"M'lord," Subira said as she took Gabriel's hand, confident in the abilities of her compatriots and glared at Brendan. "I offer you ..."

Her hand was lightly grabbed by a thin hand with finely manicured nails and a thin gold wedding band.

"You cannot," Isabelle said. "For you are not human ... but I am."

"Belle ..." Brendan began and was silenced by a finger to his lips.

"Shhh," his wife ordered. "You are exhausted and incapable." She turned trusting eyes towards Gabriel.

Gabriel looked at the small delicate woman looking back at him with such honesty and willingness. ""I always knew you were gorgeous and gentle and trusting, but this is ridiculous..." he managed as the warmth of Isabelle's blood heightened the scent of her perfume and the scent that was just Isabelle. The beauty that came from within was suddenly obliterated by the mere beauty of the skin that was pressing against his lips. Gabriel closed his eyes and latched onto the rose scented wrist.

Rene had stopped when the two burly humans dragged Andrew off of David; he felt Karen's legs give out from under her with the strain. Easing her to the floor, Rene looked around the room and saw several humans offering their wrists to other vampires. He watched the vampires as they drank, watched their throats work as they swallowed, saw them lick the blood off their lips.

It was all too much.

"I can't," he managed a strangled whisper into Karen's hair and felt her nod in return.

"No need," a female voice said.

Rene looked up, knowing the answering voice did not belong to the woman in his arms.

Two bright-eyed, beautiful humans stood by his side - one female, one male.

"Did you think we had forgotten?" the woman asked as she gently took Karen in her arms.

"There is enough for all," the man said as he drew Rene into his embrace, willingly offering up that which Rene had thought to steal.

Tegan and Terry watched from the side of the room where they still lingered near Kenyon and Dejah.

"Feel up to just a bit more patching," Terry asked.

Tegan smiled. "Well, I always did like triage," she replied as she took her brother's hand, allowing him to help her stand.

Capri listened to the sound of feeding coming from around the room, letting the waves of relief flood through her soul. Full, satisfied vampires did not frighten her nearly as much as desperate, starving ones.

Emily draped a friendly arm around Capri as the vampires around the room continued to feed. "See," she said. "Never underestimate the power of idol worship."

"Oh fer cryin out loud!" Capri muttered. "the view was better when I was passed out."M.o<

Capri knew they were vampires and what they had to do to survive; but knowing something and actually witnessing it are two very different things. She disdained people getting worshiped as gods. Not only did it go against the first commandment in the Christian religion for Capri, it reminded her too much of Jonestown and Koresh.

What really did it this time was seeing all these people on Subira's order, flocking to offer their wrists, something Capri could never bring herself to do, and then the feeding started. All that desperate, frenzied feeding off human blood, from living people. The sound and sight of it was too much. Now the vampires she had helped had become victimizers, with a new set of people Capri didn't know, who went and offered themselves as food without so much as a wink.

Capri had seen David's fear as Andrew nearly had him and would have taken measures to get him out of there if two muscular looking men hadn't dragged Andrew away.

Everything blurred as various people fed various vampires, and Capri could stand no more.

Even as she struggled to her feet, her head was spinning.

"Hey. Are you ok?" Emily asked. Capri looked about to throw up.

"Ok?" Capri demanded incredulously. "Nothin's ok no more! This 'ole lot's gone daft! And I ain't gonna stick around an' watch!"

Emily quickly glanced at Terry who was approaching with Tegan. This was more of his domain. "Wait a minute," she tried. "You can't go anywhere yet, you're still--" she reached out for Capri's hand.

" 'An' 'oo says?" Capri countered, looking as desperate to do something as the vampires had been to feed. She pulled away from Emily and was about to head for the door when she spied Giovanni's body still lying on the floor to one side. Maybe there was something she could do to keep those around her from being consumed alive after all. She had planned to take Giovanni's body out and give it its last disrespects anyway, but what did it matter now if they saw her do it. He, who had been such a monster in life, was already dead; having long since ceased to be human in Capri's eyes. It would be revolting, but what the heck? It could hardly make an impact on the already revolting scenes that had begun and were still going on around her.

