─☼☼☼─

𝙁𝙄𝙁𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉 𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙐𝙏𝙀𝙎 𝙇𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙍, Charlotte sat alone in the old, eerie church.

Their bad luck hadn't ended with the falling of the cross that almost killed them.

After a lot of arguing as to how they were going to get the cross out, what they were going to do with it, Pope had interrupted with the exclamation that something was wrong.

And that it was.

The wasp stings he had received minutes earlier had sent him into anaphylactic shock. He had passed out seconds later.

After a mixture of terrified banter, they had loaded Pope into the Twinkie, prepared to get him the medical attention he so desperately needed.

But there was the matter of the cross.

John B had suggested that they hide it, but Charlotte knew that if Renfield and Rafe showed up, a pile of cushions would do no gold in concealing it.

Thus, she had offered to stay behind. No one could argue that if Rafe walked into that church, Charlotte was the only one who could potentially talk him away.

So, here she was, sitting in solitude as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon outside.

Every noise she heard had caused her to startle slightly. And as it got later and later, she realized how reckless it was for her to be here alone.

She had no weapon, no means to protect herself.

She knew (or at least hoped) that Rafe wouldn't hurt her, but Renfield was a whole other story.

A twig snapping, followed by voices could be heard from outside, prompting Charlotte to stand and turn toward the door.

She hadn't heard a vehicle pull up...this couldn't be her friends.

Worry gripped onto her body as she saw a figure in the window, but only for a moment before it disappeared again.

"Shit." She whispered, body buzzing in fear.

Looking around frantically, Charlotte bent down to scoop up the crowbar that had been discarded by Pope earlier. It was no match to a gun, but it provided her the slightest bit of reassurance.

With her heart in her throat, she hurried toward the entrance, pushing her back against the wall, hiding her from the view of whoever was about to enter.

Her hand gripped onto the crowbar, shaking slightly as the front doors creaked open. She held her breath, trying to remain as silent as possible. She hadn't really thought all of this through when she volunteered to stay. 

A man stepped inside slowly, crossbow raised as he surveyed the old church. He knew she was here...he was looking for her.

"I know you're in here. Come out, come out wherever you—"

Renfield's words fell mute in his throat as Charlotte made one swift move from her hiding spot, whacking him across the back of the head with the crowbar.

He let out a pain scream as he lurched toward the ground, leaving Charlotte standing with wide eyes.

She wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do next. She wasn't going to kill the guy.

In her moment of hesitation, Renfield had righted himself enough to grab his crossbow that had been discarded when he fell. Apparently, Charlotte had not hit him hard enough, because he still was conscious enough to turn the weapon on her.

"Drop it." He spat, slowly bringing himself back to his feet, crosshairs aimed right at Charlotte. "Now. Or I'll fucking shoot you."

Glancing over her shoulder, Charlotte hoped to see Rafe marching in, stopping Renfield from whatever he was about to do. But there was no sign of him...none at all. 

She had no other option.

The crowbar clattered from her hands, hitting the old floorboards with a thud as Charlotte raised her hands in surrender. 

"Good." Renfield approved, wincing slightly from the hit Charlotte had delivered to his skull. "Now walk over here. Slowly."

He kept the crossbow trained on her, following her every move as she moved toward him slowly. 

A million thoughts ran through Charlotte's head. 

How could she get out of this?

What was he going to do?

They were going to lose the cross and it was her fault. 

Was he going to kill her?

She didn't get to say goodbye to anyone. 

Would her friends find her body here in this old decrepit church?

"On your knees." He snapped once she was close enough. "Face the front."

Ice ran through Charlotte's veins as she turned to look at him. "Don't do this." She pleaded desperately. 

Renfield roughly grabbed onto her arm, harshly turning her away from him. "On your damn knees."

Reluctantly, Charlotte did as he said, lowering herself onto the dusty floorboards, her entire chest gripped in fear. 

She was faced away from Renfield, per his instructions, and in a moment of bravery, she spoke. "If you're going to kill me, at least have the balls to do it while looking me in the eye."

A dark laugh fell from his lips, and although Charlotte couldn't see him, she could tell Renfield was shaking his head. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm not gonna kill you." He mocked. 

That almost made Charlotte more nervous. 

New thoughts of what he might do to her raced through her mind as she struggled to calm her breathing. 

They were seemingly alone out here and he could easily—

Her flurried thoughts were abruptly cut off as something came into contact with the back of her skull. The blow was hard enough to send her to the ground, black blurring her vision as she let out a shocked gasp. 

The last thing Charlotte Carrera saw was the cross...staring right back at her from beneath a pile of cushions. 

─☼☼☼─

RAFE 

The truck bounced along the dirt road as Rafe drove it toward the church where he had left Renfield. 

They had parked it far enough away as to not give away their presence, but upon the departure of the Pogues, Renfield had ordered Rafe to go retrieve it. 

He assumed that the cross must have been in the church, that being the only reason that Renfield had sent him away. 

As he approached now, he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. He wasn't sure what...but it was something. 

Shifting the truck into park, Rafe hopped out, hurrying toward the church in anticipation. 

This cross could save their family...his father's legacy. 

They could pay off their debts, and he could take over the company like he wanted to. He could make a life for himself...and for Charlotte. It was all he ever wanted to do. He wanted a life with her, only her. 

The old church doors creaked as he pulled them open. Stepping inside, Rafe felt the heaviness of the dusty air. 

The first thing he noticed was the cross, surrounded by tattered cushions that must have been placed in an effort to hide the cross. He almost laughed. Stupid Pogues.

But what he saw next wiped any sense of humour from his body. What he saw next sent him into a rage he almost couldn't control. 

Charlotte lay next to the cross, eyes closed, blood seeping from a wound on her head. 

Renfield seemed unbothered by her presence, meaning only that he had been the one who did this to her. 

"What the fuck did you do?" The words flew from Rafe's mouth as he marched toward Renfield, almost seeing red at this point. 

Standing, Renfield placed his hands out in front of him. "Relax." He warned. "She'll be fine."

"I told you." Rafe spat. "I told you when we started this thing that you don't touch her...you never fucking touch her."

Renfield motioned toward the crowbar that lay on the ground. "She attacked me first. And like I said, kid, she'll be fine."

Rafe had to talk himself down, had to remind himself that he needed this scumbag to get the cross out of here. Otherwise, he might have killed him. 

Ignoring him, Rafe bent down next to Charlotte, brushing the hair from her face. Her chest rose and fell softly. She was alive at least. 

Wordlessly, he scooped her into his arms, cradling her close to his chest. 

"What are you doing!?" Renfield demanded in frustration. "We have to get this cross out of here!"

Rafe didn't turned as he made for the doors of the church. "I'm not leaving her in here."

"She's really more important than this cross?" Renfield challenged. 

Yes. 

"I'm putting her in the truck." Rafe answered numbly. "I'll be back for the damn cross."

He gently secured Charlotte in the truck, hoping she would stay asleep until he could get her back to Tannyhill. 

When he was sure she was safe, he returned to the church, he and Renfield somehow managing to carry the huge cross out and into the truck. 

This was it...everything was finally going to be okay. 

─☼☼☼─