Christ Church was an American church built in a Gothic style. It was constructed with a mix of limestone and sandstone. A massive belfry with a squared-off Germanic roof dominates the front facade. The interior boast transepts with galleries and hammer beam trusses supporting the roof. The interior woodwork save for the roof is made from local butternut. Two large sized Tiffany glasses can be found inside as well as other designs by famous glass

The Reverend behind the podium is currently giving one of her popular sermons. This week the topic was on the existence of God in every aspect of our lives and how he can be found anywhere if we simply look close enough.

After the sermon, the choir began singing and the collection boxes began to be passed around. When the service was finished, Xanxus made his confession to the reverend and was forgiven of his sins after being given a penance.

Xanxus left the church, feeling better after letting all his troubling thoughts out into the open. He thought bck to the events that lead up this this.

For the past three weeks Xanxus had been coming to Christ Church. It was a very popular church here in Detroit, but due to the recent earthquake that had destroyed large parts of the structure, the church was forced to close down and seek donations from the public. The church itself was well aware of the mafia as a whole. They heard the confessions of many people who had a guilty conscience and needed to seek forgiveness. They were surprised by Xanxus offer to provide all the money required to fully repair the church. They were eager to once again begin the business of preaching the word of God to the masses.

The confession booths were always available for those who wanted to seek forgiveness for their sins. No matter what the deed, their was always a priest available. The church was always open for those who needed to pray or seek the word of God. 

Why she felt compelled to enter a church, she didn't know. She had, in fact, an Other residing inside her. Perhaps she wanted to test the boundaries? 

After she walked in the door, she stopped, and waited. Five seconds, ten. When a full minute had passed and she hadn't exploded into flame, Chelsea entered further, taking in the artistry of the construction, the smells of wood and candles. It was between services, or maybe a day without one? How would she even know how a church was run?

There was a small closet to the side, and a holy person sitting in a pew nearby, if the clothing was any indication. When they saw her, they smiled and stood. 

"Are you here for confession?"

"Confession? Uh. Sure, why not."

"Come inside, please." She did, through an adjoining door in the closet. There was a divider inside, and a small bench. She took a seat as a portion of the divider slid open. From beyond the mesh, the holy person could be heard.

"What sins would you like to confess, Child?"

"Uh. I don't know. Let's go with all of them?" It sounded like the safest bet, but there was a long pause on the other side before the holy person spoke again.

"I see. If you were to break those down, we could be here a while. Your penance is a hundred Hail Mary's."

"Okay. I don't-" A paper slid through the mesh at her. She looked down at it, blinking.

"That's it?" 

"That's it. You could also sin less. Or confess more often..."

"I'll think about it," she said, standing and leaving the closet. She passed the donations box, then backtracked, emptying every dollar in her wallet into it before stepping back out into the street. 

         Tom was a sucker for good architecture and had watched as a new church in his city be built. When it was finally finished, he decided it would be nice to go take a walk inside to see what they did to what used to be a vacant lot. Tom walked from his office to the church and stopped in front of it to take in the church's beauty. The limestone mixed with sandstone made the exterior of the church look medieval and old fashioned. As Tom walked in, he noticed the beautiful vibrant stained glassed windows. They were so beautiful, they gave him chills. To be quite honest, Tom hadn't been to church since the day he got married. That fact itself gave him chills as well. Tom felt he had to keep the visit short since it would be inappropriate to tour the church without paying his respects to god. He left and got off the property as fast as possible to light a smoke. The church was beautiful and was a great addition to the area, but Tom decided he didn't want to go back to another one for awhile. 

It was not too long ago that Xanxus, had instructed Nexus to go collect some cash from some of their operations because he was looking to pour some money into rebuilding a local church. It was a significant amount of money, but it was in the name of God. 

Nexus himself, had been a god fearing man, however he found himself going astray in recent times. It was time he seeked some much needed forgiveness, and also about time he checked out the newly refurbished church, after all it was built on the groundworks of his and Xanxus's hard work. 

He specifically made time, one Sunday morning. He allowed the service to finish before entering into the church. He didn't want people to see or recognise him. 

