I do not own Devil May Cry or any of the characters, stories, plots, locations, etc. thereof. I do not own Henley's poem "Invictus" or any of its lines.

Thank you to all my readers and reviewers. Much obliged. To all the American's happy Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoyed your Turkey.

This is the final chapter for this story. Please let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

The demon's arm flailed between the door frame and the door pressing against it. The clawed hand was covered in red and black. Trish had her hands pressed against it, face strained with the effort, ducking backwards to prevent the demon from touching her.

"Lady!" Trish screamed, her arms buckling under the weight of the demon.

Lady placed herself in front of the demon, aiming between the crack in the door. It stared at her, eyes rolling into the back of its head. She squinted and fired one bullet, piercing the demon between the eyes. Its mouth opened wide and it disappeared into a fine black dust.

With the weight suddenly gone, Trish slammed the door shut. Her arms shook and she quickly brushed the dust from the arm underneath the door with her boot.

"Did more hear us?" Lady asked. They listened closely, but no sounds came downstairs.

"I don't know," she walked over to the dresser on the far wall. Lady joined her and together they lifted it, placing it in front of the door.

Trish ran a hand through her hair and heaved a sigh. Dammit, Dante. Hurry, she thought. She looked at Evangeline and quickly ran over, fearing that she wasn't breathing. Placing her ear over Evangeline's mouth, she prayed that she would inhale. Evangeline took in a single shuddered breath. Several seconds later she took in another. The moonlight fell on her skin, revealing the infection. Trish picked up a corner of the sheet gingerly and brushed it over Evangeline's sweating forehead. Small flakes of black dust fell from her skin. She placed a hand over her mouth.

"Is she okay?" Lady asked.

Trish shook her head. "No. She's mostly human so that slowed it down, but I don't think she has much time left."

Evangeline always thought she would know the moment she would die. She was alone in darkness, silence around her, and she could feel death slowly creeping. It was almost as if she could hear it in the distance, bearing down upon her like a train and she was unable to move.

############

"Do you want it?" he said, holding out the brown organ attached to his hand.

Vergil instinctively took a step back, unconsciously thinking the vile thing might jump out of the demon's hand and grab him. He stopped short of unsheathing Yamato, curiosity piqued by the demon's ease around him. The demon looked at the organ, moving his hand to examine it.

"I didn't think it would attach like this. Not the most attractive."

"What is it?"

The demon grinned, revealing rows of sharp, yellow teeth, too many it seemed for a mouth that small. It looked like a shark grinning.

"It controls that," he said, pointing his head towards the hole. "I've always been amazed how one item can control so much. All I needed to do was make a host for it. Killed a rather large demon to get this heart."

"Why destroy the demon world?"

"Would you like to hear my theories as to what it is?"

"No," Vergil said, gripping the hilt of Yamato.

"Wait, let me speak. I have an offer for you," the demon said, his arms up in a defense position.

Vergil's fingers remained on the sword but he did not move to draw it. The demon smiled its shark smile and continued.

"It is suffering. Pure misery and pain and all those other dreadful emotions. Technically, it does not exist on its own physically, but when you give a body, it becomes something. I speculate two things. Either it is a byproduct of human suffering, like a pool catching the excess, or…" he held up a finger. "It is leftovers from when god created the universe. Maybe, it didn't get the combination quite right the first time and had too much. Or maybe, he created the world several times and it is the remnants of another world before ours."

Vergil unsheathed Yamato. "I'm going to need to kill you."

"Wait, wait, wait. I still have that offer. You'll have all the power you ever wanted and you can save the woman and your brother," he backed up slowly, hands still raised in defense.

Vergil narrowed his eyes, approaching the demon slowly.

"I feel everything I've infected. So to continue, I was never a powerful demon, always controlled by masters," the demon's lip curled in a snarl. "I always hated how it was just raw power that dictated everything. Constantly fighting and killing and the same devils just switching positions; it is pure chaos. So I decided on a different method. Something so dreadful that every demon would fear it. Even Mundus is hiding right now. They can't stop it because all they can do is fight with swords and claws. Pathetic. Now they run from me, the infection, and it is marvelous. Me, a lower level demon, controls the entire underworld."

"What do want?"

"You're rather impatient for being the smart one. Unless I got you and your brother mixed up. You are Vergil, correct? The evil twin?"

Vergil said nothing.

"I thought so. When doing this, I didn't take into account that there are half-demons. You see, it only infects demons and they're the only ones I can control. Partial demons take longer and by the time the infection takes hold in their brains, they are useless to control. So, either I can infect you which will do me no good since you will kill me before you become weak, or I can do nothing and you will kill me any way, or…I can make a deal."

Vergil's mind raced through the possibilities. "Go on."

