MORIAH:  COMING OF AGE
By:  Joni Latham

CHAPTER 1

     Moriah yawned and stretched out on the ledge of the building
as she watched the humans walking on the sidewalks below.  She
was in the habit of spending several nights a week perched atop a
different building around the city, watching these poor souls
walk through their mundane lives.  When she saw the need, she
would soar down to their defense, protecting them from harm.  She
was glad that she was no longer a member of the species that she
had adopted as her children.  As a vampire, she was more content
and happier than she had ever been in her life as a human.  She
enjoyed her vampire powers and the freedoms that they afforded
her.  Most of all, she had found the love of her life and was
very happy with the cards that fate had dealt her.  She sighed
contentedly and continued to stare at the streets and sidewalks
below.
     Two hours before dawn as she lay on the ledge and watched
the proceedings below, she felt the tingling sensations that
informed her that her brother, Nick, was somewhere close.  They
considered themselves siblings, because they were both brought
across by the same vampire master, LaCroix.
     Nick landed on the roof behind her and walked up, then sat
on the ledge beside her.  A smile crept across his face as he
looked down at her stretched out on the ledge.  She was such a
refreshing breath of light in the dark world of vampires.  A
light that he did not want to see extinguished.  He would do what
he had to do to ensure that did not happen; hence, his visit to
her now.
     "Hi, Nick," she said, lifting her head and looking at him. 
"What are you doing here?"
     Nick kissed her cheek.  "I came by to check on you.  I
cannot believe that you actually come out in the evenings and
watch over the humans," he said, shaking his head.  "We are the
only two vampires that I know who care what happens to the
humans.  I know why I do it.  I became a cop to try to redeem
myself for all the lives that I have taken.  But you have never
taken a human life.  Why do you do it?"
     Moriah smiled.  "I have special talents, and I believe in
using my talents to the best of my abilities.  I don't lack for
anything in my life.  Lucien gives me everything that I need, so
why not help the humans.  It gives me a purpose and they deserve
it."
     He shook his head.  "You never cease to amaze me. I
interfered in your relationship with LaCroix when you were human. 
My interference resulted in you running off to Texas where you
were pursued by the red-neck vampires, I believe you call them. 
To save you from them, LaCroix brought you across and you still
forgave me.  I can't believe that I was ever against you being
with him."
     She stared at him.  "You just didn't see the side of him
that I did.  I always meant to ask, how you found out about us?"
     "Well, I saw you leave a concert with him one night.  I
couldn't believe that you were with him after my warning, so I
followed you for several nights just to be sure."
     "Then, you decided to make my life hell," she said, shaking
her head.  "Oh well, that's in the past now.  This is not just a
social visit, is it?  There is something wrong, isn't there?"
     He hesitated.  "Well, I came to tell you about a situation
that has a risen which I feel that you should be made aware.  I
don't think that LaCroix has any intention of telling you, so I
guess it's up to me."
     Moriah stared into his eyes.  "This sounds serious.  Why
won't he tell me?"
     "It is serious, very serious.  He feels that he is
protecting you.  I, on the other hand, feel that you can't be
protected if you are oblivious to the situation."
     "Well, Nick, what is it?" Moriah demanded.
     "Do you know much about LaCroix as a human and his own cross
over?"
     She shook her head.  "No, we never discuss his past."
     "LaCroix has a daughter or at least, he recognizes her as
his daughter.  Her name is Divia and not only is she his
daughter, but she is also his master."
     A disgusted look crossed Moriah's face.  "You mean that she
brought her own father across.  Nick, that sounds a little sick."
     Nick smiled weakly.  "That is something that we both agree
on, but you haven't heard the half of it yet.  Their relationship
has always been very volatile.  Eventually, LaCroix betrayed
Divia and she has never forgiven him.  When he realized how
demented she was, he sealed her in a tomb for eternity, but some
fool released her.  I never understood why she didn't destroy him
if she was so angry with him.  I have always thought that she
loved him in her own twisted way.  Now I know that to be true."
     "Why?"
     "She has returned to make him her lover."
     Moriah shuttered.  "Nick, this is getting sicker."
     "I know," he said, quietly.  "Anyway, LaCroix turned her
down.  He wouldn't tell her why he wouldn't do it, because he
didn't want her to know about you.  She was livid."  He paused. 
"I cannot believe how much he cares for you and wants to protect
you."
     "Well, go on," Moriah urged.  "What happened?"
     "Day before yesterday, we started finding vampire corpses
around town.  Divia is killing all of LaCroix's known associates. 
She is starting with the ones that are mere acquaintances and
working her way towards his closest associates.  If she finds out
about you, she will kill you last as his ultimate punishment."
     "She won't take my head that easy."
     "She attempted to kill Vachon last night."
     "No!" Moriah cried.  "You said attempted, he is all right,
isn't he?  He never bothers anyone."
     Nick took her hand in his.  "Yes, he is fine, just a little
shaken.  She doesn't care what sort of person you are.  In a way,
she is much worse than LaCroix.  I'm telling you this, because I
want you to be careful.  I don't want to lose you.  I like having
a little sister, a real little sister."
     "I'll be careful, but she won't take me without a fight."
     "I don't doubt that one bit, but for LaCroix's sake and
mine, would you please stay in the club or your apartment until
this situation is resolved?"
     "I will try, but you know me, I can't stay cooped up for
long."
     He touched her cheek.  "If you have to be out, wait for
LaCroix or call me."
     Moriah kissed Nick's cheek.  "I will try," she promised.
     Nick stood.  "I have to go back on duty," he said.  "I will
see you later.  Please be careful."
     "Nick, you should be careful, too.  She'll come after you,
too, you know," Moriah said, standing up and touching his cheek.
     "I will," he said, flying away.
     After Nick left, she sat back on the ledge and stared at the
sidewalk below, thinking about Nick's message.  She never knew
that LaCroix had a daughter, because they never discussed his
past.  The fear of making moral judgments kept her curiosity in
check when it came to his past.  She knew that he had been very
evil, he was the "vampire's vampire."  She did not need or want
to know the details, because she was perfectly happy living with
LaCroix, and his past did not matter.  She wondered how much time
she had before Divia discovered her existence and came for her. 
Asking LaCroix was out of the question, because she did not want
to cause Nick any trouble.  He obviously did not want her know,
and if she asked him, she would have to admit that Nick told her,
then he would be angry with Nick.  She became so lost in her
thoughts that she was not doing the humans any good, so she
decided to go home.