He quietly entered through the grand doors of the church, walking in, he nodded in appreciation of the great work inside the church, the money had indeed gone to good use. The reverend looked over at Nexus and walked into the confessions box, in anticipation that Nexus was most likely here to confess some sins. 

He walked into the box, taking off his hat, he took a seat in the dark cubicle. 

Clearing his throat. 

"Father, I have sinned". 

"Oh, child of Jesus, tell me your sins" 

"Father, I have some done some atrocious acts, that go against the the law of god, intercede on my behalf and ask for my forgiveness, so that I can go on the straight path" 

"I will make some prayers for you, be sure your lord is the most forgiving" 

Nexus cleared his throat again, put on his hat and pulled out a large wad of cash from inside his blazer pocket and left it on the stool he was just sat in. Before quickly exiting the church. 

Exquisite was taking an evening stroll, she decides to stay the night in Detroit. She had her own private room at the Hospitality Inn. Plus, the weather was going to be bad tonight. So, no way to change it. The kiddies were in good hands with Indica.  She would talk more with Hakim in the morning, having him handle things here in Detroit was a wise move as she continues to adjust her loads. Christ Church catches her attention a small voice tells her to go in.

Walking into the doors, she removes her hat as she enters the sanctuary. A voice calls out to her it was the Reverend.  The reverend walks towards he, never take his eyes off of her looking at her in awe and disbelief.

“I have been waiting for you, please follow me I have a message for you of importance, Charmaine”

Exquisite follow the Reverend into his chambers, she quietly wonders if it was obvious as the doors shut between the two. Taking a seat, it finally sunk in what he called her as she quietly waited for him to speak.

Victor was walking the streets at night when he saw a church with the lights still on.  Music was coming from within so he decided to take a peek.  He sat over in the far back to the right and sat there quietly.  The pastor spoke about forgiveness.  Then a man walked over toward Victor and sat down next to him.  The man asked Victor if he understood what the minister was saying.  Victor nodded he did.  The service ended and the man asked Victor if he had any questions.  Victor smiled an said.

Do you know what I just did Mister?  I asked God to step in side of my heart for the rest of my life. 

Victor stood up and smiled shook the mans hand and gave the chruch the rest of the money they needed for a new boiler system.  Then walked out heading to the train station.

A drunken Tommy stumbles into the confession booth. He was drinking like he always did at night, drinking to forget today, to forget the past, and not worry about what lay ahead.

He wasn't a religious man at all. But he loved Architecture and churches if anything provided him something good to look at.

"Forgiveth may fathah! For I haveth ay Sinned!"

"YOU DID WHAT????" The priest asked loudly through the screen that separated him from Agimat. 

"Shuusssshhh, come on Father, I thought this confession thing was confidential?" Agimat asked nervously. He was now thinking if he was doing the right thing. 

"This was the first time I heard that. Well, I know some people are into that thing. But LLAMA???" The Priest again said loudly, with echoes following his shrill voice.

"Father PLEASE!!!!" Agimat was about to stand up and ran out off the confession booth when he heard the priest sigh and said,

"Fine, recite the Act of Contrition and sin no more my son. But really, what's with a LLA..." Before the priest could finish, Agimat was out of the booth walking quickly while reciting his penance. He looked around and noticed two old ladies withe their head covered in black veil, busy with their prayers. 

"Amen!" Agimat finished his penance, made the sign of the cross and went out of the church.

One would be hard-pressed to wipe the smirk from Desiderio's lips. "No, no. Thank you, signores." He said as he gave a hearty pat to his contact down at the FBN's back. Having someone like that in your pocket was invaluable if you knew the right people in Motor City. This town loved its coke binges, and Desiderio would never deny a city of its desires. After all, the man loved his money. He loved how with enough of it anything became possible. 

"Next time I'll pick the spot, Intesa?" They stared at one another for longer than the agent was comfortable. He apologized inaudibly as he backed away.

Life back in Palermo was much simpler, but it didn't keep his wife adorned in the most luxurious of things for him to take off of her. Desiderio checked his Rolex as the crooked fuck got back into his state-issued vehicle. The man was getting sloppy these days. Deals this big couldn't handle sloppy participants. Who the fuck does a drug deal for this amount of cash in a church parking lot? 

