Daniel's Dangerous Dynasty

Daniel stabbed the shovel into the dirt, lifted another pile up, and slid said pile into the filled hole. Above the patch of disturbed land, two headstones were erected... one that read "James Richard Banks", and the other, "Elanor Anna Banks".

He wiped the sweat from his brow and stood back up, smiling weakly. "Thank you... thank you both. I... I couldn't have gone through with this without you."

He felt a pair of hands touch his shoulders, before James's voice replied, "Any time, son."

Elanor's voice then followed. "We are so, so, proud of you, dearie! You... you've saved the world!"

Daniel looked over at their spectral forms, and smiled back at them. "Yeah, but... you've got him to thank for that." he pointed at his dad, who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well, I figured it's time you became a real man, son, and did something for society." he said with a smirk.

Daniel rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, well guess what? You still deserve the credit for it, Dad!"

James was about to retort, when Elanor cleared her throat. "Guys, no fighting at our funeral, please?"

Daniel and James both sighed and slouched their shoulders in defeat. "Yes, Mom."

"Got it, dear." James said in-sync with his son.

They stood there in silence, when Daniel then looked back up at them. "So, uh... does this mean y'all both want to move into Hell with me, still?"

His hopeful smile faltered when they both looked at each other and, supposedly, hesitated.

"Actually, Daniel... your mother and I were thinking..."

"No, don't worry about it! I'll make sure y'all both get rooms in the Royal Palace! We'll make it as comfortable as we can get it!"

James, however, shook his head. "No, it's not that, Daniel. We've, umm... we've got some unfinished business to take care of, before we can go."

Daniel tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

James smiled at his wife, before replying, "Well you see, Son... El and I have lived in this old town our whole lives. We... we kinda wanted to go on vacation at some point, once you were on your feet."

Elanor nodded her head and added, "And with your father and I no longer limited to our bodies, or our old age... well... there's just so much more opportunities for us!"

"Yeah!" James said. "We practically feel as spry as a kid again, Daniel!"

Daniel just stood there speechlessly for a moment... then smiled at them again, nodding his head in understanding.

"Alright... I guess that's fair." He then raised a finger up. "But those rifts are gonna be open for Eternity, so I expect you both to visit, at least!"

They both placed their hands on his shoulder again, nodding their heads. "You can count on it, my son." James promised.

Daniel chuckled, as a single tear fell from his eye. "I'll... I'll miss you guys."

Elanor shook her head and smirked. "I won't. I'll be sure to haunt you as much as I possibly can, while dragging this grouch with me also!"

"Hey, I was only grouchy because of my bad back!" James whined.

They three then laughed a bit more, before James patted his son's shoulder a bit more. "Anyways, Daniel, don't worry about us. Instead... worry about your Dynasty. Your new family you've got on the way!"

Daniel nodded his head, before looking to the side... or more specifically, to Mina, who stood there near the entrance to the Graveyard, no longer covered in bloodied armor, but rather, a black dress fitting for a funeral.

He smiled at her, which made her smile back at him. "Yeah... you're right, Dad."

He motioned for her to approach, and so she did. The ground, like usual, withered around her every hoofstep, but it didn't matter to them, as they knew she was a good Devil.

"Don't worry, you guys... I'll make sure nothing ever happens to your son... I promise." she vowed to them.

"We know, Miss Pinkamena... we know." Elanor said, giving her daughter-in-law a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Please, you two... just call me Mina." she told them.

They nodded their heads, before turning to face something behind them... it was a spectral train that whistled loudly.

"Well... there's our ride." James said.

Elanor held his hand tightly, and they both walked into the train. They turned around and waved at Daniel and Mina, who in turn, waved back at them as the train's doors closed. Then, it floated into the air, and began to move away, until it was completely out of sight.

Daniel then looked Mina in the eyes and smiled warmly at her. "Hey, hon."

She wrapped her hands around his, and smiled back at him, also lost into his eyes. "Hey, dear."

Then he smirked at her. "So, uh... whatever happened to 'wanting to kill whoever calls you Mina', anyways?"

