Disclaimer: Dude, just go to the last nineteen chapters.
Abel walked quietly down the halls of the Inquisition's ground floors. He was being allowed to see Stella under the pretense that he was her confessor. He listened to the burly representative that was standing next to him.
The man had a slightly larger girth than most of the Inquisition soldier, but that was expected when one was a prison guard. Most of the poor souls dragged into the Inquisition were in no condition to fight by the time they got there and after that… well, after that, they were not in much of a condition to do anything.
The man spoke with a low voice in short sentences. If Abel hadn't been a pacifist priest, he would have found it rather annoying. "The girl collapsed as we were bringing her down the steps. We all thought that she was trying to escape, got a right enough amount of bruises till we noticed that she was unconscious. She woke up a couple hours later, and started to talk with me through the bars when I asked her questions. Personally, I think she's a nice enough gal, ceptin' for that crimes against god thing." Abel inwardly cringed, but the guard continued, unaware of the uncomfortable atmosphere he was creating. "After that, they put her in the hospital cell, but she woke up scared and covering her eyes. We had to knock her out for a few minutes and blind her with some scrap of cloth. She had the good sense to leave it on, though, when she woke up. Sumthin' odd about her, if you ask me. She's smarter than a lot of girls in Rome, believe me, I've looked." The guard gave a hearty chuckle, and then seemed to remember he was supposed to be a warrior of god. He coughed lightly. "Er… anyway, she's nice enough, but mabbe bein' in that cell is better for 'er than being out in the world." The man babbled on and on about something or another. Abel really didn't pay attention after the man seemed done speaking of Stella.
He was led to the same room he had spoken to Leon Sr. all those years ago about reducing his sentence. He knew that not far away, Stella was in a hospital cell, which was exactly like a regular cell, except the walls were not of stone, but of sterilized panels. Abel had an idea of why Stella had been upset when she had regained consciousness, but would say nothing to anyone until he had her permission.
"Well, here you are, Father." The guard said, bowing slightly at the waist.
The heavy (and unnecessary, in Abel's opinion) steel door was pulled back and Abel took a seat at one side of the glass. He picked up and fingered the phone lightly as Stella was brought out from her cell.
He was completely aghast at her condition. Not two weeks after an extremely traumatic (both physical and mental) experience, Stella looked as if horses had pummeled her. Her once beautiful, though hated dress, hung off of her more than ever, and was lightly pattered near her shoulder, where the wound from the disembodied hand had been, as well as her stomach with blood. There were dark bruises along her arms and what he could see of her face. The blindfold that the guards had given her was nothing more than a ripped off piece from one of their uniforms. The cuffs were still of, and looked more than uncomfortable. Abel's nose wrinkled in discontent.
"Stella, are you all right?" Abel mentally smacked himself. Of course she was not all right!
Stella's face twisted into a grim smile. "Of course, I'm enjoying my vacation wonderfully, thanks for asking." Leon Jr. would have been jealous of her sarcasm.
Abel dropped his voice, though the only one around to hear him was the overly friendly guard that was standing the required fifteen feet away from him. "Listen, Stella. We don't know what's going on, any of us. Apparently you have been arrested by the Pope, so you must listen to me when I say you must stay passive in this fight."
Stella remained quiet, but she was frowning. "What do you mean passive? I don not believe this situation calls for either a passive or aggressive stance. It calls for the truth, Abel. It is the human's decision whether or not they want to believe it. Of course, knowing humans, they won't and I will be stuck in here for years... or until I get bored. And what is the Pope again?"
"The Pope is the most powerful man in the Vatican. He has one of the strongest and certainly the most devoted army in the world. With a single word, he can launch all four major nations into a massive world war." Abel said, desperately pleading with his voice for Stella to understand the severity of her position.
Stella laughed lightly. "Abel, I get it. The 'all powerful' Pope has put me in jail and will start a war with my brother if I don't roll over like a good dog." She laughed again, but this one landed on a slightly hysterical note.
"Please, Stella. I know it's going to be hard, but the best thing for you to do short of breaking out of here…"
"That's an option?" Stella said, pretending to be surprised.
Abel gave her a weary look and though she couldn't see it, he was sure she could feel it by the way she fidgeted. "Stella, please." He said quietly and urgently. "When the hearing time comes, everyone will expect you to plead innocent. The Cardinal, Sister Caterina and I have talked about it. We think you should plead guilty. There is sure to be a shorter way for you to repent than thirty years in jail. For your own sake as well as your brother's, do it."
Stella's frown was back, and somehow the look on her face told Abel that she had already thought about it. "Abel…" She said weakly.
"Stella, damn it!" Abel said angrily, temporarily forgetting that he was a priest, forgetting that what he was doing was so unlike him. He stood but kept his grip tight on the plastic phone. "Don't you realize that everyone who loves you might loose you forever because of this!" He wanted to take back those words as soon as they left his mouth. He gently sat back in the chair, watching Stella intently.
He nearly frowned. There was no emotion on her face, but she had removed her blindfold. Her blue bloodshot eyes swirled as they stared up at him quietly, searching his face. He tried to relax it so she would not see any hostility. Her eyes met his, pupils matching up perfectly. "Abel." She said quietly, but firmly. Abel suddenly felt like a very guilty child. "I will do what is right." Stella said with such conviction that Abel would not have opposed her word, if he had the chance.
She quickly tied the blindfold around her eyes and stood. Before she was grabbed roughly by the elbow and escorted quickly from the room, she turned her head sideways, addressing Abel again. "Abel, please send in Father Leon for my next confessional." She walked from the room, leaving Abel alone with a plastic phone in his limp grasp.
The situation reminded him of when a mother catches her son doing something very, very bad. She just purses her lips and instead of yelling, leaves the room very quietly, then, like a cat, she pounces later. At least, it left him with the same ominous feeling. He brushed aside his doubts, hoping that he was wrong; hoping that Stella's idea of right was staying safe with her friends.
But of course, he knew, just knew that something was up.
And that something very bad was going to happen
A/N: Yes, I know I'm evil. Review!