Chapter Eighteen

Face thine Enemy

-oOo-

Chloe angrily paced the platform, her knuckles turned white as she gripped the bag to her shoulder and muttered curses under her breath.

Two hours. Two hours, she had been stuck in that bathroom until the cleaning lady had heard her shouts and moved the heavy wardrobe from it's place in front of the door. Chloe hadn't even said 'thank you' as she stormed out of the room, grabbing her things and racing to the train station. All she could see was red, but it wasn't just the monk she was angry with, she was furious with herself for dropping her guard, for making herself belief that Silas might have cared for her. It made angry tears well up in her eyes, but stubbornly she forced them back and continued wearing a hole in the concrete.

"Hurry up!" she hissed under her breath. The ticket officer had told her the train would be there seven o'clock on the dot, but as she checked her watch, it was now three minutes past and her agitation only grew worse and worse with each passing second. She even snapped at women who had asked if a shopping bag she had found belonged to her, the woman had rushed off muttering under her breath, but Chloe didn't care, all she cared about was getting back to Paris and forcing a confession out of Aringarosa, even if she had to put her gun to his head. Even the prospect of coming face to face with one of the hired hit men didn't scare her as much as before, she felt as though she could take anyone on right now.

Finally the lights and moving noises of the train cut through her thoughts, with a sigh of relief, Chloe jumped onto the train before it had even stopped and took port in an empty compartment. She pushed aside a newspaper that had been left there by a previous occupant and tapped her foot impatiently on the sticky floor until the train whistled and began to roll away from the station.

The hours of fatigue began to weigh in on Chloe as she was forced to sit and contemplate on the foolish actions that had causes her foul mood and with the heavy tiredness drew an incredible sadness and disappointment. Chloe had never opened herself up to any man since the attack, Silas had been the only one, and to give yourself willingly like that to someone only to be tossed aside made Chloe feel more ashamed and more pathetic then ever. And she was sure there were true feeling harboured by herself for the monk, but now in her rage and self-pity, it was harder to see those feelings.

The ride back to the city was uneventful, twice she had contemplated calling her godfather to explain the situation and ask for his guidance, but she was too ashamed and no doubt questions of how the monk escaped her would be brought up. No, she would have to deal with the mess herself, it was how it had to be done, and it was personal. Chloe was only able to grab ten minutes of restless sleep before waking up in a fit of alarm, she had dreamt again of the rape, but this time Silas had been standing nearby, watching the whole thing from afar, and no matter how loud she screamed, he would not come to her aid.

Shaking her head to ride herself of the images, Chloe checked her watch and looked outside her misty window. Buildings were getting taller and there were less space between them, meaning they were now entering the city. Chloe hauled her bags to her and stepped out of the compartment to the awaiting doors and no sooner had they opened, she threw herself into the freezing night air and hailed a taxi.

"Hopitaux de Paris" she instructed, "And fast" she added flashing her police badge.

It took no longer then fifteen minutes to circulate the city, Chloe tucked her weapon into the back of her trousers, grabbed her badge and ordered the taxi driver to wait for her to return. Then she was off, dashing into the reception where an alarmed receptionist starred at her.

"I need to speak with Aringarosa" she said, flashing her badge again, "It's an emergency"

The willowy receptionist smiled as if amused, "Emergency or not, officer, Bishop Aringarosa was signed out today"

Chloe felt her stomach drop to her feet.

"Dammit!" she swore, making the woman in front of her jump, "Where is he?"

"He was taken into the care of a Bishop Horus. I don't know where he took him" she replied rather startled.

Chloe slammed her fist down on the desk, getting her a few odd looks, but she ignored then and rushed back out of the hospital and into the taxi.

"Where to now, officer" the driver asked.

"Saint Sulpice" she replied. The car drove off, Chloe took a deep breath, not even knowing if she was going in the right direction. Silas must have reached Aringarosa and warned him that she would be coming back. This Horus character, who had instigated the freedom of Silas in the first place must have offered the Bishop and his ward protection and in more ways then one. If this Horus was indeed a member of the Council, he was protecting it by hiding Aringarosa from her, so that he couldn't give a statement.

Chloe lent her head against the window and watched the cars and lights go by. All of the people walking along the pavement had no idea of the trouble she was in. They were all in their own little worlds, living out their simple yet happy lives, while she fought for hers. Chloe's eyes grazed over one particular happy couple, rushing along in big winter coats, they gloved hands grasping each other and smiles graced their faces as they looked at one another. It was beautiful yet sad to Chloe, it was something that she wanted more then anything, but something that was just beyond her fingertips. Then her eyes ran over a street sign, it's arrows pointing paths, but there was one particular sign that made her shout for the driver to stop. The cab braked hard, causing the car behind them to do the same. The sound of squealing tires were complimented by the angry horns and cursing shouts, but Chloe didn't pay them any heed. Her eyes ran over the sign once more.