She deadpanned at him, before swatting him in the chest. He only laughed at the contact, though.

"Oh hush, you. They're already dead anyways, so I guess they get a 'Free Pass'."

He nodded his head and calmed his laughter down. "Eh, fair enough."

Then he pulled her in for a much-needed kiss. She closed her eyes and returned the kiss in kind, while from outside the graveyard, a group of demons and imps wiped the tears from their eyes.

Eight Months Later...

The NEWS Reporter on the TV was sitting at the desk, staring directly at the camera with a composed expression on her face.

"Exactly eight months in, since the Apocalypse hit, and yet the answer still remains a mystery! 'Who truly shot first? Was it Heaven, or Hell?' And who truly are the 'Bad Guys'? Whatever the case, more and more tourists travel between Earth and Hell freely, be they Demonic or Otherwise, learning more about Themselves, Their History, and even... Their Love! We're now going to Hollywood, LIVE, at Tom, who has more to say. Tom?"

The screens showed three figures: a human male wearing a suit and holding a microphone, a red-haired gothic girl in a purple and black dress, and a tall, muscular demon, who had his arm wrapped around the girl.

"Thank you, Dianne! Now here, standing with me today, is one of the first reported marriages on Earth, between a human and a demon, in what they addressed as, and I quote, 'Unholy Matrimony'. They are none other than Mrs. Stephanie Brown, and her husband, Mr. Talion Brown. Mr. and Mrs. Brown, how are you both getting along with your marriage?"

Stephanie leaned towards the microphone and smiled. "Well, Tom, so far everything has been going really great, believe it or not! The moment I broke the news to my parents, they were, of course, not very supportive at first, but now that a month has passed since we've been married, he's been helping them with so many problems they didn't even realize they had!"

Tom nodded his head and smiled. "Well that's wonderful! Now, Mr. Talion, what kinds of problems have you been helping them with?" He held the microphone up high, while Talion had to crouch down a bit in order to be able to speak his response.

"Well, Tom, they were having relentless nightmares every night. I did some digging around, and uncovered a Lost Spirit that was tormenting them, and reported it to Hell's Army. They then sent in a few soldiers, and together they subdued the evil spirit, and dragged it to Hell, where it was then cast into the Pits of Eternal Torment."

"I see... and they couldn't see the spirit, yet they believed you?" Tom asked, to which Talion nodded.

"Yes, sir. Once I left their home, they no longer had the nightmares. The following week, Mr. Samuel called me... well, called her, since I don't have a phone, yet... and asked to speak with me. He then taught me about this 'Golf', which I find great enjoyment and relief playing!"

"Amazing! Thank you both for your time!"

"Thank you, Tom!" they both replied with a polite bow.

"Furthermore, the Rifts of Heaven are still being watched, and the kingdom, Locked Down. However, we did get a response from a Fallen Angel, saying they just didn't want to, and I quote, 'Spoil the Surprise' of going to Heaven. That's all from me, here in Hollywood. Back to you, Dianne!"

Dianne returned to the screen, and nodded her head. "Thank you, Tom. And now, for the weather!"

*BZZZZT!*

A preacher stood on top of a podium, yelling at the crowd with his bible held high.

"THE END... IS UPON US! THERE'S NO EXCUSE ON WHY WE SHOULD TRUST THESE MONSTERS, WHEN THEY ARE LIARS, CHEATERS, AND THIEVES! THEY NOW WALK AMONG US, BUT WE SHALL STAND STRONG! AND SO NOW, MY CHILDREN, NOW IS THE TIME TO STAND FIRM! WE WILL NOW TAKE UP ARMS, AND CHOOSE. YOUR. FACTION!"

"AMEN!" came several shouts from the audience.

*BZZZZT!*

A black man with a red t-shirt and a black cap pointed backwards was speaking to a hidden reporter, whose hand was on the side of the screen with a microphone held towards him.

"-And then I met my girl, Emma. For sure, she might be an imp, but man, fuck it! They ain't that bad, and they know what's up with the world today! And all these haters gonna hate, but man, fuck the haters! We gotta go hard, go strong, and let 'em all know! Demon Lives Matter, ya know!"