"Che caz..." The familiar phrase dropped off his lips as he stopped to admire the sight before him. The sunlight danced off of Alcee_ 's red strands so perfectly. "Pensi che dovremmo confessare questo?" The sound of the trunk slamming shut with more money than a young couple should ever have followed his question. Alcee had been transfixed to the church ever since Desiderio had given her the nod that all was well. 

Desiderio's hand slid around his wife's waist from behind and pulled her in close. The business part of the trip was all but done save for a bullet or two. The man wanted to skip right to the pleasure portion. He leaned his head over her shoulder, intending to say something that would cause those cheeks of hers to flush as red as those stunning locks. His breath pushed against her ear as his eyes refocused on something that begged for his attention.

"Quelle pantofole sono su quel... llama?"

Always content to occupy herself while her Husband handled business, Alcee had been pleased that she was to accompany Desiderio along this time for one of the deals.  The location though was at a church parking lot, and she briefly wondered if anything would go wrong given that God was nearby enclosed in the limestone and sandstone building.  Alcee was full of curiosity at the interior of the church with the strong Gothic tones on the exterior, but hazel eyes traveled back to where her Husband was now interacting with a man dressed in a suit.  She'd recognize the type of man he was anywhere, especially with her own connections back in the Big Apple. 

Alcee turned back towards the church feeling His safety was secure.  She carried a 1911 Colt .45, but always prefered a nonviolent course of action, especially since she had charisma galore according to Desiderio, and a few others.  Despite her peaceful nature, no one wanted to cross her path and take action against her Husband because that would bring out the fierce lionness within Alcee.  She protects the One she loves with all her heart with everything she's got.  Lost in thought as she heard the low murmurs float across the parking lot, Alcee glanced about then gasped in surprise.  She turned back in the direction Desiderio was as if she was going to speak, but refrained to say anything so she didn't interrupt the business talk. 

Curious eyes focused on the llama, tied to a tree at the side of the church.  Alcee knew people would ride horses, and various animals, but a llama? 

"Mio Dio.  Pantofole rosa?"

The owner must be an unusual, special kinda person to force an animal to wear pink slippers like that.  They probably forced them to wear a pink tutu as well!  Alcee shook her head still trying to understand the mindset of some people when she faintly acknowledged the tires peeling out of the parking lot before a hand snaked around her waist.  Alcee sighed happily as she was pulled back against the Love of her life, but her eyes were still transfixed to that poor llama.

Hiram only slowed his steps as he looked over at a llama, tied to a tree, with pink slippers on. It was obvious the man was slightly stunned and off-put by such a sight, but it would not stop him. As his pace returned he took the steps one by one at a hastened pace. He met large, rounded, wooden, double doors with force and they flung open with a creak. Stepping inside and over the threshold, he grinned. It had been many -many- years since he'd been inside a holy building, but the sensation never changed.

He closed the doors behind him with a push that made them slam shut before he slowly strutted into the cathedral. The stained windows, the high ceiling, the many pews, it was all just as he always remembered. From the crucifix above the pulpit to the confessional on his left near the alter, it flooded his senses. Perhaps he should take a church in Chicago instead of the castle he'd chosen as his home. It would certainly throw some rumors for a loop. Those that claimed he was not a religious man, of course.

However, today, it was the confessional. He knelt before the crucifix, crossed his body, then grinned wickedly at the savior that hung there. "We do not speak nearly enough, savior of man." He stood before turning to the confessional booth. "Yet, I'm afraid that trend will continue."

Hiram chuckled softly before opening the booth and slipping inside, patiently waiting for a priest to come and speak with him...

LoBo is out driving this day and comes across this place and he wants to stop in at  Christ Church in DT. He parks his car and walks up the steps to enter the church.  he walks up to the statue of christ, and kneels and starts praying. LoBo says God thanks for all your blessing you provide for family and friends and says ,Amen lord and please forgive me of my sins in the name of the father ,the son and the holy spiri,  Again repeats Amen. then he exits the church.

Early in the morning and Exquisite just touch down into Detroit. The weather was nice but she could already feel the humidity in the air. As she slides into the back-passenger seat of the chauffeur-driven car waiting for her.  Inside the car, the driver waits quietly for her request. Exquisite thinks for a few minutes and decide to go to Christ Church.  The driver slowly pulls off, take her to her first destination of choice.

