After the attack a search and rescue mission had been sent to rescue Steven and Connie. Dipper had recovered from his injuries so he was able to go with Manny, Solomon, and the others to look for them. Frida and Father Gardner stayed behind to help Sister Nora and the nuns tend to the injured. One of their patients was the little girl Frida had found.
"How is she?" Gardner asked her.
"I just started healing her however it's taking me a lot longer than I thought. My powers don't always do instant healing."
"What do you mean? She just has a head injury right?"
"Well yes but someone's been poisoning her. Injuries I can get done in a snap but sicknesses and poison well that takes time."
"Anything I can do?"
"Some medicine might speed the process along."
"I'll go get some."
Frida put her hand to the girl's forehead she felt that it was burning hot but despite that she was shivering like she was cold.
"Oh you poor thing, who on earth would want to poison a child?"
"I got the medicine." Gardner said returning with a bottle.
"Thank you."
Just then the girl started to wake up.
"Andy?" She said looking around.
"Oh good you're awake." Gardner said.
"Who are you? Where's Andy?"
"Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you, we just want to help you."
"I want Andy." She said sitting up.
"Please lay back down you're in no shape to be moving."
"No! I want Andy!" She screamed and started kicking. Father Gardner tried to get her back to bed but she only fought him. She got out of bed and tried to run away, Frida quickly blocked her.
"Hey, hey, hey it's okay." She told her gently. "Listen we're not going to hurt you okay? Tell you what why don't you tell us where your family is and we'll call them?"
The little girl looked at Frida. She didn't attack her or start screaming like with Gardner. Instead she ran to Frida and hugged her waist, crying, like a scared child clinging to it's mother for protection. At first Frida didn't move then she gently picked up the child and held her.
"It's okay." She said gently. "It's alright shh. It's okay. Listen you are very sick and you have to get into bed so we can help you get better?"
"I want Andy."
"I know but I need you to be a good girl and get back into bed okay?"
"Will you stay with me?"
"Sure."
She tucked her into bed.
"Now can I get you anything?"
"I'm cold and thirsty."
She fixed her a cup of water and pulled an extra blanket from the closet which she covered her with.
"Anything else?"
"I want Andy."
"Who is Andy?"
"He's my big brother."
"Do you know where he is?"
"No but I think he's looking for monsters."
"Monsters?"
"He and Daddy look for monsters and they make them go away."
"Honey what's your name?"
"Ellie."
"Do you know your last name?"
"Cladwell."
"She's the daughter of that terrorist Victor." Gardner said. "She may know where they are."
"Ellie do you know where your dad and your brother are?"
"No."
"Okay Ellie I have to go talk to Gardner now."
"Don't go!"
"I'll be right I promise."
Frida went into a private room with Gardner and Nora to talk to them.
"I don't think she could help us find the Cladwells." Nora said.
"She was in that vehicle that got shot but she fell out before it exploded." Frida said.
"Do you suppose her family could be looking for her?"
"I don't know."
"Well it's obvious she needs someone to comfort her." Gardner said.
"Where's her mother?" Nora asked.
"I've done research on the Cladwells, I've found nothing on him ever having a wife or a daughter." Gardner said.
"I'll ask her." Frida said.
"While you're at it see if you can find out any information that could help us."
Frida went back into the room where Ellie was. Gardner and Nora listened carefully through the door.
"Hey Ellie where's your mother?" She asked. "We can call her to pick you up."
"Mommy's in heaven."
"Oh...Oh I'm sorry. You know my Mommy's in heaven too."
"She is?"
"Yes and so are my Daddy and my sisters. They went there when I was a little girl because they got really sick."
"I can't remember my Mommy. A monster got her when I was a baby."
"A monster? What kind of monster?"
"Andy said it was a wolf monster. Daddy and Andy fight monsters because a monster took Mommy."
"Ellie has your Daddy or Andy ever hurt anyone? People I mean?"