"Ma'am ...." Terry started.

Not far away was a weapon she could use, and she picked it up and headed for Giovanni.

Brendan looked up at the sound of his brother's voice and noticed what Capri was heading for.

"Terry," he said as he let go of his wife, "the sword."

Emily saw Capri grab the sword. Terry felt the Fae's emotions get the better of her. Capri, her soul lost in a tidal wave of disgust, did something incomprehensible and began thrusting the sword into Giovanni's dead body. She did not notice the hazy figure shaking its head sadly.

Blood came out.

"He's already dead!" Tegan cried out as she moved to approach Capri who seemed not to notice her and just kept stabbing and hacking. Giovanni was being dismembered before her eyes.

"Stop it!" Emily cried out.

Looking up for a moment at the sound of Emily's horrified voice, Capri said, "This chap deserves no better. "'e was a livin monster, an' there's enough blood still in 'im ta go 'round. If they's gotta feed on blood, they can 'ave a go at 'im! The lout might as well be a little useful fer somethin, an' if not alive, then dead! Besides, if it weren't fer 'im, none o' this bloody mess woulda 'appened!" and as Giovanni was being cut up, he was also getting tossed piece by bloody piece toward the feeding vampires. Capri used the weapon for this as well, she didn't touch the body with her hands. "'ere, there's enough o' 'im ta go 'round if it'll save some necks an' wrists!"

Rene turned his back quickly, sheltering Karen from the crazed onslaught, all thoughts of feeding gone from his mind in his desperation to protect this woman who had already suffered enough.

"No!" Sarah's voice cut through the room as a piece of Giovanni landed in her lap. David quickly flung it back at Capri as he tried to draw his sister into himself.

"What kind of monster are you?" he demanded in a stronger tone than he would have thought possible.

Capri stopped. Looked at Sarah shuddering in her brother's arms. Looked at Rene trying to cover Karen with his own body. Saw the horrified looks from Emily and her siblings. She dropped the weapon she held as her mouth moved soundlessly.

And Capri turned and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Emily caught her by the arm. The faerie did not look well. She was beginning to retch.

"Outa this 'ell 'ole soon as I collect the loot!"

"You're in no shape to go anywhere!"

"I've done what I came ta do. Giovanni and Travers are goners, Sarah and Karen are alive, and tha's enough fer me - I'm not gonna stick around ta watch no more human sacrifices!"

"But," Emily tried again, having been raised in a household full of vampires.

"No! I'm through waitin. I'm outa 'ere!" and with that, Capri shrugged Emily off as she ran out, slamming the door behind her.

Stumbling, from where she was leaning against Rene, Karen made to go after the mage who had risked so much for her safety. Didn't she understand? Didn't Capri know that in Karen would never dream of hurting another soul for all the B-positive in the world. She didn't quite make it as her weakened knees gave out beneath her starving body.

"Please," she heard a voice say, and looking up, Karen saw a beautiful human offering her wrist, and there was no alternative but to quench the fire that raged within threatening to consume her in its need.

Feeling the force of the hunger so desperately coursing through her veins, Karen's attention turned from the sound of the door banging and the echo of Capri's feet as she ran away. She was feeding from a human -- something she had not done in quite awhile. Used to drinking blood wine, the heady feeling of human skin under her lips, the taste of the emotionally charged blood across her tongue, desperately distracted Karen. She could sense Rene's need and wonder as he gratefully and willingly accepted that which was offered to him as well. The lovers joined the rest of the vampires in taking what they could to replenish rapidly diminishing strength.

"Well, dammit," Emily muttered and headed for the door only to be stopped by Terry.

"Let her go," he said as if he was talking to one of his patients. "You cannot fix this for her. She needs to work through this all on her own."

"Thanks Daddy," Emily smirked back at her eldest brother but she stayed in the room and went to check on Kenyon and Dejah as Tegan and Terry moved towards where Karen and Rene were basking in the afterglow of human feeding.

"How's that leg?" Tegan asked.

