Jotaro sat across from Father Jackson in the church's small library. "Thanks for meeting with me." He'd just finished his weekly class on Catholic catechism. "The truth is, I'd like to marry Carmen sooner rather than later. I know I still have a couple months of the marriage course left, but you have my word I'll complete them."

Jackson steepled his hands in front of his face. "I suppose we can accommodate that, if you're certain that you're spiritually ready." He gave Jotaro a long look that made him sure he was going to owe him a favor. "Though I'll warn you we already have a lot of weddings booked."

"We'd like to do it in the morning and have brunch afterwards. Carmen doesn't want the attention of a big party, and we're both too young to be served alcohol anyhow." Jotaro had never understood why the drinking age was so high in the United States.

Jackson returned a crisp nod. "I'll figure out some dates and give you a call." He leaned back in his chair. "While we're here, I want to ask whether you have any questions about marriage? Do you feel ready for such a big step?"

Jackson definitely wanted something. "Not really-" Jotaro stopped, his gut lurching. He murmured, "Do you know what causes a child to be born with a stand?"

Jackson gave Jotaro a knowing smile. "I assume nature has already taken its course?"

Jotaro stammered. While he didn't subscribe to the church's teachings on sexuality, the priest's stark robes and room's imposing walls made him feel like he'd transgressed somehow. "I'm sorry."

Jackson held up his hand. "I don't want to hear about it."

"I only-"

"Seriously, if I never have to listen to another graphic confession about a parishioner's genitals, I'll die happy." Jackson cocked his head to the side, like he was making a joke. Jotaro stared at him.

"You're doing the right thing," the priest said in a softer voice, "That's all I need to hear."

Jotaro blinked. "What about stands?"

Jackson tipped his head to the side. "As I'm sure you know, I've been studying the topic, but our understanding is incomplete. Some stands stem from artifacts, like the enchanted mask your family's originated from, meanwhile others are bestowed at birth, like mine. But many stands still have unknown origins, with user unable to recall-"

"Is there anything I can do to prevent it?" Jotaro interrupted.

"Your family's stands aren't hereditary. The man who cursed your family is dead." Jackson spoke in a smooth tone, "There's a good chance you have nothing to worry about."

Jotaro's gut twinged. "I can talk to her. My daughter, I mean." He paused, afraid Jackson might doubt him, but the priest's eyes remained wide and sincere. "She can't understand, of course, she's just little, but I can feel her." Jotaro sucked a breath into his tight chest. He hadn't realized how much the secret had been weighing on him. "I can feel anyone's presence, if they're close and I focus. But my daughter-" He swallowed. "When I stop time, everyone else is just gone, but she's still flickering."

Jackson shrugged. "That could mean a lot of things. It could mean she has a special place in your heart."

Jotaro shot him a skeptical glare. "It clearly means she has psychic powers like-" He paused, not wanting to say the name, "My grandfather."

"It's possible." Jackson met Jotaro's eyes, "But you don't know how she'll feel about it. She could find them a gift."

"Maybe, but I-" Jotaro's voice fell off, his words hanging in the air, "I don't want her to suffer."

"Jesus suffered."

Jotaro's breath became audible.

"All humans suffer," Jackson added quickly

Jotaro hinged forward on his arms, "But you can suffer more or suffer less."

"You can't change God's will- or fate if that's what you want to call it." Jackson shifted so he could meet Jotaro's gaze. "I think you know that deep down. So much is going to happen to your daughter that you can't control, no matter how hard you try." He laid his hand across Jotaro's, who shrank back slightly. "All you can do is prepare her the best you can for whatever the Lord has planned."

Jotaro sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm serious," Jackson said. "It wasn't too long ago your own stand developed. Think about who you wish you'd known back then. You can be that person for your daughter."


"I was hoping you could take a look at something," Jackson said after he and Jotaro chatted for a while longer.

"Of course," Jotaro said, laughing inwardly.

The priest stood, leading Jotaro through a door, from the small private library he called his 'consultation room' to a grand stone one with laddered shelves and a spiral staircase to a balcony. Several monks sat on benches, reading aged tomes. Jackson approached a battered wooden desk, and picked up a glossy photo. "What is this?"

Jotaro braced himself before letting his eyes fall onto the image, but it was a simple close-up of a sea creature with bright striations. "It's a type of mollusk called a chiton."

Jackson handed him another photo.

"This one is a cockle. It's also a mollusk, similar to a clam."

Jackson squinted. "Where would you find those?"

Jotaro tipped his head, "Cockles you can find anywhere, but that Lined Chiton only lives in the North Pacific."

"We've been finding them a lot of places. South Dakota. New Mexico. The Keys." He pointed to a map of the world posted on a nearby wall, with pins in it. "They're related to stand activity."

"What type of stand activity?"

