Disclaimer: Priest and its characters belong to Scott Stewart.

Claimer: I own Tessa.

Chapter #17: Armistice

"All of the priests are accounted for," said Priest.

"Aside from the one that was supposed to meet you here," Black Hat stated.

"But he was with us earlier—before the timing you said you were captured. There was nothing suspicious about him."

"Then it's possible he's been captured as well," Tessa spoke up. "Maybe he or she wants the priests out of the picture completely. They just went for Julian first, because he was the biggest threat. It's a process of elimination."

Priest's eyes moved to Black Hat. "You said the queen banished you."

"What of it?"

"Don't you find it the slightest bit suspicious that she drove you out right at the same time this supposed new threat started making himself noticed?"

Tessa perked up in interest. "You think the queen found herself a better soldier?"

"It appears to be the most likely scenario. Vampires are animals. They live in a dog-eat-dog environment, and if a stronger member of the clan proves himself, the one before him will be cast down. Whoever took your place proved him or herself to the queen. After you got hundreds of her children burned alive in a train, you lost her trust."

Black Hat scowled at him profoundly. "I had help with that."

At seeing the tension was rising back to a simmering level, Tessa once again made a quick move to revert their attentions to her. "Where are you headed, Priest?"

His stare lingered on her for a cautious moment, as if debating on whether or not he should reveal the information to her. "…I'm going to wait until dawn to see if the other priest shows, and if he doesn't I'll send out word to the others."

"You said there was vampire activity near here. Where?"

"There was an attack in the town Jackson, which is about three days' travel north from here," he answered.

Her eyebrows drew together with a worried frown. "They could be headed here."

"It's hard to tell. Someone from the town managed to send a message through telegraph, and they reported that the vampires arrived in armored trucks. Considering they aren't following the train tracks, their pattern remains random—probably to keep us guessing."

"Have you been to the town?" she asked.

"No. I was going to head there, and the others were going to meet me."

"We're coming with you."

Black Hat's head snapped to her abruptly. "No we're not."

"No. You're not," Priest concluded.

She forced back a sigh of exasperation. "Look, we want to know what's going on just as much as you do. We have every right to investigate this ourselves."

"Tessa, I'm not letting you walk into a town that was just overrun by vampires," said Black Hat firmly.

"What the hell have you been training me for?" Turning in her seat, she fixated him with a fierce stare. "In case we run into vampires."

"That doesn't mean I want you running straight to them!"

"What have we been doing this whole time? Running. Is that how it's going to be? We just keep hopping towns with our tails tucked between our legs until the problem goes away? It's not going to go away unless we do something about it, Julian."

He threw his head back with a sound of frustration. "Priest, help me out here."

"You've been training her?"

Black Hat looked at him. "Is that a problem?"

"Boys!"

Both their attentions turned back at her.

"Look. I know I really have no right to speak on the grounds of your rivalry, but there are three things we need to face here. Priest, it's completely ludicrous for you to go chasing after a pack of vampires by yourself without immediate backup at the ready. Julian, your ass is being hunted by said vampires, and you could use all the help you can get as to figuring out who's behind it. To do this, we need to investigate, and we need to work together. It doesn't mean we have to like it, but let's face it—our options and resources are very limited. There's only a handful of priests left alive, and Julian just so happens to be the best weapon we've got," she reasoned.

"I'm not a damn bazooka, Tessa."

"But you're strong, and you're fast—faster than both the priests and the vampires."

"That doesn't mean I want to throw myself in the middle of all this."

"Don't you want revenge? Because I do. These things killed my family, friends, and their families as well. They ruined this earth. They captured you, turned you, and then ditched you for a newer model as if you've never meant a single thing to them. Priest." She turned to him. "They killed your family. It's because of them you had to leave your wife and child in the first place. How can you two turn your backs on the chance to do something about it?"

They exchanged darkened glances from the corners of their eyes but said nothing.

"I'm not asking you to be friends," she continued. "I'm asking you to set your differences aside just for now and focus on what you have in common."

"Which is?" asked Priest doubtingly.

"You're both priests. In a distant memory, you were brothers. You fought at each other's side while defending each other against the same enemy. The vampires took something from each of you, and you both want retribution. Maybe this is a test. The enemy would never expect the two of you to join forces. Take the bastard by surprise, and let's hit him with everything we've got."

Their eyes fell. A paused stilled the air. Then suddenly, Black Hat stood up from his chair. Tessa looked up at him, startled, but instead of attacking Priest, which was what she feared his intentions were, he just passed by her and walked off without a word. Tessa sighed heavily as she heard the doors to the pub swing closed, and she slouched back in her seat in dismal defeat. Across from her, Priest was considering her carefully.

"Were you with him when he kidnapped my daughter?" he asked suddenly.

Glancing to him, she shook her head while fiddling with the silver ring on her finger. "No. I didn't run into him until after all of that."

