A confrontation in church

Drusilla was already sitting in a pew, praying, when Marcie finally caught up with her.

She grabbed Drusilla by the arm and said, "I'm sorry for all that mess out there but I really must ask you and your family to come with me right now. Your lives depend on it."

"I'm not scared of you," said Drusilla. "I bet you work for her."

"Who?" asked Marcie.

"The Evil One who haunts my dreams," said Drusilla. "The mysterious lady in red who dogs my footsteps and watches me and my kinfolk in secret."

"You see a lady in red in your dreams?" asked Marcie, feeling more than a little foolish yet compelled nevertheless to ask the question.

"Of course I do," said Drusilla. "I may be a relative innocent in the ways of the world but I am not stupid. You're obviously a minion of the blonde lady who pretends she isn't a demon and the blonde girl whom you consort with is obviously your familiar. Or hers."

"Blonde?" asked Marcie. "The lady in red whom you fear is a blonde? In that case --"

Just that moment, a naked future Rose ran into the church and embraced Drusilla.

"Oh, good," future Rose said. "You haven't gone yet. I was hoping you didn't run away."

"Damnit, Rose!" cried Marcie. "Go put some clothes on. You aren't making things any easier running around like that."

"I'll thank you not to swear in church," said Drusilla. "And please tell your familiar to get off me."

"But I'm not a familiar," said future Rose as she reluctantly let go of Drusilla. "I'm a human, just like you. Just because I'm immortal doesn't mean that --"

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Marcie. "You're immortal?"

"You didn't know?" asked future Rose.

"Oh my God!" cried Marcie. "And yet you managed to walk in daylight and everything."

"Of course, I did, silly," said future Rose. "I said I was immortal. I didn't say I was a cripple."

"So the Empress didn't turn you?" asked Marcie.

"What do you mean, 'the Empress didn't turn me'?" asked future Rose. "What do you mean by 'turn'?"

"Hey, in my opinion, it doesn't matter what the foolish girl meant by 'turn'," said a familiar voice from the shadows. "I'd like to think that all pretty girls get turned eventually."

And then just like that, future Rose looked in the direction of the voice and cried out something.

Not that it mattered what future Rose cried out. The moment Marcie heard the familiar voice, she knew what she would see the moment she turned her head in that direction. And yet she automatically reached for her crossbow anyway, only to pause when she saw a familiar figure emerging from the shadows on the right side of the church. A figure that itself held a crossbow aimed in Marcie's direction. And wore a red dress. And possessed hair the same color as future Rose's.

"Grandmother!" future Rose cried yet again.

And as future Rose ran forward toward the woman in red, Marcie was already cursing herself for letting the 1860 version of Darla get the drop on her.