A/N: We find out Gabe's punishment. I felt that since Gabe tried to rape Sookie in the show, that would be something that his character would have done before. I have to say that it is much harder to follow the series story line rather than make up something totally different.
Chapter 13
Showdown at the Sanctuary
Mr. Turner and Darcie watched Gabe walk down to the compound from the woods. He was in a daze but he would soon recover and Darcie was glad to see the last of him. She could see the people milling around the grounds and noticed that many women and children were present. From Gabe's interrogation, she knew that they were coming for something called a lock-in and that they were going to witness the burning of Godric at dawn. What kind of monsters wanted their children to witness such an act? Let alone taught such hatred to them, she wondered. Right now, their eye was focused on vampires, but if they were aware of the existence of other supernatural creatures, they would also include them in their malice and hatred. Were these creatures evil just because they were different? Were she and Mr. Turner evil because they were also different?
Darcie took out her cell and dialed a number.
"We are here at the Fellowship compound by the woods. We have information for you," said Darcie.
She closed the phone and looked to Mr. Turner and said, "He'll be here any minute. He can fly."
"Talented," said Mr. Turner.
"Very," said Darcie.
In a few moments, Eric arrived and alighted near them. Eric gazed at Mr. Turner who leaned up against a tree and cooly returned his gaze. Eric turned his eyes to Darcie.
"Godric is in the basement of the church. But, Gabe says that he is not resisting," said Darcie. "Why is he just letting them hold him?"
Eric thought a few moments and said, "I do not know. Godric is very powerful and I do not understand how they captured him in the first place."
Eric held Darcie's gaze and said, "Go back to the hotel, Darcie. Your job here is done."
He made to move down to the compound and Darcie moved in front of him. She gently put her hand on his arm.
"Wait, let me come. I can help you with the people and keep anyone from getting hurt, including you," said Darcie.
"Miss Stackhouse, that is out of the question," said Mr. Turner, as he pushed off from the tree to a standing position.
Eric gave her a slight smile and said, "You should listen to your butler."
But, he continued to stare at her for a few moments longer and said, "Since you have helped me, I will try to not kill without provocation."
He turned and then disappeared in a flash as Mr. Turner and Darcie stared after him. Mr. Turner knew better than to suggest that they leave. They both watched the compound and waited.
Eric came through the entrance and as he came around a corner he ran into Jason who was walking and tucking in his shirt in the same time.
"You," said Eric.
"What are you doing here?" asked Jason. "Is Darcie here?"
If Eric wasn't preoccupied with finding Godric, he would be having a serious discussion with Darcie's cousin. As he stared distractedly at Jason, Luke stepped up from behind him and threw silver chains over his neck. Eric's face contorted in pain and he sank to his knees. Luke continued to bind more silver around him.
"Good work, Stackhouse," said Luke. "We caught one of those fangers. Looks like there will be a double Meet the Sun ceremony at dawn."
"Yeah, uh, right," said Jason, wondering if Darcie would forgive him for helping kill her boyfriend.
Darcie looked at her watch and sighed.
"I know that look, Miss Stackhouse," said Mr. Turner.
"Something is wrong," said Darcie. "They should have come out by now."
"I'm not letting you go in there alone," said Mr. Turner. "You are a formidable foe, Kitten. But, against a crowd, you are almost defenseless since you must make close eye contact and you can only handle one person at a time."
"Do you suggest that we do nothing?" asked Darcie.
"I'll point out the obvious for you. If he should die the true death, you and your cousin would be free," said Mr. Turner.
"I know that, Mr. Turner," said Darcie. "But, I can't just do nothing."
Darcie turned her eyes to Mr. Turner and said, "That isn't my nature."
"It isn't my nature to let you go into harm's way, either," said Mr. Turner. "At least, not alone."
"Then, it's you and me against the world," said Darcie with a smile. "But, since we are going into danger and possible harm, don't you think that it's time that you told me your first name, Mr. Turner?"
"I'll whisper it to you on my dying breath," said Mr. Turner, with a smile.
"Drama queen," said Darcie.
"Did you really think that was going to work?" said Mr. Turner.
"Well, yes," said Darcie.
"Silly girl," said Mr. Turner. "I'm afraid you'll have to try much harder than that."
Darcie smiled and together she and Mr. Turner made their way into the compound. They decided to try to enter through one of the side entrances, hoping it would be less guarded. Mr. Turner banged on the door and it was opened by a frightened looking man who held a wooden stake in one hand and wore silver chains in loops around his neck.
"Please, let us in," said Darcie.
"Sorry, the church is closed and we are under attack." he said. "Go to one of the dormitories."
It was then that the man's eyes passed over Darcie's trench coat and down to her boots. He stared a few moments at those wicked looking shoes.
"Um, what congregation are you with?" he asked.
"Strippers for Jesus," said Darcie. "The UK branch."
She opened the trench coat to display that naughty dress and the man stared slack-jawed in surprise.
As he was distracted, Mr. Turner punched him in the face and knocked him out.
"Pervert," he said, as he dragged the man inside with them.