"Sevèrin" she whispered, recalling the word coming from the lips of one drugged monk. She turned to the driver who was cursing at her for making him stop so suddenly. "What is that place?" she demanded over his protests, the driver reluctantly looked down the road.

"It's a church, you crazy lady! You'd better pay for any damage to my cab!" he roared.

"Fine, fine. Whatever! Take me to that church" she ordered. Cursing once more, the driver bristled his black moustache and pulled down the peak of his cap as he moved off.

This whole time, Chloe had thought Sevèrin had been a woman, an old love or his mother maybe. But the whole time it had been the name of a church. It was a long shot, but it was better then nothing.

Still muttering under his breath, the cab braked outside a magnificent looking church. It wasn't half as glorious as Saint Sulpice, but the detail was tremendous and the way it bore down on the narrow street was intimidating. Chloe made sure her gun was still in her waistband as she headed for the door.

"Hey, you owe me sixty-three euros, lady!" the driver said.

"Stay here, I'll be back," she said as she pushed her way out of the cab. Timidly she walked up the steps and was surprised to find the large wooden doors of the church were wide open, willing in any passer-by. Slowly she passed the threshold, feeling the instantaneous change from the cold outer breeze to the warm, radiated heat inside. Cautiously, Chloe looked around, oil-lamps led her way through a large corridor, biblical paintings were on every empty section of wall and the air was erringly quiet. She held her left hand over her gun, prepared to pull it out should she need to defend herself. There was another corridor at the end of the hallway that led into the man atrium of the church. Already she could see the lines of pews and the alter bathed in candlelight stood at the feet of a large crucifix.

Chloe heard a flurry of movement began her; she spun round and saw a bustle of elderly nuns scamper their way across the room, oblivious to Chloe's presence as they laughed and chatted to one another. Chloe turned round and saw another singular nun standing at the alter, she turned and saw Chloe walking down the isle of pews towards her and smiled respectfully. Chloe could not resist the bow she gave in return as she stepped up the small frail woman in her habit. Her face looked thin and gaunt and her hands shook slightly as she held them together before her, but her smile was radiant and genuine which warmed Chloe's heard.

"Come my child, please, you are welcome in the house of God" she nodded.

Chloe moved her hand away from her gun, feeling very disrespectful, but she had to remember why she was here and it wasn't to pray to the Almighty.

"Sister" she nodded, "My name is Chloe Blanc" she pulled her badge and showed it to the nun who took it and inspected it thoroughly before returning it to Chloe, "I need to speak with Bishop Aringarosa. Is he here?" she asked.

The nun smiled, "I believe someone did arrive today, he was in the care of Bishop Horus. I am not sure if it was the man of whom you speak"

"Do you think it would be possible to check? I need to speak to Aringarosa quite urgently, regarding a serious police matter," she asked. The nun nodded.

"I will go and fetch Bishop Horus for you, no doubt he will want to speak to you first" she explained and hurried off.

Chloe tucked her badge back into her pocket and watched her go, feeling at last like she was making some kind of progress. Silently she waited, watching the flickering flames and the darkened stain-glass window, their artwork silenced by the darkened skies outside.

She wished that it wasn't so quiet in here, the silence made her nervous, but perhaps that was from living in the city her whole life, she was used to noise, used to the hustle and bustle, silence was just unnatural.

She looked behind her as footfalls echoed down the isle. She saw a man, his face shadowed but dressed as, Chloe could only assume, a Bishop and the nun she had spoken to, hastily trotting along behind him.

"Ah, Miss Blanc, a pleasant surprise" Came the Bishops voice, it was deep and husky, something disturbingly familiar. Chloe frowned, her heart racing, why was she suddenly so afraid?

"I'm afraid you haven't quite caught the church at it's best, the windows are much more pleasurable to witness in the sunlight" Bishop Horus continued as he walked forward, his arms outstretched. Chloe squinted, trying to see the man's face and then the candlelight poured over his features making then instantly recognisable.

Chloe's blood ran cold; she recalled the cold, dark eyes, the long bulbous nose, and the thin lips. She recalled how they whispered unspeakable things into her ear, how his rough tongue coursing across her cheek. She was starring into the face of her rapist.

"Don't you move!" she screamed, pulling her gun out and holding in front of her, creating a barrier between herself and the man who had haunted her dreams for months.

But instead of quaking at the sight of a gun aimed at his chest or even some kind of recognition in his eyes at seeing his victim for the first time since he attack her, the Bishop put his hands up in mock surrender and chuckled.

