Author's Note: Well here goes nothing! Let's hope that I can wrap everything up into a neat little package with this chapter. There is still an epilogue to follow, so be on the alert for that. I have to thank EVERYONE who reviewed: you guys are delightful, motivational and the most fabulous bunch of folks that I could ever expect to have read my stuff. Please keep it up! Love you lots! I also love the CSI characters but in a cruel twist of fate, they are not mine. Neither are the lyrics – they are from the song "Hero" by Chad Kroeger f. Josey Scott.

* * *

I am so high, I can hear heaven.
I am so high, I can hear heaven.
Oh but heaven, no heaven don't hear me.
* * *

How can a place of such holiness and revere be the final stop for the path of evil? Isn't there an unwritten rule saying that evil is not welcome within the church's walls? The church is a place where the lost go to find their way. It is the place where the darkness gives way to the light. And it is the place where goodness still reigns supreme. How then can evil be allowed to step inside the church at all? This must be an indicator the strength and power that evil possesses. It can weasel its way into a place where it is clearly not welcome and then will wreak its evil ways upon those who try and stop. If evil does manage to permeate the barriers of sanctity and salvation, as it has done so her, isn't there supposed to be a higher power at work that can expel the evil with a wave of its hand?

* * *

Nick's eyes were trained on the barrel of the gun that was now pointed at his head. He knew that the fates were working against him, but he had to try and save himself. If not himself, then at the very least, he had to save Sara. He would put himself on the line if it meant that there was even a glimmer of hope that she would live. He would be her hero. He owed her that much. She had come here with him and entered willingly into the nightmare that had been Nick's life as of late. Nick couldn't let anything happen to her. He needed her to live. He cared about her so much that it hurt. It physically hurt him to think that she was going to fall victim to this madman. He would protect her, or die trying. He had to stall. He had to buy himself some time.

He wasn't sure he wanted to know the motivations that Parnell had had, but if he could get the man's focus off killing them, even for an instant, than there might be a faint chance for survival. It might mean re-entering the world of the damned but he had already been there once before. He had emerged victorious, if not unscathed. Surely he could venture into the world of bleakness and insanity once again? He had proved that he was stronger than the evil forces that were at work.

"Why did you do it?"

"It was the only way." The response was too calm.

Nick looked puzzled. "I'm not sure I understand. It was the only way for what?"

Parnell sighed as if Nick were being stupid on purpose. "Honestly, don't you see? It was the only way that I could do it. Killing Father Manilla and his friend was the only way that I could finally attain my rightful position in this world."

"The New Messiah" the words were a whisper. Then Nick asked the question that he had been dreading.

"You took over where Rachel left off, didn't you? You are finishing what she started?"

Now it was Parnell's turn to look puzzled. "What are you talking about? Who's Rachel? And what did she start?"

Nick stared at him. The look on Joseph Parnell's face told Nick that despite the madness that was raging within this man, he was being genuinely honest when he asked his questions.

"She killed her two children. She – she almost killed me. She claimed that she was the 'New Messiah' and that she was going to purge the world of the dreamers, of the good people who wanted nothing more than success. I just thought –"

"That what? I would take over some failed attempt of some mere mortal?" Parnell's voice reverberated off the holy walls. "Do you think that I am that weak? I don't know her, but I admire her determination. She tried to attain the status of the New Messiah but clearly she did not know what she was doing. If she had, then she would not have failed. There is, and ever will be, one New Messiah – and I am it!"

This was getting more and more bizarre by the moment. Nick would have never thought it possible to find someone more deranged than Rachel, but somehow he had managed it. If he hadn't been in Church he might have taken a moment to curse at God for the sick game that was being played with his life. He held back only because it is awfully rude to come into someone's house and read them the riot act. Besides, in this house, he was pretty sure that such a display would not only be rude, but sacrilegious. He held his tongue and tried to make sense of the senseless ramble that was springing forth from Joseph Parnell. Things just didn't add up.

"Look, man, I don't know exactly what you're playing at, so why don't you clear a few things up for me?"

"Very well but do make it quick. I really must be killing the two of you and getting on my way"

Nick tried to not to physically shudder at the calmness in Parnell's voice. Pushing those comments aside, he forged ahead with his questions. "How about we start with why you killed Father Manilla and Rodney Thorpe? I know you said that you needed it to – what was it? Oh right, 'attain your rightful position' and whatnot, but tell me what that position is. And why they had to die for you to get it."

