7/23/09: Edited for original upload errors caused by text editor.

Touched By An Angel was about angels helping people.

Forever Knight was about a vampire family--one of whom sought redemption.

I wrote the crossover, but don't own either property.

Chapter 7: What Child is This?

Andrew shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. His compassionate heart cried out to help the younger vampire, but he knew the elder would not allow it. As with so many of his past assignments as an Angel of Death, he would have to be patient and wait. At least it was unlikely that this case would require him to witness his assignment's death.

Father, please, Andrew asked pleadingly, what is wrong with him?

Grief and great fear. Eight centuries of sorrow weighing upon his mind. His conscience refuses to let go his burden, what he thinks is his punishment from Me. My child cannot comprehend that I am willing to bear it all for him. He believes I mean to condemn him to the Enemy.

How can I help and tell him the truth if the sire won't let me near? Andrew asked, remembering the look in Lacroix's eyes and the feel of cold fingers pressing upon his windpipe when the Elder had been squeezing the angel's throat.

Beware, Andrew, Evil desires my child for Itself, and means to take him. You must be vigilant.

Lacroix, Father? Is Lacroix the evil you speak of, Father? The angel shuddered. He could well imagine that one in league with Satan. There was so much violence in him, so furious a rage. Surely he must be akin to a demon?

Lucien Lacroix is mine as well. Look with my eyes, my angel, and see them as I do.

As he was bid, Andrew studied the pair huddled on the ground and tried to look at them as God did. Warmth suffused him and suddenly he could feel what they were feeling.

Drowning, drowning, drowning. Darkness wrapping itself around him, poking and oozing as it tried to find a way in. Nonononono! He couldn't let it! Natalie! What would Natalie think if he gave in?! Lacroix! Where was his father? Had he finally been abandoned? Got his wish? No! He didn't mean it!

(Lacroix does not want a failure for his son. Lambert is dead. With me. Give in, and you will keep your promise to be with her.)

With you..? No.. God would not talk with such as me. I am damned.

(You would defy your God? Give yourself to me, you miserable wretch!)

"Nicholas!" a familiar voice burst through the angry demands.

An anchor against the tenacious pull of the water drowning him in memory and pain? He gripped at it, but its hard surface cut into his hands. This had hurt him before. Hadn't he ran from it for hundreds of years? He should let it go. But... the dark water--he was so afraid of the dark waters. Endure the pain or the terror of the deep current...?

"Nicholas! Mon enfant, mon coeur, listen to me! Center on my me."

The mesmerized vampire blinked slowly, as if making up his mind which was more real, the water with its not-quite-there shapes and cruel voice? Or the other voice, also demanding his obedience?

"Nicholas, pay attention to me---this instant."

He could almost hear the water protest as he dutifully turned his attention from its inky depths in order to attend to the more familiar, though equally demanding, voice.

"Lacroix?"

Nicholas looked up questioningly into the stern face of his maker, feeling the anger as well as concern leaking through the elder vampire's being. It didn't matter. Lacroix would protect him from the water. He was safe from the siren now. If only he could forget...

Whimpering piteously, Nicholas buried his tearful face into his father's neck in order to sink his fangs into the soft flesh over the jugular, greedily sucking down the cold blood that spurted into his mouth. Feeling his sire stiffen, he grasped him tighter, afraid that Lacroix's momentary display of affection was over and that he would be pushed away, but the older vampire merely shifted to give him better access.

Unfortunately, even an ancient could only tolerate so much blood loss, and after a minute, he was forced away.

"Nicholas? Are you feeling well enough to fly home now?"

"Tired," came the mumbled response. "So...tired."

"Of course you are"---gentle stroke on the forehead, a mental command to sleep pushed through the bond---"We will discuss this later."

Ashamed, Andrew realized that he had let outwardly appearance and his own limited perspective color his views. The love of father and son for each other was intense, just clouded by fear and uncertainty.

Father, forgive me, he prayed. I thought I had lost my bigotry, but I see now that I have been blind.

Without warning, Adam appeared at his side in angelic form, invisible to anyone but his fellow Angel of Death. He frowned at the vampires, but his eyes were bright with unshed tears.

