Inner Fire and the Light

by Olivia Jean Ecklund
Chapter 5

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.

Chapter 6

Joe went to Grace and held her close, as much for himself as for her.

LaCroix zeroed in on the sound and stumbled forward. Before the residents, the angels began to glow. LaCroix covered his eyes and cried out.

Janette held her hand up, shielding her eyes from the angelic light.

Their skin started to smoke.

LaCroix saw Nick through the light. "Nicholas," he whispered. Their eyes met.

There was such raw hunger and pain there that it tore at Nick's heart, and he started to move forward, but the angels blocked his path. They glowed brighter. The vampires were forced to go into their new home.

Nick was trembling so hard he could barely stand. "I must go to him," he cried.

Natalie was shocked that Nick would have rushed forward if the angels Hadn't been there.

Tess gripped Nick's shoulders with an iron grip. "No, Nick. First his hunger must be alleviated."

Janette nearly dragged LaCroix into their new home. She dropped him into a chair.

"Nicholassss..." he whispered again. The vampiress went to the kitchen and opened the frig. She was relived to see the familiar looking bottles. Grabbing one, she tore the cork out of it with her teeth as she crossed the room and handed it to him.

His claw-like hands grabbed the bottle, and he drank it down. He cried out as it seared him with pain and sheer delight. "Nicholas!" he whimpered, in wonder.

Janette found a glass, poured herself a draught, and sipped at the dark liquid. She closed her eyes and let the wine, sweet as nectar, slide across her tongue. She looked at LaCroix and realized that he had finished the rest of the bottle. There was a look of raw pleasure in his clear blue eyes.

"He still loves me," he croaked through dry, parched lips. Blood tears ran from his eyes. "I must sleep," he sighed.

"Come," she said. "I will take you to your room."

There was a knock on their door, and the young male angel entered. "I will take him to his room," he told Janette.

She pulled back. "He will burn if you touch him... "

"No, LaCroix will be safe with me as long as he does not fight me. The cleansing blood of the Lord, through Nick, is in him now."

Andrew found that LaCroix had already fallen asleep. He picked the wasted vampire up and carried the fragile creature to his room. The angel laid him on the bed, covered him and made sure the curtains were secure before he took a seat across the room to watch his sleeping charge.

Janette watched until the door closed, then she left and walked toward the big house. She could see, through the screen door, that Nick sat before the fire, holding tightly to Natalie.

She knocked on the door frame. "May I come in?" she asked.

Nick sat a bit taller as Janette came closer to him. "Thank you," she said softly.

"How is he?" Nick asked.

"He's sleeping. Andrew will watch over him."

Nick asked her, "Did you tell him why he is here?"

"No," she said. "I wanted him to come here and to drink the blood for a few days before he knows. He would never have come here like he is now if he knew why I brought him. We must weaken the demon's hold first so that he can think. Your blood has soothed him, Nichola. He felt your love."

Nick was shaking. The idea of LaCroix drinking his blood made his stomach lurch. He ran from the room to the bathroom by the kitchen. They could hear him retching.

Janette looked at Natalie with concern. "Will he be all right?"

Natalie pushed her hair back from her face. "He'll be okay. This is very hard for him. He wants to go to LaCroix, and yet his spirit tells him, 'No! Not yet.' There is an emotional battle raging inside of him."

"I know." The vampiress said, hearing the toilet flush. She saw Nick come out and head upstairs without looking back. "I can't tell you how much this sacrifice of his means to me." She touched Natalie?s arm. "I promise you, Natalie, I am no threat to you. I will not betray you again."

Natalie looked surprised at her admission.

"I knew Nichola loved you," she admitted to Natalie. "I saw it in his blood. He was so afraid to hurt you, yet so hungry for physical contact. LaCroix ordered me to make him come to me. He wanted Nichola to live like a Vampire and come back to us. Feeding from me was a step in that direction. A small one. It was never more personal than that. A kiss or two... and feeding..."

Natalie said, "I fed Nick, a couple of times." There was anger in her voice. "Feeding is physical... and so much more!"

Janette nodded. "Yes, you are correct. It is. Forgive me. It will, of course, never happen again. Excuse me, Natalie. I need to go see to LaCroix, and you should go see to Nick."

Natalie glared at her retreating back until the vampiress was gone. Suddenly, she realized that Monica was sitting at the computer. She felt ashamed at her outburst.

Monica commented, "It's all right for you to be angry, Natalie. That woman had no right to seduce Nick. She does sincerely regret her betrayal of you, but she is hardened. The Vampire spirit still controls her, no matter how in control she seems now. God has given this time for all of you to work out the anger and pain that has been caused by the evil of vampirism. You have a disadvantage. Nick has been a part of your life for only a few years. Their history goes back for centuries."

Natalie turned to her. "How do I compete with that?" she demanded loudly.

"You don't have to. Nick loves YOU with all his heart."

Natalie slumped into a chair and cried healing tears. If she could not believe an angel, who could she believe? "Thank you, Monica," she said, getting to her feet. "I need to go check on Nick."

She found him sleeping on their bed. Tess was sitting close to him, gently stroking his golden curls. She looked up as Natalie came in.