     She flew to the apartment that she shared with LaCroix.  It
was located over THE RAVEN, an exclusive club for vampires, owned
and operated by LaCroix.  She knew that he would be in the CERK
radio booth in a corner of the club, broadcasting the
Nightcrawler program, so she would have the apartment to herself
for a while.  Not wanting to run the risk of encountering him,
she entered through the back of the club and walked up the stairs
to the apartment.  Once inside, she built a fire in the
fireplace, then poured herself a glass of blood from a bottle in
the refrigerator.  She curled up on the sofa with her glass and
watched the flames, licking against the top of the chamber.
     Moriah was not scared.  Death did not scare her.  Her
concern was more for LaCroix and Nick, than herself.  Before he
had met her, LaCroix had a reputation of being purely evil and
nasty.  It had been a long time since he had known peace and
contentment and Moriah had brought him that.  She worried that if
something happened to her, he would revert back to his nasty old
self.  She would do anything to prevent that from happening.  For
now, she would keep the fact that she knew about Divia to herself
and hoped that he would see fit to tell her on his own.
     She was still deep in thought when LaCroix entered the room. 
He stopped and stared at her.  She was sipping the blood in her
glass.  He knew that she did not like the taste of blood and
always drank it all at once.
     "Moriah, do you realize that you are sipping from your glass
as if it were a soda?" he asked.  "Is something wrong?"
     She had not realized that she was sipping the blood until he
called her attention to it.  Now that she was aware of what she
was doing, she downed the rest of the glass rapidly and set it on
the table.  "Was I really?  I suppose that I'm getting use to it. 
There is nothing wrong," she answered, shaking her head.  "I was
just thinking."
     "Oh," he said, leaning against the mantel.  He knew her well
enough to know when something was wrong, but he also knew not to
push the matter.
     "Lucien, come here for a moment, please."
     As LaCroix walked across the room towards her, Moriah rose
from the sofa.  When he reached her, she wrapped her arms around
his neck and hugged him with every ounce of her being.  After he
first brought her across, it took him a while, but he finally
became accustomed to Moriah hugging him.  Now he had no trouble
with her hugging him and he even hugged her back.
     "There is something wrong," he said, running his hands up
and down her back.  "You have never hugged me like this before."
     Moriah ran her hand across his cheek.  "I was just thinking
about what my existence would be like without you.  I didn't like
the picture, not one bit."
     LaCroix arched his eyebrow, because he did not believe her. 
There was definitely something wrong.  He wondered if she knew
about Divia and if she did, how did she find out about her. 
Suddenly, the answer was obvious, Nick.  He wanted to say
something to her, but then he would have to spend many few hours
explaining, so he decided against it.
     "It is almost sunrise, Little One," he said, placing his arm
around her shoulders.  "Ready to lie down for a while?"
     She gazed into his eyes and whispered, "Only if you are
lying beside me."
     He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.  "Yes, I will
be beside you.  I cannot rest very well any more unless you are
beside me."
     He placed his arm around her shoulders, then they walked
down the hall to Moriah's room.  She walked into her room while
he walked across the hall to his.  As she slipped out of her
clothes, she debated saying something to him about Divia, but
eventually decided against it.  She pulled back the covers and
lay down with her back to the door.  The situation was definitely
not to her liking at all.  What would she ever do if she lost
him?
     In his room, LaCroix slowly changed his clothes and thought
about his conversation with his daughter.  His first thought when
she announced that she wanted him for her lover, was to turn her
down and he had done just that.  Now, he was not so sure.  She
would eventually find out about Moriah, and he would do anything
to protect her.  He would not be able to live with himself if he
was the cause of her demise.  There was nothing that he could do
about it now.  He had to wait until the sun set, so he finished
putting on his robe and walked across the hall to join her.
     He walked in to find her already lying in bed with her back
to him.  He slipped in beside her and wrapped his arms around
her.  Thinking about Divia and the trouble that she could cause,
made Moriah very uneasy.  She rolled over and laid her head on
his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around him.  Now, she really
concerned him, but he still could not bring himself to ask her if
she knew about Divia, not yet.  Instead, he tightened his arms
around her and closed his eyes.
     Moriah never had the chance to tell LaCroix that she knew
about Divia, nor did he have the chance to tell her about Divia
or her threat, because Divia took matters into her own hands.


CHAPTER 2
     The next evening, Moriah flew out as usual to watch over her
humans.  She felt fairly safe.  She thought that Divia would not
have had sufficient time to discover her existence.  Since
LaCroix did not try to stop her, he apparently was not overly
concerned about her being out alone either.  Frankly, she did not
care whether Divia was waiting for her or not.  She did not want
to spend the rest of eternity avoiding Divia. 
She would do what she wanted to do and deal with her when she had
to do so.  Moriah had grown up a great deal since her cross over
and was slowly coming of age as a full-fledged vampire.  She knew
that she could protect herself against most vampires and those
that she could not, LaCroix intervened on her behalf.  Over the
years, she had lost her fear of the more powerful vampires.  She
stood her ground against most of them, and Divia would be no
exception.  If she could save herself, so be it.  If Divia took
her head, then at least she went down fighting.
     Moriah flew to the tallest building in town and sat on the
ledge, dangling her feet over the edge.  The humans walked back
and forth on the sidewalk below.  Three hours past and nothing
unusual happened.  She rose from the ledge and was preparing to
leave when she started receiving the strangest tingling in her
head.  The tingle was different from any that she had ever
received before; it was stronger and more violent.  It was
definitely not LaCroix or Nick.  She looked around her for the
source of the tingle.  Something drew her attention to the roof
of a building to her left.  On the roof, she saw a small female
figure standing, her long blonde hair blowing in the wind.  The
woman looked directly at her and she felt the woman's stare burn
into her.  The force and the depth of the tingling could only
mean one thing -- the woman was related to Moriah.  The only
conclusion that she could draw, was that this was Divia.
     Divia stood on the other building, watching Moriah.  "So
this was her father's new fledgling," she thought.  She did not
see anything so special about her.  There was nothing that she
saw to cause her father to accept her offer to leave with her if
she left this one alone.
     Moriah stood on the edge of the building and watched Divia
watch her.  Eventually, Divia flew towards Moriah and landed in
the center of the building.  When she landed, Moriah saw that she
was just a child, not more than fourteen years old.  She knew
enough to know that Divia was an old vampire and therefore very
powerful.  She did have the advantage of being an adult and being
physically larger, but not much larger.  The more she stared at
Divia, the more she realized that she may look like a child, but
she had the face and bearing of a woman much older than even
Moriah was.
