Inner Fire and the Light

by Olivia Jean Ecklund
Chapter 1

This is a Forever Knight/ Touched By an Angel crossover and a sequel to The Last Night and Beyond. (If you missed the first one and want to read it e-mail me). I know these characters belong to someone else. I'm just borrowing them for these stories. No infringement on any one intended. I'd like to thank Elise from the bottom of my heart for her Beta Reading. You have no idea how much I appreciate you.. I would also like to thank my sister, Linda, for content help, consistency, and some Beta Reading. I'd also like to thank Kylie for her encouragement and getting me into all this.

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Nick drove the big van down the long drive way. It went through a decorated iron gate, an expanse of woods and then around a peaceful area of grass and trees. He pulled up before a huge, two-story log cabin. There was a drive down the side that led to a smaller cabin in the back. Stone steps led up to a large porch that ran the 60 foot width of the front of the cabin.

Reese breathed, "Wow!" The lawn in front was rich and lush. A raw forest framed the whole property. There was a covered well in the front yard.

They piled out of the van and headed up the stairs. The porch was wide, and had numerous comfortable garden chairs, a porch swing and a hammock. The floors and walls were of redwood, and there was a huge picture window open to the front.

Natalie grabbed Nick's arm, "It's wonderful, Nick! Absolutely perfect."

Nick smiled, "Come on! Wait until you see the inside..." They all heard the perturbed yowl from the van, so Nick returned to the van and got the cat carrier, to bring Sydney with them. Returning to the porch, Nick swung open the door and stepped back to wave the others through.

They entered a long lodge-like room that extended away from them a good 100 feet. Massive beams crossed the ceiling. To their left was a big fireplace. Natalie giggled and nudged Nick when she saw the white bear rug spread out in front of it. The mantel had been transplanted from the loft, "As you desired, my love." He bent and kissed her, then sat the carrier down and opened the door. Sidney peaked out wearily, then shot out of the box and ran behind the TV.

Natalie laughed, "He'll get used to the place."

Reese exclaimed, "Look at that TV!" He indicated another section of the room. A 65 inch built-in TV graced the wall before a grouping of chairs and a couch. Stereo speakers angled from the rafters around the room would provide "surround sound". There was even an emergency Ham radio center off in one corner. "This is our movie and communications center," Nick explained.

On the other side of the TV area was a computer center, very well stocked and expensive. "You have a set up like this in your place, Pop. I also put another one upstairs for Nat and I."

"Nick, this place is really something," Joe said, amazed.

On the other side of the door was the huge picture window with more chairs and couches for watching the snow in the winter. "We can use this for our story telling or just for sitting before the fire when it's cold."

Reese commented, "I'm looking forward to that."

Natalie said, "How about some FBI stories as well, Pop?"

"You got a deal," Joe agreed.

The floors down the middle were covered with rich area rugs and empty spaces. Opposite the TV section was Nick's grand piano. There were columns of marble topped with planters of lush greenery, making a nice cozy setting. Beyond the piano area and slightly more toward the center was a large dining table with eight elegant chairs, and at the far end of the room there was a bar with stools, like a breakfast nook, that looked into a compact, ultra-modern kitchen over a marble counter.

Natalie ran around the counter, "Oh my, Nick... It's wonderful!" she exclaimed, looking at all the state of the art appliances. She fingered the smooth top of the burner less stove and the glass doors on the fully stocked frig.

"Thank, the Lord, there's no wood stove in here. I think this will really be nice." She continued to explore the kitchen as the two men watched her enjoying the newness of their home. Nick showed her the small half-bath off the kitchen.

After a few minutes, Nick took her by the arm and guided her up the stairs toward the second floor. Reese puffed up the stairs after them. "Oh, Pop," Nick called back, exchanging smiles with Natalie, "I installed a lift in your cabin. That way you won't have to climb the steps when you're tired.

"Bless you, Nick," came the big man's breathless reply.

"Where's mine?" Natalie asked, slipping her hand under the edge of her expanding abdomen. "When I get too big with these babies, I won't be able to climb up these stairs either."

They reached the upper landing and stopped to catch their breath. The ceilings on the lower floor were 10 ft. This made the staircase quite high.

Nick kissed her cheek. "It's on it's way... should be here next week. I had it made special with a nice, soft bench inside. There's a small shaft next to the kitchen, near the bathroom. You may have noticed the door?"

