," Happy tells her. Beatrice snorts, glancing back to Dante as he eats, smiling slightly.
"He can deal with it," she replies, turning back to the front. Happy snorts a laugh in surprise as the car starts out of Malibu proper toward the mansion on the outskirts. The remainder of the ride is in silence except for Dante occasionally choking on his food and Beatrice periodically reminding him to drink his Coca-Cola in increasing sassy remarks. By the time the car parks at the mansion, Happy is gasping as Beatrice groans, "Dante. You have. A cup. With drink. In it. Drink from it."
"You can't tell me what to do!" Dante yells from the backseat. Beatrice quickly unbuckles her seatbelt and lunges at Dante in the backseat. He yelps and leaps out of the car, Beatrice close behind him, snarling out curses. She catches him and starts to wrestle with him when Tony and his new assistant, Pepper Potts, comes down the stairs to the parking garage. The two kids stop as Tony frowns at the two in confusion while Ms. Potts inhales sharply.
"Wha-? Who is that? I don't remember having two kids. Who is he?" Tony asks, pointing at Dante, frozen under Beatrice.
"Who are THEY Mr. Stark? Why do you have children here?!" Ms. Potts gasps, hurrying over to the two, pulling Beatrice off of Dante. Beatrice yelps in surprise while Dante scrambles up to help her.
"Well, you're holding my daughter, but I don't know about this kid," Tony answers, grabbing Dante by the collar of his shirt. Happy then pulls Rebellion out of the back of the trunk of the car, dropping it in front of Dante and Tony. The room goes silent as Tony and Ms. Potts stare at the sword while Beatrice starts to curl in on herself and Dante pouts in his suspended position.
"What… Is that?" Tony asks slowly.
"It's my sword. Duh," Dante snaps, crossing his arms and glaring at Tony. Beatrice groans and covers her face.
"Dante, this is why we can't have nice things. Oh my God, you're going to get thrown in juvie," Beatrice groans. Dante looks at her startled and mockingly-hurt, whining, "But Bea…"
"Nope, nope, so much nope. This situation is not my fault. I will take blame for getting you here, but this specific situation? Not my fault," Beatrice insists. Dante huffs again while Tony looks between the two in wonder and Ms. Potts looks two seconds away from pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I don't get paid enough for this," she mumbles as Tony starts to question what is happening between the kids.
Dante frowns at all the stores he passes by, glancing at one window before moving to the next as gray clouds roll over head. Bea's seventeenth birthday is barely a week later and he is still missing a gift for her. Despite the jobs his agent, Enzo, pointed him to for devil slaying, Dante still wonders if he has enough money for a gift Bea deserves. Once again, Dante wishes Vergil was alive to help him figure out what to do. A low growl pulls him out of his thoughts, making him turn around. Behind him are some Hell Prides, dragging their scythes beside them.
"Whoa, hey there guys. Didn't think I'd have company around here," Dante comments idly, realizing he wandered into an alley way while lost in his thoughts. The Hell Prides moan before rushing at him. He pulls out Ebony and Ivory, a pair of gifts he still thanks Bea for having Tony make, and starts firing, making headshot after headshot of the lesser demons flinging themselves at him in anger. He grins as he dodges a swipe from one of the demons' scythes, blowing off the head of the demon, practically dancing out of the way of its brethren.
"You guys must really like to dance," Dante taunts, hopping from foot to foot eagerly. The Hell Prides take a step closer to him only for all of them to drop, light blue swords shimmering in their backs before both the swords and the demons vanish.
"What the-?" Dante mutters, aiming his guns at the mouth of the alley. His eyes widen in surprise at the sight of his own face staring him down from the opening.
"Vergil? Is that you?" Dante calls. Vergil steps into the alley, drawing Yamato easily as he strides to a few feet in front of Dante before stopping. The clouds release their water as the twins stare at each other.
"It has been eight years, little brother. Welcome to your death," Vergil intones, lunging at Dante. Dante quickly draws Rebellion, barely blocking Vergil's strike before countering. Vergil dodges the swing, lashing out at Dante again, managing to clip him on the shoulder. Dante hisses in pain as the cut bleeds on to his jacket, blocking another swing from Vergil.
"What the hell's your problem?" Dante snaps, pushing against Yamato. Vergil jumps back, flicking his sword to the side with a sneer, returning Yamato to its sheath.
"You are weak, brother. You will never be strong enough to protect any one. I, on the other hand, will grow powerful with father's power. I will be stronger than any demon who will come after me. I can assure you, brother, when we next meet, it will be to your death," Vergil tells him. Dante grits his teeth as Vergil turns to leave the alley.
"What about Bea? What will you do about her?" Dante yells after Vergil. Vergil stops and looks over his shoulder.
"I will show her that one of us is worthy of her," Vergil answers, leaping up to the rooftop of one of the buildings forming the alley. Dante stares after his brother, growling quietly to himself as the rain lightens up.
"It sure as hell isn't you, Verg," Dante huffs, storming out of the alley.
Dante looks around the building, nodding his head in approval. Three weeks into being eighteen and Tony's gift for him is a shop building for Dante and Beatrice to start their devil hunting business. He turns to his best friend and grins as she looks around the main room, pursing her lips in thought.
"Well, I think this will work," Dante says, waving his hands around the room. Bea huffs softly, smiling as she struts around the room.
"It looks good, but it needs a name," Bea comments. Dante snorts but nods.
"Yeah, well, I'm going to go take a shower first. Break in the bathroom and all that," Dante offers, waving his hand. He grins as he hears Bea chuckle. This seems like a good start to adulthood.
It's done! I honestly didn't know how many of these chapters there was going to be, but I'm glad at least this was a solid four chapters. I don't know which fiction I'mma work on first, but I will be working on the fiction. For those of you who want a more constant update or if you have questions, go to my Tumblr at robinsan121. See you next time!