"I will give you control over it. Ultimate power over the demon world, and the human world if you choose. What do you say? Not even Mundus could stop you."

Vergil imagined Mundus bowing at his feet. No one would be able to stand against him, human or demon; he would be nearly godlike. Moreover, no one could touch his family so long as he was there. The promise of power beckoned him: a seductive mistress calling him to bed. Desire tugged at him, and he felt as if he would snatch the dreadful organ straight from the demon's hand. He wanted to feel the power radiate throughout him, a feeling he so sorely missed.

"Why would you give it up?" he asked, less out of suspicion and more out of genuine curiosity.

The demon smiled, his eyes becoming wistful as he stared at the hole spewing forth the infection.

"This is my work of art: my masterpiece. You will kill me regardless, but at least it will remain," he said softly. He held out his hand again. "Take it. It's yours. You have at last earned that power you so desperately sought your entire life."

Vergil clenched and unclenched his fist; it ached with the urge to grab the offering. Tentatively, he reached out and touched it; the brown skin was slimy and cold. The organ shifted from his hand as if shocked.

"How do I…?"

"Only the hand comes off, not the source," the demon said. He looked into the demon's eyes; they stared back like dead, black orbs.

Behind Vergil, Dante stumbled into the tunnel. He doubled over and spat out a wad of blood, clutching his torso. His face was covered in red and black sores. Using the wall for support, he looked around the room, eyes landing on Vergil and the demon.

"Vergil, kill him!"

Vergil raised Yamato and brought it down on the smiling demon's arm, severing it. In one hand, Vergil clutched the organ and severed arm as the demon fell at his feet, bleeding. The organ sucked its giant arteries attached to the arm back into itself, and the arm fell to the floor next to the quietly chuckling demon.

Between his hands, Vergil clutched the pulsing organ. With every heartbeat, he could feel the breadth of the infection as if he were standing at the source. Every demon's soul was attached to his own as if they were all connected by a giant web, and it grew with every second. Around him, he could feel it stretching and he the heart of it all. The heartbeats seemed to push him further and further down, until his mind was filled with the darkness of the suffering, and his memories shattered like brittle glass.

He expected the rush of power to be warm, like an intense energy that would pulse through him filling every muscle fiber with the surety of strength. Instead it was cold, dead, and his body trembled as if he had been lowered into the waters of the artic.

His ears were bombarded with a sound, a voice calling him in the distance. Looking around, the world seemed to bend and stretch, distorting the image. He shook his head and looked at his brother, realizing that Dante was the one calling, his mouth opening and closing as he yelled at him.

Vergil took a step forward, and Dante seemed further away. He could feel his brother's infection growing, the way it pulsed through his veins, digging itself deeper and deeper into his flesh and tissue. Despite feeling Dante's infection as if it were his own, the distance between them seemed so insurmountable. He was alone.

He cringed as the organ extended an artery into his wrist. Blood seeped from the wound.

"I need this. The power. I'm not weak any more Dante," he yelled.

Another artery extended into him, drawing him deeper and deeper into the dark source. He cried out as it seared through his arm and into his heart.

"No one can stop me! I'm the powerful one now," he cried out as the organ attached to him again. "No one will ever take anything away from me again!"

A cold ache spread from the organ, and into the rest of his body. He watched Dante weakly try to raise his sword, screaming something he was unable to hear. Vergil fell to his knees, shaking uncontrollably. Demons screamed again and again in his head, as his body seemed to stretch into eternity.

He closed his eyes and within his mind he saw a single flicker of light that was slowly fading: Evangeline dying far away on Earth, disappearing from this world. The infection already had overtaken her body completely.

"I can't," he whispered.

##############

Trish watched out the window, silently. Below, demons milled around aimlessly, crying out and disappearing into dust before being replaced by more. They were like an endless army. Evangeline let in a strangled gasp, and did not exhale. Trish rushed over to the bed.

"Evangeline," she shook her. "Evangeline!"

She brought her fist down on Evangeline's sternum and began pumping it into her chest. Her eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling as her body was shaken again and again. Trish leaned over and placed her mouth over Evangeline's, breathing out and filling the dying girl's lungs.

"Trish! Be quiet!" Lady hissed. The sound of demon's feet pounding up the stairs arrived at the door and stopped outside. They slammed into the door again and again, moving the dresser back. Lady aimed her gun at the door as the demon's shattered it into splinters and fired.

############

Dante dropped his sword and stumbled over to his crouched brother. Vergil clutched the brown organ in his hand, mumbling incoherently. He placed his hands on his shoulder, and coughed, sputtering up blood.

"Vergil, you need to let go," he said into his ear.

Vergil tilted his head, hearing a voice in the distance. The single flame flickered once before disappearing and he was empty. All the shattered pieces of memory reformed and the single image of her peering through the bars of her cell, green eyes defiant to the world.