Twenty minutes the car pulls up to the church.  Zavi gets out as the driver goes park and wait for her. She looks at the church building, them she looks down at herself, she was wearing a simple hunter green V neck dress with matching pumps and her long locks was done up in the infinity ponytail.

Sometimes she gets nervous when coming on church ground, she always wants to make sure she was respectable in appearance. Slowly climbing the stairs, she pauses for a second, lowering her head before disappear in.

Inside she led to go to the sanctuary. The head pastor was in there praying, sensing her presence he beckons her to come forth.  Zavi does and the two have a seat together on the front pew.

“Morning, Lady of the Most High, I have been looking forward to your return. I find great joy in seeing you are wearing your Whole Armor and your crown.”

“Morning Rev, I am delighted to be in your presence again. It feels good to have my Whole Armor and crown back”

The pastor looks at her, a look of compassion and understanding in his eyes.

“You seem a little trouble, dear. Feel free to share what is bothering you”

Zavi takes a deep breath and cast her eyes downward in a sign of humility.

“Not sure….”

“Well, you are never given more than you can bear. You have a big heart for others, that is how God made you.  You are a beacon of love and hope. That is not an easy job to have but the Most High would never give you that if he didn’t feel you could handle it.  Yes, times are harder, more folks love darkness more so than light but remember in the end light will win.

I can only imagine what you have to deal with since you are wonderfully made different.  You know we all sow what we reap. Justice might not come when we want it to but it does come

But look at the bright side, your light is even brighter since the last time we fellowship together.”

Zavi nods quietly, this was what she needed

“I believe your humbleness make it where you can’t see the positive impact you are making. That can be seen as a plus or minus but I see it as a plus. The world needs more humble servants like yourself.  Just know what you seeking is coming, all the hard work is paying off, just hold on”

Zavi thanks the pastor for his words of encouragement, she makes a large donation to the church.

Victor was back in Detroit and as his driver was taking him around he stopped at a stop light and Victor took a glance out his window an saw that the church had a new roof and that Minister was standing out front.  Victor then looked onward as his driver continued as victor recalled that night he walked in and how he felt when he walked out.  Victor wondered if he would make it to heaven if he gave up the life and lived like an ordinary Joe, maybe become a plumber then he chuckled Joe the Plumber or Bob the builder making stick built houses.  Then he thought of how they lived and he could not give up his suits, homes, the ability to get into clubs and other places not to mention his back accounts.  

Tutte came into the church with his hand down and walked slowly to the althar and got down on his knees and starts to pray in silence to make sure all dead in this town were put in their graves properly and their ghosts got to heaven, after a long prayer he gets up on his feet and do the cross-sign and then turns around and with his head in honor down goes out to the streets just outside the church. Well out he looks at the church and thinks that it is a very beautiful church and afte th elook he continues the long walk out from the church-area and soon he was back in the town and decids to get a drink afte this sad momemnt but also a good moment since its always good to take a pray in a church while having the opportunity.

Dick slipped into the dark church, it was clear that no one had been here for some time now, a thick layer of dust caked every surface that he could see. Finding a stairwell up to the second floor, Dick found a solid vantage point and waited. From his perch beside the old pipe organ, Dick could see the entirety of the church floor. 

He wasn’t fully sure of what he was going to find in this place. Craig had said that it was a big arms deal but that could have meant anything from twenty to two hundred guns, military grade at that. Dick had heard rumors of a truck being hit out in Corktown but it didn’t seem credible at the time and no one seemed to know what was actually on the truck. 

Crouched down and steeling himself against the railing, Dick took a few slow breaths, slowing his heart beat as best he could. Things like this didn’t necessarily bother him but the unknown did. He didn’t get as much information from Craig on how many would be here or even if they would definitely show but he had trusted the middleman on all of their other business dealings and he didn’t really have a reason to stop that now.

It was only a few more minutes before Dick heard the back door roughly open and two large men struggled to carry in a large wooden crate. It seemed that Craig was spot on again as Dick quietly checked his colts before slipping them back into his shoulder holster. Ideally he wouldn’t even need to use them but as another pair of thugs dragged in another crate, that possibility was growing increasingly unlikely. 