"General Lucius of Pompeii---who now calls himself Lucien Lacroix---was not raised in a loving home or society, Andrew," he began by way of hello. "His father was brutal to him; His mother only there for a short period of his life. He lived a mortal lifetime in loneliness with only the soldiers under his command and prostitutes for company as he expressed his anger by ruthlessly cutting down all that opposed the power of the Roman Empire. When he sired a daughter through one of the latter, custom dictated that he not acknowledge her as his, yet he loved her dearly: his Divia. But she fell to the Enemy. I was her caseworker."

Andrew swallowed. It was always hard for them to speak of past failures, and he empathized with his friend's anguish.

"Oh, Adam, I'm so sorry."

"A vampire claiming to be a healer changed her when she was dying of a sickness. But she did more than become a vampire..."

Pained eyes gazed at his sympathetic friend as Adam looked away into the horizon.

"She was my assignment. And she chose to embrace the Beast, Andrew. She wanted to be like her illustrious father, victorious over her enemies, unstoppable; so she willingly took in a demon who offered her power. Then the demonized girl offered her sire to share eternal life with her as Mt. Vesuvius erupted around them. He accepted. But the demon was not content to have just the daughter, it wanted Lucius as well, so it made a very indecent proposal to him. But to Lucius' credit, the demon miscalculated the General's depravity. He was so horrified by what she had asked of him, that he beheaded her and entombed the body in Egypt. He thought she was dead, yet the demon allowed her to live through the millennia in that tomb, Andrew--waiting--until grave robbers accidentally freed it. Then it came looking to avenge itself on him by destroying everything he knew. Everyone that she/it learned was his friend and was there in Toronto. She left Nicholas for last, because it knew he was the most precious to the Ancient. Thanks be to the Father that it failed and was destroyed."

Turning back to Andrew, Adam sighed heavily.

"But all of this scarred Lacroix, Andrew. As Nicholas has trouble accepting forgiveness, Lucien does not know how to express his love in God's way. His fear of being alone and unloved forever made him terribly possessive of his children; as his son, Nicholas bore the brunt of it. The son of a Roman man was expected to behave as his father saw fit--unmoved by emotion--subservient to his sire's every whim without question. Yet Nicholas grew up in a much different environment: one where emotion was freely expressed. He could not subdue his inborn lust for life to just those times and levels that Lacroix wanted---so it was their views clashed terribly...

---------------------Flashback: 1920's Europe-------------------

Sam and Adam watched unseen as Nicholas de Brabant walked along an alley happily clutching a plain, wrapped package. Suddenly there was a whooshing sound and he hastily jammed the bundle inside his open jacket. Lacroix appeared and confronted his son:

"Where have you been?" he asked in a deceptively pleasant voice.

Nicholas looked slightly nervous as he evaded the question.

"Walking."

"You cannot lie to me, Nicholas. You are not capable."

The elder stepped closer, blocking off Nicholas's escape with his sheer presence as he repeated his question. The younger fidgeted a little, clearly trying to hide the package under his jacket and the elder noticed this.

"What is that?"

Nicholas swallowed and looked away.

"I will not ask you again."

With a resigned air, the former knight reluctantly handed over the package to his sire, waiting while his father looked over the bundle.

Lacroix chuckled softly as he indicated the confiscated item, "Ancient medicinal herbs? Rare Chinese elixirs?" At last the layer of pleasantness begins to fade away to show the true foundation of disgust underneath. "Nicholas still searches for a cure," he growled before tossing the bundle to the ground. Nicholas' eyes followed it with longing, but Lacroix stepped even closer. "Why didn't you just tell me you had been to the apothecary's? We've no need for secrets between us."

Without warning, the elder reared back and slapped his son hard across the face, his eyes and fangs bared.

"And this is how you thank me! This is how you repay me!"

Nicholas found himself pushed closer to a brick wall; Lacroix's close proximity taking away any possibility of escape.

"This has nothing to do with you, Lacroix."

The words are hardly out of his mouth before he was lifted up and rammed against the bricks, pinned to the man-made surface by strong hands grasping his lapels. Adam and Sam could see that Nicholas was frightened of the other's explosive anger and half expect him to fight back as they have witness him do many times before---usually resulting in the knight being beat to a pulp for his defiance; however, he continued his subservient demeanor by holding himself limp, doing his best not to arouse his sire's rage any more than it already was.

