Xover: Inner Fire  and Light, (05/16)
Jeannie Ecklund Aug 17,2000



Joe asked, "Why would God even care what happens to such vile
creatures? LaCroix has never even tried to do good."

"He has done good...  He  is just quiet about it, and he doesn't try to
search it out like Nick has.  When it happens, though, he does not turn
away from it.  There's a part of him that's pure deep down inside.
All vampires were once humans created by God.  They've just lost
their way, as all humans do in one way or another.  Remember 'ALL have
come short of God?s glory'... "

"God has waited for nearly 2000 years for LaCroix to have this
opportunity to come back to Him. Natalie, you told Nick that he was not
dead, and you were right.  The man inside never dies.  His body
was infected by a disease that is a by-product of the demons.  It feeds
on blood, and arrests the body in a type of suspended animation.  It was
never a true death.  The vampire lives eternally because the demons are
eternal.  Even the vampire does not understand the reality of his
situation.  So many hunger to return to the light and
to their former states of grace.  All they have to do is ask..."

"Then why do they need the blood from Nick?" Natalie asked, curiously.

"LaCroix, like many others, would never be able to ask.  They are so
buried in their vampire demons, that they do not even realize that a
creature, apart from them, lives in them."

"Nick has the Lord in his heart."  She smiled down at Nick. "In Nick's
blood, LaCroix will see salvation, and even feel it.  That's the only
way to make it real for a vampire.  Those that want to get out of their
evil way of life, feel like Nick did...  that their sins are too much to
be forgiven, and they do not ask."

"In your blood, Nick saw the truth, Natalie. He would have never made it
back without you showing that love and forgiveness was possible for him.
Your love gave him hope that God could love and forgive him as well."

She studied the faces around her.  "It will be necessary for LaCroix to
come here."

Nick jumped up. "What? I don't want him here.  I don't want Natalie,
Joe, or Grace to be in any danger."

"I already promised you that you would be protected," she assured him.
A bit of frustration crept into her voice. "Right now, LaCroix needs to
see the Glory of the Lord shining from your face, Nick.  It's his ONLY
hope!"

"I will be with you and will have two other angels here to help as
well."  She went to the door and opened it.

The cabin residents turned. There was a beautiful, young woman with
long, dark hair, and a tall, young, blond haired man.  Their faces were
gentle and comforting to look upon.

Tess introduced them, "This is Monica and Andrew.  Andrew will be a
caretaker, of sorts, for LaCroix.  He will care for him physically so
that you do not have to come near him if that is your wish.  He will be
able to restrain LaCroix when he is out of control."

Natalie sat down in a chair. Tears ran down her face.  Tess came close.
"What is it, Baby?" she asked.

"I wanted this time of my life to be full of joy and peace,"  she cried,
touching her expanding belly and rubbing it.  She  felt such a strong
connection to her babies.

Tess caressed her cheek with soft fingers.  "I know, Baby, but your
children will be fine.  It's necessary.  Will you allow this?"

Natalie looked at Nick and saw the hope in his face. "Yes," she said,
covering her face with her hands and letting the tears flow freely.

Grace asked, her voice shaking, "Do I have a part in all this?"

"Yes,"  Monica answered, coming close. The cabin residents heard the
rich Irish brogue flow like music over her tongue.  "You must help
Natalie with the tests and help keep her healthy.  You have a knack for
humor where there often is none.  This gift will enrich these peoples'
lives more than  you  will ever know, as the days go by."

She turned to Nick. "Do not fear LaCroix.  He cannot hurt you
physically.  You, alone, know how difficult it will be to free him. He's
trapped inside himself, but he doesn't realize it.  The demon has
integrated itself so much into him, that he has no realization that a
seperate being inhabits him.  YOU know what it's like, Nick.  He will
need to see your love... see your acceptance of him before he can reach
out and accept change in his heart.  Do not hide your love from him
through your fear and anger.  He needs to see your salvation to know he
can have it for himself."

