Author's Note: My response to a review of the previous chapter will be at the end. Thanks for reading :)

Hide and Seek

The place was completely dark. The moonlight had been blocked out by the closed blinds and all other sources of light had been cut off. There was no television powered on or even a clock ticking away; nothing. It was dead silent and shadow enveloped the dwelling like a thick fog.

Vergil's chest heaved as he panted deeply. His eyes scanned the open area like a predator on the prowl. The rush he was feeling at the moment was nothing shy of intoxicating. Surely this wasn't what he had expected would be taking place on what was an otherwise quiet evening, but he admitted he was enjoying himself...maybe a little too much. He ran a hand through his silvery hair as his eyes settled on the kitchen archway. His slightly parted lips curled into a smirk as he began stalking his way across the office in long, slow strides.

"Come to me my darling. You can't hide forever..." he called into the darkness. His tone was a calm and slightly threatening purr.

Trish and Dante had been gone for a few hours now and Vergil and Ari had the shop to themselves. This wasn't the first time it had been the two of them in the place for a full night, but it was a rarity. Tonight, Trish and Dante had decided to rent a hotel room. One of their favorite bands was hosting a concert near the mall about half an hour away tomorrow and they wanted to be one of the first ones there so they figured they should stay nearby. Vergil had already started thinking of plans for the evening when Dante began rattling off rules as Trish dragged him off, winking and leaving them to themselves.

'Stay outta my room, no eating my ice cream...and no doing it on my furniture!'

'Hm.'

Vergil's smirk deepened slightly, 'If these walls could speak, the stories they would tell...'

Vergil believed that if Dante had knowledge of what he and Ari had done in just about every room in this place, he would probably die on the spot. They had almost gotten caught a few times in compromising positions, but had quickly become masters at covering their tracks. This time they would have to set aside a little more time than usual to get everything put back in order though...Vergil glanced around the room taking note of the various things strewn about the hardwood floor.

To put it simply, it looked like a hurricane had hit the place. Couch cushions were thrown about, chairs were overturned, the couch itself was on its back and other random things had been knocked over in various places. They did however always refrain from entering Dante and Trish's room out of respect, but every other room was fair game in Vergil's mind.

Tonight they had gone from enjoying a nice dinner, to watching a movie, to playing an interesting game of hide and seek. A peculiar turn of events, but exhilarating nonetheless. But Vergil knew he had a slight upper hand in this situation...he had decided the cut the power to the entire shop to make things a little more fun.

He wanted to do something that would put her on edge and get her heart racing and he thought disabling all the electricity would be a good start to their game. He knew she wasn't afraid of the dark, nor was she afraid of him, but interestingly enough when he was lurking in the dark she behaved in a seemingly frenzied manner. He could tell that she experienced an adrenaline high whenever she was tasked with escaping him and he was amused by it. She enjoyed it and if that made her happy, then he would gladly give it; Not to mention, he derived his own pleasure from giving her chase, so it was a win-win.

Dead silence lingered in the air and he tilted his head slightly. Coming to a stop as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen, he looked down as his bare feet came into contact with something soft. Squatting, he gingerly picked up the thin fabric, lifting one of his brows as he inspected it. His tongue slowly licked one of his canines as his eyes narrowed.

'Challenge accepted, my little lioness.'

Vergil stood to his full height as he twirled the small pair of panties on one finger and slipped his other hand into the pocket of his sweat pants. He began to slowly hum a tune into the silent atmosphere as he strode through the shadows of the kitchen. His lips parted as his velvety voice sang out slightly modified lyrics to the melody he had been humming.

"I'll steal you, Ari...
I'll steal you.
Do you think that walls can hide you?
Even now i'm at your window.
I am in the dark beside you,
buried sweetly in your brunette hair..."

Vergil transitioned back to humming the eerie, but alluring tune as a devious grin slipped across his handsome face. He had a feeling that wherever she was, she was probably unnerved at this point...

v-v-v

Ari slipped quietly through the darkness in the office and quickly passed the kitchen with a hand over her mouth. She needed to remain as silent as she could and not let Vergil's tactics get to her. He knew just what to do to take things from slightly scary, to utterly terrifying and she definitely did not want him to catch her now. She was determined to win this one and since her little distraction had seemed to work, she bought herself a little more time to hide away in another location.