There was a third crate brought in a few minutes later as the front door squeaked open. That must be the buyers, Dick thought to himself. He had to give them credit, if it wasn’t for Craig this place would have been the perfect meeting place. Abandoned, out of the way. Whomever he was dealing with knew the best way to cover themselves. This all took planning which meant there was at least one smart person in the room. 

A gangster in a well dressed suit stepped forward from the back, his hands tucked into his pockets as he moved with a certain air of confidence about him. When he spoke, he seemed to command the entire room, “Let’s see the product, I don’t have all day here.”

Without a word, one of the thugs jammed a crow bar into the crate, prying the top off with an excess of force. Dick’s eyes went wide as he saw M1 Thompsons stacked atop each other, too many to count. Craig was right, if these hit the streets then there would be carnage. Dick wasn’t necessarily a fan of the police force that was out and about but if they went up against these, there were going to get slaughtered.

The leader of the thugs finally stepped forward, stepping around one of the crates as he ran his fingers over the top of it. “There are forty five in there. This one here,” he tapped the top of the box with two fingers, “Japanese fragmentation grenades, one hundred and twenty five. That one over there is various small arms, mostly from Russia, a few others mixed in. Do you have the money?”

Well, that certainly changed things. Craig had said military grade but he didn’t specify fucking hand grenades. Dick was going to have to be careful with this or the whole damn place might come down with him inside.

The buyer made a hand gesture to one of his boys, signaling him to bring over a large duffel bag which he dropped in front of one of the crates. As the seller bent to unzip it, chaos broke out. The buyers rained bullets from every corner of the abandoned church, striking anyone and everyone down who wasn’t with them in blood splattering mess.

That certainly was going to make things interesting and a bit easier for Dick. Now he only had to deal with one faction and he didn’t even have to get his hands dirty yet. 

As the last of their targets fell, Dick could see the smug expressions on their faces. This was the plan all along. No witnesses and they got to keep all of the cash as well as the firepower. It was a smart power play, at least from their point of view but they didn’t take in account of Dick being there. He wasn’t going to let those guns hit the streets and he justified the lethal means he was going to have to use by the blood bath that had just ensued. 

”Grab the crates and bring them out back, load up their trucks.” The leader spoke confidently, “God knows they won’t be needing them anymore.”

Dick slipped his pistols into his hands. As much as he was hoping not to have to use them, that went right out the window as soon as they opened fire. Waiting until most of the thugs had their hands occupied trying to move the crates, Dick took a deep breath before vaulting over the balcony. On the way down he squeezed off two shots, catching one of the nameless men center mass of the chest, sending him falling back and his weapon out of reach. 

No one seemed to know what was going on as Dick landed with a roll, firing another pair of shots at the nearest target. Taking cover in a small hallway, Dick peeked around the corner just long enough to catch another man in the back before turning his sights to the men moving the boxes. With their hands full they weren’t able to ready their guns and Dick maid waste to the six of them pretty quickly before he felt the all too familiar burn in his left shoulder.

The echo inside the church was far too great to make out any of the shouting calls but even Dick knew that he wouldn’t be able to dodge bullets here forever. Even he wasn’t fast enough for that. If he didn’t think quickly, he wasn’t going to walk out of here. He made his way down the narrow hallway, keeping himself behind coverage as he moved. He caught the man at the end of the hall trying to flank him, tackling him to the ground before he jammed his colt underneath the man’s chin and fired off two quick shots, hit red liquid splashing into the air as he did.

Dick wasn’t sure how many were left but an eerie silence washed over the entire place. He knew that at least the leader was still standing and from the looks of everything that Dick had watched previously, the man could clearly handle himself. Keeping in a crouch position, Dick did his best to ignore the burning sensation as he picked up the last man that he had killed gun, he tossed it under hand to the far side of the building, the clanking noise drawing attention as he stood swiftly. He had timed it perfectly, squeezing off one shot as the leader turned his head away from him, catching him in the side and sending him crashing over one of the pews roughly.

