xover: Inner Fire and The Light (08/16)
Jeannie Ecklund Aug. 17, 2000



It was dusk before they re-entered their backyard.  They could already
hear the screams of pain and anger.  Nick gently pushed Natalie toward
Grace and Joe .  "Take care of her,"  he said hurriedly.  "I must go to
him."

"Nicholas!" La Croix roared in his madness.
Nick entered the mobil home.  Janette was standing in the living room,
drenched in blood.  Blood tears ran down her cheeks.  "He won't take the
blood from me. He only wants you.  It's even worse tonight,"  she cried.

Nick held her close. "Go over to the house and take a shower.  Nat will
find you some clothes.  Andrew and I will take care of him."

Nick took a deep breath and entered the bedroom.  He found that
Andrew was holding LaCroix tightly in a vise grip.  The rampaging
vampire?s flesh was smoking, blistering, burning and his eyes were red
with savage hunger.  This time, instead of running away to hide behind
the pounding music, Nick got the blood and held it for the tortured
creature as he drank.  The cold hands that gripped his weren't as
emaciated as they had been when he?d first arrived.

It only took one bottle before the old vampire was able to calm down
enough to slump onto the bed.  His cold blue eyes seemed less harsh as
they gazed at Nick.

Suddenly, sickness overwhelmed LaCroix.  Andrew held a bowl, and Nick
sat beneath him holding his head while the blood came back up.  He
nearly wretched himself, but he felt Andrew's courage and the steadfast
love of the Lord protecting him as he bathed the sick vampire's face.

When LaCroix had quieted, Nick tried to leave to help clean up, but the
old, sick creature grabbed him and clutched the young man to his chest.
His father refused to let NIck go, so he sat, holding him against his
chest until LaCroix had finally fallen asleep.

Andrew helped him clean LaCroix up and change his soiled clothing. When
Nick tucked him into bed, he leaned down and kissed the old man's
forehead.  He was rewarded by a faint smile on his father's lips.

For the next week, the days were short and the nights long.  At the end
of the week, LaCroix had a particularly bad night, and Andrew had sent
Nick away.  Nick had returned to the piano, but this time he played
calm, beautiful music.

Soon Janette came running.  "Nick, can you play louder?  He can hear it
through his window, and it's calming him.  You know how much he used to
love to listen to you."

The next day, Nick had a baby grand delivered to LaCroix's home.  He
spent a few hours each night playing for LaCroix.
Natalie spent most of her evenings with Monica and Tess.  Their presence
helped her to stay calm while the war raged so close.  She was surprised
that the angels enjoyed playing games and watching old movies.

Grace would join them for several hours every evening. She always
managed to make them all laugh with her crazy stories of life at the
morgue.  Often, when they weren't praying for their friends, she and Joe
would sit on the porch and talk.

One night, Joe asked Grace to walk with him. They went down the road,
walking along the long drive. When they were out of  view of the house,
Joe drew Grace into his arms and kissed her until they were both
breathless. "I love you, Grace,"  he said, holding her tightly to him.

Grace's heart soared.  "And I love you, Joe.  I have for years."

He drew back, looking into her beautiful face. "Years?"

She drew his face down to hers, and as she kissed him she murmured,
"Years... "

The second unit of blood was drawn the next week and the processing
occurred the same as before.

LaCroix was able to retain more.  He put on weight and grew stronger. He
could walk with assistance.  Nick often sat with him and played chess.
They didn't talk much about the past, as this would bring the demon out,
and Andrew would have to restrain the vampire.

The next unit of blood had to be drawn after only two weeks.  Nick was
starting to lose weight.  His face was gaunt, and dark circles were
etched under his eyes.  Natalie watched him  breathe while he  slept,
fearing for his health.

At night, after LaCroix would fall asleep, Tess and Monica would sit
with Nick, holding him and helping to renew some of his strength.

During the following week, LaCroix had two very bad attacks.  The blood
started coming up again, and Nick had to give a second unit in one week.
His strength was gone, and he couldn?t stand, let alone calm his nerves
by playing the piano.

He grew despondent and Tess came to minister to him.  As they sat on the
couch before the fire, Tess cradled his head in her lap, and stroked his
hair.