She carefully began to scale the stairs, deciding to hide in the linen closet; She knew she was small enough to scrunch up and pile the various sheets and things on top of herself, especially since all the shelves had been ripped out. Hearing Vergil's footsteps, her heart pumped fast in her chest and she began to feel overwhelmed with adrenaline. She froze for a moment, brown eyes wide with nervousness as she couldn't hear him anymore; everything was silent, save for her cautious breathing.

Braving the moment, she placed her foot onto the top step bringing her other foot to join soon after. She slowly began making her way to the closet as she stretched her eyes in a vain attempt to help her see better. As much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn't risk him finding her by using a light to help her see. She knew Vergil could see in the dark, which did not help her nerves at all, but he still couldn't see as good in the dark as he would with light. She needed every advantage she could get, even if it was minuscule.

Carefully reaching for the doorknob her hand stopped as she made contact with the cold metal. She could hear Vergil's singing in the distance sounding like it was getting closer but she needed to maintain her composure and not rush this; She did not want to risk making noise in her haste.

"I feel you, Ari.
I feel you..."

Ari bit her lip at the sound of Vergil's melodic voice. It was like she could feel the very essence of his tune attempting lure her in and she almost squealed with excitement. Even if things were a bit nerve-racking at the moment, she still loved the way he went all in when they played around together. And she especially appreciated how he managed to always be absolutely sexy in doing so. She had a feeling that when it was all said and done, she knew how this night would end...

She cautiously turned the knob and slid the door open, slipping inside and successfully closing it again without a sound. She carefully sat down, brushing a mound of folded sheets to the side to make space and piling a few of them onto her lap, making sure to cover her green over-sized t-shirt well. Taking one of them in her hands, she unfolded it and brought it down over her head unceremoniously as she laid to the side, hoping to disguise herself among the mound of laundry.

v-v-v

She had slipped by him. 'Crafty little woman...'

Vergil closed his eyes as he took in a silent breath. He could smell the powdery scent of the soap she had bathed with in the air around him and opened his eyes to gaze into the shadows. His eyes lifted up to the stairs and he remained still as he listened for any sounds. Turning slowly, he began to walk up the steps and resume humming his tune. He slipped Ari's panties into his pocket and swept a hand through his hair.

As another smirk crept its way onto his lips, he silently slipped his t-shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. He knew she was up here and there was no way she would be able to get passed him to go downstairs again; he anticipated finding her and engaging in the sparring that would come with it.

"Why are you hiding from me my love? I only want to play..." Vergil purred, "It is very lonely in this dark place...will you come play with me?"

Silence. Vergil smirked.

"I will be most kind my dear. Most...kind...indeed..." Vergil's voice trailed as his ears picked up on a slight shifting sound and his eyes slid over to the direction of the linen closet.

'Jackpot.'

Vergil slowly opened the door to the linen closet and peered inside. He saw a pile of linen on the floor that seemed nothing out of the ordinary. He slid to his knees and grabbed the pile.

"NO!" Ari was frantic. She had been found.

A low laugh rumbled in Vergil's throat, "You almost had me, but your scent gave you away. Now you are mine..."

Ari thrashed as she giggled and screamed at the same time. She was trying desperately to get away from his hands that were tickling her sides. Bringing up one of her legs, she managed to put her foot to his chest and tip him backwards. She quickly grabbed a sheet and threw it over his toppled form. She tried to get over him so she could run down the stairs but he managed to grab her hips, despite the blanket obscuring his view.

Ari squealed as he spun her around, dropping her into his lap and locking her in an embrace, "I win."

"No, you don't!" Ari refused to let this be the end of the story. She squirmed and reached up to grab his hair.

Vergil hissed as she gripped his locks with a firm but gentle grasp. He could feel desire wash over his body at the sensation and as he experienced the bit of euphoria, Ari took the opportunity to slip down his lap and try to crawl her way to the stairs. She didn't get too far before she felt his hand grab one of her ankles. He used his other hand to pull the sheet that she had been crawling on and bring her back to him.

Ari let out a gasp as everything underneath her her shifted in one swift movement.

"Ah! Let go!" Ari was swatting at his hands that were grabbing at her.