I am the captain of my spirit, I am the master of my soul.

The cold ebbed away from him and he began to ascend from the black pit. He opened his eyes, rising to his feet again. The organ pulsed faster and faster and he felt its distress. He tightened his grip around it, seeing defiant eyes. His fingers dug into the soft flesh, blood gushing around his fingertips. As if someone were gripping his own heart, he felt the pain. With a cry, he pushed deeper and pulled his apart, ripping the organ in two.

Blood spilled down his front and the two halves crumbled into nothingness. From the hole came an unearthly scream that ripped its way through the world and the shackles that tied him to it broke. Then, there was nothing.

They stood in an empty cave, no trace of the hole or its vile contents. Dante looked at his hand, clear of any blemish. Vergil walked over to the entrance of the cave which overlooked the demon world. It was barren and silent; the blasted landscape of dirt and rock had appeared again. Only the wind stirred, picking up bits of dirt rather than the black dust.

"Vergil?" Dante said.

"It's gone," Vergil said, glancing over his shoulder.

"You had me worried I would have to kill you." Dante clasped his brother on the shoulder.

"It looks like I saved the world this time."

"Do it about three more times and then you will be as badass as me," Dante laughed. Vergil grabbed his brother's wrist and turned around.

"I wasn't in time. I think she's dead," he said.

##############

Lady fired a round into a shocked demon. It stood baffled, looking around as if it had no idea how it had arrived in that place. The demon examined its hands free of infection then it looked at Lady and growled, rushing at her. She fired again and it died at her feet, a pile of sand.

She looked at Trish who sat on top of Evangeline, desperately trying to start her heart. Trish looked at Lady, her eyes wide with fear though Evangeline's flesh was clear of the red and black lesions.

############

Evangeline covered her eyes with her arms as oblivion rushed towards her. It was completely silent save for the sound of her breathing.

"You can open your eyes."

Evangeline lowered her hands at the order of the sweet voice.

"Trish?" she said to the blonde woman. The woman only smiled, small crow's feet forming around the corners of her eyes.

Evangeline shook her head. "No, not Trish."

"It's time to wake up now," she said. The woman placed her hands lightly on Evangeline's shoulders and pushed. Evangeline fell backwards, tumbling again into darkness.

"And Persephone would make a wonderful name," the woman called as she fell.

Evangeline opened her eyes, blinking in the bright lights. She groaned and tried push her aching body to sit up. Her arms met resistance, and she looked at the tubes and wires hanging from them. Looking around, she saw beeping medical equipment and a white curtain.

"The hell…" she said and tore some of the tubes from her arm before falling back against the pillow. She breathed in, her chest aching.

The curtain opened to reveal blue eyes and white hair.

"Nurse!" Dante called.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, leaning over the bed.

"I don't want you. Where's Vergil?" she snapped.

"Nice to see you too."

"What happened?" she asked.

"We saved the day and Trish saved you. She kept doing CPR until your heart started again. You've been sleeping for two weeks now. They said it was massive internal trauma," Dante answered.

A nurse walked in pink scrubs. She looked at Dante then down at her chart.

"Which one are you?"

"I'm the brother," he said.

"The skinny one is the husband and the fat one is the brother," said a woman in a white lab coat who had entered behind the nurse. Dante snorted.

The doctor walked over to Evangeline, shined a light in her eyes, and checked her pulse.

"How do you feel?"

"Like shit,' Evangeline said.

"Then you're doing a lot better than I expected you would Mrs. Sparda. I'll go get your husband. We finally convinced him to sleep on a cot in the doctor's lounge rather than in the bed with you," the doctor said before leaving. The nurse smiled at her quickly before leaving.

"I'm not married," Evangeline called out.

"Don't say that. We needed an identity for you. And that nurse has been looking like she is going to explode with something she wants to tell you," Dante said, staring after the nurse.

"I don't know what's happening," Evangeline said, placing a hand over her face.

"Well, I went out with Lady. She thought you were going to die so she agreed to."

"Dante, I really don't care at the moment."

He laughed and placed a hand over hers. "I'm glad you lived. It means Vergil won't lose it, and I have to admit you've really helped him."

She lowered her hand. "What do you mean?"

"I'll let him tell you about it."

Evangeline sighed and rubbed her eyes, her head woozy. There was a clatter from the hallway and the sound of boots entering. She opened her eyes and felt her heart leap into her throat. Vergil rushed to her side his face emotionless, but his eyes full of relief. He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. She placed her hand on his face, feeling his warm skin. He smiled and grasped her hand, and for a moment words were unnecessary.

"I missed you," he said.

"I kind of missed me too," she replied. He smiled again and kissed her.

"Well if you two are done," the doctor said. She glared at Dante and he stood up to leave.