"Daddy has but he says it's because they're monsters too."
"Why does he think their monsters?"
"Because the man with white hair said so."
"What man with white hair?"
"He has an eye around his neck. I don't like him. He's mean and he makes me drink this weird stuff that makes me sick and he says if I don't or if I tell Daddy or Andy he'll kill them."
"She's talking about Gideon." Gardner realized. "The Cladwells work for him and by what she says I believe that he's been poisoning that child."
"Don't worry Ellie we won't let that man make you sick anymore." Frida said. "But now you need to get some sleep."
"Can you sing to me? Andy says Mommy sang to me before she put me in bed."
"Of course. My mother used to do it for me too."
She sang to Ellie in her sweet voice.
"Star of Bethlehem, Star on high
Miracle love of midnight sign.
Let your luminous light from,
Heaven enter hearts.
Star of happiness, star of wonder,
You see everything from afar.
Fill with love, the age of man.
Oh light, oh holy light,
Oh light divine."
She continued to sing to Ellie until she fell asleep then she went back to healing the poison in her body.
"She's a natural mother isn't she?" Gardner said observing her.
"She seems to have good maternal skills." Nora said.
"Yes they should serve well for the baby."
"What baby?"
"Oh that's right you don't know."
"Know what?"
"She's pregnant."
"What?"
"Yep."
"How do you know that? Did she tell you that?"
"No but I've raised her since she was a child. I know when she's lying and I know when she's keeping secrets and I sense a new life inside of her."
"You sense it? How?"
"My dear Sister Nora have you forgotten who I was before I became a reverend?"
"Oh yes now I remember. You were once an angel of God until you were sent to earth to seal away the demon known as Bill Cipher."
"That is correct and until I succeed I must roam the earth in an immortal human body yet I still have some of my angelic powers such as the ability to sense when a new life that has been conceived."
"I never thought Frida would ever lose her virginity."
"Worry not sister she's not impure, the child was conceived through maritable sex."
"She's married?! To who?"
"Who do you think? Manny Rivera."
"The devil boy?"
"Yep. Like father, like son. His father married the daughter of a cardinal and he married a nun, I wonder what is it about women of the church that those Rivera devils are attracted to."
"Is this right? I mean he is a devil."
"Only half devil Nora the other half is human and they both follow God so there's no problem though I wonder why she hasn't told me this yet. Oh well I'll just contiue to wait and make her think she's cleverly hidden it from me until guilt makes her do it. Now then let us get back to finding out more about the Cladwells."
Steven and Connie had been taken to Victor Cladwell's lair where they were locked in specially made jail cells. Steven was very weak from his injury so he couldn't use his strength to break the bars and their weapons had been confiscated. They would have killed Steven on the spot but after Ellie disappeared Andrew insisted on keeping them alive and using them as ransom for his sister. Poor Steven was so hurt and weak. It hurt Connie to see him like this. It was enough to bring her to tears.
"Can you please give me some water?" She asked Victor.
"Why?"
"Because my friend is hurt and he needs water."
"No."
"Please. He could die."
"Good! Monsters like him deserve death!"
"He's not a monster!"
"He's a vampire and vampires are monsters! Andrew watch them! I'm going to send a message to that Holy Order."
Victor went upstairs leaving Andrew alone to guard them. He watched as Connie stayed by Steven's side and used her clothing to stop the bleeding from his wound.
"How do you feel?" She asked.
"It hurts. Everywhere normally my body heals pretty fast but the liquid in this bullet along with the blood loss has made me so weak."
"Is there any way you can heal faster?"
"If I drank blood my body would grow stronger and heal faster."
Connie rolled up her sleeve and moved her wrist to his mouth.
"What are you doing?" He said
"Bite me."
"What?"
"You said that you needed blood to heal so drink some of mine."
"No. Never."
"But if you don't you could die."