"Thanks, Nick. You're the best husband in the world." She hugged his arm. The upstairs had a 10 foot wide hall that ran about 50 ft. to a nice wooden door. On both sides of the hall, the area was divided into two good-sized rooms on each side with a bathroom between them.

The door at the end of the hall opened into a massive master bedroom with its own bathroom. The huge room had a four poster, draped bed. It looked small in the enormous room. There was an area for a computer center and separate study desks. There was a smaller, cozy, intimate TV viewing place. "This empty place here will be for the babies while they are small." There was a fireplace right above the one downstairs. It also had a white bearskin rug.

Natalie blushed, thinking of the times she would spend there with Nick. "Nick, it's so amazing I can't even put it in words. I never expected this much. It's almost a log mansion."

"I only wanted you to feel comfortable. You can make any changes you like," Nick assured her. He went to open the bathroom door and Nat was pleased to find a large sunken tub there, similar to the one in the loft. She had hated to leave it behind. She and Nick had so much fun there.

The colors in the room, the drapes on the bed and the tub in the bathroom, were all done in the rich color of bloodwine. She looked at him curiously, "Sorry... I know it's the color of blood, but even in my mortal life it was my favorite color. You can change anything you want to, Nat."

Natalie sometimes wondered if he missed any of his immortal life. She would become self-conscious when they made love, wondering if he missed the bloodbonding.

Nick had tried to tell her that he didn't miss it that much. He thought maybe she might though. The bloodbond was an addiction. It joined the mental as well as physical. It was like truly becoming a part of the other person: All feelings and truth was there. Now, they had to rely only on words and physical expressions. Still, he was so happy with Natalie, he seldom even thought about what he had been. He shook the thoughts away.

Natalie was looking into the enormous walk-in closet. There, she examined the rich, heavily carved bureaus. "Nick, I'm overwhelmed. It's almost to wonderful for words." She walked over to kiss him, and hugged him tightly.

"Pop, It's amazing isn't it?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'm stunned!"

Nick smiled, happy that they liked it. It was so much bigger than he had first imagined, but he had fallen in love with it.

"Come on, Pop, let's go see your place."

They went downstairs and into the kitchen. There they found a door that opened into a small covered passageway. It went from their house to Joe's. Inside was a home as well made as theirs, only about half the size. The upstairs had only two rooms; a big one and a smaller guest room with a bath for each room.

Joe stood stunned for a moment, then grabbed Nick in a big hug.

Nick returned the large man's hug. "Pop, you deserve something back for what you give to Natalie and me. I doubt I would have adjusted so well if you hadn't been there these past months to talk to and sound off at. It was hard, and it was wonderful. I feel so blessed."

He pulled Natalie into the hug and they stood together for several moments.

After a time, Joe said, "I've been blessed too, Nick. A few months ago my life was pretty empty. Now I have a son and a daughter, who love and respect me. I even have grandchildren on the way!" He patted Natalie's stomach affectionately. "No man could be more blessed." He pushed them gently toward the door. "Now go on back to your place, enjoy the night together, and get settled in. I'm pretty tired. I think I'll just fix a snack and head on up to bed."

Nick and Natalie could practically read his mind. They started to open their mouths to protest, but Joe held up his finger stopping them. They said in unison, "Yes, Pop. Sleep well."

They each gave him a kiss and headed back up the passage. The first time that Nick had kissed Reese on the cheek, the man had taken a step back. Nick had apologized, explaining that it was just habit. Vampire families were very close. It was expected between father and son.

A couple days later, Joe had come and told him he didn't mind the kiss, so Nick had just continued his old habit.

Nick and Natalie returned to their new home, and secured the door behind them. Nick took his wife upstairs. He filled the tub, then both of them got in. They sat holding each other, relaxing for a long time before scrubbing themselves and each other. Finally they stepped out and into two white, fluffy robes, and went downstairs to sit before the fire.

Nick went to the kitchen and brought back a tray of cheese and fruit. He brought glasses and some sparkling grape drink. They sat on the bearskin rug and ate, feeding each other pieces of fruit and cheese, kissing and talking.

After a time, the food was set aside, and they made love, slowly at first, then hungrily devouring each other. Later, in the afterglow, as they lay in each other's arms, Nick gently caressed Natalie's stomach were their baby grew.

Natalie said, "I can't wait until I can feel the baby move."

"Me either," he admitted, then thought to himself, "If I were still a vampire, I could hear the baby's heart beat."