*BZZZZT!*

An animated angel in white armor slung a massive sword over his shoulder.

"HE IS AN ANGEL OF GOD!"

A Holy Cross fit the background for a brief moment, while an angelic choir hummed for a second.

Then a red-skinned succubus grins with a fireball in her long, black leather gloves.

"SHE IS A SEDUCTRESS OF SATAN!"

The background had a muscular red Demon laughing over a boiling pot.

Then the two main characters stood back-to-back in the foreground, with the background being Earth.

"AND TOGETHER... THEY FIGHT CRIME!"

*BZZZZT!*

Daniel continued to flip through the channels, now growing increasingly bored with each passing second. Death was sitting next to him on the couch, eating a bowl of popcorn, and tapped on Daniel's shoulder.

"Ooh, wait a sec, man! That one actually looked pretty good!" he said, almost sounding like he was pleading.

Daniel rolled his eyes and looked back at him, smirking. "For real? I thought you wanted to watch that corny Soap Opera, though?"

Death deadpanned at the TV and slouched against the couch, groaning. "Ugh... ever since they replaced the old actors with the new ones, it's just gotten more dull, man! I mean, now I'll never know if the real Gerald got to marry the real Helen, and I never will know since they fuckin' KILLED THEM OFF!"

Daniel shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, that's fair. But even still, you've gone from trying sappy shit to stupid shit like that cartoon!"

Death gasped. "Wait, are you hatin' on anime, now?!"

Daniel shook his head. "Uh, HELL no I'm not! I fuckin' LOVE anime! Just... y'know... not the stupid as fuck kind!"

"I'll have ya know that it's got good features to it, just from that trailer alone!" Death objected.

"Name one good thing about it." Daniel said, to which Death raised a finger and opened his mouth for. "That doesn't involve the Demon Girl looking hot."

Death lowered his finger and thought for a moment... then glared at him. "Man, fuck you!"

Daniel smirked. "That's my wife's job."

Death grumbled before taking another scoop of popcorn into his mouth.

Daniel then raised an eyebrow at him. "By the way, how's your old job going?"

Death sighed. "Well, ever since Armageddon was called prematurely, and didn't exactly end, technically, Heaven's been a bit backed up on space, lately. But they said they're building a few more places for the newer souls, so I should be getting a call back into work in another four months, or so."

"Damn. Four months, huh? Guess that means you'll be mooching off Mina and I for a bit longer, then."

"Dude, money's tight, okay? Both Dollars and Soul Fragments don't grow on trees, ya know?"

Daniel raised a hand up to stop him. "Paper comes from trees. Soul Fragments come from the Tree of Souls. So, uh... yeah, they kinda do."

Death deadpans at him. "Still doesn't mean shit, ya know!"

Daniel then looked at the bowl of popcorn in wonder. "Come to think of it, why are you eating popcorn?"

Death shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Movies ain't complete without popcorn!"

"Death... who the hell told you that load of horse crap?"

"Google!"

Daniel planted his face in his palm. "Of course, you did... well, listen, you shouldn't have to rely on Google for-"

Suddenly, Daniel's phone started to ring.

Death looked at him and said, "Oh! Boss must be calling!"

Daniel looked at the phone's screen and replied, "Yeah, she is. Hold on a sec." He tapped on the screen and smiled, leaning it against his ear, while he slouched back on the couch comfortably. "Hey, hon, what's up?"

...

His eyes widened, and he leaned forward. Death looked at him confusedly, before gasping once Daniel spoke.

"Wait, hold on... did you just say that... oh. Wait, you did?! Oh, shit! Your water just broke?!"

...

"Alright, stay there, hon! We're on our way to pick you up, now!"

...

"No, we're taking a rift, and bringing you into a doctor!"

He hung up his phone and looked at Death, who was already standing from the couch. "On it, man!"

They rushed out the door, and Death's limo immediately appeared in front of them. Daniel hurried into the back seat, while Death took the Driver Seat. The car then sped into a portal that opened right in front of it.