He was quiet a moment. "Why are you with him?"

She looked at him. "Truthfully, I wanted nothing to with him at first after I realized what he had become."

"…What made you stay?"

Her gaze lowered back to the table, and she was quiet for a long while before she replied. "I know he's betrayed you in the worst way possible, so I don't expect you to understand… but I still love him. I have since I met him, and I will continue to until the end of time. He's a different person when he's with me. You saw it. The only reason he didn't attempt killing you out there was because I was holding him back."

"Why does he love you so much?"

She frowned.

"I'm only asking, because I find it odd he would be so different with you after only knowing you for a few days in the city."

A weak but genuine smile made it to her face. "Not a believer of love at first sight, I see."

He stared. "Something's telling me there's more to it than that."

She bit her bottom lip. "…We shared something very special before he left on the hunt. It was when we basically confessed our feelings for each other." Leaning back in her chair, she released a wistful sigh before shifting her gaze out the window, her eyes pensive. "He was so different back then. He was always so serious, and when I looked at him he appeared so old… but at the same time he also seemed incredibly naïve… like his soul was still clinging to that small bit of innocence he had left after knowing nothing but horror and endless sacrifice…" Her lips press together. "I guess I couldn't hate him even when I found out what he'd become… because I was subconsciously still holding onto the hope that man might still be in there."

He was eyeing her closely, frosty blue eyes piercing through her, but not in a disdainful sense. "Tessa… I know you want to save him… but you can't. He's infected with the blood of a vampire—the queen's blood. Whether he's loyal to you or not, he will always be unpredictable, and he will always be a threat. Even if you were to somehow convince him to go back to his old ways, he's dependent on blood, and that means he needs to feed whether he wants to or not. I can't allow someone like him to remain on the loose."

Tessa's eyes were solid as she gazed at him. "Priest… I want you to know that I have the utmost respect for you and what happened to your family… but if you try to hurt him, you'll have to cut me down first.

He frowned at her.

"I know you can kill me easily and won't hesitate to if I get in your way, but I will give my soul to the Devil before I allow you to take him away from me," she finished.

His eyes drilled into her.

Tessa stepped through the inn's front entrance and approached the clerk, and when he saw her a flash of caution lit his eyes. "Is he up there?" she asked, not having to ask to know the origin of his unease.

"I sure as hell wasn't gonna try stoppin' 'im. Came stridin' through here lookin' like he was set on a mission from the Devil."

"It's wise that you left him alone. He probably would have tried killing you," she said frankly. "Did you call the sheriff?"

"He didn't attack me, so I figured leavin' 'im be was for the best. Should I be callin' the sheriff?"

"No. I'll take care of him. Thank you. Oh, and we'll be staying for another night." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out five more shillings and set them down on the desk for him. "You have a good night. I promise he won't be any more trouble."

Upon returning to the room, she found him lying on his back on bed, feet propped up on the footboard. He had his hat tilted over his eyes, but she could tell he was awake. Quietly, she removed her boots before padding softly over to the bedside. She hesitated for only a moment before climbing onto the mattress and slowly straddled his waist. When he didn't move, she leaned down and burrowed her nose under the brim of his hat, and she smiled when she was rewarded with the corners of his mouth turning up the slightest bit. Lifting his arm, he removed the hat from his face and set it aside.

She was lying with her chin on his chest. "Are you angry?" she asked softly.

He released an inward sigh before lifting his hand to place it on her back. "Not angry so much as stressed."

"That's understandable."

"Do you realize what you're asking of us, Tess?"

"I do. Believe me, I do."

He averted her eyes.

She watched him for a moment. "The night you told me what you did to Priest's family… did you break down like that because you were afraid you'd lose me, or because you felt remorse for your actions?"

"What do you think?"

She shrugged a bit. "I was hoping it was a little of both, to be honest with you."

He looked away again. "I can't work with him, Tessa. He doesn't trust me, and I don't trust him. I tried giving him a chance to join me. I never wanted it to come to the point where we had to kill each other."

"Did you really think he would join you, Julian? Really?" Her voice held quiet denotation but lacked any accusation or disdain in her tone.

The sigh that left him was long and heavy. "I guess it was wise of him not to at this point."

Even though his eyes were hardened she could hear the wounded tenor in his voice. Lifting her hand, she gently directed his face towards her, and she propped herself up on her elbows so she could lean down and capture his lips in a carefully measured, affectionate kiss.

"Forget the slimy bitch. We all make mistakes, Julian."

"My mistake cost me more than most, Tessa." His voice was candid. "It nearly cost me you, and I'm not just talking about you hating me. You were almost killed."

"You can't blame yourself for that, Julian. You had no idea the vampires were going to break loose like that."

"It doesn't matter. You're right. I was scared, and I joined the vampires because I had nowhere else to turn… but I've never been more terrified than the night I came back to find you bleeding on the floor of the basement." His voice had dropped to a quavering whisper at the last few words.