     Once when Divia moved, Moriah caught a glimpse of something
shiny in her hand.  She stepped off the ledge and moved away from
the edge of the building.  As she neared Divia, she discovered
that the gleam belonged to a sword.  She could not decide whether
she wanted to run or confront Divia.  She decided that she was
going to have to face her eventually, so why not now.
     Moriah took a step forward.  "You must be Divia," she said.
     Divia stared at her and said, "And you must be my father's
new fledging."
     "Yes.  I am Moriah."
     Divia looked amused.  "Well, Moriah, what is so special
about you that Lucius and Nicolas feel the need to protect you?"
     Moriah looked confused for a moment until she realized that
Lucius was her Lucien.  She stared straight into Divia's eyes. 
"I don't know.  Ask them?"
     "I did, but they are not saying anything."
     Moriah looked down at the sword.  "If you are here to take
my head, you'll find that I won't make it easy for you."
     Divia smiled wickedly.  "I had not planned on it, yet."
     "Then, why the sword?"
     "Just in case, I changed my mind."  Divia paused for a
moment.  She stared into Moriah's eyes, then she said, "Guess
what?  I have changed my mind."
     Divia swung the sword at Moriah, but was shocked when she
leapt out of its path.  She stared at Moriah, then swung the
sword again.  Once again, Moriah leapt out of its path.
     "Would you hold still, so that I can take your head?" Divia
complained.
     "I don't think so," Moriah said.  "I told you taking my head
wouldn't be easy.  I may not be as strong as you, but I can stay
out of your way."
     Divia did not give up easily either, she swung the sword
again and again, but each time Moriah leapt out of its way. 
Moriah had finally had enough and shot up into the air, then dove
towards Divia.  She knew that Divia was stronger in vampire
powers than she was, but she was a little bigger and a little
faster, she hoped.  She could fly fast, very fast.  LaCroix had
once commented she was one of the fastest that he had even seen
and that she enjoyed flying more than anyone he knew.  Before
Divia knew what had happened, Moriah grabbed the sword from her
hands as she passed by her.  She landed on the edge of the roof
opposite Divia.  Holding the sword in front of her, she rested
the tip on the rooftop.
     Divia stared at her.  "Something is wrong.  I cannot bring
you under my control."
     Moriah cocked her head to one side.  "There's nothing wrong. 
I have never been under anyone's control."
     "Not even Lucius'?"
     "No.  To tell you the truth, he has never tried."
     Moriah felt LaCroix approaching and awaited his arrival.  In
a few seconds, he had landed on the ledge behind her.  "Moriah,
are you all right?" he asked.
     "Who has possession of Divia's sword?" she replied, with a
hint of laughter to her voice.
     He looked over her shoulder.  "You do, I see."
     "Of course."
     Divia took a few steps towards them.  "Lucius, what have you
done?  I cannot control your fledgling."
     He shrugged his shoulders and set his hands on Moriah's
shoulders.  "Neither can I, but then again, I have never wanted
to do so.  I like her just the way she is.  Besides, you said,
that if I went away with you, you would leave her alone."
     Moriah tightened her grip on the sword and jerked away from
LaCroix.  She quickly stepped far away from both of them.  "You
what?" she yelled.  "How could you?"
     LaCroix took a step towards her, but the look on her face
made him stop.  "Moriah, calm down.  Divia agreed to leave you
alone if I went with her."
     "Well Lucien, you can see how well she keeps her promises,"
Moriah said, holding up the sword.  "I would rather lose my head
than have you go with her."
     "I was only trying to keep you alive."
     "Why?  I would rather have my head chopped off now, then die
one day at a time."
     "What are you talking about?" LaCroix asked quietly.
     "I was of the understanding when I was brought across that
we would be together forever.  Now you are leaving me to be your
daughter's lover.  She is your daughter and just a child, Lucien. 
She may not act like one, but she is still just a child.  That is
sick, really sick.  I know that vampires have different morals
than humans, but mine are still very much human.  I know that I
have asked this before, but what had you planned on doing with
me?
     Taking another step towards her, he said, "Well, I had not
thought that far ahead.  I just wanted to stop her from harming
you."
     He tried to touch her, but she jerked away.  "Don't touch
me, Lucien.  Don't even come near me."  Moriah was now the
angriest that she had ever been.  "Well, you better think about
it.  If you thought that I would wait for her to tire of you, you
are wrong.  Sitting around, knowing that you were with her, would
kill me one day at a time.  You might as well take this sword,
cut my head off now, and save me the suffering," Moriah said,
handing the sword towards him.  When he did not say anything, she
placed the sword back in front of her and said, "If you go with
her, I might as well be dead.   I would never speak to you,
again."  She became very quiet for a moment, then said quietly,
"I did not accept sharing men as a human and I won't now."
     Divia could not believe what she was hearing.  She had never
heard anyone speak to LaCroix in this manner.  What was stranger
was that he was accepting the lecture that his fledgling was
giving him, and he really seemed to care for her.
     "Never speak to me again?" he questioned.
     "Never," she stressed.  "And that is a long time when you
are around for eternity.  I can't even believe that you agreed to
it.  This is one sick situation.  She brings her own father
across, then she wants him for her lover.  I believe they call
that incest," Moriah said, shuddering.
     Divia interrupted.  "Where did you find this one?  A vampire
with morals."
     "Shut up, Divia," LaCroix barked, then he turned to Moriah. 
"Moriah, you would really leave me?"
     "Remember, I said that I could never hate you.  Well, I was
wrong.  I am so full of hate right now, that I can't stand it.  I
hate her for putting us in this situation, I hate you for
agreeing to leave with her, and I hate myself for being the
reason that you agreed.  You're going do things with her that you
refuse to do with me.  I went through this once as a human and I
will not go through it again."
     Moriah looked at Divia and LaCroix and shook her head, then
she threw the sword on the rooftop at Divia's feet.  "Here.  If
you want my head, take it.  I will gladly give it up before I
lose another man whom I love to someone like you.  My life would
be over anyway.  I would not want to go on.  I just want you both
to remember how sick this situation is and that I died before I
allowed him to prostitute himself to you."