"Animals gaining stands, largely. It's concerning." Jackson took the photo from Jotaro's hands and put it back on the desk. "I was talking to our friend Enzo recently. He's always been a bit cryptic on how his stand formed, but he finally told me the whole story. He was living in a campsite near Seattle with his mother right after they immigrated. It was all they could afford. He was attacked by a herd of buffalo."

"Attacked?"

"He said they had lights coming from their eyes that made anything they touched vanish. One hit him, then Bridge Over Troubled Water drowned the herd. It's not clear whether Enzo already had a stand which he'd never been stressed enough to use, or if the power induced it somehow."

Jotaro's brow furrowed. "A stand imparting stands?" His sharp voice disturbed the studying monks, and lowered it, "That's not something I've seen before."

"Me neither," Jackson said, "But frankly, I'm out of ideas and it's all I have left. There's been so many incidents." He pointed towards the map. "Mostly buffalo, but also racoons, deer, grizzly bears. Six human deaths we know of so far." Jackson stared into the distance, "Most of the sites have these-" He paused, "Mollusks scattered around, with their shells smashed."

Jotaro inspected the map, "There's a locus of events around the Pacific Northwest where they come from." He glanced at the library's vaulted ceiling, "Not that I have any idea what that means."

"I've been ruminating too, with no success." Jackson stepped back, regarding Jotaro. "What I'd really like to do is for us to visit these sites and see if there's some indication of what's going on."

"That's a good idea," Jotaro replied before catching his meaning, "But I can't go with you. I've got a lot going on."

"I wouldn't be asking if I had other options."

Jotaro's hands clenched for an instant. "What about Enzo? Or Father Ignacio?"

"I've spoken with Enzo's mother a great deal. She's wary of the risk of the endeavor, and won't allow it until he's old enough to make his own decisions." Jackson straightened his robe, "Father Ignacio is getting older. He's certainly willing to help, but these sites are rugged and I'm concerned he can't handle the terrain."

Jotaro scanned the library. The old books. The sun pouring through the stained glass. The men in religious cloth, scouring books in their laps. Risking his life had never meant much to Jotaro before. He'd had everything to give, and nothing to protect. Now, Carmen needed him. He couldn't wait to meet his little girl. What if he left her without a father? But some victims must be parents too. Who was he to value his daughter's wellbeing more than a stranger's? Who was he to sit up straight on the subway when other riders were bothered by his stature? But she and Carmen were a hook in his heart that he couldn't rip out without destroying it. And why did the occasion always choose him? "I'm sorry," Jotaro whispered, "I can't."

Stepping closer, Jackson ushered Jotaro behind a shelf, so they were out of view of the others in the library. He moved his mouth close to Jotaro's ear. "I want you to know that the Archdiocese has substantial resources, financial and otherwise. If you have a price, if there's anything we can do for you …"

Jotaro gave him a strange look, "Like get my daughter into the church preschool?"

Jackson blinked. "If that's what it takes." His head moved back, "But anything, really. This is a blank check. As a priest, I see all sides of humanity. I won't judge whatever you ask for."

Jotaro's eyes narrowed. "You think this is an easy choice? You think I'm going to change my mind for money, or sex, or drugs, or whatever it is you're offering?"

Jackson showed his palms, "I just wanted to make sure that you understand that we're serious about making this happen."

Jotaro paced so he was facing him head-on, his arms swinging at his sides. "Who are you even, lecturing me about righteousness and grace each week, then trying to buy my integrity?"

"I didn't mean it that way."

"Why are you so desperate to intervene? Isn't it all God's will? Or is that only the case when it's my family's suffering?" Jotaro squared his shoulders, looming over Jackson, but he didn't shrink away."

"I hope there's a benevolent God up there. I hope he's all-powerful." Jackson spoke sharply, "But more often, I fear it's angels versus demons. I fear evil will win over good without our help." He switched to a soothing voice, "If I knew of a single thing that would help your family, I would offer it in an instant. That doesn't change how worried I am about what that map shows."

Jotaro wavered.

"I know you make principled decisions. I'm sorry I implied that's not the case."

"I appreciate that," Jotaro mumbled under his breath, his throat tight. He wasn't strong enough. He wasn't strong enough to walk away from the one thing he'd wanted all his life. "I won't leave my family." He gulped down air as he walked away. "But I know a guy," he said suddenly, "He's smart, generous and has a powerful stand."

He returned to the desk and wrote his phone number on a slip of paper, then handed it to Jackson. "Be careful," Jotaro said with a slight sneer, "He's French. He might actually be a Catholic."


Ugh, I can't believe Jotaro isn't old enough to drink at his wedding, but I work with the timeline Araki gives me.

I'm taking a break for the holidays, I'll be back in January with Chapter 14: Wedding. Thanks for reading!