Title: Preacher Man
By: lewis771750
Challenge: Rights and/or Wrongs
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, Jerry and the people at CBS would never be quite this twisted:) But it is all just for fun, honest.
Spoilers: No
Words: 1275
AN: The opinions expressed by one character are definitely not mine. If you aren't sure which one think before you ask! The idea came after something that riayn said and a little twist of my own and a shot of C+S to round out the mix... The music, unusually for me, was deliberately chosen this time.

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"How can something that people tell us is wrong feel so right?"

Sara tensed as she heard those words rolling across the dining room in a deep Southern drawl. She didn't know the speaker, but she had seen someone in a clerical collar and a Stetson enter earlier and she guessed that the speaker was that person, and that they were going to be pouring forth a diatribe against whatever pet hate they had. She just hoped it wasn't gay and lesbian partnerships, not today. Looking up she saw she was right, but also that the man was pontificating over an almost empty after dinner coffee, so he might leave soon.

"I often hear that question asked, mainly by apologists for those perverts that pander to the devil's side when it comes to sex, ignoring the word of God that tells us sex should be within wedlock and solely for the purposes of making a new generation to worship him."

The tension was spreading from Sara's back down her arms. She just hoped Catherine would be late and that this idiot would be gone before she got there. Catherine was happy enough in their relationship, but not quite ready to be publicly out about it, but hearing this bigotry was likely to make her blow her top and out herself in one of the busiest restaurants in Las Vegas. Sara was used to it, she'd heard it all before and learnt to let the words slide over her as much as possible, and to sit on her hands if she couldn't do anything else. Catherine was much, much more likely to go on the offensive.

"Sexual relationships between men and women outside the bounds of holy matrimony are bad enough, but far, far worse are those perverts who deny the chance of bringing children into the world because they choose to sleep men with men, women with women."

Sara's hands disappeared under the table, under her thighs. There were still 2 minutes until Catherine was due, and she was occasionally late, sorting out Lindsey or traffic problems that can happen to anyone. Despite her tension, and her best wishes, as soon as Catherine walked into the restaurant Sara knew she had arrived. Her back was to the door, but her sense of Catherine's presence was almost infallible. Sara smiled and turned her head, but as she did so she heard that voice rolling out again and the smile became tense and fractured as she heard the words it uttered.

"Of course here, in this city of sin perverse, lesbians and homosexuals are not the only evil. There are men and women who make their living tempting good folk by their lewd dancing, removing their clothing, tempting us all to stray from God's plan."

Catherine's eyes had met Sara's as soon as the brunette had turned her head, the shorter woman's face lighting up in delight as she saw her lover, and then concern as she saw the smile fade. Then her brain caught up and processed the words that she'd heard too. She knew precisely why Sara's smile had gone, she could feel the smile sliding from her own face, being replaced with a tight-lipped snarl as the temper that famously goes with red-hair flared into life. She started looking around, using her skills to try and determine whom the bigot spouting off like this could be before he opened his mouth again.

It wasn't too hard, bad mouthing gay and lesbian people might not be politically correct, nor legal, but they were a small enough group of people that most folks wouldn't get angry on their behalf if they heard them being bad mouthed. But attacking dancers, strippers or gambling in Las Vegas, that was going to attract the ire of every local and most of the visitors – it was what the city existed for in many ways, everyone was here directly or indirectly because of that trade. Following eye lines Catherine quickly picked out a man in his sixties wearing a Stetson, denim shirt and a clerical collar. He looked the type as well; it was almost certainly him that had spoken. She bit her lips and went towards Sara; trying desperately to let it go, think happy thoughts about dinner with her lover.

Sara's smile returned, still strained, but better as she saw Catherine gather herself and start to walk towards her rather than towards the bigot, hoping that the glares of everyone else in the room would make him realise he had overstepped the mark.

"Of course everyone here is a sinner, working for Mammon, not for God, otherwise they wouldn't be here, gambling and fornication, that is all that happens in this town God has forsaken."

Sara's smile vanished, Catherine's snarl returned to her face. The entire restaurant took a massive breath, not really believing what they'd heard, not quite knowing what to do about it.

"So why are you here Pop?" a lighter, younger version of the same voice rolled out. "I know you don't approve of my lifestyle, nor my choice of hometown, but did you just come to humiliate Jon and I in public, or are you here for the gambling and fornication too?"

Everyone's eyes snapped to the new speaker. A man in his thirties had risen to his feet facing the pastor. The familial resemblance was remarkable; there was no doubt that this was the preacher man's son. He was holding someone's hand as he stood there, a black man's hand, much to the obvious distaste of his father.

As the older man drew breath to reply, eyes bulging and face going red with anger, the rest of the room burst into applause. There were a few calls of "You tell him junior", or "Get lost you old coot" or similar. The old man went even redder in the face if that was possible, then looked at the room. Everyone was glaring at him, hostility in every eye.

He rose to his feet, and glared back, hatred and prejudice clearly showing in every part of his posture. As he did so his eyes settled on Catherine and Sara, now next to each other, Sara still seated but holding Catherine's arm and hand, not actually restraining her but trying to impart some restraint.

Focusing on the pair he drew his breath once more: "You will burn in hellfire all of you, fornicators, gamblers, perverts. You have all turned your backs on God and God will turn his back on you, each and every one of you."

Catherine pulled slightly against Sara's hands, about to go on the offensive when she heard the son's voice once again: "Doesn't your bible tell you to love your neighbours as you love yourself? To be charitable to everyone? Is this love? It sounds like hatred to all of us here, so we might be in hell, but we will be your neighbours there."

Looking stunned at the betrayal from his son the preacher looked down at him as the rest of the room once again burst into applause. Catherine relaxed once more in Sara's grasp, knowing that the situation had been defused. Muttering under his breath the old man stalked angrily from the room to the jeers and catcalls of the diners and staff.

Catherine turned to face her lover, smiling again, and then slid down into the chair opposite her, leaning over to kiss her tenderly. Sara felt the tension of the hatred that had been filling the room drain away as she remembered just why she was here, just how wonderful this woman sat across from her was.

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