xover: Inner Fire and The Light (09/16)
Jeannie Ecklund Aug, 17,2000


LaCroix's body slowly lowered and his feet touched the porch floor.  He
looked as if he was collapsing in slow motion.  Nick broke the circle
and gathered his father into his arms as he slumped to the ground. They
went down together.  Nick sat on the dirt and held his father against
his chest, tears of joy streaming down his face.

He looked around.  Gone were the legions of vampires.  Nick did
not know if they had perished or had just ran away.  He searched
LaCroix's face.  If it could have been more pale than before, it was.
Nick was almost certain that the older man was dead when, suddenly, he
saw his father's eyelashes flutter.

The singing, which had died down in the background of his mind, grew
louder and seemed more joyous.  A light shone on LaCroix's face, giving
it a warm glow.

Nick realized that Natalie was kneeling close to him.  She touched
LaCroix's chest.  "I can feel his heart beating, " she cried, awe
filling her voice.

"Father?"  Nick called to him.

"Father!" he said, louder, shaking the older man's shoulder.

LaCroix opened his eyes.  Gone was the cold steel blue look.  It had
been replaced by a warm sea blue.  There was gentleness and love that
Nick had often dreamed of seeing there, but had only glimpsed a few
times during their 800 years together.  LaCroix reached out his arms.

Nick bent to embrace him, and his father on earth wrapped his
arms around him.  Nick heard his Father In Heaven say to laCroix,  "My
Child, you have finally come home."

The song of the angels faded, but the darkness no longer seemed full
of danger.

Nick helped LaCroix to his feet and then Natalie.  Andrew came close
to steady LaCroix, who was weak and exhausted.  Joe and Grace came
closer.

Tess came forward. "Andrew,  put Lucus to bed, please."

"Lucus?"  Nick asked.

She smiled. "The Lord thinks LaCroix should have a new name.  The name
Lucien is too close to Lucifer for him to use as he starts his new
life."  She turned to LaCroix and said, "I think if we just shortened
it, you could still retain a part of it.  Your name shall be Lucus."

LaCroix was being supported by Andrew on one side, and Nick on the other
side. "I agree, Madam," the freed man said, humbly.   "Thank you, I
will try to be worthy."

Natalie suggested, "Nick, why don't you take him to our room.  I think
Grace and I have some cleaning to do before we return him to his own
room."

Janette appeared at their side.  Nick stared at her.  She was radiantly
beautiful.  Gone was the gaunt pale skin. Now her flesh was alive with a
pink glow.  He was saddened that he had missed her conversion, but glad
for her that it was done.

Joe took Andrew's place, and the three humans slowly headed toward the
house.  Andrew went ahead to ready the bed.

LaCroix was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow. Nick,
exhausted as well, crawled in close, and Natalie joined them.  Nick
turned his back to his father and spooned Natalie close to him.  Andrew
pulled a blanket over them and bid them all a good night.

Nick woke as the sun filtered through the window.  He sat up, realizing
that his father was not at his side.

He quickly looked around, then gazed in utter joy as he beheld LaCroix
standing before the big window.  Only his silhouette was discernible.
The rays of light seemed to dance and caress him. He had his arms raised
heavenward, fingers splayed out, soaking up the warmth.

Nick glanced at Natalie.  He decided to let her sleep. Slipping from the
bed, he went to stand near his father.  He reached out and touched the
man's shoulder. "Father," he whispered.

LaCroix turned his beautiful, sea blue eyes to look upon his son.
"Nicholas," he said.  The words were filled with love. "I never
thought to see the daylight again."  He wavered a bit on his unsteady
legs.

Nick slipped an arm around him.  They both stood and bathed in the
warmth and light of the sun.

"Nicholas," LaCroix said, "I have no words to tell you what I feel.  I
have so many regrets. I have so many transgressions against you.  How
can you forgive me for them?  I would not be here if you hadn't loved
me.  Why would you want to love what I was?"