"Oh, the leg," a distracted Rene replied. He looked down at the gash created by the sword Brendan had wielded.

"He didn't mean it," Karen said as she smiled across the room at the man who gently cradled his wife's wrist in one hand while he clasped his partner's hand in the other. "Something just seemed to snap in him and he just went ..."

"Loonie tunes?" Terry wanted to know; his face held the trace of a smile. "It's our mother's term."

"Terry?" his sister grabbed his attention. "Can I borrow you?"

Terry laid a hand on his sister's arm and closed his eyes as Tegan's hands moved lightly over the gash in Rene's leg. When they were removed, the gash was still there but edges were slowly healing. Before either Rene or Karen could move, Tegan had grabbed Karen's hand where the fingers were missing. Karen felt the violent shudder that passed through the human female.

"What?" she began.

Tegan shook her head. "Pre-natal memories." She fixed wide emerald eyes on Karen. "I can't fix this completely but I can give the healing process a little nudge ..." Tegan watched as Karen nodded her head, and without her guide's help, working from memories she had spent a lifetime keeping hidden, the surgeon imagined open wounds healing over, fingers regenerating. When Tegan withdrew, Karen gave her a radiant smile as she easily flexed her hand. "That's ..." words failed the female vampire and Rene gathered her into his arms, unwilling to let her go for longer then he needed.

"Right," Terry said as he gave his sister a hand up. "Next?"

The twins made their way over to where David Lindsay cradled his semi-conscious sister in his arms. Not far from them, Andrew Harrington sat on the floor, the Need in his eyes replaced by a longing hunger as he stared at Sarah. At a respectful distance stood the two young men who had honoured themselves and their companions by offering their Life force to the vampires.

Tegan quickly shoved away her exhaustion, knowing she would pay for it later, as she knelt next to Andrew. She tried to take his hand but he shoved it away.

"I don't need you," he grumbled. "Help Sarah."

The surgeon surveyed the healing cuts and bruises. "Maybe not," Tegan agreed. "But I am going to help you along anyway and we can make this as easy or as difficult as you want." Her eyes managed a brief twinkle. "And if you behave, I'll even let you have a lollipop."

Andrew allowed his hand to be retaken. "But Sarah ..."

Tegan's voice sounded hollow as she began to concentrate. "She and her brother need Terry more then they need me."

"How are you?" Terry was asking at that moment as he reached out to lightly touch Sarah and David.

Sarah managed a slight nod, feeling her body once again becoming hers. But it was her eyes that the empath noticed. They were frightened and confused and distracted. Terry turned towards her brother and saw fear and uncertainty in his eyes mingled with just a touch of hope. Terry gave David a brief smile that reminded the old man of his father and David closed his eyes, shaking his head, overwhelmed at the enormity of what he had just lived through.

"Is it so bad?" Terry asked as he took David's wrist in his hand. "You are still alive. Your sister has been restored to you. You have witnessed the Power that is behind the Universe. You have seen Good triumph over Evil." David opened his eyes, a questioning frown forming on his brow. The empath began to transfer his own deep faith to the two lives he gently held in his cool hands. "Take this moment. Learn from it. Grow from it. Let it deepen and enrich your life, your faith and in so doing you can enrich the lives around you. Yes, it has been terrible and, yes, you will feel the pain and experience the nightmares for awhile; but do not allow Evil to have a final victory. Faith is love and love is eternal." He let go of the two wrists he held.

David looked down at the young woman in his arms who was looking back at him with such longing. The years of pain and agony and wondering disappeared as the old man grabbed his sister close and his sobs mingled with hers.

Andrew gave the woman in front of him a brief nod. "Thank you," was all he said.

Isabelle's soft smile offered to her husband managed to deflect some of the anger that was flaring from Subira's eyes. Brendan gently massaged the inside of his wife's wrist as he looked down at Gabriel Tallant, who had recovered enough to be trying to raise himself to a sitting position.

"Here," Brendan said as he tentatively offered his hand. "Let me help."

The hand was knocked away and Subira reached around and helped Gabriel into a sitting position. She kept a protective hand about his waist, a gesture not lost on Brendan.