Changing to a mortal so quickly had been wonderful, glorious, and hard. So many things had changed. So many things he hadn't even thought of; like indigestion, feet that hurt, an amazing loss of strength, sight and hearing. He truly had learned to respect the difficulties that handicapped people lived with each day. He had felt a huge loss when he'd lost his ability to fly, see in the dark, survive bullet wounds, and rip doors off their hinges. He'd stopped working and had taken a leave of absence to get acquainted with his new lifestyle.

In retrospect, though, he felt that he had received gifts that were much greater than those that he had given up. Most importantly, he was able to walk into a church with his wife and knew he would go to heaven some day. Beyond that, he could stand in the sun, go to the beach and see the sun on the waves, and love his wife without restraint or fear of killing her. It still amazed him to know that there was a life growing inside Natalie... one that he and she had made through their love of each other. One day, this child would call him 'Daddy'. Tears sprang to his eyes at the thought.

Natalie felt a warm tear slide from his cheek onto hers. "Nick, what's wrong?" She asked, alarmed.

He turned his face toward her and smiled. "I'm so grateful for my life..." He let it drop there.

"But," she finished for him, "You do miss some of your old life. Nick, don't be ashamed to think about what you gave up. You lived that way for 800 years. I understand that you miss your super human abilities. They were amazing..."

She touched her stomach, knowing where his thoughts had gone. "Please, Nick, talk to me about what you feel. Tell me a thousand times if it makes it better for you." She drew his head to her breast.

He lay his cheek there listening to her heart beat.

"Millions of people," she continued, "never have a chance to experience something like that."

Nick said, "That life had so many horrors as well. I don't miss feeding. I don't miss LaCroix's abuse...."

"But you do miss him, don't you, Nick?" she finished for him. "No matter what he did to you, you were his child. It's natural for a child to love his father."

Nick moved away and stood before the fire, the light dancing across his face. "I do love him... and I miss him. I would love to show him my life and have him be proud of me. I know that what inhabits him is evil and could destroy all of us. I wish he could be free like I am.

He's a wonderful man, inside, but I have only seen the real man a few times. Nat, is it wrong to cry over him... to hurt that he is lost to me? Do you think the Lord is angry that I even think about LaCroix after all the things he has done to me?"

Natalie reached up to him, and he pulled her to her feet. She reached for her robe and drew it over her body, then grabbed his up and covered him, slipping her arms around him and pressing herself against his back.

Natalie laid her face between his shoulder blades. "You know, Nick, I think the Lord loves every creature He has created. He accepted you back. I can't believe He wouldn't want the same thing for LaCroix, but he is responsible for himself. He knows that the Lord welcomed you back. He will realize that it is possible for him to be freed as well if he wants it enough, but he has to want it. No one else can do it for him."

She took Nick by the hand and led him toward the stairs. A tiny "meow" stopped them, and Sidney hesitantly came out from behind the TV.

Chapter 2

Natalie grinned up at Nick. She went to pick up the large fluffy cat and kissed him, rubbing his head. Taking her pet to the kitchen, Nat showed him where his food, water and bed was, then turned back to her waiting husband, took his hand, and walked with him up the stairs to bed.

Life settled in at the cottage, as the residents called it. Nick had a trainer/therapist come to the house. The man helped him exercise and train his body. Once Nick became used to the limitations of his 'new body', the trainer started to instruct him in different forms of martial arts.

They played war games, of sorts, to train Nick to rely on his human senses to capture an assailant. They had told the Instructor that Nick had sustained some brain damage and needed to have his physical skills retrained so that he could be a good detective again.

Natalie did some research and studied medical journals. Her expanding abdomen relayed the fact that the baby was growing strong and healthy.

Joe usually spent the day writing down the stories that Nick told them of his life, and in the evening, Nick would either go over Joe's notes, or tell them more stories. He told them about the mortals he had met during his travels. People like Shakespeare, Chopin, Mozart, Dali, Benjamin Franklin, and many others who had touched his life.

Natalie watched Nick grow more confident as he became familiar with, and learned how to use the strengths of his 'new' body again. At night, Nick studied the Bible, unable to get enough of it. Generally, the three of them would read the Bible and pray together just before heading off to bed.

Joe was very unintrusive. He tried to give the young couple as much privacy as possible. Sidney started to spend part of his night's with Joe, keeping him company. He had a spot picked out at the foot of Joe's bed. They had put in pet doors that allowed Sidney to wander between the two cabins through the enclosed passageway.

