Part two

The church was lit by artificial lights made to look like flickering candles, at a quick glance most people wouldn't have noticed or really minded the difference, Kurt didn't. As he stepped in through the foyer he found himself filled with a great sense of peace, and he wondered why he had stopped going to services, until the obvious hit him, he had frightened too many people. He stopped at the fount and dipped in his fingers, crossing himself before proceeding up the aisle to the first pew, where he bent on one knee, and crossed himself again. There was a man near the end of the pew, and Kurt was unsure if he had noticed him enter, and he had no wish to frighten the man, so he kept in the shadows of the aisle, while addressing him quietly.

"Good Evening sir."

The man turned slowly, and stood, now Kurt could easily see the white collar and the simple dark suit.

"Good Evening, Father." He corrected himself.

"You are the friend of Logan's?"

"I am." And Kurt held out his hand.

The priest stopped for a moment, as he made out Kurt's form more closely, and Kurt watched his eyes, one benefit of his night vision. The older man seemed to be regarding him very intently, and had Kurt not known better he would have assumed he was being scanned telepathically. After a second, the priest extended his own hand and took Kurt's.

"Thank you for coming my child."

"Are you disturbed by my appearance Father?"

"No, are you by mine?"

An odd question, thought Kurt.

"Of course not, though I did not expect a priest to greet me, or truthfully, to be a friend of Logan's." The older man laughed.

"Nor did I expect someone who would look…" he tired to choose his words carefully so as not to be insulting to Kurt, but used to this, Kurt finished the thought for him.

"So much like a demon?"

"Indeed." The priest nodded, with a touch of a smile on his face. "Though we may make an odd pair, I can tell that you are a good person, Mr. ?"

"My apologies Father, my name is Kurt Wagner."

"And I am called Father Bob by my flock."

"And you are comfortable enough to allow me to help you?"

"The Lord has given me a special gift of intuition, and I could tell from the moment you came into the church, that you were a good person, and one worthy of my trust, just as Logan is, and just as I know my young charge is a good person, despite her unfortunate choices of late."

So it would seem, thought Kurt, that this priest has special powers as well, whomever he chooses to credit with them; and who was he really to say whether or not it had been God responsible for all their mutations, even his.

"Please tell me how I can help." And Kurt sat himself in the pew, bidding Father Bob to sit as well and tell his story.

"Naomi is a good girl, just a bit lost right now. Without betraying her confidences to me let me just say that her childhood gave her very little self esteem, and she easily falls prey to people who want to manipulate her, that's how she ended up on the street in the first place. But really, she has a good heart, and just needs a chance, which I thought we were giving her here. But this young man came along, and has promised her the world, it would seem, and she has gone off with him, and I am very worried for her safety. If he takes her down the path I fear he is going to, there may be no bringing her back. Does this make any sense Kurt?"

"It does, I can understand the need to feel accepted at any cost, it is a trap that many people fall into sadly. And you truly believe that this man means her harm?"

"I do, I could see it in his heart."

"Do you know where they are Father?"

"I think so, I wrote the address down." He pulled a slip of paper form his jacket pocket and handed it to Kurt. "I don't know exactly how to get her out of there myself. I know what Logan would have done, had he been here."

Kurt could guess rather easily, claws extended, a lot of slashing and cursing, and no doubt, some bruises and blood and the young man wouldn't have dared come around again. Kurt wasn't certain he could offer that type of threat, but he certainly had options of his own, and a sword back in the car.

"I'll bring her back to you Father, I hope your love and compassion can keep her safe."

"The Lord brought you and Logan to me for a reason, if not to rescue these children, then I know not why. I trust in Him."

"As do I Father, I shall be back as soon as I am able." Kurt stood, walked to the end of the aisle, crossed himself again to take his leave, and headed back to the car to look up the address on his city map.