"I don't care. I'll never drink human blood especially not from the people I care about. I can't control that I'm half vampire but I can control if I'm not a monster or not."
"You're not a monster. Not if I give it to you to save your life."
"Connie you don't understand human blood is like a drug to vampires. Once we get a little we can't stop! We have to keep drinking it and drinking it! And even if a vampire can resist the urge they still need it to survive but me I don't need it. My mother made sure of that."
"What do you mean?"
"When my mother learned to care for humans and see them as more than just food she became disgusted with the fact that she needed human blood to survive. She felt like a murderer, a monster, even when my father willingly gave her his blood she still felt like a monster. She didn't want me to suffer like that, to have to kill others to live so she never drank human blood when she was pregnant with me and by doing that she kept me from being born a full vampire and from needing human blood to survive but also because of that her body became weak and frail leading her to die from blood loss when I was born. She sacrificed herself so I wouldn't have to deal with that burden and I refuse to let her sacrifice be in vain."
"But Steven you can't...I can't let you die."
"And I can't let you become food for me. I won't do to you what Kevin did."
"That was entirely different. You're not just taking my blood I'm giving it to you and it's only a little bit."
"A little bit is all it takes. If I take so much as one taste I'll be consumed by the addiction and start draining you and every other human I see dry and it'll be worse in my case because unlike my mother I don't need it to live."
"Steven please."
"Connie a long time ago before I was turned to stone by that witch's curse I fell in love with a woman named Narine Lennox."
"I know about her."
"You don't know the whole story. She was the first person to show me kindness since my father died. We were so very close but she was married and I was jealous. My jealousy blinded me and I almost allowed myself to do something unspeakable."
"What did you do?"
"I tried to drink her blood and turn her into a vampire. But when I saw the fear in her eyes, fear of me, fear that she would become a monster I realized that I had made a horrible mistake and that I almost became the monster that others feared me to be. I swore that I would never allow any woman I loved to look at me like that again, Connie I won't allow you to look at me like that."
His skin was becoming very cold and the floor was almost flooded with his blood. The light in his eyes was fading.
"Steven you're looking paler than usual. Please tell me it's my imagination." Tears were started to form in her eyes.
"I don't know. I am losing a lot of blood here."
"Steven listen when we get out of here I'm going to make up with my parents. You were right, I shouldn't stay mad at them like this and I do miss them."
"That's great. I'm so glad, you deserve to be with your family."
He looked at her with his weak eyes and smiled at her then using whatever strength he had left, he lifted his head up and kissed her on the lips. She was in shock and wasn't sure how to react. Then all too soon his lips broke from hers and he fell back on to the bloody floor.
"I always loved you." His final words before his eyes fell shut.
"No. No. No! No Steven! You can't do this to me! You can't say that you love me and then leave me! You can't leave me! You can't leave me! Please!"
She buried her face into his bloodied chest and wept bitterly. Andy watched the two of them. He had heard every word out of Steven's mouth. He was amazed that the young vampire had refused to drink human blood for fear of killing others even though it meant he would die from blood loss. He loved that woman so much that he had chosen to die instead of feeding off of her.
"He's not gone." Andy said.
"What?" Connie said.
"I might be able to save him."
"You would do that? You'd save him?"
"On one condition."
"What? Name it! I'll do anything! I swear!"
"Help me find my little sister. She disappeared during the attack. I know she's alive I just have to find her. She's very sick and she could die."
"I'll help you! I promise I will! Now help him!"
"He needs blood right?"
"Yes."
"Does it have to be human?"
"No. It can be animal."
"Alright I'll be back with some as fast as I can."
Andy went into the woods where he shot a deer, drained it's blood into a bucket, and brought it back to them. Steven was too weak to drink it so they filled an IV up with the blood and connected it to Steven's arm.
"Please live." She begged clutching his hand. "Please live."
"I'm so sorry." Andy said.
"Why? Why are you doing this to us? Why would you let him die?"