Grace asked, "What about my job?  I was only supposed to visit for a
couple weeks."

"It's been taken care of.  You've had a family emergency.  Another angel
will take your place."

"He will do a good job,"  Andrew reassured her.

"Grace, you and Joe are here for support, and there is much you can
learn from each other." Tess reached out and took her hands.  "It's
time for pain and for joy.  Rejoice, dreams can be a reality if you are
all willing to walk through the fire."

"LaCroix will arrive when the three days are over.  Nick, you will
need to have a home here for Janette and LaCroix, separate from your
own.  You understand their needs better than anyone.  Double wide mobile
homes should supply all their needs."

Suddenly the angels were gone and the four friends were left to stare
at the emptiness.

Nick collapsed onto his knees.  Natalie came to him and held him. "I
Don't know if I can do this," he told her in a tortured voice.  "Nat, I
love him, but he scares me so much.  I never thought I would have to
look at him again."

"I know...  I know."  She soothed him, rocking him back and fourth. "I
know you love him, Nick.  This will never be finished unless we make
this effort to save his soul.  If we do this, he could be free.  He
could be a real father to you.  Imagine all that obsession turned to
love.
Our children would be blessed to have both LaCroix  and Pop as
grandfathers."

Natalie continued, "LaCroix has so much knowledge to share with
them."  Natalie was saying the words and listening to them herself.  She
needed to convince herself that this was right, too.

Nick looked toward Joe and reached out to him.  The big man took his
hand and drew him to his feet, enclosing him in his arms.  "We must
try, Nick.  You will never forgive yourself if we don't.  It's the
Lord's wish. He has sent you angels to make the request."

Nick drew back. "Yes... He did, didn't He?"  Feeling overwhelmed, he
said, "I need to lie down.  I'm so weak and shaky."  The aftermath of
the adrenaline rush had set in.

With Grace and Joe's help, they got him up the stairs and to his room
where he collapsed on the bed.  Exhausted, he fell into a deep sleep.

Natalie kissed his forehead and covered him before returning down
stairs to talk with Grace and Joe.  "I'll take the first unit of blood
tomorrow.  I?m sure someone will come to take it to Tess."

Natalie felt a bit faint herself, and wavered.  Grace cried out, "Whoa,
girl!"   She grabbed Natalie around the waist and led her to the couch.
"You need to rest, too. This is just as hard on you."

"When Nick was saved, I thought we would never again have to deal with
vampires," she admitted to her friend. "I thought it was all in our
past.  The Lord promised us protection.  I guess I took that to mean
separation as well."

Grace asked, "If the Lord will protect you, how hard can this be?"

Natalie smiled sadly at her.  "You haven't  met LaCroix!  He's like
looking Satan in the face. He's cold and evil.  The man looks like he's
carved out of porcelain.  LaCroix, originally, was a Roman General.  He
still has an air of command about him.  He spent 800 years ruling Nick
with an iron fist.  When Nick would run, LaCroix would follow, and
physically torture Nick into submission.  It happened over and over."

"Through all of that, Nick still loves him.  They have been close at
times.  This could set Nick back, emotionally, a 100 years, if it
doesn't work out."

Grace assured her, "Joe and I will do anything we can."

Natalie yawned.  "I'm going to go up now and hold Nick while he
sleeps."

She slowly ascended the stairs and went to their room.  There, she found
Nick curled up in a ball on his side.  Sidney lay in the crook of his
arm.  Natalie took the cat off the bed, and shooed him on downstairs,
then gently coaxed Nick to relax.  He pulled her close, whimpering a bit
in his sleep.  She let her tears wash some of her fear away.

****

After Natalie went up the stairs, Grace turned to Joe. "Would you mind
holding me for a minute?"  she asked.

Joe's smiled and wrapped his arms around her.  He could feel her
trembling.

"How did I ever get involved with this?" she asked, shakily. "I know
it's going to be hard for us all, but old hates are best put aside."

"I agree with that," he said.

She held on for a moment more, feeling strength return to her legs.
Reluctantly, she finally pushed away and went to sit on the couch.