"My dear," Gabriel said as he still held onto Isabelle's other hand. "I don't ..." Words failed him.

Isabelle turned her gentle smile on the vampire. It was a sight he had first seen only a few years earlier. Then the person in front of him had been a spirit bent on protecting those she loved. Now she was flesh and blood. If this was a vision, then surely Heaven would be as loving. "You would do no less for us," Isabelle told him.

"You have me at a loss, my lady," Gabriel replied. "I do not know what the future holds for me. For us. But if you are a part of it, then surely my sins must at least be relegated to Limbo."

"More than his," Subira muttered under her breath, glaring daggers at Brendan.

Gabriel closed his eyes, a look of studied patience crossing his face. "All sins can be forgiven, Subira." He opened his eyes and looke directly at Brendan. "All sins. I understand we have a future together ...?"

Brendan snorted derisively. "Now that I haven't killed you, we might."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Subira growled.

"Still playing the overprotective parent?" Isabelle wanted to know. "It is quite sad that you will never manage to shake that."

Subira opened and closed her mouth, a lovely shade of red creeping up her throat.

Gabriel chuckled and then coughed slightly.

Brendan grabbed his hand tightly. "Alright?" he asked.

The vampire managed a weak nod.

"I am so sorry," Brendan tried again. "I never meant ... I don't know ..." He glanced over his shoulder to where Karen was safely ensconced in Rene's embrace. "And Karen ... How will I ever ... If I had done anything to hurt her ...." The thought was so horrible that Gabriel could feel the shudder that ran through the hunter psychically as well as physically.

"Well," Gabriel began in a tired voice. "If we are known to each other in the future, then surely you must understand that you could never have killed us here, in this time."

"But Time streams can be altered, lord," Subira told him.

"Not this one," Gabriel said and managed a wan smile to comfort the anguished young man in front of him. "Never this one."

Subira thought for a moment. If her lord was so determined in his faith in this young man, no less then she was in hers to him, then there had to be some good in him somewhere. Right? And he had managed to vanquish the ones who had tortured and tormented this man she worshipped.

"I suppose," Subira said grudgingly. It was as close to an apology as would pass her lips. And they all knew it.

Brendan let go of Isabelle's hand and smacked himself in the forehead. "Your wounds! I am forgetting ... Trey!"

Tegan scooted across the floor from where she had just finished tending to Andrew. "How many times do I have to tell you, no one but Terry calls me that." Her laughing eyes belied her stern tone. "But you got my attention."

Brendan gestured helplessly at Gabriel's wounds. "I ..."

"Made a mess of things again," his sister finished."If you aren't beating up on Emily or her dates, then you are beating up on poor helpless vampires."

"I see you have inherited your father's sense of humour," Gabriel said.

Terry strolled over, sensing the call for help from his twin. "She isn't the only one." He laid his hands on Tegan's shoulders. He could tell that she had run a quick spell to chase away her exhaustion; so had he. But this was the last one. The last healing they needed to do here before they could return home.

Terry sighed.

Home.

A word never sounded so glorious.

"Why don't you play the part of a helpless vampire for just a few more minutes?" Terry urged Gabriel who needed no urging and was willingly submitting to Tegan's ministrations.

It took more energy than other twin had thought they still possessed to find and begin to regenerate the damage Brendan's sword had done when he impaled Gabriel. Even with the vampire's ability to heal their own wounds, the damage was serious enough that it would take a good while for Gabriel to heal completely. Tegan did her best and slowly withdrew her senses from Gabriel's wounded side.

"There you go," she said as she stifled a yawn.

Gabriel was overcome by the emotion of the moment and could only nod in reply.

Brendan felt the same and looked at his sister.

Tegan chucked her younger brother under his chin.

"That's what family is for," she said.

* * *

He had been watching from the beginning.

He had seen the strangers wander aimlessly around the sacred grounds until they had found his spot. They had used evil to recreate that which had been lost. And that evil had profaned memories and sacrifices.

He had watched as victims, some innocent, some not quite-so, fought for lives and sanity.

