marlene nodded and wiped her face. "don't curse in the house of god after all we've been through," she added, looking at yonnie. "especially all you've been through."

"it's cool, baby . . . just chill," jose said quietly to juanita as she snatched away from him.

"it'snot cool, and don't tell me to chill!" juanita shouted. "i know how he felt, then. who wants to go through what we just went through, trying to raise a family . . . what's gonna happen months from now, jose-tell me that?" tears leaked from juanita's eyes as glances of new awareness passed around the team.

but the argument sounded so far away to carlos as he stared at his battered wife. fury mixed with fear mixed with adrenaline mixed with outrage to create a crazy cocktail in his system as he slowly laid damali on a pew.

"i don't care about whatever," carlos muttered quietly, staring at damali. "just wake up is all i'm asking."

she was breathing; he could feel her breaths rise andfall, could see it. she wasn't bleeding, he would have known immediately, if she was. her eyelids fluttered as he wiped off her gook-splattered face, trying to remove some of the carnage. he could also feel the ground beyond the sanctuary trembling. the dark shadows couldn't breach the fortress, but they could blow a subterranean gas main and essentially nuke the joint.

carlos looked up with the team, watching brass chandeliers sway in the arched ceiling and altarpieces begin to slightly vibrate. berkfield and marlene moved in with marjorie, prepared to begin the healing, regardless.

"everybody pull themselves together and somebody call the queens for my wife. heal her." carlos looked around, seething. "i'll be back."