Parnell was giving him a look as if the answer was so obvious that he couldn't believe that Nick was even asking the question.

"I killed them because my rightful place is as the New Messiah. Father Manilla walked around here claiming that he was the embodiment of God. I mean, he never actually said that, but you could tell. He preached and preached but he was all talk. That's all priests are. They claim that they speak the word of the Lord, but you know what they say: Talk is cheap. You need to show what you can do. You know: you need to put up, or you need to shut up. And I finally realized that he couldn't do what I could. He couldn't change things. I needed him out of the way so that I could step forth and spread my brand of holiness. His friend, well he was nothing more than a sacrifice for me."

Nick could feel Sara stirring in his arms, but he couldn't shift his attention now. This was the most critical point.

"So you killed a priest? Man you know you're going to burn in hell for that!"

"You fool!" Parnell's voice rose yet again. "Don't you understand? There is no hell. There is no heaven. There is only this pathetic existence. But I was going to change that. I was going to bring the knowledge. People everywhere would know me as their saviour. I was going to protect them."

"Protect them from what, exactly?"

"From the lies! From the truth! I was going to ensure that the human race would never again fall pray to the half-truths and full lies that the priest put forth."

"What lies did he tell you Mr. Parnell?"

Joseph Parnell twitched slightly. His face was flushed and he looked like a preacher. A crazed preacher, but a preacher nonetheless.

"He told me that there was salvation! He told me that prayer would be the answer! But most importantly, he told me that there was a God somewhere out there. But that's a damn, dirty lie! If there was a God, why didn't he save them? Why did he let them die?" The voice reached fever pitch.

Nick felt that faint twinge of compassion again. He couldn't help it. Parnell seemed really lost to himself. "Who didn't God save Mr. Parnell?"

"Everyone! The children, the innocent, all of them! He let them all die! If there really was a God, then there would be no death, no suffering, and no pain. But there is! That is why I had to get rid of Father Manilla. He was corrupting the minds of the people who trusted them. He told them about God and all the good that He would bring. But every night I would pray to Father Manilla's God and every night more pain and suffering would come into existence. That's when I knew that he had lied. There was no God. But there will be a New Messiah. I will end all of the hurt and the suffering. I will defend the innocent. I will be their saviour."

* * *

Someone told me that love would all save us.
But how can that be?
Look what love gave us.
A world full of killing, and blood-spilling, that
world never came.

* * *

Grissom was praying. He didn't know what else he could do. He could only pray that Nick and Sara would be alive when they got there. Catherine was clutching his hand. Warrick looked like he was watching some strange play that was unfolding before his eyes. He looked like a spectator, not a participant. They were all hoping and praying. They could do nothing more.

* * *

Nick looked at Parnell with a mixture of pity, amazement and horror. This was not the answer he had been expecting. This was so unlike what Rachel had believed. Yes, Joseph too felt that he needed to seek revenge upon a world that had forsaken him, but unlike Rachel, his war was with something far bigger than life itself. His attack was being waged on the creator of life. His hatred was directed at goodness. The fight was suddenly the classic battle between good and evil. Somehow, somewhere, a compassionate man named Joseph Parnell had lost his way. He looked at the world and saw the pain and suffering that encompassed it and lost all faith. He fell out of God's world and entered a world of darkness and hate. He believed that God had turned his back on them. No, it was worse than that. He believed that there was no God. One must be dancing with the devil to go so far as to believe that what they once knew to be true is now a total lie. To Joseph Parnell, God had become a fallacy in his head. And in his own warped way, he thought that he was doing the right thing. He wanted to do the right thing. It is like the proverb says: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Nick was simultaneously saddened and angered by Parnell. The man was on a mission. But when you dance with the devil, you don't get to lead. Now Parnell found himself trapped in the devil's waltz: a painful dance that will lead to nowhere but damnation. Joseph Parnell was too far gone to see how wrong he was.

"Mr. Parnell, I know that you want to help people. But you killed two men. How is that protecting them?" Nick kept his voice soothing.

"I don't know! But it had to be done! It was the only way that I could step into my rightful role. Now, please Nick, enough with the questions. I have already wasted enough time. There are people out there just waiting to be saved and I am sitting here trying to justify what I have done to you. I owe you nothing! You are just like the rest of them – you and her both. You don't care! You don't care at all!" He raised his gun again.