About three weeks after they moved into their new home, Natalie decided to invite Grace to come for a visit. Nick had a limo sent to the airport to pick her up when she arrived. When it drove up and their dear friend got out of the car, she was dressed to kill. She was wearing a body-hugging black satin dress, and a big black hat with a red silk rose that added a splash of bright color to the outfit.

As Natalie waddled up to her, she squealed, "Oh, girl, look at you!" She grabbed Natalie in a big bear hug, being careful of the growing baby.

Nick hurried down the steps to hug Grace, a big boyish grin on his face. He was delighted with their reunion. He'd noticed, lately, that Natalie seemed nervous. He had decided it was because of all the male influence around and no girl talk. She was, after all, having her first baby.

Nick glanced over at Joe's house and saw him peeking through his front window curtains. He'd been very adamant that he didn't need some single woman coming around, yet Nick had seen the idea take root in Joe's mind. Lately he'd seen a look in Joe's eyes that said the man was very much looking forward the Grace Balthazar's visit. He'd made an off-hand remark to Nick that Grace 'was a real looker.'

"Look at you, Nick!" The big woman teased. "I think you are getting a bit gray. It's about time! I thought you were going to stay the same forever."

Nick flashed Natalie a grin. "Well, I'd chose this life anytime," he said, indicating his pregnant wife. "Welcome to our humble abode, Grace. I'm so glad you're here. Nat's been beside herself all day waiting for your arrival."

Grace nodded, "Me too!" She wrapped her arm around Natalie, and they went into the house. Nick followed with a wide grin on his face. This was just what Natalie needed.

"Oh girl, would you look at this place!" Their guest exclaimed, as she walked through the front door. "Lucky gal, this is amazing!"

Sidney came over and wrapped himself around her feet.

"Well there you are, old friend." She said, picking the cat up and hugging him to her. "I've even missed you, bud." She scratched behind his ears as he purred happily.

Natalie smiled at her sassy cat, then said proudly, "It's a wonderful house, Grace." Taking the cat from the other woman, she hugged her friend again. "Boy, I've missed you!" she said.

"Me too, Nat," she replied, then got a gleam in her eye and whispered to Natalie, "Where's that gorgeous man?"

"Joe?" Natalie asked, grinning back at her.

"Yes, Joe! You think I'm talking about sasquatch?"

Natalie giggled, "I think he's hiding in his house. Go easy on him, Grace. I think he's really looking forward to this, but you know how it is... getting back into it all."

Grace sobered, "Yes, I do." She sighed remembering how she had felt when her husband was killed years go. They had just been kids.

"How's the morgue?" Natalie asked.

Grace said, with a twinkle in her eye, "They're still dying to get in..."

"Funny..." Natalie grimaced at the very 'old' joke.

Grace sighed, "It's not the same without you two there, Natalie. I miss you, Nick, always popping in and then suddenly disappearing like magic all the time. I never saw a man move so fast."

Nick only smiled. He thought it better not to comment for now.

Grace returned the smile, soft punching Nick's arm affectionately. "I'm so glad you two finally figured out you couldn't live without each other! There were times when I wanted to bash your heads together. The looks you gave each other made ME hot!"

She chortled. They were giving 'that look' to each other now . She continued, "I never could understand what kept you apart and then what suddenly changed."

She seemed to be waiting for an answer. Nick fingered the cross he wore on a long chain, around his neck. "Basically, it was a religious difference. I was finally able to accept Nat's beliefs."

"That couldn't have been all it was," Grace muttered.

Realizing that she wouldn't accept his simplistic answer, Nick added, "Also, I've lived my whole life in the dark... unable to see the sun. What kind of life would that have been for a wife and children?"

Grace nodded, but she still didn't looked totally convinced.

"Natalie, found a cure for my allergy. It freed me to love her, and my faith was renewed."

"Uh huh... " Grace said, a look of disbelief still on her face.

Nick sighed, going a bit further, "Do you believe in demon possession?"

That got her attention. "Yes," she admitted, wide eyed.

"Nick, had a very nasty one," Natalie said. "It would not allow him into the light. It took Angels, Grace! Faith and Angels... to free him. I saw the Angels! With the Lord's help, Nick was set free. He'd always been able to control it enough to work and live at night, but it would incapacitate him by day."

Nick filled in a little more. "I couldn't get to close to Natalie for fear it might harm her. We could only be friends."