"And I'm not fat," he said as he exited.

"I have good news mostly. It seems that you are making a full recovery. To be truthful, I was expecting you to die. Severe internal bleeding, severe trauma, brain hemorrhaging, the list goes on. There is some abnormal pigmentation in your eyes, but your rather diligent family explained it was normal. But, you will be just fine and can probably leave within a few days," the doctor said, her stern eyes narrowed. The nurse at her side continued to smile.

"Good. I'm hungry," Evangeline said, feeling her stomach rumble.

"Just a moment. We ran some blood work and…" she turned to the nurse. "I know you have been dying to tell them."

The nurse's smile stretched from ear to ear. "I ran the blood work and you're pregnant!"

Evangeline felt the world grind to a screeching halt and could practically hear Vergil's jaw drop. The moment of rejoice from their reunion was replaced with confusion and shock.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No. I am not pregnant. I haven't had any…Oh, wait," she said.

"What?" Vergil asked.

"Before I got sick I was queasy, but only for a day and a half," she said to the doctor as if pleading would make it go away.

"I just ran the blood work, I don't control what symptoms you have or if you are aware enough to notice them. It looks like you are about two months along. To be completely honest, with what happened to you that baby should not have lived. There's a strong heartbeat, and I am baffled. That baby was determined to live, but I can't garauntee there won't be any complications later on," the doctor said. She looked at the silent pair and clicked her tongue. "I'll leave you two alone for a minute."

Vergil and Evangeline sat in silence for a moment before she slapped Vergil's arm.

"What was that for?"

"This is your fault. Why didn't you use protection?" she said. She placed her hand over her belly, briefly wondering if she could feel the baby's heartbeat.

"It takes two people to make a baby and why didn't you?" he said, glaring. "Besides, this is a good thing, isn't it? Don't most women want to be mothers?"

"How is it a good thing? I can't raise a child, your certainly can't. This is a little person that we have to raise, not a sword that all you need to do is polish and keep nice. We need an income and house and we can't run around anymore."

She sighed. He climbed into the hospital bed next her, extending his long legs next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. The gravity of situation seemed to weigh on her.

"This child is already growing," he said. "Perhaps it is meant to be."

"What if it has horns?"

"It won't have horns."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "This is really a shock after waking up. First I died, and then I'm pregnant."

Her mind flashed briefly back to the woman in the darkness, Vergil's mother, and her words echoed in her ears.

"Do you really think we can do this? We're not even married," she said.

Vergil kissed the side of her head. "I think we can, but the kid might be a little strange."

"I'm going to get fat."

"Actually, you seem very sexy now that you are carrying my child," he said.

She smiled. "That's just weird."

"As for the married part, I don't really think it suits us."

She nodded. "I agree. We should just tell everyone we are."

Vergil tilted her face towards him and kissed her deeply on the lips.

"Don't ever die again," he whispered firmly, his lips still close.

"I don't plan to."

He placed his hand over her belly, a feeling of content passing over him. He tried to imagine what his child would look like, whether he would have his eyes or his mother's.

She tilted her head, stretching her neck. "I could really use a cigarette."

"You can't smoke with the baby."

"Now that just sucks."

They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the sound of the hospital going about its business outside the door.

"Vergil, going to hell was the best thing that ever happened to me," Evangeline said.

"It was the best thing that ever happened to you." He said monotone. "I can't believe I am actually going to start a family. It seems so…normal."

"I don't think our lives are ever going to be normal," Evangeline said.

Dante walked into the room, hands in his pocket, looking as though he had just interrupted something important.

"Hey, family. I hate to interrupt, but there are some demons we need to take care of. You know, remainders from the portals. Lady said we can get paid," he said.

Vergil looked at Evangeline, expectantly. She smiled and leaned back.

"Go on. We need the money," she said.

Vergil climbed from the bed and kissed her briefly. "I love you."

"We can tell them later," she whispered in his ear.

Vergil left with his brother, waving to her from the door before disappearing into the hallway. Evangeline sighed and patted her belly.

"You are going to have one hell of life ahead of you," she said.

No response from the baby. She sighed and closed her eyes.

Outside, Vergil thought about the recent events and small smile cracked his stony features, but a small worry grew in him as he wondered what trials his child would face in a world full of demons.

###############

The demon world was empty, a literal land of the dead. Out of the ruins of his realm, a demon rose, spreading its wings across the desolate land; the unchallenged ruler of his domain. Three glowing orbs searched in the distance for his armies: the word "Sparda" echoed in his mind and on his lips, a cry heard through the underworld.

I am thinking about continuing from this in another story with Vergil, Evangeline, and the child. Let me know if you would like to read more and whether this would be a good idea. I'm not quite sure what people want to read. Thank you to everyone. Peace!