* * *

And they say that a hero can save us.
I'm not gonna stand here and wait.
I'll hold on to the wings of the eagles.
Watch as we all fly away.

* * *

There was nothing Nick could do. Parnell aimed and Nick watched with resigned horror as his finger began to pull back on the trigger. This was it. This was the way it was going to end. He had finally found his way back onto the road of life, and again the evil was going to put up a roadblock. But this time there could be no happy ending. There was no way that Parnell could miss at that distance. Nick's final thought was of Sara, and how much he wished he had told her how he felt.

BANG!

Nick was mildly surprised. Well, if this was dying, it wasn't so bad. It wasn't the way he remembered it. There was no pain, no paralyzing fear, and no bright light. In fact, his mind was remarkably clear. It took someone shouting for him to open his eyes. He realized then that he wasn't dead; he hadn't even been hit. He was still on the floor, except Sara was no longer in his arms. Instead, she had launched herself at Parnell and hit him around the midsection at the same time he had fired. It must have taken every ounce of strength that she had. Nick marvelled inwardly at her determination and her willpower. The shot that Parnell had fired had missed Nick's head by inches, and instead had found its way into the wall behind him. It was Sara who was yelling to him now, trying to get Nick to help her as she wrestled with Parnell. Nick found his legs and had taken exactly two and three quarter steps towards were Sara and Joseph were wrestling on the floor when another gunshot resounded throughout the hallowed building. And for the second time that evening, the gunshot was followed by a scream. And then the sound of silence.
* * *

"Jesus!" Catherine's panicked cry echoed throughout the Tahoe as they listened in horror to the sounds of gunfire.

In a world of noise and chaos, the only sounds that the rest of the team could hear were that of their own heartbeat and the sounds of the shots from inside the building. The car had barely stopped before Brass had leapt out. He hit the ground running and yelled at the CSI's to wait in the car as he raced to get his team in place. Despite his warnings, he knew full well that Grissom, Catherine and Warrick would follow him in. He also knew that he would make no move to stop them.

Brass and his men raced to the building and quickly had the small church surrounded. At Brass' word the teams burst through the doors. The frantic CSI's followed, without once thinking about their personal safety as they entered an unlikely war zone. As they made their way into the church, their hearts collectively stopped. Nick was sitting on the floor with Sara in his arms, as her blood pooled around him. For an agonizing instant, they all thought the worst. Then they realized that Sara was conscious and Nick was comforting her. Still unsure of exactly what had happened, they made their way towards their fallen team mates. As they got closer they realized that the blood wasn't Sara's. She was covered in it, but it didn't come from her. It was the blood of Joseph Parnell, or what was left of him. She looked up at them with teary eyes.

"He shot himself" the words were punctuated by a sob. She was crying partly out of shock, and partly out of sorrow. She had heard the last parts of his speech and like Nick, she felt compassion for him. She obviously didn't condone his actions, but she could understand his motivations. He had wanted to save the world. But foolishly, he had turned on God, blaming Him for what was wrong with society. But anyone who blames God must think: What kind of masochist God do you believe in? It is not His fault that things go so wrong. It is the devil that will lead us astray. Sara knew that the soul of Joseph Parnell would never be at rest. He had made a choice, and it was the wrong one. She was simply relieved that it was over. As the team began to swarm around them, she leaned back into the safety of Nick's arms and slipped into a peaceful unconsciousness.

* * *

Sara's Hospital Room – Two Days Later

Nick watched Sara as she slept. Warrick would be here soon and he would stay with her for a while. Nick would go home, shower, maybe sleep a little and then come back. He couldn't bear to be away from her for too long. He wanted to be with her, yet he felt oddly uncomfortable in her presence now. He had confronted his feelings about her, but he knew he would never tell her. He had talked to her a lot in the last few days and he had learned something. She had told him that she understood Joseph Parnell. She said that she wished that there was a hero out there who could do what Parnell had wanted to. She wished there was someone who could protect the innocent and make the world a safe place at last. Her ideals were lofty and Nick had felt his heart sink. He could bring her many things, but peace and happiness for all was not one of them. He slipped out of the hospital. The nightmare was over at last, but he found that he suddenly had a new set of demons to wrestle with.

* * *

Now that the world isn't ending, it's love that I'm sending to you.
It isn't the love of a hero, that's why I fear it won't do.

* * *