She gently took his face in her hands and pressed her forehead to his, shushing him softly. His arms wrapped around her back to hold her close.

"Remember what I said when we were in the rain?" she whispered.

His eyes fell.

"We can't change the past, Julian."

He closed his eyes briefly. "I don't know what to think, Tess. One half of me wants to kill every last one of them for what they've done… but the other half tells me there's no point in fighting."

"There's always a reason to fight, Julian."

"I'm one of them." He met her eyes harshly. "I'm a vampire, Tessa. There's no turning back, even if I were to help take down the vampires. It's not like we'd be able to have some apple pie life after the war is over… if we survived it. No one would accept us. It's bad enough you're involved with a priest… but a vampire priest. People would never understand."

"You think I care what they think?"

"I know you don't… but I can't allow you to sacrifice a chance at a normal life for me."

She stared at him as if he had just sprouted wings and flew away. "Julian, really, I thought you were intelligent."

He frowned.

"What the hell am I going to do with a 'normal' life? Plant flowers next to my white picket fence while the cherry pie cools by the window? Please, don't make me vomit."

His eyes drilled into hers.

"You think I'm being forced to live some horrible nightmare because I'm sticking around with you?" she asked. "I could have very easily left to the cities or with Farah to the sanctuary. Remember, those hunters had no clue who I was. If an apple life is what I wanted, I would have grabbed it."

"So why don't you?"

She scoffed with disbelief. "My God, did the venom melt part of your brain or something?"

His face fell flat.

"Say our positions were switched," she said. "I'm the vampire and you're the human. Would you ditch me to live a normal life?"

"Is that even a question?"

"My point exactly. To me, any life away from you would be torture. I spent every day of those five years mourning you. I constantly craved to see you again, to hold you, to kiss you…. The thought that I'd lost you was tearing me apart, Julian. I can't go through that emptiness again."

His eyes scorched through her, when suddenly he flipped her onto her back, and her arms enveloped his neck as he crashed his mouth onto hers with a ravenous hunger.

He stood leaned against the peeling wall of the post office, blue eyes staring intently into the night. Night had draped its glittering tapestry over the earth once again. There still remained no sign of his fellow warrior's arrival, and dawn was approaching. Then all of a sudden, his eyes shifted back when he became aware of footsteps coming up from behind. Subtly, his hand moved towards the blade hanging at his hip, but his voice stopped him.

"Don't bother."

Priest turned his head over his shoulder as Black Hat came to stand at the other side of the motorcycle. The ex-priest didn't look at him, staring off into the distance with his outlandishly bright eyes.

"I take it there hasn't been any sign."

Priest eyed him through a narrowed gaze. "What do you want?"

Black Hat looked at him, and then back forward with a calm chuckle. "Down to business as always."

Priest's eyes were drilling into him suspiciously.

"Relax. I just came to talk." Turning, Black Hat slipped his hands into his pockets. "Tessa likes you."

"She loves you."

He met the priest's arctic stare curiously.

"Perhaps I would understand as to why if someone would explain it to me."

"I know you think I'm just using her, but you couldn't be more mistaken, brother."

"Did she put you up to this?" Priest asked.

Black Hat shook his head. "No. She's asleep."

An extensive silence stretched between them.

"I came to apologize."

Priest looked at him sharply, frowning. "Apologize."

"I'm not gonna beg you, because I already know you're not gonna forgive me." Black Hat met his gaze. "But setting that aside, Tessa's right. We're stronger as a team." Removing one of his hands from his pocket, he held it out across the motorcycle. Priest's stare shifted there before back to him dubiously. "This isn't about us anymore, Priest. This is about taking revenge on the race that ruined our lives… the species that used us and murdered the ones we hold closest."

Priest didn't say anything, but his eyes showed he was listening.

"I was wrong," Black Hat continued. "You want the truth? I nearly got Tessa killed. While I was out, the group of vampires being kept in the basement of the building broke out without warning. She barely made it to a secured room before being ripped to shreds." His eyes were shimmering intensely. "I will never forgive myself for not being there to protect her. You want to hate me? Fine. Either way, I'm going to get back at them for what they've done."

The silence that drifted between them wasn't tense, but it wasn't relaxed either. He was about to give up and turn away, when Priest finally lifted his hand and accepted his. They shook briefly, and Black Hat nodded with somber eyes. Dropping Priest's hand, he turned to walk away.

Priest watched him go for a few steps. "Do you love 'er?"

Black Hat stopped. After a moment, he turned partially to look at him over his shoulder. "She's the only reason I'm still breathing."

Priest's blue orbs obtained a curious glint to their stony depths, and Black Hat turned away once more.

"We'll meet you here at dawn."

Priest will become a regular character in the plot from this point forth. I'm looking forward to redeveloping his and Julian's relationship, and I hope you all keep reading! R&R, and Chapter #18 is in the oven. xoxo