Vergil captured her waist and pulled her backwards onto his lap with a grunt, "Never..." his voice was a husky whisper in her ear and it sent shivers down her spine.

Ari suddenly didn't want to move. There was something about the way he said that one simple little word that had her feeling hot. She connected with a much deeper meaning behind his response and soon caught on to what he was taking the opportunity to say in that moment. Her shoulders slowly relaxed and she closed her eyes as a small smile graced her lips. The memory of what he was alluding to began to replay in her mind...

She remembered it like it had just happened not too long ago, although it had been over a year. It began with an argument, a pretty heated one. Vergil had begun to express an extreme concern over her safety when she had nearly been taken captive during one of their missions. According to Vergil, she had been preoccupied with another enemy when she was almost grabbed. In fact she didn't even realize how close she was to danger until she saw the perpetrator flying across her field of view and into a wall, blood seeping from gaping slashes in his chest. Vergil had made short order of the would-be abductor.

When they returned home that night, Vergil was livid and so was she. She was furious with the way he seemed to be blowing things out of proportion and, at the time, she didn't know why. She recalled defiantly staring him down when he had the nerve to suggest she stay home from then on. Needless to say, she rejected his offer in a few choice words before turning to walk away in a huff. When he followed after her and reached to turn her to face him, that's when she said it.

Let go.

The look in his eyes had gone straight to her heart when she turned to give him another mouthful of words, and she paused; speechless. His face looked angry, but his eyes held something akin to...fear?; It was obvious he attempted to hide behind the anger, but within his blue eyes, Ari found what he was really feeling. She hadn't said anything as she stared at him; His eyes spoke volumes.

I care too much to let you walk away...

v-v-v

Vergil stared at her in the darkness, noting the look in her eyes as she opened them. He meant it and he wanted to remind her of it. It didn't matter to him what they were doing at any given moment, he wanted to make sure that he let her know how much he cared for her. It was interesting to him how far he had come with his handling of his emotions. He had gone from completely suppressing them, to allowing them to surface within his familial relationships...within the proper and necessary context.

As far as how he dealt with his emotions towards his brother, that was still complicated, but in dealing with his wife he found it to be easier for him. Nonetheless, he had chosen to continue his retraining of his emotions by taking advantage of moments where he could express them directly, not merely in speech but deeds also. Although he knew his words could be perceived as cryptic at times, he knew that Ari would get his messages loud and clear. He planted a tender kiss on her neck as she relaxed into his embrace with a sigh.

"I love you..."Ari moaned softly as she reached back to encourage him.

"I love you too..." his voice was husky as he now trailed kisses down her neck and to her shoulder.

Vergil nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, nibbling gently as his hands began to roam over her body. Their connection never ceased to amaze him and he didn't think even she was truly aware of the fire that she ignited in him. A fire he never would have thought himself ever possessing. But no matter, they had their entire lives to explore the depths of this and he wanted to take advantage of relishing every moment of the journey. He was determined to show her exactly how deeply his affections ran. Though even then, he knew he could never do it justice; but he would surely try.

"...more than you'll ever know."

The door to the shop swung open as Dante stepped inside with Trish trailing behind him. He stopped short, causing the blond to nearly collide into him. Something was off. Very off.

"What the...?!"

"Hmm..." Trish gave a small smile and shook her head knowingly.

The entire office was now bathed in the golden rays of sunlight, exposing all that the previous night's darkness had concealed. The place was a complete wreck. Dante stood gaping wide-eyed at his precious office that had obviously been abused quite a bit.

"Well. I'm gonna kill him." Dante dropped his bags and stomped through the door way.

"Hold on Dante," Trish began, "just chill out okay?"

"Chill out?! Do you SEE this mess? They're cleaning this up NOW. VERGIL! ARI!"
Dante began to search for the culprits.

v-v-v

Vergil's eyes slowly opened and he winced at the brightness of his surroundings. Quickly coming to, he realized where he was and swore under his breath. He and Ari were tangled in the sheets from the closet, in the middle of the upstairs hallway floor...completely naked. They had fallen asleep after their love session right there and from the sounds of it, Dante and Trish were back. Vergil quickly shook Ari, fully aware of the urgency of the situation.

"Darling...wake up." Vergil's voice was a serious whisper.

Ari swatted at his hand, "Mmm...not yet Vergil. Give me a little more time to rest." she mumbled.