"Are you okay, Baby?"

Natalie nodded. "How's Nick?"

"Sleeping a restful, deep sleep." She stood and patted the bed. "Come on, Baby, get in beside your husband and get some sleep, too. I?m going down to talk to Joe and Grace."

Natalie whispered, "They belong together, Tess."

"That they do," the angel chuckled. "Now, Little Miss Matchmaker, go to sleep. We will watch over you. LaCroix's asleep and Janette is reading."

Natalie reached out and squeezed Tess' hand. "Thank you for taking care of him." The angel left and Natalie wearily changed, crawled into the bed and reached out to touch Nick. He moved into her arms, and they slept.

Grace and Joe sat in his living room, before the fire, praying. Tess had come by to talk to them and try to give Grace some peace of mind.

LaCroix's full vampire mode had scared her half to death. Being faced with the red-eyed demon had been a lot more "reality" than she had been prepared to face. Now she knew for certain there were vampires.

Joe had brought Grace in, shaking and crying with fear. He had held her close as they prayed until she grew calm. She was still afraid to go back to her room in the big house by herself, so he had walked her back through the passage and given her a final hug as he handed her over to Tess who walked up to her room with her.

Joe had returned to his place and continued to pray until dawn, then he had gone to bed.

The humans slept most of the day. When they finally straggled into the kitchen of the big cabin late that afternoon, Tess and Monica set a nutritious, tasty meal before them.

They were all pretty quiet, gearing up in their minds for the coming night. As the day faded, Nick became moody and sullen.

Janette came out of the house first. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Her hair was tied up in a pony tail, and her face had a clean scrubbed look sans make-up.

Natalie thought Janette looked more human than she had ever seen her before... very fresh and natural. She had to keep reminding herself, 'Vampire.'

The humans watched as she set some chairs out in front of her place. Then she came toward them. "Nichola, I'm going to have Andrew bring LaCroix outside. Will you join us??

Nick nodded, slowly. "Will you come, too?" he asked Natalie.

"Yes, of course," she said. Nick helped her down the stairs . They stood back until Andrew had seated LaCroix.

Janette placed a glass of bloodwine on a small table near him. She tucked a blanket around his legs.

Nick plopped into a chair about a yard away from LaCroix. He did not look his former master in the eyes.

Natalie stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders, trying to will him some courage.

Grace and Joe also stood with Nick, but a bit to the side.

LaCroix looked slightly better tonight. "Nicholas," he spoke gently.

Nick glanced up at him, unused to hearing that tone from his mentor.

LaCroix looked deeply into the young man?s eyes. "It is good to see you again, my son."

Nick opened his mouth to protest LaCroix's words, but Natalie squeezed his shoulders, so he asked instead, "Why have you done this to yourself?"

LaCroix turned angry. "You dare ask that! YOU pulled away. YOU left your people. YOU left ME!" He spat the words at his errant son.

Nick rose and turned away, thinking, "I can't do this." He wanted to go back to his home.

"Nicholas," - Fear flashed in LaCroix's eyes - "Please do not go. I will try harder. Please... just let me look at you."

Nick sat back down warily.

"Still the child I see. My golden child... " LaCroix?s hold on his emotions was so tenuous that he felt his eyes go amber and the beast assert control again. 'Why must we be flanked by these creatures?" he snarled.

"These creatures, as you put it, are here to protect me from you," Nick snapped back at him.

LaCroix's amber eyes turned red.

Nick jumped to his feet, grabbed Natalie and pulled her back toward the house.

LaCroix lunged forward. "Nicholas, you will not turn your back on me!" he screamed fiercely.

Andrew had moved quickly, throwing his arms around LaCroix. He held the vampire in his fiery grip.

LaCroix's eyes bled, and he snarled like a caged animal, fighting against his captor fiercely. "Nicholas, don't go!" He screamed in pure rage.

Janette ran to get a bottle of bloodwine for the beast, and Andrew held on. Grace and Joe had fled into the big house with their friends, keeping between the screaming fiend and the young couple. Andrew dragged LaCroix back into his house.

The four friends could hear him screaming, snarling and screaming some more. "Nicholas!" he would bellow in his rage. It went on filling the night air.

Nick tried to cover his ears, but couldn't stop the cries from piercing his brain. He wouldn't even let Natalie hold him. He paced the house like a trapped animal. Finally, he went to the piano and assaulted the keys. His fingers flew across the keyboard. The music was loud and tumultuous. Finally, LaCroix?s cries were drowned out.

Joe and Grace, thankful, watched in awe as Nick played. They were stunned by his skill.

After a long time, he stopped and there was only a deafening silence.

The cries had stopped. Natalie, with a tear-streaked face, came and sat beside him on the piano bench. She held him as he cried. They sat a long time in blessed silence.

Grace and Joe slipped out quietly through the back, not wanting to go anywhere near the house that held the tormented vampire.

Nick moaned, "Is this a punishment? Is this my penance... to face what I was in it's rawest form? How could I have ever existed like that?"

End Chapter 6


By Jeannie Ecklund Gersknightlady@cs.com





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