The house was older, likely built in the fifties, with the common front porch, upon which families would sit and visit with passing friends in the evenings. Now, stacked with cases of empty liquor bottles, it was sad to see how people had drawn themselves inside to hide from the world, instead of embracing it. Before leaving the car, Kurt pulled off his trench coat and fedora, and slung the sword belt over his shoulders. His nature allowed that he could move almost unseen in the dark, and he took full advantage of it to scout around the house before making any rash moves. The carport had three vehicles in it, a civic, a pick up truck, and a primer colored camero; which likely indicated at least three men inside. The curtains were not drawn fully at the front, and it was simple enough to look through to see the scene of the front room. The girl he supposed was Naomi was seated on the ratty couch, flanked by two men. A third was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the other three, with his back to Kurt and the front door. Naomi had a glass in her hand, filled with a dark liquid, her eyes seemed a little glazed, and her movements turning her face between the three men, as they seemingly spoke to her, were slow, and exaggerated. Drunk, possibly? Drugged, more likely. But she was still conscious. The man on her left, dressed in a faded t-shirt and jeans, put out his left hand, and drew Naomi's face around to his quite deliberately, and kissed her roughly. She seemed to melt towards him as he did this; perhaps this was the one who had lured her away? But then the man on the floor in front of her, reached out a hand to her legs, and ran it upwards. The third man simply stood up, and backed away from the other two, watching what they were going to do, and it became more apparent that he was the one in control. Another kiss, and Naomi was allowing herself to be laid supine on the couch, and what was to follow was obvious. Kurt took one more moment to decide on the most effective entrance; teleportation won out; definitely more dramatic than simply pounding on the door.

The 'bamf' was loud in the small room, and the brimstone smoke blinded the unsuspecting occupants briefly, enough for Kurt to put himself between the men, and the girl.

There was a great deal of cursing all of a sudden, and when the men could focus their eyes again, they met the sight of Kurt, yellow eyes glaring at them, lips drawn back to expose the white teeth and fangs, and the silvery sword in his hand, almost matter-of-factly the grip seemed so casual.

"Gentlemen." Kurt began.

"Holy Shit."

"Far from it in fact."

"Jesus, what was in that weed bro?"

"Continuing to take the name of the Lord in vain, will certainly win you no favor with me."

One foolish man stuck his hand out to actually attempt to poke at Kurt, still in disbelief that what he was seeing was real, and not the result of a drug induced hallucination. Kurt smacked his hand away with the flat edge of the sword, and there was a yelp of pain as the arm was withdrawn.

"You gentlemen, and I do hesitate to use that name, have a great deal of evil in your hearts and minds this night. Evil, which I will not allow you to perpetrate on this innocent girl."

"What the hell are you?" A brave one amongst the three, it seemed.

"I am whatever frightens you the most." He flicked out his tail and swept the sword in front of them. "For now, we shall just say that I am here as a warning to you. This child, and all those at the church from whence you found her, are under my protection. And I would take it most unkindly if I were to hear that you had returned there. And trust me," Kurt smiled, most menacingly at them, "I would hear." He felt a small hand on his left shoulder; Naomi had stood from her place on the couch. "Do not fear child, God himself has sent me to bring you home." He had turned his head to speak to her, and as he had done so, one man, the one who had stood earliest, who seemed to fancy himself the leader had taken a lunge at Kurt; but of course, Kurt had seen the predatory tension in his peripheral vision, and simply held forth the sword, sweeping it across the path of the lunge, cutting the man's shirt front in two. A red welt was quick to rise, along with pearls of blood. The cut was not deep, but it certainly stung, and it made the point.

"If you wish to try that again, I will be pleased to show you just how deep my blade can cut." Again, Kurt used a very sedate tone, which sounded infinitely superior to the now mewling man. "Come my dear, it is time to leave these poor excuses for men behind." He held out a hand, and when she took it, he folded her into his chest and 'bamf'd' them outside once again.

"Please, allow me to drive you home." He opened the door, and bowed his head to the girl, who smiled at him and got into the passenger seat.