"No, not that. Dante and Trish are back."

Ari's eyes opened and went wide, "What?!" she whisper screamed.

They could both hear the sound of footsteps getting closer from the floor beneath them. It was imperative that they get out of sight otherwise, Dante and Trish would get quite an eyeful. Ari grabbed at the sheets, trying to cover herself as she reached to gather the rest of them.

"What are we gonna do?! They're coming!" Ari was getting hysterical, there was no way they'd make it down the hall to their room in time to not be seen.

"The closet." Vergil responded as he gathered the remaining sheets and their clothes from the floor.

"What?!"

Wordlessly, Vergil ushered them both along with everything else into the linen closet and shut the door. Ari grabbed Vergil's shoulder from behind him and looked at the door with a worried expression.

"Just stay still. Don't speak." Vergil replied as he held his hand on the doorknob and listened.

They could hear footsteps coming down the hall and Ari's breath hitched.

"Just calm down Dante, it's not that bad. They may not even be here." Trish was trying to deter him.

"Oh they're here alright...It smells like pure sex up here dude. Whatever they did last night, I bet it was Vergil's idea. It's gonna take forever to get this place put back together...VERGIL!" Dante was determined to find him, he didn't care what it took.

Dante walked down the hall to Vergil and Ari's room door.

"Dante don't you dare...!"

Dante swung the door open without a care and was puzzled when he was met with an empty room. Trish however was relieved and she stepped in front of Dante, crossing her arms.

"Dante, stop. You need to calm down."

Dante leaned down to her and narrowed his eyes, "No."

"Just let me handle this," she began, "and you go get the rest of the stuff from the car."

"Are you seriously trying to make excuses for-"

Trish put a hand up to stop him from talking, "I'm not making excuses, but you are overreacting. Nothing's broken, only knocked over. I'll take care of this."

"I don't care if-"

"Go now Dante." Trish's voice was final.

Dante's mouth snapped shut and he stared blankly before narrowing his eyes again. He didn't understand why she was being so protective, especially since she saw with her own eyes the destruction of his shop. Yeah sure, nothing was broken but still. The least they could have done was clean the place up. And sure, even he sometimes made small messes that he didn't clean up or whatever, but still. This mess was no small thing, it was huge.

Regardless, he would do what Trish asked, but he had made up in his mind that when he found Vergil, he'd give him a nice thank you for this little surprise. He couldn't hide forever. Dante turned on his heel and descended the stairs. When she was sure he was out of sight, Trish crossed her arms and smirked.

"Seems like you two had quite a night." Trish said aloud, "I'll try to get him to go somewhere so you can get this place put back together. Watch out though Verge, he's gunning for you." She turned and sauntered her way down the stairs after her disgruntled husband.

"She's a lifesaver. We gotta get her a gift or something." Ari whispered aloud as she tried to look for her clothes within the dark closet.

"Indeed." Vergil cracked the door open and peeked out. No one.

Opening the door wide he stepped out, ushering Ari down the hallway to their room. But before they stepped inside, Dante came charging up the stairs with Trish yelling after him. Vergil swiftly swept Ari up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way. He tossed her on their bed and slammed the door before locking it, pressing his back against it just as Dante approached.

"C'MERE VERGE, I JUST WANNA TALK ABOUT MY SHOP FOR A MINUTE!" Dante banged on the door.

"Go away Dante. We will clean it up." Vergil replied smoothly.

Vergil stepped away from the door, unwrapping the sheets from his body and dropping them to the floor before laying on the bed.

"I guess we're gonna be in here for a minute till he chills out." Ari was staring at the door, half wondering if the thing was going to give way.

Vergil and Ari listened to Dante's continued rant.

"It seems so." Vergil motioned with a finger for Ari to come closer to him as they locked eyes. Sliding next to him, she snuggled into his arms.

Vergil had not anticipated falling asleep before being able to clean up, but he supposed there was a first time for everything. He had a feeling they would get caught eventually however he didn't think it would have been this soon. Nonetheless, he was sure he'd be hearing about this one for quite a while and he didn't care. The fun they had was worth it.

Review response: Hey Ksimonekutie, thanks for reading! I appreciate the encouragement and i'm glad you enjoy my writing:) And yes, Ari is African American.