     LaCroix stood frozen, he did not know what to do.  She was
actually sacrificing herself for him.  He watched Divia pick up
the sword and hold it in front of her.  Moriah stood in front of
Divia and they stared at each other.  During the whole episode,
LaCroix stood silently, watching them.  Finally, Moriah, tiring
of the stalemate and the situation, decided to put an end to it. 
Divia was not going to give in and LaCroix was doing nothing to
help her.  She backed up a few steps looked at LaCroix, then at
Divia.
     "Well, is anyone going to say anything?" she demanded. 
After a few moments of silence, Moriah yelled, "Forget it!  This
is too much for me.  It is one of the sickest situation that I
have ever been in.  If this is usual vampire behavior, then I
guess that I am not a real vampire."  She walked to the edge of
the building, then turned around.  "Lucien, go with her if you
want, but I won't be in the apartment when you return."
     When she finished speaking, LaCroix reached over to place
his hand on her shoulder.  She glared at him and shoved him away
from her.  She shoved him so hard that he fell backwards onto the
rooftop.  Moriah stood looking down at him for a few moments
before she shot up into the darkness.
     After Moriah left, LaCroix picked himself up and dusted his
clothes.  He stared at Divia.  Why could she not have left him
alone?  After many years, he finally found a little piece of
happiness with Moriah, then she arrived to take it away.  At this
moment if he could do it, he would have torn her to pieces.  She
had caused him to hurt the one important vampire in his life, but
then that was her goal, to make his life miserable.
     "Father," Divia said, walking towards him.  "What has she
done to you?  You would never allow anyone to treat you that
way."
     LaCroix remained silent.  He was afraid to say anything.  He
was afraid that he might try to attack Divia and that would be a
big mistake on his part.
     "What is so special about her?  I can give you everything
that she can and more," she said, reaching up to touch him.
     LaCroix grabbed her wrist, holding it tightly in his hand. 
"Do not come near me and do not touch me.  There is no way that
you or any existing vampire can take Moriah's place.  The rest of
you cannot hold a candle to her."
     Divia pulled her hand free from LaCroix's grip, stepping
back from him.  "What has happened to you?  You have become soft,
I have never seen you act this weak before."
     "I am not weak, Divia.  I am probably stronger than I have
ever been.  I have found someone again who actually likes me, the
rest of you do not; you tolerate me."
     "I am your master and your daughter.  You have a very strong
connection to me," Divia said with an evil smile.
     "Forget it, Divia.  It will not work.  Moriah is right, this
is a sick situation.  I was wrong to agree to your deal, I see
that now.  I have to go.  I have to see if I can repair the
damage that I have done," LaCroix said before he
flew away.
     Divia watched him fly into the night and the evil smile on
her face widened.  She had not finished with him or his little
fledgling yet.

CHAPTER 3
     As promised, Moriah was not in the apartment when LaCroix
returned.  She flew to the apartment and packed a few things,
then left before he returned home.  She did not know where to go. 
THE RAVEN was the only home that she had known since LaCroix
brought her across.  She finally flew to the top of her favorite
building and sat, watching the people below.  It was less than an
hour before sunrise and the way that Moriah was feeling at the
moment; she thought that she might just sit still and watch the
sun rise.  There was no way that she was going home to the
apartment that she shared with LaCroix.  She did not want to see
him or talk to him.  What she wanted was Nick; she needed to talk
to him.  He would be the one person who would understand what she
was going through now.
     She stared out into the darkness and said quietly, "Nick,
wherever you are, I need you.  I wish that you could hear me."
     She sat on the building, watching the sky grow lighter.  She
realized that the sun would be up in thirty minutes.  Just as she
stood up and turned to leave, Nick landed in front of her.  When
he saw her, he was very worried.  She did not have her usual
spunk, and she looked very defeated.
     "What are you doing up here so close to sunrise?" he asked.
     She dropped her head.  "Did Lucien send you?"
     "No, I felt that you needed me."
     "Oh, Nick, I do," Moriah said softly, wondering about the
link between them.  "He is going to leave me, Nick.  He said that
Divia promised not to take my head if he went with her. He told
her that he would go with her, but she broke her promise and
tried to chop it off, anyway."
     Nick reached over and put his arms around her.  "I don't
think that he'll go through with it, he cares for you too much." 
She looked up at him and he could see tears in her eyes.  He had
never seen Moriah cry before.  "Don't do anything
rash," he said.  "Come home with me and take a while to think
about it.  You can stay as long as you want.  I don't want to
lose you.  I have gotten used to having you around"
     "What about Natalie?"
     Nick smiled.  "You know that you're her best
friend.  She will be the first one to come stay with you and talk
with you if you need someone.  All you have to do is call her."
     Looking up at Nick, she saw the concern in his eyes.  "All
right, Nick, I will come with you, but I won't stay long.  I
can't believe that this is happening to me again."
     Nick wanted to ask about her last statement, but decided
that they needed to find shelter from the sun first.  He
tightened his arms around her and picked up her bag, then flew
her to his apartment.
     Once inside the apartment, he showed her to his bedroom and
made her lie down on the bed.  He wanted to know what she meant
by her statement that this had happened to her before, but she
was in no condition to discuss it at the moment.  After he was
sure that she was comfortable, he made himself a bed on the sofa
in the living room.  As he lay on the sofa, Nick thought through
all the reservations that he had when he first found out about
Moriah and LaCroix.  He dismissed most of those reservations when
he saw just how much LaCroix loved Moriah.  It never occurred to
him that a situation such as this would arise or that LaCroix
would go so far in trying to protect her.  However unintentional
though, he was hurting her worse, then if he had allowed Divia to
take her head.  In the middle of his thoughts, Nick finally
drifted off to sleep.
     In the other room, Moriah tossed and turned.  Like LaCroix,
she had trouble resting without him lying beside her.  She
realized that this was their first separation since they had been
together.  She wondered if she had been too hard on him, after
all he had thought that he was helping her.  Did he not
understand that she could not stand the thought of him with Divia
and how sick the situation was?  She had already lost one man to
another woman and the situation was very similar to this one. 
She was not sure whether she would be able to go through it
again.  It would be better for her if Divia would just take her
head and put her out of her misery.
     Sleep finally came to her, but it was a very fitful and
unproductive rest.  Nick peeked in to check on her several times. 
When he saw how uncomfortable she was, he wished that there was
something that he could do for her.  Since he knew that only
LaCroix could solve her problem, each time he would close the
door and return to the sofa.