He had helped the stranger by unearthing the weapon buried in the unmarked grave of one who had known the true meaning of valour in the face of unimaginable odds.

He had locked out the newest arrivals to prevent any more unnecessary bloodshed.

And he had watched as the young woman with the strange power in her veins had succumbed to the last of the evil before fleeing the horror of what she had done.

Now he watched as she stumbled down the hall, holding onto walls as her nausea still threatened to overwhelm her.

"Gotta be some treasure here ..." Capri muttered to herself. "I saw all that stuff."

There was more treasure to be found here than just mere baubles.

Capri opened a door to reveal nothing but a bedroom full of rotting, dust-covered furniture.

"Not in there," she said.

The next two rooms revealed the same.

Capri felt the bile of disgust rising again and in her anger and desperation kicked open the next door.

"Oh damn," she managed to get out before the dry heaves won - it was the blood-soaked room where Gabriel and Karen had been tortured. She gripped the doorjamb tightly until her stomach settled. Her throat felt raw and her head pounded and when she finally managed to raise her head it was only to see an old man with a long beard and overalls smiling at her.

"Aw man ..." Capri stumbled backwards.

The hazy figure smiled at her and advanced.

"Oh no you don't!" the mage yelled. She had had quite enough for one night.

~Do you not believe in vision quests?~

"And that's you?" Capri had trouble believing that one!

~I am a vision and you are on a quest.~

"Right. I need treasure. You know where it is. You are a vision and that's my quest."

~One treasure before the other.~ The spirit seemed to whisper in her head. ~One truth before another.~ He held out his hands. ~Join with me.~

"Why not?" Capri snorted. Why not just one more weird thing in this night of complete and total weirdness? She shrugged and threw herself right into the middle of the apparition.

Just like he had planned.

Capri froze as the spirit invaded every corner of her being.

Froze and understood.

She felt the fear and terror of times past. Emotions put away for the sake of the others. It was the true meaning of sacrifice. The Truth behind the action of laying down one's life for a brother; for they had all been brothers under the skin. Brothers of different sides who had stood together to protect an old man and his small home from those who had given into the scent of the bloodlust and brimstone that pervaded the once peaceful fields. They had all perished on this spot in the midst of the bigger battle, a small forest lost for the trees. And then this land had been profaned again by Giovanni and Travers and ...

Her.

Capri choked back a sob. "I didn't mean ... I didn't know ...." she stuttered.

But the spirit was not done with her yet.

One final vision was granted to the mage, and then the old man was outside of her again, smiling sadly, nodding slowly and fading into the aether.

He had granted her the chance to save her brethren.

"Ain't got no time to waste," Capri said to herself as she moved quickly towards the room where everyone else still lingered.

A thought hidden in the dark recesses of her mind till the moment when it would be needed.

When she would gain her final reward.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" Emily wanted to know as she and Dejah helped Kenyon to stand. "My sister is good but that still looks a bit nasty."

"I'm fine," Kenyon assured her. "Just a bit tired."

Emily smiled. "Isn't it always?"

Subira was supporting Gabriel as he gained his feet and took his first few faltering steps. "It's gonna be a long time before ..."

The vampire cut her off. "Before I am completely healed. Yes, it is." He had known where her thoughts still lingered and had no wish to hear any further negative words. He had heard enough of those to last him a few more lifetimes.

Terry was helping David and Sarah to their feet, the human psychologist, the empath, knowing that the reality-stunned old man and the emotionally-stunned vampire would accept from him far easier then they would have from anyone else in the room.

"I wish ..." Andrew began as he leaned lightly on Tegan's arm, his eyes lingering on David and Sarah. Especially Sarah.

"Give it time," Tegan assured him, burying again the memories that had helped to form her life. "Give it time."

Andrew nodded.

"Karen?" Brendan said as he and his wife approached the woman who had reached him when no one else could.

Before Karen could answer, Capri burst into the room, bowling over Francis Cullen who was weaving in the doorway, still trying to come to terms with the night's events.

"We gotta git outta here," she said in a desperate tone of voice.

Blank faces stared back at her.