He followed  her, and she smiled up at him, "And here I came for a
simple vacation... "  She held up her hand to him, and when he took it,
she drew him down beside her. "I'm going to need your strength, Joe,"
she told him.

"Do you feel like you are being put into a position you are not ready
for?"  She asked, studying his face.

Joe sat close and drew her against his shoulder. "Not really, Grace.
Actually, I feel like this is were I was born to be.  We CAN do this.
If these beings can't  physically harm us, then we only have our own
emotions to deal with.  It will be hardest on Nick."

"Yes,"  she agreed, "we are the support team. We just have to be there
for Nick and Nat. They are the ones that have to walk through the fire."
She rested her head on his shoulder, and they relaxed.

After several minutes, Joe realized that she had fallen asleep.  He
managed to grab a throw from a chair nearby, and drew it over her. He
was content to feel this lovely woman's body against his and to stare
into the fire and pray.

****

The next day, Nick woke determined to get things ready.  He got
on the net and the phone, and soon had ordered the new home and the
equipment to get the house placed the next day.  It would cost him a
fortune, but money hadn't been a problem for him for several hundred
years.

By midday, the first tractors and work crew came to clear the land.  A
parcel was chosen that sat to the right and a little before, the main
house so they could use the same drive.

Men swarmed in. The land was cleared by that evening.  Connections were
made to the main property's: cesspool,  telephone lines, cable,
electricity,  and water lines.  The house would be put on blocks and not
cement.  It was, after all, only a temporary dwelling.

The next morning the house arrived in three sections and was set up.
It was more than a mere mobile home. It had a spacious living room of
dark wood walls, and there was a dining  room and three bedrooms.  The
windows were draped in rich dark curtains.  The kitchen was small, and
done in white.

There was a large master bath with a whirlpool tub, and a smaller bath
with showers for each of the other two bedrooms. The furniture was of
leather and dark woods.  The beds were canopied and draped in rich,
wine-colored drapery in Janette's room; a deep hunter green in the guest
room, and royal blue in LaCroix's room. All were trimmed in old Roman
designs.  Nick was pleased, and Joe, Grace and Natalie stared at
everything in amazement.

Natalie commented, "I'm sure they will be pleased, My Love."

Natalie had drawn the first unit of blood the first day while Nick had
been on the phones and the computer.  A young Hispanic man had
shown up to collect it, promising to return the next day with the
bloodwine.  Natalie was sure that he was, also, an angel.

Andrew had arrived with the new home, and was inside making some sort of
preparations only he knew.  The young angel would stay in the guest room
in order to be near LaCroix at all times.  Monica and Tess arrived with
their bags and moved into the two large bedrooms upstairs.  Grace had
taken one on the sunny side of the house.

By the evening of the second day, the bloodwine was delivered; four full
bottles and thirty-six empties.  They filled them with water and sat
them around the bloodwine in the refrigerator of the mobile home. That
next morning, all the bottles were filled with a rich, dark red fluid.

The kitchen of the mobile home was made into a lab.  Natalie would do
her blood testing on both LaCroix and Nick there. She needed to make
sure Nick wasn't getting anemic.

Nick became increasingly agitated as the evening of the third day came
closer. He'd hardly eaten anything since the decision had been made.
About an hour after sundown, a long, black limo came up the drive.

The four friend stood together on the porch watching, with the three
angels standing in front of them.

Janette stepped out first, then reached her  back into the Limo. The
hand that grasped hers was claw-like, shriveled and nearly
transparent.  With help, Lucien LaCroix appeared before them.

Nick gasped and clung to Natalie.

LaCroix was almost skeletal. His eyes where sunken in his head, and
he needed to lean on Janette just to stay on his feet. His eyes were
amber, a sign of constant hunger.  His teeth were extended.

Grace cried out unvoluntarily, and she clamped her hand over her mouth.



end Part 5  
*****  Jeannie Ecklund  *****  gersknightlady@cs.com