The doors to the Hospital's Hallway immediately slammed open, while signs of corruption followed suit, as Mina lied on a Hospital Bed that was now made of muscle and tissues, with glaring yellow eyes and four legs in place of its wheels.

She was beyond pissed, she was breathing heavily, and above all, she was practically yelling threats and growls at the top of her lungs, threatening the staff of the Hospital to get the fuck out of her way, as her baby was on board.

The legs stomped on their own as it rushed her to her room, while the doctors, as confused as ever, chased behind her bed that was moving much, much faster than they could go.

A nurse looked at Daniel, pointed at the sight, and began. "Uh... i-is that normal?"

Daniel shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Queen of Hell. Don't question it. It'll save you a lot of headache down the line, trust me."

He then ran along with the doctors, until they finally reached the room.

The door corrupted, and the entire room quickly followed suit.

Daniel stood there by her side the whole time. She calmed down after the doctors subdued her with morphine and all kinds of their strongest pain killers... but she was still feeling it.

"Don't worry, hon, I'm here with you." Daniel assured her, to which she smiled and nodded her head.

"Thank you, dear... now please." She reached up and snapped her finger, summoning a potion from the Void and offering it to Daniel. "Drink this."

He didn't even question her. He took the potion and swallowed the contents, but gagged and dropped the vial into the trash can.

"Ugh! What the fuck was that shit?!"

Mina smiled warmly at him and replied, "It's a potion that keeps your bones from breaking for at least an hour."

"My bones from breaking?" Daniel asked.

His answer came in the form of a large tendril that wrapped around his legs, and rose up to the top of his head, leaving his hand for Mina to hold onto.

"Of course, dear! What, you didn't think I'd let you walk out of this painlessly, did you? After all!" She giggled madly, and her Cheshire grin formed. "You're the one that put this damn thing IN me!"

"Oh, fuck me!" Daniel whined.

"Consider yourself fucked, dear." she retorted, as the doctor stepped inside the room to help her with her labor.

"Alright, Misses Pie... it's time for us to begin."

Though Daniel wasn't the praying type anymore, he was silently begging for mercy to whatever deity was watching over him.

His mercy never came, though, as by the time the doctor told her to "Push", both she and himself began to scream in agony, her from the baby, and him from both, her grip on his hand, and the tendril that squeezed the ever-loving life out of him.

...

To his surprise, the worst pain was actually in his hand.

Daniel closed his eyes, as his consciousness began to fade. His ears were ringing from the loud, demonic sounds his wife was making. When his eyes could manage to crack open, he saw that several of the other doctors were covering their ears as well, trying to keep the blood in their ears.

He was barely able to see the doctor who was crouched down, ushering her to keep pushing, but he couldn't hear a single word that was being muttered.

Then, after one more loud roar, another sound emerged... one that made him ignore his pain, and shoot his eyes wide open.

The tendril released him, and Mina's grip softened, while the sound of a crying baby filled the room, replacing all demonic noises from before.

Daniel looked down, and saw that the doctor had fallen onto his back, but to his credit, he caught the baby and managed to stand back up, cradling it carefully.

Then, Daniel was able to see it clearly.

It was a Satyr... a human-pony hybrid, with dark brown hair, a dark brown tail, and pink fuzzy hooves. Its upper body was human, however, and its arms were reaching out for something... anything to grab onto.

One of the doctors tried to get a look at the Satyr, but couldn't determine what to say. "Well, uh... it's... it's a..."

The head doctor, however, chuckled a bit, before approached the waiting couple. Then he bowed his head respectfully at them. Wrapping the baby up in a bright pink blanket, he offered the baby to its mother, who took it upon her arms at once.

Then the baby opened its beautiful, baby blue eyes, and smiled at her. She closed her eyes and, for that exact moment, smiled one of the most honest smiles she ever could muster up. Tears fell from her eyes, not out of pain, but joy.

The doctor walked up to Daniel and patted his shoulder.

"Congratulations, you two... it's a girl."