"Shhhh, Father...  we were each in our own trap. I only wanted you to be
free to choose,"  Nick replied.

LaCroix continued, "I found that the moment I was free, there was no
question of choice.  God was there all around me.  I felt my spirit and
my soul rush toward Him.  The separation of two thousand years ended.
How could I have lived so long in darkness, Nicholas?  How could I have
have taken you, a mirror of that light into eternal darkness. You may
have been in a slump in your faith when I found you,  but I know now
that it was that spark of the Lord you have always carried around in
your heart that drew me to you.  Neither one of us understood what it
was we searched for.  I am fortunate that you always came back."

He leaned to kiss Nicholas on the forehead.  Suddenly, his legs lost
their strength, and Nick turned to support him back to the bed.

"You must rest, father," the young man told him.

Natalie had wakened and quietly watched them sharing the morning sun.
Tears of joy had fallen down her cheeks as she listened to them talk so
lovingly together. Now, she scrambled out of the bed to help Nick settle
LaCroix in.

"Please... this is your bed,"  he protested.

Natalie reassured him, "You have brought us all a blessing, Father.
Allow us to do you this honor for now."

"You called me 'Father', Natalie?  You forgive me, too?"  His eyes
filled with unshed tears.

"It's forgiven... all of it.   Maybe now we can all live joyful,
peaceful lives."

LaCroix felt hot, salt tears slipped out of his eyes. He touched his
finger to a tear and looked at it in wonder.  "It's pure... there's no
more blood." His voice held a touch of awe.

"There's no need for blood anymore,  Father.  The Lord's blood has
cleansed it all away."

LaCroix held out his arms, and Nick  sat on the edge of the bed, letting
his father hold him close.  He could hear LaCroix's heart beating
steadily, regular and strong.

"My golden son,"  he said.  "I am so proud of you.  I am so grateful
that you continued to pursue the woman you loved.  It was wrong for me
to keep you apart."   He reached a hand out to Natalie, and she took it,
moving closer.  "Thank you, my dear."

Natalie smiled, squeezing his hand gently.  "You're welcome. Let me go
get you a light breakfast.  You will need to eat."

Lucus LaCroix smiled, "I've always wanted to try soft boiled eggs.  The
yokes reminded me so much of the sun."

She smiled, "I can do that. It's a good place to start. We have no idea
how your stomach will react to food."

She left the room.  Closing the door, she stuffed her fist in her mouth
so they wouldn't hear her sobs.  After a moment or two she realized Tess
was holding her close.  ?Cry, Baby.  Let the tears of relief wash your
pain and fear away. It's finally over," the angel soothed.
Tess led Natalie downstairs to  the kitchen and had her sit on a stool.
She began to prepared breakfast for LaCroix, Nick and Natalie.

Natalie sniffed again, "I am so happy for Nick and LaCroix.  You should
have seen the look of pure joy on their faces as they held each other.
As they stood before the sun, it seemed to caress them.  They had no
dark need for each other except for companionship and pure love.
I have feared that man for so many years...  now he's like a new born
babe."

"An apt description. You will have more than two children to raise,"
Tess smiled.

Natalie rubbed her growing abdomen.  "I want to enjoy these last
few weeks of my pregnancy...  just rest and think of these babies."

"You shall, Natalie. There is a chance that the babies will come soon.
It's not unheard of with twins to deliver early." Tess finished the eggs
and added two slices of toast and a small glass of milk for each.

When she and Tess returned to the bedroom, they found Nick sitting
cross-legged on the bed facing LaCroix who was reclining. He was
relating the story of a small green frog they'd seen in the stream.
Tess smiled at them and set the tray down over LaCroix's lap. Then she
excused herself and went downstairs.

LaCroix looked down at the food gratefully. "I think I'm hungry.
There's a strange emptiness in my stomach."

Nick took his plate and held it in his lap.  He patted the bed, and
Natalie got her plate and sat down beside him.