"I DID see it on a few occasions," Natalie admitted to her flabbergasted friend.

"It seemed able to control Nick more when he allowed himself to love, so he kept everyone at arm's length. Well," she finished, "enough of this. It's over now and Nick is free to love and to live in the sun."

Grace still wanted more. "How did you know how to free yourself?"

"Natalie had been studying the Bible a lot, and we talked about the things she read. I finally realized that I had to ask the Lord to forgive me of my sins and I had to choose to let them go. I asked Him to cleanse me from the evil and all it had made me do. I had to let go of the overwhelming guilt and realize that it was something that had controlled me. The Lord forgave me and cleansed me. I'm so glad that He did."

Grace finally accepted this answer, at least for the moment. It was amazing, but she had seen his temper on occasion, and she could have sworn she'd seen his eyes glow once.

"What about the blood in the frig?..."

"What ?!" Nick and Nat said, in unison.

"That time they brought you in as a murder suspect, there was a forensics report about blood in your frig."

Nick sighed. This woman was too smart. "The demon fed on animal blood."

Grace shuddered, "It was like being a ...."

Both Nick and Natalie covered her mouth. "It's best not to say it out loud."

Grace nodded. "Okay, not another word." She hugged them both. "I'm just so happy for you both."

Natalie smiled, as Nick drew her close. "We're kind of happy about it all ourselves. Now come on and let me show you the rest of the house."

After the tour was over, Grace nudged Natalie. "Don't you think we could convince that hunk of a man away from his little house??

Natalie winked at her. "Okay, let's go see Joe. Someone has to break the ice, and it seems he's content to wait for us to do it."

They went through the covered passage between the houses and knocked on Joe's door. Momentarily, they heard the big man's footsteps.

Joe opened his door, a smile on his face.

Grace stepped toward him, and Joe reached out and took her hands. They stood and just stared at each other.

Nick and Natalie's eyebrows rose, and they exchanged silly grins. They could see the color start to rise on both their friends' dark cheeks.

Nick cleared his throat rather loudly, and the two jumped guiltily apart.

Joe recovered first. "It's good to see you again, Mrs.Balthazar."

"You too, Captain Reese," Grace answered, embarrassed by the completely unexpected warmth radiating from her cheeks.

"Joe. Call me, Joe," he said.

"Okay, Joe." She gave him a shy smile, "and you call me Grace."

"Grace, it is."

Natalie watched with interest. "How sweet," she thought. "There are definitely possibilities here... "

Nick suggested, "Pop, why don't you take Grace for a walk. Show her around the grounds?"

"Pop?" Grace repeated. Nick explained, "Yeah, we sort of adopted him."

He smiled affectionately at the older man, leaned toward Joe and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Grace stared. "Well, I see a lot has changed around here."

Natalie laughed at her. "You have no idea. Come on. Why don't you go up to your room and change. You might want to dress down a bit. Put on some comfortable shoes for that walking tour."

Grace was still staring at Joe and Nick. She shook herself mentally. "Okay. I'll meet you outside in about ten minutes, Joe."

Natalie and Grace went back to the main house, leaving Nick to stare at Joe. "Hey, Pop. Grace looks pretty good."

"Yeah, Nick. She looks REAL good."

Then he asked, "Why did you kiss me in front of her?" He was obviously embarrassed.

Nick apologized, "I'm sorry, but when I'm happy, it just seems natural. I love you, my friend and mentor. You've become the father I've always wanted." He tried, again, to explain about Vampire families. "Remember that I've mentioned that vampires always show a lot of affection when they are happy and a lot of abuse when they are angry. It's a hard habit to break even though I'm human now."

Joe looked at Nick. "Abuse? You've never talked about that much. I always knew LaCroix was pretty rough, but I didn't know it was that physical."

"Yeah... rough..." Nick said. "He beat me to within inches of a vampire's life, hundreds of times." He turned away from Joe to hide the tears that had welled up in his eyes. "I understand more now. I love him, and I know the man inside of him, loves me. Unfortunately, the demons within him can't stand love. They take over, and he becomes the monster they are." A tear escaped Nick's eye.

Joe saw it slide down his son's face from the side. He reached out and pulled Nick to his chest and held him firmly. "Pray for him, Nick. That's all we can do. The Lord promised you would be safe from him."

End Chapter 2


By Jeannie Ecklund Gersknightlady@cs.com





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