     When LaCroix left Divia, he flew to THE RAVEN.  As he put
his hand on the doorknob, he noticed that the light was peeking
over the top of the tallest building.  He unlocked the door and
ducked inside.  Locking the door, he turned and leaned against
it, staring into the darkness.  He sighed and looked slowly
around him.  In appeared that Moriah had made good on her word --
he could feel her nowhere in the building.  He walked through the
darkness towards the bar.  The first time that Moriah had left
him, she could not take the harassment that she was receiving at
Nick's hands.  This time it was no one's fault but
his own.  It was stupid to accept Divia's offer.  He knew that
Moriah would not accept such a decision, but he had no idea that
her reaction would have been so violent.  When he reached the
bar, he looked at the barstools around him.  The last time that
she had left, he had heaved several of the stools across the bar. 
This time he silently walked upstairs to the empty apartment.
     Pushing the door open, he stepped inside and looked into the
emptiness.  This was the first time that he and Moriah had been
apart since he brought her across.  Unlike the last time, Moriah
could not travel in the daylight, so she was somewhere in the
city, hiding from the sun.  The first place that came to his mind
was Nick's apartment.  As close as she and Nick had become, he
was sure that was where he would find her.  When the sun went
down, LaCroix would go there to try to apologize to her and hope
that she would forgive him.  In the meantime, all he could do was
sit around an empty apartment and wait until evening.

CHAPTER 4
     Evening finally arrived for all the parties involved.  While
Nick walked into his bedroom with a small glass for Moriah,
LaCroix was leaving his apartment for Nick's.
     Nick sat on the edge of the bed.  "Moriah," he called
softly.  "Are you awake?"
     Moriah sat up and leaned against the headboard.  "Yes, Nick. 
I haven't slept much."
     He handed her the glass.  "Drink this?  You don't want to
make yourself sick on top of everything else.  I don't have to go
to work tonight,  I can stay here with you if you would like."
     Moriah took the glass from him.  "Thanks, Nick.  I would
like that.  I need to talk to someone."
     He kissed her cheek.  "Anytime, Little Sister," he said,
standing and walking to the door.  At the door, he turned and
said, "You clean up and change clothes.  I'll wait for you in the living room."
     Looking at the glass in her hand, Moriah poured the whole
glass of liquid down her throat.  She set the glass down and
reached for one of the pillows.  Hugging the pillow in front of
her, she thought through the events of the previous night.  It
had always been a thought in the back of her mind that one of
them might be killed.  She never thought that another woman, or
child in this case, would come
between her and LaCroix.  The fact that she was LaCroix's
daughter and master made things worse.  The sickness of the
situation still made Moriah shudder.  She shrugged her shoulders
and crawled out of bed.  Grabbing her bag, she went into Nick's
bathroom to clean up and change clothes.
     Nick grabbed the bottle that he had poured Moriah's glass
from and plopped down on the sofa.  He stared into the fire as he
drank from the bottle.  His thoughts went back over his own lost
loves.  He knew only too well the feelings that were going
through her.  To watch something happen to someone you care for
and not be able to stop it, was one of the most horrible things
that he had ever experienced.  He only hoped that he could help
her.  A noise, pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up to
find Moriah walking towards him.
     He moved over on the sofa.  "Come here," he said, patting
the cushion beside him.  "Are you ready to talk?"
     She pulled hair back behind her shoulders and slowly walked
to him.  "I suppose so, Nick.  I have to tell someone.  I have
never discussed this with anyone, even when I was human."
     "I feel honoured that you chose to talk to me."
     She sat down beside him.  "I chose you, Nick, because I 
know that you would understand. Lucien really needs to be the 
one to hear this story.  He would understand then, why I can't 
accept any of this or allow him to come back to me when she is 
tired of him.  I haven't told him, because I'm not sure that he 
would be as sympathetic as you.  I need your support, Nick.  
More than I ever have."
     He reached for her hand.  "You have it, you know that.  I
just want you to be happy.  If LaCroix makes you happy and it
appears that he does, then I'm all for it."
     She leaned back and prepared to tell her story, but she was
interrupted by a tingling sensation -- LaCroix was nearby.  There
was a soft knock on the door, but Nick hesitated before he stood
up to answer it.
     "Do you want to see him?" he asked.
     "Yes, Nick," she answered softly.  "He might as well hear
this story, then he can make his decision based on it too.  You
won't leave us unless I ask you to, will you?"
     He kissed her hand.  "No, of course not.  I'll be back in a
moment."
     Nick opened the door halfway and leaned against the frame. 
"What do want, LaCroix?  Haven't you done enough damage?"
     LaCroix stood outside the door and stared at Nick.  Any
other time, he would have shoved past Nick or entered through the
window, but not tonight.  Tonight, he needed his fledgling's
help.  Nick may be able to persuade Moriah to listen to him.
     "Nicolas, Moriah is here."
     "Yes, she is, LaCroix.  For some strange reason, she asked
me to let you in.  She has a story to tell and wants you to hear
it.  I will allow you to come in, but I do not want her upset
again, do you hear me?"
     LaCroix was in no shape to argue with Nick.  He just wanted
Moriah back in his life, such as it was.  "Yes, Nicolas, I
understand.  Just allow me see her."
     Nick pulled the door open and stepped back.  After LaCroix
entered, he quickly closed the door and accompanied him into the
living room.  Moriah rose from the sofa as LaCroix entered the
room and backed up towards the fireplace.
     When he took a few steps towards her, she put her hand up
and said, "No!  Don't come any closer.  I don't want you to touch
me.  Not yet, anyway."
     He stopped dead in tracks and stared at her.  "Then, there
is still hope?"
     "Yes, there is always hope.  I have to explain why I cannot
accept this situation.  You and Nick will sit and listen to me,
then we will discuss this thing, okay?"
     "Yes, Moriah," LaCroix said, taking a seat on the sofa.
     Nick's mouth dropped open.  He had never seen LaCroix so
subservient before.  Moriah definitely had a strange effect on
his old master.  He walked over and sat on the sofa beside
LaCroix.
     "Begin whenever you are ready, Moriah," Nick said.
     Moriah paced in front of the fireplace for a few minutes. 
Both of the older vampires knew that this simple act meant that
she was very nervous and agitated.  Finally, she stopped and took
a deep breath.
     "Many years ago before either of you knew of my existence, I
was supposed to be married.  I thought that this man was the love
of my life.  Well, he was the love of my human life.  I would
have done anything for Edward, even lay down my life.  I was his
body and soul."  She stopped for a moment when a look of
disbelief crept over LaCroix's face.