"Tess," he asked, with tears in his eyes, a wave of dizziness
assaulting him,  "Why isn't he getting better?  How long can I do this?"

Tess soothed his brow with a damp cloth.  "That demon has had control of
him for two millennia.  LaCroix never tried to weaken its hold as you
did with your constant fight against the vampire nature.  It does not
want to let go. This one was of the elite.  It was fighting at Satan's
side when he was banished from heaven."

Nick shivered in fear.  "Is there nothing more we can do?"

Tess smiled as she stroked his blond curls.  She'd been waiting for
this question.  "Hands on prayer will help,  but you would all have to
participate.  Will Grace help?"

Nick sat up and turned to her.  "I don't know."  Grace had made it a
point to stay as far from LaCroix as possible.
"I will ask her.  We must end this.  Natalie is getting too tired and
doesn't eat much either.  I need to be able to take care of my wife and
our babies need her strong."

Nick asked his friends to gather together that evening in his room as he
lay resting on his bed. He'd spent a particularly rough night at
LaCroix's.  They pulled up chairs around Nick and Natalie's bed.  Nick
was terribly pale and weak.

He asked Tess to explain what she had told him about helping LaCroix.
"There is a chance," she explained, "if you all bond together in prayer
and bind the demon in Jesus? name that this would free
LaCroix enough for him to make the choice to turn his life over to the
Lord."

Natalie asked, "Will there be any danger to our babies, Tess?"

"You are seven months along.  It's a difficult time. There is always
danger," she explained patiently.  "But remember, the Father gave his
word that no harm will come to you."

Natalie's eyes teared up. "Of course...  forgive me.  I have asked that
too many times."

Tess nodded. "I understand. You are human, and you need assurances.
Know that if you, any or all of you, choose to do this, there must be no
doubt in anyone's mind... none.  We all have to believe that this can
help... that it can change the tide of where we are and what we are
trying to accomplish. It can work if everyone has pure faith."

Natalie saw the genuine concern in Tess' eyes.  The angel
sometimes seemed so harsh and outspoken, but Natalie could see the love
of God shining in Tess' eyes.

"We all need to talk about this as well as pray  for guidance,"  she
told the angel.

Tess nodded, "I'll go join Monica and Janette. That young woman is
very close to accepting the Lord into her life forever."

When everyone had settled close to the bed, they prayed holding hands in
a circle.  They continued through the night to  talk and pray,  trying
to lay Natalie?s and Grace?s fears to rest, and to truly hear from God
about the timing.   Finally, as the sun rose  on a new day, they all had
agreed that they would spend the day in fasting and prayer and then
gather around LaCroix the next night and ask God to intervene, take the
chains off the tormented man, and free him.

Grace and Joe retired to their own rooms to rest, and Nick turned to his
wife and held Natalie close.  They feel asleep, holding each other.

Natalie was surprised when she woke seven hours later totally rested. Her
sleep was never that good.  Usually, she had to move several times
during the night to get comfortable now that she was getting so big.
She praised God, thanking Him for this special gift.  Nick woke a few
minutes later, also feeling much stronger.  They spent the rest of the
daylight hours praying,  both together and apart for the ordeal they
would face with the coming of darkness.

As the darkness settled on the compound, Andrew set out  a chair and
brought LaCroix out.  Once the old vampire was seated in his chair, the
angel took a position behind him, and laid his hands lightly on his
shoulders.  As the friends and family came to take their places around
the tormented creature and grasped hands, he started to get apprehensive.

Suddenly, he fought to rise from the chair as Andrew began to glow,
lighting the darkness.  LaCroix eyes flared red.  He started snarling
and snapping at them like an animal. His fangs were extended.

He cried out, "Nicholas! Please, Nicholas, don't do this to me."

Nick pleaded with him, "Father we must do this if you are to be free of
this demon that eats at your soul.  Please... just let the Lord free
you."

The old  vampire looked about him and knew there was no escape.  The
demon wanted desperately to flee, while the man was filled with fear and
yet... hope.  Was there a way out of this hell? Could he be freed?
Could God still care about him... love HIM?

The small group of them stood around him with their voices raised to the
heavens.  They were praying for HIM... sending HIM love.  Love he craved
to the depths of his soul.