"That's hunger," she said.  "Just go slowly.  It's been a long time
since your stomach has had to process food."

LaCroix, after watching the others for a minute or two, picked up his
spoon and rather clumsily stirred and mixed the egg up.  He took a
spoonful and ladled it into his mouth. He got such a funny look on his
face that Nick and Natalie both said, "What...?"

His face broke into an amazing smile. "It's wonderful!"  They laughed as
they watched him eat his first meal in nearly 2000 years.

Later, Nicholas helped LaCroix bathe, then put him back to bed,
exhausted from the excursion.   Nick left him to sleep and went in
search of Joe.

He found the other man sitting on his special rock near the stream. Joe
was feeling neglected, and a little foolish for indulging himself  in
the emotion.  As Nick came into view, Joe got a big smile.

Nick asked, "Mind if I join you? I could use a little rest.  It?s going
to take me a few weeks to get all my strength back..."

Joe didn't speak. He just motioned to the rock beside him.

"I've missed our talks, Pop.  I haven't been able to give you much
attention lately."

"I understand, Nick. You have your father back." He looked away.

"Joe!"  Nick grabbed him firmly by the arm. "Having my father back in no
way changes how I feel about you or what I need from you. I've got
enough love for all the people here.  I spent 800 years unable to love.
There's a lot of love stored inside of me.  I need all of you."

Joe turned away, embarrassed by his jealousy concerning all the things
he'd witnessed in the last 48 hours.

"Having LaCroix here will only make things better," Nick said.  "I can
stop looking back and look forward.  He can tell you so many more
stories than I can.  He was 12 hundred years old when I met him. He even
lived in Pompeii."

Joe's eyes lit up. "He could tell me stories, couldn't he?"

"Yes," Nick said, " and LaCroix loves to tell stories.  He used to bore
me to death with the ones meant to be lessons of one sort or another,
but he told Janette some really fascinating ones. I'd hide in the next
room and listen. Looking back, I'm sure he knew I was there, but we were
often like oil and water.?

Joe suddenly changed the subject and blurted out. "I'm going to ask
Grace to marry me."

He stood and walked a few steps away. "I want to have her come here
permanently if she says yes and it?s alright with you."

Nick stepped around him so he could look into Joe's face. He put his
hands on Joe's shoulders and looked him in the eye.  "Pop, that's
wonderful.  Natalie would love it.  She could use a woman's company
around here, and I would love to have Grace here as well.  I can see she
already loves you...  maybe even before she got here?"

Joe nodded, "She has told me that. I can't really fathom why she
does, but I know I am a blessed man.  I'm not handsome. Some might say I
am ugly."

Nick looked at him. "No, Pop... never ugly. You're totally beautiful to
me.  Your capacity to love and accept those around you makes you
beautiful.  You're an honorable, decent man.  You cared enough about me
to keep my terrible secret.  I see an angel when I look at your face."
Nick let tears of emotion slip from his eyes.

Joe's eyes watered. "You're a good son, Nick.  It may take some getting
used to, this sharing."

Nick nodded. "For LaCroix, too.  He was obsessed with me for 800 years.
I would be a fool to think it was all just the vampire. Humans are full
of pettiness.  All this human emotion will be new to LaCroix.  It
took me sometime to accept my limitations.  Just because we now all
believe in the Lord doesn't stop all the pitfalls of human emotion.  He
will have a lot to contend with, and he will need all of us to help
him."

Joe said, "Of course, I will do anything for him, Nick.  You know
that."

Nick grabbed his mentor and hugged him a moment.  He felt Joe return the
pressure, then abruptly let go of him and head further into
the forest.

Nick wanted to go after the big man, but realized his friend needed more
time to think.

Joe hurried through the forest.  Hot tears ran down his cheeks. "Forgive
my foolishness, Lord," he thought. "To be jealous of your new creation
is so childish of me... especially at my age ."

"Joe, " a voice called to him.  He looked up to find Tess standing
nearby.


 end part 9  

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