     "Lucien, you must remember that I was a human and had not
met you yet.  That is what makes this story so awful.  If I
reacted the way that I did in this story and I didn't love Edward
near as much as I love you, can you imagine how I feel now."
     "Please continue," Nick urged.
     "Anyway, it was only a week from the wedding.  I went to
have the last fitting of the dress done.  When I stepped out of
the dress shop, a woman stepped out in front of me.  She said
that she had to talk me and that it had something to do with the
wedding.  She was much older than I was and there was something
familiar about her.  Something that I felt that I should have
recognized.  I asked if she couldn't talk to me there and she
said no, that I was to meet her later at a restaurant.  She gave
me the address and the time, then left."
     She paused for a moment before continuing.  Nick saw that
tears were beginning to form in her eyes.  He handed her a
handkerchief and said, "You don't have to continue unless you
want to."
     She looked at him, then at LaCroix.  "I have to.  I have
never told anyone this story and I have to tell someone.  It
might as well be the two most important people in my life."
     Nick touched her arm.  "Well, then take your time.  We have
all night and all day tomorrow," he said before taking his place
back on the sofa.
     Moriah wiped her eyes, then continued, "At the time I had no
reason to be suspicious, so I went to the restaurant at the
designated time and she was there waiting for me.  When I saw her
at the table, it dawned on that she looked a lot like Edward. 
Things went along fine for the first fifteen minutes or so after
I sat down, then she informed me that she was Edward's mother.  I
couldn't believe it, because he had told me that his mother was
dead and I told her so.  She said that she was indeed his mother
and this is the bad part, his lover.  I almost died right there
in the restaurant.  She said that the wedding could not take
place and if it did, nothing would change between them.  I
couldn't handle it and ran from the restaurant."
     LaCroix still had not said a word.  Nick shook his head and
said, "No wonder Divia upsets you so much.  Well, what happened?"
     Moriah sniffed and wiped her eyes again.  "I went and asked
Edward about what she had told me.  He said that it was true, but
that he wanted to marry me.  When I told him that I would not put
up with a relationship such as that.  He promised that he would
put an end to it before the wedding.  I believed him and went
home, thinking that all was well.  He told her all right, but she
would not accept the break up anymore than I would accept it
existence.  She sent some men to see me and they beat me almost
to the point of death.  I was found by a policeman who took me to
the hospital.  The worst part was that Edward never came to see
me or even called to see if I was all right.  If it hadn't been
for that sympathetic policeman who found me, I would have been
all alone.  He came by everyday to check on me until I was
released several weeks later."  She smiled at Nick and said,
"That's when I decided to become a police officer.  If I could be
there for someone the way that he was for me, then I would have
accomplished something."
     Nick smiled softly.  "Well, what happened?"
     "The officer kept a close eye on me for weeks after I was
released.  They could never prove that Edward's mother had
anything to do with the attack and he was afraid that she would
try again.  She did try again, but this time they were ready and
caught her before she could hurt me.  After she was taken away,
Edward came by to see me, but by that time I couldn't stand the
sight of him.  I have never had a serious relationship since
then.  That is until I found you, Lucien."
     Moriah sat on the edge of the hearth and picked up one of
Nick's floor pillows, hugging it to her chest.  Nick moved over
to the hearth and sat beside her.
     He laid his arm around her, and she laid her head on his
shoulder.  Nick smoothed her hair, as he talked.  "No wonder
LaCroix's deal with Divia devastated you so much.  I am sorry.  I
never knew that something like that had happened to you.  You are
always so bubbly and full of life.  Even though you are a
vampire, you are still a happy-go-lucky type."
     LaCroix had not uttered a word through her whole story and
still remained silent.  He stared ahead at the fireplace with an
intense look on his face.
     Moriah hugged the pillow even closer to her.  "Lucien," she
called softly.  "Lucien, don't you have anything to say?"
     He looked over at her and his gaze softened.  "I came to
apologize," he said softly, then his voice hardened.  "But, after
that story, I would prefer to pay a certain man and his mother a
little nighttime visit."
     "Lucien, I appreciate the sentiment, but that is in the past
or was until Divia arrived.  I could've exacted my own revenge
since becoming a vampire, but I never thought it was worth the
trouble.  I had you and I didn't care about anyone else."
     His gaze softened again.  "Moriah, I was wrong, very wrong. 
When Divia offered me her deal, all I could think of was keeping
you safe.  I did not think how you would feel afterwards, and I
also did not think that she would attack you anyway."
     Moriah sat silently, looking at him.
     He sighed.  "I had no idea that you had already been through
hell once and that I was putting you through it again.  Of
course, that is no excuse.  I should have never tried to
orchestrate a deal with her."
     LaCroix stared at her as he motioned for her to come to him. 
She hesitated for a moment, then pulled herself free from Nick. 
Still hugging the pillow, she slowly walked over and stood in
front of LaCroix while Nick watched.  He was very uncomfortable
with Nick there, but Moriah insisted that he be present.  If he
wanted to talk to her, he would have to do it in front of Nick.
     "Yes, My Love," she said quietly.
     "I am not going with her, Little One," he whispered.
     Nick had a wide grin on face.  He loved seeing this
vulnerable side of LaCroix.
     LaCroix jerked his head up and glared at Nick.  "Not a word
from you, Nicolas.  Sit there and stay quiet."
     If the situation had not been so serious, Nick could have
had some fun ribbing LaCroix, but there was Moriah to consider. 
He decided to remain quiet and allow them to try to work this out
between them.
     LaCroix looked back up at Moriah.  "There is no way that I
could ever leave you.  When I returned to an empty apartment, I
knew that there was no way that I could exist without you for
even a day."
     Moriah remained silent and hugged the pillow closer. 
LaCroix waited for a few minutes to see if she would say
anything.
     Finally, Moriah said softly, "I am not a real vampire."
     Lifting himself up so that he was closer to her, he asked,
"What makes you say that?  I brought you across myself."
     "I can't behave like you and the others.   I can't put my
human side away and pretend that it never existed."
     "Who is asking you to do that?" he said, reaching for her
hand.  "I like your human side.  It is that side that allows you
to retain the light inside you."
     "You asked me when you agreed to go with her.  How can I be
sure that you really love me and are not keeping me around for
convenience sake.  You won't even make me your lover."