The gunshots were replaced by the low groan as he quickly scanned over the sea of unmoving bodies. There seemed to be only him and the leader left but now wasn’t the time to take any chances. Dick moved around the outer rim of the church, sticking to the shadows as he moved past all the bullet holes that stuck out in the walls.

When he was satisfied that there wasn’t anyone left, he stepped over a few bodies as he made his way back to the center of the room. The low groan had now disappeared as he stood over the leader, unmoving with all of the color drained from his face. It wasn’t easy and he had taken a shot for his troubles but there was now no way whatsoever that these weapons would ever hit the streets. 

It took a little bit of maneuvering with his left arm hanging weakly at his side but he managed to pry the top off of the crate holding the grenades. Grabbing as many as he could, he spread them all over the floor without pulling the pins towards the back entrance, placing a few on top of the other boxes as he went. As he stood with his back against the exit door he pulled the pin on the last one in his hand before tossing it forward as he kicked the door open with his heel. He wasn’t going to have a whole lot of time before it went off and he certainly didn’t want to be anywhere close when the explosion was set off. Breaking into a sprint, he had just reached the end of the alley when they went off, the shockwave hitting him in the back and tossing him against the wall as the flames licked out of the shattered windows that rained shards of glass down into the street. 

MissNIki and Kevin__Kelly had gotten very grim news about their former home, and their former leader. She just needed a quiet place to collect her thoughts, and every since she was a child, her mother had taught her that the most peaceful place in the world was in a church. No one bothered you, and it was quiet and with the candles burning, it was a very peaceful atmosphere. So, she sat. The pews were a little nicer in this church than the one she went to back home, with red cushioned seats, but she wasn't here for THAT kind of comfort. 

She worried about Kevin. Ever since he got the word about their former crew, he had grown moody and sullen. She knew how he got, and when he was in this kind of state, he grew reckless. Tonight, she knew he was in a bar up the street, and she would have her driver keep an eye on him. If he seemed out of control, the driver would let her know, and she would talk him down.

For now, she prayed in silence. God knew her need. God also knew what she did on a daily basis, but he had never forsaken her. She prayed for Kevin to find the solace he needed right now. She sat and contemplated what,  if anything they needed to do next. 

She walked to the front of the church and began to light candles. One for Peptide, One for Mekhi, One for Kevin and finally one for her parents. She missed them so much and was so proud of the legacy they left her and Kevin. As she excited the church, she walked outside of the bar where Kevin was, and checked in with the driver.

"So far so good Miss. He's talking to a man named Roger, good dude, and they are just bullshitting. "

"Ah, good, let me know if it changes, I'm going to get some rest. "She handed the driver the address of their new headquarters and climbed into the backseat to close her eyes for a while. Kevin would be out when he was ready. 

On the way back to her apartment, she found herself here, at the Christ Church to pray and ask for absolution for her brother. As she walked to the alter, she was visibly shaking from the trauma of losing the most important person in her life. She kneeled at the alter and make the sign of the cross on her chest. She sat there for a full five minutes talking to God. Screaming at God, Bargaining with God to let her wake up from this nightmare that had taken over her life.  Finally, she fell silent, as she heard someone come in behind her. She felt a hand on her left shoulder in comfort and prayer. She stood, trembling and spent for now, and lit a candle for her beloved brother.

When she was done, she entered the confessional booth with the father that had come to her in her moment of weakness and began given her confession. 

Forgive me Father... it has been 14 years since I last gave confession, so, we'll be here for a while. 

Things can change so quickly. Danny has just gotten off the plane from Ireland and was supposed to meet his cousins to not only see their new business ventures, but also join in and help them grow “the family.”  He knew something was wrong as soon as he saw the driver that was to pick him up.  The man in the dark suit whispered in his ear....

Its Kevin.  He’s gone.  We need to go see Niki.....she’s at a church around the corner.

Danny was in shock.  He doesn’t even remember the ride.  The next thing he knew he was kneeling at an altar, questioning God about WhT this had happened now.  It was supposed to be a happy reunion, now his greeting with Niki would be met with sobs. They corresponded monthly since they were kids, but They seen each other for over a decade.  
Danny continued to pray, waiting for Niki to be done with the priest.