"I do say, Officer, you are one for the dramatics. Now may I ask what I have done?"

The nun at his side gasped and held her hands to her lips, "Bishop?"

"Now, now Sister Florence. This is obviously some mistake" he assured her, his joyous gaze turning back to Chloe.

"How dare you?" she growled, "After all this time, you were a Bishop and you were doing those things to t-to us. All of t-those women" she added, finding it hard to control her voice, all manner of fear and anger surging through her.

The bastard was a Priest! A man doing the work of his precious Lord, a man supposedly spreading the good word and trying to make the world a better place. No wonder she had never been able to track him down, she hadn't thought anyone in a position like his would have the moral capability of raping tens of helpless women.

"I must say, Miss Blanc, I have no idea what you're talking about" he frowned, "Now I must ask you to lower your weapon, this is a house of God"

"You son-of-a-bitch! You mean to say you don't remember me? You don't remember the face's of all those girls you dirtied, all those women you hurt and left to die?!" she shouted, her hand shaking as she held her pistol level with the Bishop's face.

"Now, now, young lady, I think we've heard enough" he said a little more sternly.

"What is she saying, Bishop?" the nun trembled.

"What I'm saying is that this man here, representing you Lord, is nothing but a dirty, disgusting, morally devoid rapist!" she shouted.

For a moment, her accusation was left echoing around the empty alcove. The nun bit her fingernails and shook her head, the Bishop, however, just stood and starred at her. It made her skin crawl the thought of him looking at her, remembering all the horrible things he did to her body.

"And where is your proof?" he replied quietly.

"My proof?" Chloe asked with a glare, "How about the fact that I was one of your victims!" she screamed, "How about the fact that you grabbed me from the shadows, you hit me, you tore at my clothes, how about the fact that you forced yourself on me and threatened to kill me if I made any noise, how about the fact that after you had finished with me, you left me to die under that bridge like I was nothing!" she added, her hand shaking even more as she recalled the monsters attack on her, but again there was no change in the expression of the man in front of her. He merely starred, the nun however looked as though she was going to pass out.

"Sister Florence, please return to your quarters, I will deal with this disgraceful smirch on my name" he said, looking directly down at the little woman. She looked up at him and shook her head.

"But Bishop, I cannot think to leave, what…? Are these things…? Rapist?" she whispered.

"I assure you none of them are true" he smiled and gently pushed the old woman in the direction of the door. Gingerly at first she tottered away, then he turned his head back to Chloe, "Those are quite some accusations"

Chloe aimed the pistol between his eyes, "I could kill you now and no one would question it. I could say you tried to attack me"

"Then why don't you?" he asked with a smug smile, "Kill me now, I'd like to see how the world reacts to a police officer murdering a Bishop of the Church in cold blood" he added.

Chloe clicked her gun and levelled the gun again, but next to her own head she heard another gun hammer click into place. She turned her head and looked down the barrel of a pistol, the holder was none other then Silas.

"Get that gun out of my face" Chloe snapped, "This monster needs to die"

Silas was back in his robes, no doubt his cilice was back in place as he fixed Chloe with a frown, "He is a man of the church, and he protects me and offers my patron care"

"He raped me!" she cried, ignoring the look of shock in the monks eyes as she turned her head back to Horus, "Does it make you feel good? Huh? Raping those girls, becoming as primal as a insect and then coming back here to be worshiped like a God"

"You don't know what you're talking about" Horus said smartly, "Now lower your weapon" he said.

"Never" Chloe spat.

"I will be forced to order Silas, here to protect me, and believe me he will"

"I know that" Chloe muttered, recalling the photos of each and every victim of Silas'. She knew quite well what he was capable of, she had witnessed it first hand and he was holding a gun to the back of her head.

"Then put it down and don't waste your life" Horus said.

But all Chloe could see when she looked into that face, was the cruel and violent man that had attacked her that night six months ago. No way could she live with herself if she let him walk out of the church to do it again to some other woman, she owed it to them, she owed it to herself. He had to die.

"It's too late for both of us" and with that she lifted her gun for the last time and felt her finger on the trigger, but before she could squeeze a pain erupted at the back of her head and the smug face of Bishop Horus faded out of view as she hit the floor.

-oOo-

A/N: Okay, because of the change around of the last chapter, I won't be doing personal reviews for this one, but just to let PhoenixrisingLoveGhostScore know that regardless of Silas and Chloe sleeping together, he would have escaped and left her stranded anyway. Just so that bit is cleared up! Phew! Well I hope you liked the cliffie on this one, obviously not all peaches and cream for Chloe right now, bless her. But let me know what you think.