N&N Packers, consider this a present-- anyone who knows my writing knows I don't do happy endings like this very often. But the song is one of my favorites, and I couldn't resist. Standard disclaimers apply, Nick Knight and crew do not belong to me. "Heaven't Gift", also called "Silence", belongs to an Acappella group called 'Insideout', and I thank them for the inspiring music. Deepest gratitude to the Old St. Mary's Church website, where I got the Latin. Anyone can archive this, just tell me where to find it. Heaven's Gift (1/1) It was quiet, quieter than anything he'd experienced since he was a boy. The only audible sound was the slight crackle of burning wax from the row of candles in the middle of the room. He had forgotten that any place could be so silent. Nick shifted his weight and watched his shadow flicker and slide in the candlelight, shadow overlapping shadow, creating a montage of light and dark and every shade of gray. It was so quiet here. So very, very quiet. The silence and the darkness seemed to settle into his very bones. It felt good. *In the silence all I hear, Is the burning of the candles. And in the darkness all I see, Are the shadows of the shadows. And yet it feels so light.* An involuntary smile spread across Nick's face as he turned from the painting he had been contemplating and looked across the empty cathedral. He took a deep breath, as though to fill himself with the essence of this holy place, and the smile broadened. *And time stands still.* High above him, the bells tolled five. he thought, bemused. Sunrise would be soon, but after spending all night in the darkened church, the waking world seemed... a dream. When you spent a long time in the darkness, it was easy to forget that there was anything else. That there was light. *Today becomes tomorrow, As morning breaks the night, And turns a world of heartfelt sorrow Into joy,* Glancing up at the ornate stained glass windows, he thought he could detect the slightest glow, the first stirring of dawn. He felt his heart speed a little in anticipation of the coming day. *And darkness into light.* He returned, then, to the altar where he had spent most of his solitary night, praying. Kneeling, he rested his arms on the bar. It was well-worn, polished by the hundreds and hundreds of souls who had knelt here before, offering their prayers to God, pleading, thanking, promising, repenting. Now he added his silent voice to theirs, and somewhere deep inside, he knew that he was heard. At the back of the church, he heard the door open and close again briefly, but he didn't turn to see who it was. *When I consider Heaven's gift, And yet my soul so undeserving,* "I thought I'd find you here." Nick felt a warm hand slip into his as Natalie knelt beside him. He smiled, but didn't take his eyes from the altarpiece. "Old traditions." *I've found a love that never ends, And a spirit ever serving.* They knelt there together as the room slowly lightened, bringing to life colors and details that had been invisible, covered by the night. The stained glass windows on the east side of the cathedral glowed in rich, unearthly tones, casting multicolored streaks of light across the floor and benches and tinting the air itself with breathtaking hues. The light stretched, seemed to quiver for a several endless minutes, then shrank slowly into the more ordinary light of early morning. *And yet it feels so light, And time stands still. Today becomes tomorrow As morning breaks the night, And turns a world of heartfelt sorrow Into joy, And darkness into light.* Natalie leaned over and kissed his cheek. "They're waiting for us," she whispered. This time, Nick did turn to look at her, smiling. "Then I guess we'd better go." Still hand-in-hand, they exited into the early-morning sunlight. "Gratias Domini nostri Christi, et caritas Dei, et communicatio Sancti Spiritus sit cum omnibus vobis." "Et cum spiritu tuo." "Gratia vobis et pax a Deo Patre nostro et Domino lesu Christo." "Benedictus Deus Pater Domini nostri lesu Chriso." Nick glanced out of the corner of his eye at Natalie. A few moments later, she glanced back, and they both smothered idiotic grins, turning their attention back to the priest, who pretended not to notice. Nick could hear her voice as well as his own, raised to the timeless rhythm of a Latin Mass. He considered for a second how grateful his knees were for the cushion, then Natalie's hand stole out and entwined itself with his. He glanced at her again. Her smile wasn't silly anymore, but gentle and triumphant and full of an impossible love. He squeezed her hand, and didn't let go. *As you're kneeling by my side, And you lift your heart to heaven.* The choir was singing now, and Nick let his eyes roam around the vaulted ceilings and windows, the beautiful carvings and paintings, and wondered that he could feel a part of something so grand and glorious. It was a part of him, now and forever. *My spirit's eyes are opened wide, And my soul can see forever.* "Dominus vobiscum." Nick pulled his thoughts back to the Mass as the priest began the Eucharistic Prayer. "Et cum spiritu tuo." "Sursum corda." *And then it feels so light!* An hour was both longer and shorter than it should have been. *And time stands still.* Before they knew it, they were running down the steps as the small group of friends and Natalie's family pelted them with rice, calling good wishes. *Today becomes tomorrow, As morning breaks the night.* Natalie was giggling breathlessly by the time they made the limousine, shaking rice from her hair. "Amy's a good shot!" she exclaimed. *And turns a world of heartfelt sorrow Into joy.* Nick squirmed in his tux. "Tell me about it, I think she got some down my shirt!" Natalie laughed at him as he untucked the shirt let several grains of rice fall to the limo floor. "You ready?" the driver asked, glancing back over his shoulder. Nick grinned. Taking Natalie's hand once more, he directed his answer to her. "Yeah. We are." *And darkness into light!* The limo merged into the traffic, headed toward the reception hall, and a new life. End "Eternal nights too short, How quickly melt away, With all the love we shared once, Forever in a Day."