     He forgot about Nick being in the room or at least he did
not care any longer.  He had to convince her and convince her
quickly before he lost her.  He would deal with Nick after the
situation was solved.
     "I am sorry," he whispered, pulling her down into his lap. 
"I would never purposely cause you any pain.  I love you," he
whispered, placing his lips on hers.
     Moriah and Nick were stunned at the emotion in his voice. 
She dropped the pillow and wrapped her arms around his neck.  If
his words had not convince her, his lips did.  He kissed her long
and passionately, only stopping when their fangs began to appear.
     Moriah lay back against his arm to catch her breath.  She
was convinced, but she was not ready to allow him to know that
yet.  She had to make certain that all deals with Divia were off
and that they would face her together.
     "No more deals with Divia?" she questioned.
     "No more deals with Divia," he answered.  "We face her
together, the two of us."
     Nick finally spoke.  "No," he said.  "The three of us.  It
will take the three of us.  Moriah is still just a baby compared
to Divia."
     Moriah stood up and stared at Nick.  She could not believe
that he did not take this long awaited opportunity to harass
LaCroix.  Actually, Nick was a little surprised himself, but
there would be plenty of time to harass him after they dealt with
Divia.  Right now, Moriah's safety, as well as the other
vampire's were at stake.
     A self-satisfied look crossed LaCroix's face.  As much as he
hated to admit it and he would only admit it to Moriah, he liked
having an atmosphere of family around him.  One of the things
that her cross-over had brought him was Nick.  Her relationship
with Nick had brought him back to LaCroix and that pleased him
very much.  He looked toward the windows and noticed that the sun
had risen.  He sighed, because he had hoped to be back at their
apartment before the sunrise.
     Looking uncomfortable, he said, "Well, it looks as if we are
your house guests for the day, Nicolas.  I hope that it will not
be too uncomfortable for you to be locked up with me all day."
     Nick looked up at Moriah and knew that she and LaCroix still
had a lot of talking to do.  "No, LaCroix.  I won't be
uncomfortable.  I doubt that I will see you.  I think that you
and Moriah still have a lot to discuss, don't you?"  He looked up
at Moriah who walked over to the fireplace and poked at the fire.
     "Yes, Nicolas.  I think that we do," LaCroix answered.
     Nick rose from the hearth and walked towards his bedroom
door.  "I think that I will lie down unless you would like to
sleep for a while, Moriah?  I know that you didn't rest much
yesterday."
     She looked up from the fire and smiled at him.  "No, Nick. 
You go ahead.  I have kicked you out of your bed long enough.  If
I want to lie down, I'll use the sofa."
     He smiled.  "All right.  You know where everything is," he
said, closing the door.
     Moriah and LaCroix sat in silence for a long while.  She
sat, playing with the fire and he sat, watching her play with the
fire.
     Finally, LaCroix broke the silence.  "Moriah.  Little One,
are you still angry with me?" he asked, standing and walking over
to the fireplace.
     He sat on the hearth next to her, but she did not lift her
head.  "Lucien," she said softly.  "I don't know what I am.  I am
not angry, at least not with you."  She reached over and caressed
his check.  "I guess that I am disappointed and a little hurt
that you didn't trust me enough to tell me about Divia when she
first arrived.  Also, the fact that you thought that I would
accept such a decision when I have been asking you to make me
your lover."
     He grabbed her hand, holding it tightly in his, then with
his other hand, lifted her face to his.  "I do trust you.  I am
just so new at having a relationship again that sometimes I am so
afraid of losing you that I do things without thinking them
through.  I really had not thought about how you would react to
my going away with Divia.  I just wanted to keep her away from
you.  I did not want her evil to defile your innocence and now,
it is too late."
     She moved across the hearth and knelt in front of him,
holding his hands.  "I am fine," she insisted.  "No one has
besmirch my 'innocence' as you call it.  She did nothing to me. 
Now, if I didn't possess a greater speed than she, she might have
done some damage.  Unlike the others that she has killed, I know
that she's coming thanks to Nick."
     "I should have told you. I am sorry about that.  No more
trying to protect you by not telling you things."  He paused,
then whispered, "I will make you my lover when I feel that you
are ready."
     "All right, Lucien," she said quietly.  "I feel that I am
ready now, but I will leave the decision to you."  She sighed. 
"For now, what can you tell me about Divia that might help me."
     "She is old and powerful.  She is as full of evil as you are
of goodness.  Whatever you do, do not let her touch you or allow
her near enough to bite you.  Use your speed to stay out of her
reach.  She is very dangerous.  The advantage that you have is
your human side.  Your human side is far more dangerous than your
vampire side, even more dangerous than my vampire side."
     "I will remember," she promised.  "Lucien, may I ask you
something that you may have taught me and I have forgotten?"
     "Of course.  I would like to think that after tonight we can
talk about anything.  What do you wish to know?"
     "I want to ask about the vampire link between families of
vampires.  Can it facilitate a sort of communication link?"
     "Why do you ask?"
     "Last night, I thought about how much I needed Nick and came
to me.  Earlier that evening, you showed up on the rooftop when I
needed help with Divia.  Why did you come to me?"
     "I felt that you needed me.  I cannot answer your question
though, because that has never happened to be before."
     Relief swept through Moriah when she realized that both of
their arrivals were not coincidences.  She smiled up at him and
noticed that his face looked worn and haggard.
     "You can't sleep well when we are apart either, can you?"
she asked, touching his cheek.  He shook his head, then she
asked, "Have you even eaten?"
     "Yes, I have."
     "Good," she said, standing and pulling him to his feet. 
"Come with me."
     At the moment LaCroix was in worse shape than she.  She made
him lie down on the sofa, then she covered him with a quilt. 
Moriah was not really sleepy and her brain was churning, so she
sat on the floor and leaned against the sofa.  He turned on his
side and reached over, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.  In
a few minutes his breathing slowed.
     As she watched him sleep, she turned over his relationship
with Divia in her mind.  Whenever LaCroix spoke of her, there was
such disgust and disdain in his voice that she knew that she had
nothing to fear.  It was the fact that he had agreed to go with
Divia without consulting her that had aggravated her so much. 
His eyes told her that he loved her as did his lips and she did
trust him.  Actually, she trusted him and Nick more than she had
ever trusted any humans.  She wanted this thing to be over so
that their lives could return to normal.  Sleep began to descend
on her, but she did not want to fall asleep on the floor.  She
climbed to her knees and slipped under the quilt beside LaCroix. 