As these thoughts and feelings flooded through his being, he also felt
tremendous pain.  The demon was trying to distract his thoughts...
regain control of him again.  "Nicholas!  Aaargh... the PAIN!"  He
screamed in agony.

Nick loosened his hold on Joe and Nat's hands and started to move toward
his father to offer comfort,  but Tess grabbed his shoulders and held
him still.  "The demon would kill you, Nick.  Do not let him touch you."

Nick drew back, shocked, and relinked fingers with the others.

The four Christians stretched out their arms and surrounded LaCroix, Nat
and Grace linking hands around the angel and his tortured charge.  They
lifted their voices, asking the Lord to cleanse him.

The monster screamed in pain then howled a long, blood curdling sound
from deep within.  Blood ran from his lips, cut by the sharp, gnashing
teeth.  His fingernails were cutting deep holes in his palms. Putrid,
contaminated blood, thick and  dark like black ink, dripped from his
hands to the floor beneath the chair.

The Christians were aware that the howl came from inside LaCroix, and
was not produced by his own vocal cords. After a time, they
noticed that many more howls were filling the air and realized that
there was almost an electric charge in the air around them.

If they had ceased praying and looked out past their circle of light
into the forest around them, they would have seen a multitude of red
glowing eyes.

Dark fearsome shapes filled the edges of the forest, and began to
advance on the small group. Vampire's of all shapes and sizes stood
there ready to spring and tear the Christians apart, yet they found an
invisible force  before them that clutched at them and seemed to hold
them to their places. They began to chant LaCroix's name, begging him to
stay with them... to come back to them.

The demon in LaCroix  roared, and gave a tremendous surge as it seemed
to regain some of its strength.  It reached out to claw at Andrew,
tearing him with its evil.

Natalie cried out as she saw wounds appear on Andrew's face and arms...
Wounds that bled pure light.

The light shot out in beautiful,  pure rays.  It seemed to strike at the
first line of Vampires and they howled and shrunk back to the edge of
the forest .  Their voices grew quieter and finally stilled.

An unearthly cry came from deep within LaCroix.  The demon's fear struck
them like a hurricane.   Hot wind buffeted them.
They became aware of gloriously magnificent singing filling the air, and
bright light surrounded them.  The bright glowing shapes of angels
formed a tight circle around them to protect them from the legion of
Vampires that had come to take LaCroix from them.

Nick opened his eyes as he continued praying and in the glow of the
Angel's light, he suddenly could  make out the faces of individuals he
knew in the community.  Some of them had once been friends.  There was
an inky blackness that surrounded and permeated them.  The air stunk of
death.

The groans and cries of the undead were drowned out by the singing of
the angels.  The four friends turned back to LaCroix.  They heard him
whisper, "Jesus?" and saw  inky black blood  begin to pour from his
eyes, nose, ears and mouth.  It hissed and evaporated in the light of
God that shone around the angels as if exposed to the rays of the sun.
The light of the angels flowed over and around LaCroix.  Fire seemed to
bath him.  He was caught up into the air.  The fiery light swirled
around and through him.

Nick cried out to him, "Now father, ask the Lord to save you."

LaCroix heard Nick's voice. It seemed to come from a thousand miles
away.   "Nicholas," he cried out, "help me."

"No, Father, don't look to me, look to the maker of the light.  Ask the
Lord to save you. Please... I need you!"   he cried.   Fear that he
would lose his father  threatened to overwhelm him.  He felt Natalie's
hand in his and Tess' hands on his shoulders.  He allowed their love,
the love of his friend, and his faith in the Lord to calm his spirit.

"Father,"  he said softly, "Ask the Lord to forgive you.  Ask him to
save you from this living hell."

LaCroix's felt peace surround him. It gave him clarity of mind and
thought .  He felt an overwhelming love and knew it came from the Lord.
Jesus was real and wanted him.  He let his voice call out  clear and
strong, "Jesus, save me!"

Nick knew how he felt.  His transformation had been nearly the same.
He cried out "Thank you, Lord," and heard the others echo his words.

end Part 8  

*****  Jeannie Ecklund  *****  gersknightlady@cs.com