"OF COURSE ITS TO DO WITH ME!!" the elder roared. "I gave you life! I gave you power! I gave you my eternal protection! And now...you want to go back?! CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW THAT MAKES ME FEEL!"---The amber eyes glowed with his indignation---"You will stop this pathetic search for a cure. You make a fool of yourself and a fool of me. You are my creation, Nicholas, made in my image!"

Eyes half closed against the demonic visage of the Roman, Nicholas nearly sobbed: "Then I... am a monster."

Letting his grip falter, Lacroix winced as if he had been stabbed: a devoted parent stung by the words of an ungrateful child. He took a step back, eyes once again their normal ice blue, but his voice infused with pain.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

Eyes on the point of tears, Nicholas' own voice was laden with sorrow.

"I did nothing to you, Lacroix. You did this." Visibly steeling himself, he continues, "Perhaps there is no cure. But that won't stop me from trying. Kill me if you wish, but either way...I will leave you."

With that, Nicholas walked away, leaving the ruined bottles where Lacroix had tossed them. The ancient watched him go, but his own features hardened as he softly declared under his breath: "Never."

Sam looked over to Adam, and they both sighed. God wanted these two to reconcile, for their own sakes and for the safety of the world. But would they ever?

---------------------------End Flashback------------------------

"We've kept tabs on them ever since the Enemy made his interest known," Adam told Andrew. He ruefully rubbed the back of his neck, "and it hasn't been pretty to watch. Do you know Lacroix even got jealous when a dog befriended his son? Had it turned and left Nick to do the dirty work when it went mad from blood hunger and had to be destroyed. Poor Nick was devastated. If Sam hadn't stopped me, I would have..." He paused to give a rueful grin. "But then the old bastard would do something really 'fatherly' like save his life when some charlatan 'healer' Nick had subjugated himself to turned out to be more of a disciple of Mary Shelley's Dr. Frankenstein. His behavior certainly makes it hard to figure out which team to root for."

"Okay," Andrew nodded, "I've gotten that impression already. And I understand the need for me to have these in order to be accepted in their Community," he opened his mouth slightly to show the tips of the two fangs gracing his upper jaw. "But I still don't see what I can do here."

Adam, however, had his attention on something other than his friend's plaintive question. He looked up toward the sky with narrowed eyes.

"They're coming."

"Coming?" Andrew blinked at him before following his gaze. Even with his enhanced vision, he saw no one. "Who's coming?"

"Something that is truly Evil."

With that cryptic---and rather alarming message---Adam disappeared, leaving a bewildered Andrew alone with the vampires.

Lacroix was watching him with a suspicious eye. Frankly, Andrew had had enough of that look.

"Lacroix. I just want to help you and your son, but you act like I'm you're worst enemy."

The senior vampire snorted. "Don't pretend with me. I know who you are."

"That's fine...just great," Andrew exclaimed, letting his frustration show. If something really bad was heading his way, he'd rather not have to fight on two fronts. "Would you mind telling me then? Because I haven't the faintest idea who I am in your eyes."

His little burst of levity made the Roman lift an eyebrow in surprise. This ancient was not acting at all like he had expected; yet, why else would such an ancient be visiting Toronto? Perhaps this was a trick to throw him even further off-balance? If so, he would not fall for it. Clenching his jaw, he looked Andrew dead in the eye as he hissed:

"You...are the Interviewer."

Review Answers:

Magda1: Yeah, it would take divine intervention to deal with the depth of Nicholas's angst. Nothing less would stand a chance. ;-P

Louie Pastiche: I appreciate readers, really. Though I mainly write because I want more of the characters I love and other writers aren't doing my kind'a stories. grins

Elendil: Yeah, Divia was one piece of work. Didn't like that episode myself... in fact the whole 3rd season was mainly the studio execs working to kill the show. #### them!

Wanderer D: Save the praises for the end—if you still feel like giving them then. Then the embarrassing silence won't be such a shock to my system. Heh.

CAL: Cool? And here I was going for hot. ;)