Mr. Turner dragged him to a closet and securely bound him with his belt and tie. Mr. Turner took off his jacket.
He smiled and said, "Take off your coat. It seems to work wonders distracting the enemy, plus you'll be able to move more freely."
Darcie and Mr. Turner strode into the sanctuary of the church. The pews held men and women who appeared to mainly be the soldiers for this group. At least, thought Darcie, no children were present. She looked up to the front and saw Eric lying on the altar with the Reverend Newlin standing by him. The vampire was held down by silver chains over his legs and arms and neck. Even from the back, Darcie could see the smoke rising from where the chains were burning Eric and her hearing could pick up a faint hissing sound. His fangs were out, probably because of the distress he was in, she thought.
"You see, just as our Lord, our Savior, was betrayed with 30 pieces of silver, a few ounces of silver can betray a child of Satan to the world," said Newlin.
"Okay, Mr. Turner, lead the way," said Darcie.
"Watch your back," said Mr. Turner.
Mr. Turner moved in front of her to protect her and plow the way for her. Together, they walked down the aisle.
"Who are they?" demanded Newlin.
Newlin turned to Gabe and said, "Stop them."
Gabe moved to intercept them and he saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, there was nothing there. Shaking his head, he took a step to Mr. Turner and Darcie.
"Gabe," came a whisper in his ear.
He froze and looked around wildly, but again there wasn't anyone there. When he faced Mr. Turner and Darcie again, he again saw that flash of movement. Only this time, he saw enough of it to know that it was a person. He whirled in the direction that the figure had passed, yet once again no one was there. He stood and made a complete circle. This time the shadow of movement always seemed to move just quick enough for him not to be able to catch it in his vision.
"What's the matter with you?" demanded Newlin.
Gabe resumed his advance on Mr. Turner and Darcie.
"Gabe," came the whisper again.
This time when Gabe turned to the voice, he saw her. She was pale and her dress was torn. She had been crying and her mascara ran down her face. Gabe stared at her. How was she here? He hadn't seen her in years.
"Did you forget about me?" she said. "I couldn't forget about you. I see your face everyday and remember what you did to me."
"Gabe," came another voice in his ear.
Gabe turned and saw another woman. She gazed at him accusingly, but one of her eyes was bruised and swollen.
"You said that I was asking for it," she said. "That I was a whore who deserved what you did to me."
Gabe shook his head and closed his eyes. But, when he opened them, the women were still there, staring intently at him.
"You aren't real, you can't be," he said.
"Oh, but we are," said a voice from behind him.
Gabe turned around to find another woman. He remembered her name had been Della and that he had not seen her in over a year.
"Remember me?" she said. "When you found out that I had dated a vampire, you called me a vampire's slut and decided to show me what a real man was like."
Now, the women began to advance on him.
Speaking as one, they said, "Gabe, we won't let you forget about us any longer."
"Get away from me," said Gabe, backing away from them. "Stay away, you can't be real."
But, they kept coming and no matter where he looked, they were always in front of him. They said his name, over and over. Gabe put his hands over his ears to try to drown out the sound and slid down the wall to the floor. He felt their hands on him.
"We're your girlfriends, now," they said. "We'll be together forever."
Newlin turned from Gabe, who was a blubbering mess on the floor, and said to another soldier, "Stop that guy and his...his stripper."
As the first man rushed Mr. Turner, he simply stepped to the side and redirected the man's own momentum, pushing him into the pews where he crashed. Darcie kept pace with Mr. Turner, moving with him and staying behind his protection. As another man stopped and threw a punch, Mr. Turner moved only enough to avoid the blow and again gracefully pushed the man out of the way using the man's own energy. However, as the man passed by, he savagely kicked him to the ground. The man did not get up. When two attacked at once, Mr. Turner easily evaded their blows and quickly incapacitated them with a couple of well-aimed kicks to the groin. Mr. Turner was without mercy, thought Darcie, and those two would not be doing the hanky-panky for a long time. And so it went on, with Mr. Turner moving with the grace of dancer. There was no wasted motion and every blow was well-thought out and aimed. Darcie watched from behind in awe of the deadly beauty of Mr. Turner.
"Can someone stop him, please?" said Newlin.
This time several men rushed at Mr. Turner.
As Mr. Turner stepped to meet them, he said, "I'm going to be busy for a few moments. Run and free the vampire."
"But, I can help you," said Darcie.
"The vampire would be more help," said Mr. Turner.
So, Darcie moved forward . When a man changed direction and came after her, Mr. Turner moved immediately to intercept him in a blur and stopped him. She turned back and saw Mr. Turner disappear in a pile of bodies. As she came to the altar, a man surprised her and grabbed her from behind. He held her tight and she could not turn around to gaze into his eyes.
"Stop, let me go," she cried, as she struggled.
"Hey, hold on there," said a voice. "You need to get your hands off my cousin."
"Jason?" said Darcie. "Is that you?"
When Darcie saw Jason wearing a L.O.D.I. sweat shirt, she said, "Are you with them?"