"I thought he was a monster."
"You're the only real monster here! You! You're father! And the rest of these men! Steven would never hurt anyone! He's as gentle as a child!"
"From what I've learned he's killed plenty."
"Plenty of other vampires and demons! He won't hurt humans! He's half human!"
"Half human. But how?"
"His mother was a vampire but his father was human. He grew up with humans, he cares about humans, he's the farthest thing from a monster!"
"I'm so, so, sorry." He observed the way she looked at him. "You love him don't you?"
"Yes I do. I never realized it til now! Oh God! If he dies I don't know what I'll do!"
"I think we go to him in time. Look some color is coming back. He should be awake soon."
"You're not like your father and those other men. You see that we're evil or dangerous so why do you do this?"
"I...I just assumed my father knew what he was talking about. Reverend Gideon said-"
"Reverend Gideon?! You work for him?!"
"Yes he's been helping my family for years."
"He's a monster! You can't trust him!"
"Sure I can. If it weren't for him my sister wouldn't be getting the medical care she's received."
"That can't be true! Because that man has killed hundreds of innocents! He sacrifices them to demons for money and power!"
"No...No you must be confused."
"It's because of him a good friend of mine lost his sister."
"What do you mean?"
"Years ago he raped my friend's sister and lied to her about his death. In blind grief she committed suicide and he hasn't been able to heal from the pain. You have to get us out of here! If you let your father turn us over to Gideon he'll do God knows what horrible things to us!"
"I just can't believe he would be capable of such things."
"It's true. Please help us escape. Please."
Andy thought for a moment. From what he knew Gideon was a good man who had helped him and his family but this woman looked completely sincere with her words.
"Alright I'll help you escape but remember you promised me that you'd help me find my sister."
"I will if she really is alive then she's most likely back at the organization."
Andy unlocked the cell and helped get Steven on to his feet as they tried to reach a nearby exit. Meanwhile Manny, Dipper, and Solomon were trying to track them down.
"Can you get their scent?" Manny asked Dipper.
"I've got Steven's. Oh God."
"What I smell his blood, a lot of it. I think he's bleeding out. We better hurry."
They followed the trail until at last they reached a temple. Inside it was very quiet, too quiet. The three of them were on their guard. Ready to expect any attack. Then the silence was broken by a gunshot. They looked in the direction of the shooter and saw that it was a woman. A young woman wearing a Gothic black dress with a veil that covered her face.
"Who the hell are you?" Solomon said.
"I am Reverend Gideon's doll." The veiled figure said in a dull, emotionless voice. "And I have been ordered to kill you."
"Is that right? You know I'm not big hurting girls but we got a friend here who's about to bleed to death so get out of our way." Manny said.
"I'll take care of her." Dipper said.
"You sure?"
"Yeah you two just go find the others."
"But you're the tracker."
"They're down the hallway on the left, take the stairway."
"Gotcha."
Manny and Solomon headed for the hallway on the left, the veiled woman tried to stop them but Dipper quickly knocked the gun out of her hand.
"Listen I really don't want to hurt a woman so please just let me pass by okay."
She responded by pulling out a long, sharp, spear made entirely of sliver with a sharp sliver blade.
"I must kill you. Reverend Gideon has ordered me to."
"Then I can't be held responsible for whatever harm may come to you."
She swung her spear at him, determined to stab him and end his life. Dipper dodged her attacks and tried to disarm her but she was too quick. As they fought he noticed something strange about her scent. It smelled very familiar. Like a long time ago he used to smell it all the time. It smelled similar to his but it was still different. He knew this woman but for some reason he couldn't figure out who she was.
She tried to take a stab at him again but this time he knocked her back and caused her veil to fall off revealing her face. Dipper thought his heart stopped when he saw her. No it couldn't be, it just couldn't. He had to be imagining things because there was no way that it could be her. But it was. It was Dipper's sister Mabel.
