Sorry, missed a week. But the next chapter will be up soon!

Warnings for this chapter: brief mention of suicide and child abuse.

Jotaro sat as still as he could, fighting an urge to shield Carmen. If he reacted, he'd reveal himself as a stand user. Plus Carmen would see. His jaws winched together. Why did this have to happen right now? If he rushed towards invisible danger, she'd think he was having a mental episode. Or he'd have to explain his powers. Either way, she'd probably leave him. But this tiny white toddler was threatening the entire crowd.

The stand's cries were ear shattering. They were getting louder. It took effort for Jotaro not to cover his ears. He stopped time, thinking the words in his head, and silence came. His shoulders dipped with relief. Jotaro inspected the frozen crowd, hoping someone might twitch, hoping there might be some tell. His eyes stopped at Ricardo, then Carlos, then Castilo. But of course it was none of them, or the stand would have gone right towards him. Time started again, and so did the screaming.

Jotaro flinched, then forced his muscles still. Was the cry having some effect on him he didn't understand? He released Star Platinum. It was a bold move, but maybe he could provoke some reaction from the stand user. Or the stand. Any visible motion would be a good enough reason to charge towards it.

Jotaro scanned the parishioners nearby. An old woman. A boy in a soccer uniform. A man with his arm laid protectively across the handle of a double stroller. Fuck, it wasn't working. Then Jotaro noticed a priest raising his hands. Not the old, dark-haired one who was droning on at the pulpit, but a pudgy, middle-aged one who was listening nearby. The white stand ran back to him, and then vanished. The priest waved his robed arms as Jotaro glared at him.

Soon, Carmen and her family stood for communion. "Put your hands on your heart for a blessing," she whispered, grabbing his arm, which was tense. "Are you alright?"

"Forgiveness is a difficult subject for me," Jotaro mumbled. She seemed to buy it. He guided her towards the priest with the stand as they moved through the line.

"You seem to have a special relationship with God," the priest said, as Jotaro stood before him. He pointed towards a door nearby, "If you see me afterwards, I can give you some information on how to join the church."

Of course he picked a pretense that involved spending more time listening to sermons. "I'm not sure I'm ready for such a big step," Jotaro said pointedly.

"Understandable." The priest motioned for Jotaro to lean forward, then placed his hand on his head. He felt a strange calm. "Perhaps I can share some books about faith then?"

Jotaro straightened his neck, "If you're willing."

Nodding, the priest moved to Carmen and placed a wafer in her mouth. Her eyes closed, her face shining.

"What the fuck?" Jotaro snapped the moment he was alone with the priest. They were in a small library.

The man motioned towards a table with two chairs, "I'm sorry to cause you such a fright. I've never encountered a stand among visitors."

Jotaro ignored the gesture, crossing his arms, "What were you even doing?"

"My She Sells Sanctuary allows me to detect parishioners' emotional turmoil. Just last week, I helped a man with suicidal thoughts-"

"Why's your stand a girl?" Jotaro interrupted, closing the space between them, "Do you 'help' little kids as well?"

The priest's lip curled, and he spread his arms. A group of small figures appeared. The white toddler Jotaro had seen was at the front, but there were four others, boys of different ages, in pastel tones. A tall blue one in the back wore a habit and held a book. "I'm a child at heart. I've spent my entire life using my stand in service of the church. I've never had a job, a relationship, or even a close friend." The priest clasped his hands, "Like a good parent, the church has always taken care of me."

Jotaro searched for a rude word, but he could feel it vividly, the priest's life passing him by, every person he ever knew moving on as he helped from a distance. Did this man have psychic powers like Joseph? Jotaro stepped back, an ache in his throat, "What do the boy stands do?"

"Forgive me, but we've just met." The priest extended his hand, "Father Ignacio."

He shook it, "Jotaro Kujo."

Father Ignacio regarded him, "I can tell your stand burdens you, Jotaro." His eyes were wide and sincere.