"Jason Stackhouse, stay away from that vamp whore," said Newlin.
"Now, you watch your language. No one talks to my cousin like that," said Jason.
He stepped up and punched the guy holding Darcie and said, "I told you to take your dirty hands off her, asshole."
Darcie hugged Jason and looked back for Mr. Turner. Mr. Turner was striding forward, looking mostly unscathed. As Darcie looked behind him, she saw the floor littered with his attackers.
"Help us, Jason," said Darcie. "We only want to prevent anyone from getting hurt, including the vampires."
"Who's he?" asked Jason.
"My butler," said Darcie.
"Seriously? You have a real butler?" asked Jason.
"Jason," said Darcie. "Focus."
"Right," said Jason.
And with Jason to one side and Mr. Turner to the other, Darcie once again moved towards the altar.
But, Newlin produced a stake and held it above Eric's heart.
"Stop, right there," he said. "I'm going to send this demon back to hell where he belongs."
"He isn't a demon," said Darcie.
She faced the crowd and said, "He is just different from you."
"He isn't alive," said Newlin.
"He is alive, just not in the way that we are," said Darcie. "He risked his life to come here and save his friend. That shows he has the capacity for feelings, even love. That does not sound like an evil creature to me."
"These creatures are incapable of feelings," said Newlin.
"You're the one incapable of compassion. All you preach is hatred and fear. Aren't tolerance, respect and love more worthy ideals?" asked Darcie of the congregation.
"Like we need a stripper lecturing us on Christian behavior," said Newlin, smugly.
"I'm not a stripper," said Darcie, indignantly.
"That's right, my cousin ain't no stripper," said Jason.
"You're still a vampire's girlfriend," said Newlin. "A traitor to your own kind."
"You aren't my kind," said Darcie.
"I offer myself for Godric and the girl," weakly said Eric.
"Oh, she is going to stay and watch you meet the true death," said Newlin. "And then, maybe, I'll tie her to Godric as he turns into a fireball at dawn."
Newlin raised the stake and Darcie yelled, "Stop!"
She made to rush Newlin since she was too far away to hold his mind in hers.
It was then, that Godric's vampires appeared at the entrance. They were led by Stan.
"Steve Newlin, you've pushed us too far. You expect us to sit on our thumbs while you round up your men to come and lynch us. We'll kill you first," said Stan. "Same way we did your father."
"Murderer," said Newlin.
"Destroy them," said Stan. "All of them."
The vampires moved forward and restrained the Fellowship soldiers, their fangs poised at the human's necks. Seeing that Newlin was distracted, Darcie ran to the altar and pulled off the silver chains from Eric. She saw that his skin was gouged and raw where the chains had cut into his flesh. However, once the chains were removed, he began to heal. Eric moved and grabbed Newlin by the throat and threw him to the steps and bared his fangs at him.
"Martyr us, martyr us before God. We are willing to die," Newlin said.
Suddenly, there was a voice heard from the balcony. As Darcie looked up, she saw what appeared to be a teenage boy, dressed in white, standing on the ledge.
"Enough, you came for me, I assume," said Godric. "These people have not harmed me. You see, we can coexist. Mr. Newlin, I do not wish to create bloodshed where none is called for. Help me set an example. If we leave you in peace, will you do the same?"
"I will not negotiate with subhumans," said Newlin.
"Kill me, do it," said Newlin to Eric. "Jesus will protect me."
"I'm actually older than your Jesus," said Godric. "I wish I could have known him, but I missed it."
Godric moved in an instant and held Newlin by the scruff of his jacket.
"Good people, who of you is willing to die for this man's madness?" asked Godric.
The people were quiet and they looked to each other.
"That's what I thought," said Godric. "Stand down, everyone. People go home. It's over, now."
The vampire's led by Stan reluctantly let go of the humans, but did as Godric commanded.
Godric threw down Newlin to the floor and said, "I dare say my faith in human kind is stronger than yours."
The vampires began to leave and Mr. Turner stepped to Darcie.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yes, thanks for keeping me safe," said Darcie.
She gave him a quick hug. She turned and gave Jason hug also.
"Now, Jason, I'm glad to see you, but what are you doing here?" she asked.
"I've been wondering that myself," said Jason. "It's like he put some kind of voodoo spell on me."
"All that matters is that you stood by me when I needed you," said Darcie.
Eric made to follow Godric, but he hesitated and said, "You weren't hurt?"
"I'm fine," said Darcie.
"You did a brave, but foolish, thing, Darcie. I'll see you back at the hotel," he said with a slight smile. He then departed with the other vampires.
"You," said Newlin to Jason. "When the final reckoning comes, we'll see who goes to heaven and who goes to hell."
"I figure that I've already been to heaven," said Jason. "It was inside you wife."
He moved and punched Newlin in the face and said, "That's for calling my cousin a whore."
He pulled off his honesty ring and threw it at Newlin, uttering a few choice words at him.
"Now, Jason, you naughty boy," asked Darcie, with a little grin. "You're so much more fun when you're bad."