[ WP ] A supervillain , having thought he was the hero all along , comes to grips with the truth .

The phone was ringing again. It had been going non-stop for the last 3 hours. It was 2:45 in the afternoon on a cold November Thursday. The small Ohio church had never seen excitement like this before. Reporters were huddled outside on the sidewalk. News vans littered the street, parked in odd angles to make room for their extended antenna masts. 
 
 The grand church doors were locked. A sign hanging from the door handles proudly announced that Phil ’ s Pancake Palace was closed. Phil was standing outside his restaurant next door, arms crossed scowling at the media circus. A rosary hung outside his shirt making it clear that he was done with questions and was happy to play the role of security if the situation came up. The church was empty except for father Joe. Sitting in the last pew, Joseph Micheal O ’ Rourke let his tears fall down onto the pistol in his lap. It was his fault. There could be no doubt now. 
 
 To his left side an open letter sat next to him. The familiar crossed keys and crown letterhead staring back. The Vatican didn ’ t usually send personal letters. Normally this would be a joyous occasion. The letter was clear. He was to stop the churches reparative therapy for homosexuality camp. The liberal media had dubbed it “ camp pray away the gay. ” Father Joe had started it 20 years ago and personally ran it to this day. Frowning with disgust, another round of tears made their way down his face. He had personally helped 147 young boys and girls. Poor Tom had been the worst of them. Tom had refused to to play by the rules. It didn ’ t help that it was on church grounds. Now the most holy father had turned his back. Without support from the Vatican he risked losing the protections that come with membership. 
 
 Father Joe had been running the church outside Columbus for over 15 years. At 59 his hair had long since gone grey from its brown start. His brown eyes had managed to keep their youthful appearance which gave him a relaxed energy. Like any good priest his trick was making people feel comfortable. Still one of the best, he could meet a person once and remember their name for years. Every Catholic needed a bit of guilt, especially the C & E ones. Being able to call out people by name at Christmas mass, having not seen them since Easter kept his flock honest. 
 
 Creating the reparative therapy camp had been Gods plan. When Father Joe was an altar boy he had been molested by father Duncan, an elder. The situation had gone on for a number of years. Father Joe was only entering puberty at the time and had questions. He had an unusual number of questions and was happy to have them entertained by Father Duncan. Eventually Father Duncan got himself into trouble. The whole process was unknown to all but a few. In truth, the Vatican knew that he was molesting the altar boys for years now. The church covered it under the guise of alcoholism and suspended him. His age made the punishment a death sentence so Father Duncan took it as an early retirement. 
 
 The young Joe O ’ Rourke took this as a sign from God and vowed never to stray from the path of the righteous again. Repressing his own desires he used the angst to fuel his love for God. He was able to channel himself into helping other people while ignoring himself. Like any man, he had his missteps. But, with the grace of God he had avoided the mistakes of his role model. That was until this years campers came in. The very moment he laid eyes on Tom it was clear God was testing him. The young boy was a handsome 16, tall yet slightly muscular. Tom ’ s brown hair and eyes had matched a young Father Joe. He was sent here by his parents who had begun to fear the worst. 
 
 It started on the first day. It was as if Tom could sense the fathers attraction and anxieties it brought. He had nothing to lose, so he pulled out all the stops. In truth Tom did pursue, he was a young man full of love and lust. Father Joe had made an honest attempt the first few days. Having lived so many years celibate he was well practiced. He broke down on day three and attempted to innocently rub the boys back. That night Tom cornered him and managed to get out a kiss. The next day Father Joe was a broken man. He was unable to sleep the night before. His passion had the best of him. His ignorance of sexuality had rendered him defenseless. In his weakness he hatched a plan to get the young boy into his office, alone. These sort of situations used to be swept under the rug. Even a witness could be silenced. This time was different. Another camper had snuck in a phone, managed to make a video and had instantly posted it on the web. 
 
 The video caught Tom ’ s face, clear as day. Once outed, only an hour later, Tom was quick about his plans. There was one private bathroom in the camp. Unfortunately for Tom it had an open ceiling with wood cross members that would support the weight of his body. The priests face could not be seen in the video. But it was his office, a keen detective would demand to search the grounds for the location. 
 
 In fear and confusion Father Joe fled the camp to the church, his safe place. It was only an hour away, he arrived before the Nuns had made a decision to call. It wasn ’ t up to them anymore, the video was on the web. As the first news van pulled up he excused the church staff. Throwing them out, he locked the door. There in all the madness a gleam was a gleam of hope. A certified letter from the Vatican was sitting on his desk. The outside world suddenly went silent. Even the phone which now started to ring could not snatch away his concentration. A momentary smile crossed his lips as he opened the letter. However, the smile quickly faded. By order of the pope himself, he was supposed to stop the camp. The church had changed its mind on homosexuality and was now accepting modern science. The church would declare tomorrow that it was no longer a sin to be homosexual. On the contrary, it was to be accepted and embraced. All negative actions will stop immediately or be dealt harsh penalties. 
 
 The room began to spin. The implications had set in. This would not be swept under the rug as some grand fight against hopeless sinners. He would not be forgiven his mistakes made in the temptation of evil. With this Vatican change of policy he wasn ’ t facing the worst mankind was tested with. He was just facing a disruptive young boy. One he had caused the death of. He would not be granted protections; he would be left to fend for himself. With head in hands Father Joe began to wail and cry. 
 
 Rereading the letter his mind went back to the video. This time they would let the police investigate. Reaching into the desk Father Joe pulled out a pistol. With letter in hand he makes his way to the back of the church just managed to fall into the last pew. “ Why God would you test me this way. ” His voice echoing off the empty walls. 

