"Josette, no!"
Barnabas yelled as he grabbed hold of his wife. Her small stature was deceiving; she almost broke free from him several times as she tried to lunge while shouting,
"He has no right to touch anyone inside this house!"
Willie and Samantha were on either side of Josiah, helping him slowly sit and eventually stand up.
"Speak for yourself, madam!"
The holy man replied, straightening as best he could while shrugging Willie and Samantha away from him in irritation.
"You and your husband are pure evil; a stain on the face of innocence and purity! You seek only to destroy and conquer those who cannot defend themselves against your powers, and take pleasure in watching them suffer and die."
"Silence yourself, or I shall do it for you!"
Josette said, her voice almost a growl as she glared at him from under her long eyelashes as Samantha stood between them speaking to her father in an outraged tone.
"You're being cruel and ridiculous; Josette and Barnabas mean no harm to anyone."
"You are protecting them because you have been forced into doing so, Samantha. I know you are not speaking your own mind."
"Yes I am!"
She shouted at him; the entire room fell into a dead silence of the most severe kind, and the tension was almost unbearable before she continued.
"I am here of my own free will, and I am the one who has chosen to stay. My employers are vampires, and they informed me a few days ago that I did in fact help release them into the 21st century."
She said, as if it were nothing more than an exchange of common knowledge amongst friends.
"They have become family to me. I love them very much…"
She paused, taking Willie's hand into her own,
"And I want to be with William for the rest of my life."
Willie's eyes just about came out of his skull as he stared at her, Josiah tossed a glare his way, and the vampires could not help but stare, open-mouthed. Samantha looked to her father, squaring her shoulders as she stood upright in defiance.
"If you cannot respect these things, I shall ask you to leave this house and never come back."
There was a long pause; Josiah inhaled a shaking, unsteady breath as he joined his hands together at the fingertips. Staring only at his hands, he very slowly walked over to his daughter, and looked down upon her as he towered over her (she was a whole foot shorter than he). Josette tensed, ready to pounce as Barnabas stood ready to stop her.
The reverend shook his head, "I do not agree with your choice of friends or lovers, but they are yours. I can do nothing to prevent you from choosing to live here, just as I can do nothing to sway your emotional attachment to these…creatures which inhabit this house."
Samantha inched closer to him, her eyes dark and burning as she addressed him.
"These creatures are more human than you give them credit for. They saved a child's life; the mother died, and rather than use her as a blood source, they took her in without a thought for themselves. They have spent more time trying to be decent parents than any human couple I've ever seen in your precious congregation, and they have counted me among the members of their family."
She broke eye contact as she walked away from the group, toward the fireplace where the flames within flickered and danced.
"You may rant and rave all you desire, but you were right about one thing. It ismy choice to be here, and I will control my life; not the church…not the congregation…not God…not you."
He was behind her when she turned to face him, and despite her anger, there was softness in her eyes and voice.
"I love you; I only ask that you respect and trust me as I have you."
He reached out and ran a hand through her hair.
"I have no real choice in the matter, do I?" He asked so softly the others could barely hear.
"No, you don't." She said just as quietly.
He nodded, turning to address the vampires and their handyman.
"I do not share my daughter's viewpoint about any of you, however as I cannot persuade her to think otherwise, I must raise a white flag on the subject."
He walked up to the vampires first,
"I shall keep your secret, but only under my terms."
"Name them." Barnabas said.
"No harm is to come to my daughter, be it supernatural or otherwise. If I feel her mortal life is in peril, I shall dispose of you through the stake and hammer. Do we have an understanding?"
There was an uncomfortable pause; Josette had to practice severe restraint on her part not to rip the reverend limb from limb at that moment. Barnabas looked from her to the reverend,
"Yes." He answered for both of them.
"Good; as for you, William Loomis…"
He narrowed his eyes at the servant, and Willie narrowed his right back.
"I do not trust you, and I most certainly do not like you."
"The feelin's mutual, sir."
He said the respective title in no way, shape, or form of respect.
"Samantha has chosen you, not the other way around. Be sure you remember that, William. There are other young men in town that would be more than happy to take your place."
He stood very near him then, and said in a low voice,
"And I would be more than happy to help them."
The two regarded each other until the reverend turned to his daughter once more.
"I will leave you for now, but shall return. Goodnight, Samantha."
He kissed the top of her hand before heading toward the door, whereupon he stopped and addressed the trio who were all glaring at him.
"Do not forget all I have said; I am not a man to ignore."
In one, sweeping gesture he went out into the night, and was (for now) gone.
A/N: Don't you just *love* holy-rollin' fathers? He'll be back, unfortunately, but he'll be eating his words, I promise you! ;)