"At times." Jotaro planned to keep it at that, but his mind was loosening up, like fresh soba pried apart by chopsticks. What was this priest doing to him? Jotaro slowly explained how he'd developed his stand and defeated Dio, feeling strangely exposed. "I'm sorry I was rude earlier. I was hoping that part of my life was over."

Father Ignacio moved so he was facing him head-on, "You can't change God's will."

"You mean fate?"

"Same thing." The priest leaned closer, "If you look inside yourself, you'll find the Lord gifted you with these powers for a reason."

The answer bubbled up through Jotaro's unguarded mind, "To protect my family."

Father Ignacio nodded, "God loves you and-"

Jotaro's unrestrained laughter cut him off, "If God exists, he fucking hates me."

Father Ignacio gave Jotaro a patient smile, "Divine plans can't be understood-" He was interrupted by the door opening, and another priest entered. He was young, black and thin, with a shaved head.

Ignacio glanced towards him. "Father Jackson, this young man developed a stand capable of strength and speed just last year."

Jackson examined Jotaro's face, "The Lord always provides, doesn't He?"

Jotaro shuffled his feet.

"I'd like to show you something," Father Jackson moved towards a small door by a bookshelf. Ignacio followed, guiding Jotaro by his arm. They passed an empty classroom, then went down a staircase. With each story they descended, the stairs became older: first concrete, then wood, then brick. Jotaro's stomach churned. They emerged in a stone-walled mausoleum. A stained-glass cross stood next to a line of crypts, labeled in an alphabet Jotaro didn't recognize.

A moaning echoed, and Jotaro's neck jerked towards a closed door. It had a slit window, and though he wanted to look away, he peered through it, finding a boy, maybe twelve years old, curled up on the floor. His limbs were gnarled unnaturally, like vines, and he was sweating. Jotaro caught a flash of red, then the boy's legs were more spread out, like they were melting. Jotaro clutched his stomach. "Is that a stand?"

Jackson nodded deeply. "His parents brought him in, thinking he was possessed by a demon. He can't control it at all. We've drugged him for now. We're in the middle of a city, so we have to be careful." The priest lowered his voice, "Just this morning, Father Ignacio and I were discussing whether it would be for the best to end his stay in this world."

Jotaro covered his mouth with his fist.

"But our prayers were answered," Jackson said quickly, "Do you think you can help him?"

Jotaro forced himself to look at the boy again. He was rocking back and forth, moaning in pain. "I can try …" Jotaro's voice got caught in his throat, "I think I can control the situation at least."

Jackson gave the same crisp nod. "I have some gas to wake him up."

Jotaro stammered, "Can I at least tell my girlfriend I'm leaving, so she doesn't wait around?" His voice became irritated, "Not that I know what to say …"

"If you come with me, I'll take care of that," Jackson said.

Jotaro followed him up the stairs, gaining strength as he climbed the levels, "I want something else, too." He glanced back at Father Ignacio, who was trailing them.

"What's that?"

"Do you know Carlos Diaz?"

"I gave him his first communion."

"Good," Jotaro said, "He was arrested recently, but is refusing a plea that's in his best interests. Could you convince him of its merits?"

"I can pay him a visit," said Ignacio.

Grasping a handrail, Jotaro reeled back and gave Ignacio a dirty look, "I felt you rummaging around in my head. You can do far more than that."

Ignacio stumbled, but steadied himself, "Free will is an important part of man's relationship with God."

Jotaro exhaled, "Confession, taking responsibility, forgiveness. That all came from the pulpit while you were letting your stand run around."

The priest stammered, but Jackson gave him a sharp look. "I think we can grant this young man's selfless request."

Ignacio gave a half-hearted shrug of agreement.

Jotaro resumed climbing the stairs, "We'll need ice too."

"Ice?" asked Ignacio.

"I've been learning about fevers at school. If we don't get that kid cooled down, he's got at most a few hours left."