"Now!" she ordered as she grabbed Francis' arm, dragging him down the hall.

There had been that in the mage's voice which brooked no defiance.

"Move!" Subira ordered her compatriots as they all moved to help the injured; Brendan and Isabelle offering their assistance to Karen and Rene.

The survivors and their rescuers moved quickly down the hallway of the old farmhouse, perhaps sensing something in the air or something in the way the very walls around them began to fade. The injured stumbled down the hallway, held safe by their supporters and out the front door.

"Over here!" Capri urged from the far side of the lawn where she was waiting with Francis Cullen.

The small band of mixed beings made their way across the lawn in the star-lit evening. They stood panting for a moment, exertion taking its toll on the walking wounded. The sounds of the evening were back, sounding like music of Eternity to those who had survived, birds and crickets, the sighing of the wind.

And the roar of car motors.

A short , plump woman jumped out of the lead car as soon as it had stopped. "They're here!" she called out joyfully into the night as others piled out of the doors. Others who looked around in wonder and confusion. The short woman addressed them in a language that sounded harsh and unfamiliar to the ears of the people who were looking at them in stunned amazement.

"I'm Morgann and we're here to get all of you where you need to be," the woman said as she approached, hands extended in a gesture of openness. "And I am not taking "no" for answer," she looked pointedly at Frances and Capri. "From anyone."

"But you don't understand ..." Capri tried.

"Sure I do, sweetie," Morgann said. "But you aren't yourself at the moment, and I and my friends are only here to help."

"No!" Capri shouted and pointed towards the farmhouse. "Look!"

Everyone followed her pointing finger and saw the hazy figure that had always been in the background standing on the porch. The figure grew distinct for a moment and everyone saw an old man with sad eyes and an even sadder smile waving at them as behind him the images of young men appeared. And just as quickly, the images and the house were gone, leaving behind only the silence of an empty field.

Brendan let go of his wife's hand and walked over to where the house had been only moments before. He knelt on the damp ground, laying his hands on the grass. His soft voice carried across the still night, right to the very edges of Heaven:

The hunter knelt quietly for a moment before rising and turning to move back to his friends and family.

"Travers and Giovanni recreated something that was meant to rest; they are at peace again. We need to leave them to their deserved reward." He held out his arms to Karen and the vampire eagerly accepted the hunter's embrace. "We will be friends forever. That is my gift to you," he whispered before placing a gentle kiss on her head and returning her to her lover.

A purple mist moved across the ground, forming around the feet of Brendan, his wife and siblings. Emily looked at her sister; Tegan nodded.

"You all need to do us a favour and not mention any of this to our parents," she said and swallowed hard. "Especially about me. Please?" There was an underlying desperation in her request.

Gabriel, who had known Emily's parents since before the birth of the twins nodded his head. "It will be as you wish."

The purple mist moved rapidly up from the ground covering the five adults and then all that was left was the image of five warm smiles fading into the soft spring evening.

"Dang ...:" Capri began as she burrowed her hands deeper into her pockets. "What the ..." she continued as she pulled out a handful of gold coins from each pocket.

"Rewards come to each of us in their own ways," Gabriel said softly as he watched Karen and Rene embrace, Sarah holding onto her brother like she had wanted to for the last fifty years, the look of relief mingled with hope in Andrew's eyes and the look of satisifaction upon the FBI agents' faces at the resolution of the most incredible case.

"And I've got your reward back at the Hospice," Morgann said. "You have a family waiting for you." Gabriel's eyes lit up. Morgann looked around her. "Now, then, let's get everyone back home."

"Long, long years have passed, and though he comes no more, Yet my heart will startling beat with each footfall at my door. I gaze o'er the hill where he waved his last adieu, But no gallant lad I see in his faded coat of blue."

The words, coming out of nowhere, seemed to be carried on the voice of the wind through the trees, over the hills and fields and up into the stars. The Universe's quiet music even carried over the sound of the cars as they drove away. History had reclaimed that which was its own and restored to blessed memory that which was sacred.

All that remained was the eternal peace and stillness of Nature.