His arms instinctively wrapped around her and held her close to
him.  She crossed her arms over his and closed her eyes.  When
Nick walked out to check on them later, he saw that all appeared
to be right between them, so he returned to his room.

CHAPTER 5
     When dark came, Moriah and LaCroix returned to their
apartment.  Over the next few days they talked and answered each
others questions.  By the end of the third day, Moriah was
totally comfortable with their relationship and secure in the
knowledge that they belonged to each other.
     Over those three days while they were talking, there was no
word from Divia.  Her silence was cause of great concern for them
and Nick.  They knew that she was still in the city and that it
was a matter of time before she moved against them.  The tension
caused them to jump at the least noise or shadow.
     One evening, four days after her first encounter with Divia,
Moriah and LaCroix were sitting on a roof, looking out over the
city.  He was sitting on the top of a chimney with Moriah sitting
between his legs and leaning back against him.  The sky was clear
and all the stars were shining brightly.
     "It is such a beautiful night.  It's hard to believe that
something as evil as Divia could exist on such a night," Moriah
commented, pulling her knees up to her chest.
     "But she does, Little One," he remarked quietly, hugging her
close.
     "I know."
     Their quiet was suddenly interrupted by a crashing sound and
someone falling on the rooftop behind them.  Moriah jumped up and
turned around to find Nick stumbling towards them.  He managed to
make it almost to them before falling again in front of her.  She
ran to him as LaCroix rose to follow her.  Nick looked horrible. 
He was in total disarray.  His clothes were disheveled, his hair
was a mess, and he was dirty.  When he looked up at her, she saw
that he was totally vamped-out.
     When she reached over to touch him, he yelled, "Stay away! 
Don't touch me!"
     Moriah jumped back at the force of his words.  When he
turned his head, she saw two puncture marks on the side of his
neck.  She jerked her head around and looked to LaCroix for
confirmation.
     He nodded his head.  "Divia has bitten him.  She has mixed
some of her tainted blood with his.  It will usually cause a
vampire to go insane from all the evil inside them."
     "No!" she shouted.  "Not Nick.  I won't let it happen."
     "You cannot stop it." LaCroix said, shaking his head.  "The
only release is death."
     She grabbed Nick's lapels.  "I may not be able to stop it,
but Nick can.  He has been fighting the evil that you placed
inside him for centuries.  He CAN fight this.  I know he can." 
She turned to Nick and shook him.  "Do you hear me Nick?  Fight! 
I won't allow her to have you.  Either of you.  I have already
lost once and I will not lose again."
     While Moriah tended to Nick, LaCroix stepped back and
watched her.  He had to admire her.  She had more guts and more
resolve than anyone he had ever known.
     Moriah talked to Nick and reminded him of all the good
things that he had done over the years.  As she talked, LaCroix
noticed Nick's posture begin to straighten.  It was working.  He
was fighting off Divia's influence.  She put her hands on Nick's
face and lifted it up towards hers.  The glow in his eyes was
fading and his fangs were almost gone.  She smiled at him and he
was able to give her a small smile back.
     Moriah was so busy with Nick that she did not notice a
shadow land behind LaCroix.  As she dealt with Nick, LaCroix
turned to face his daughter.
     "Well, Divia, as you can see.  You did not succeed with
Nicolas," he taunted.
     At the sound of his voice, Moriah jerked her head around
towards him.  When she saw Divia, she stiffened.  Nick lifted his
hand and dropped something to the roof, then reached out and
grabbed her arm.
     "No," he said.  "Stay here.  Look what she did to me and I
am much stronger than you."
     "But, Nick I don't have any evil in me," she answered.
     "It doesn't matter.  Stay here.  Let LaCroix handle it."  He
paused for a moment, then said, "I need you anyway.  Help me
stand up."
     Moriah reached down to grabbed his other arm and touched the
object that he had dropped.  She picked it up and held it in
front of him.  It was a stake about three feet long.
     "Nick, what is this?" she demanded.
     "I brought it to ask LaCroix or you to stake me if the need
arose."
     She shook her head.  "Nick."
     She shoved the stake under her arm and put her hands under
his arm. Using her to steady himself, he managed to stand.  She
supported him as they moved over to a chimney where he was able
to sit and regain his strength.  She tried to walk away from him,
but he grabbed her and held her tight.
     "No!" he ordered.
     She settled back against the chimney, playing with the stake
in her hand while she watched LaCroix and Divia very carefully. 
Divia stepped towards LaCroix and he took a step back.  He
glanced back at Moriah and saw that she had Nick up and sitting. 
They both appeared to be all right, so he turned his attention to
Divia.
     Divia laughed.  "So, Nicolas fought off my evil.  No big
surprise, really.  All of us know that he has been trying to
redeem himself and reclaim his mortality.  Now, your little
fledgling over there is a different matter.  I could dispose of
her quite easily.  Without her here, you would be mine."
     He arched his eyebrow.  "No, Divia.  Even without the
existence of Moriah, I would never be yours.  Why can you not
understand that?"
     She reached up and touched his check.  "But, Lucius, we have
so much in common.  We would be good together."
     Moriah shook her head and whispered to Nick, "How did a
fourteen year old become so worldly and so hard.  She seems much
older than me."
     He leaned towards her and whispered in her ear.  "She grew
up on the streets, so she grew up fast.  Believe me, she IS
definitely older than you.  Now, listen."
     When she turned back around, she saw LaCroix push Divia's
hand away.  "Divia, do not touch me," he growled.  "We have
nothing in common, but blood."
     "What has she done to you, Father?" she whispered.  "I have
never seen you so protective or so moral.  I don't understand."
     "And you never will," LaCroix said, staring at her.  "It
took me a long time to understand, and it is something that you
cannot explain to others.  Now that I do understand, you are 
not taking it away from me."
     "Who is going to stop me, Lucius?" she taunted.  "You or
maybe, your fledgling?"
     "I would not underestimate Moriah," he said, smiling.  "I
created her and even I do not know the extent of her powers."
     "Why would you create something that has the potential to
equal you?" Divia said, shaking her head.  "I still say that you
are becoming a weak old man."
     Nick felt Moriah stiffen beside him.  The fact that Divia
was just a child did not matter to her at the moment.  She was
older, much older than her appearance.  Moriah decided to
perceive her as an older woman from that moment forward.  All she
saw now was the woman that tried to take LaCroix away from her. 
Although she was trying to stay calm, Divia was slowly making her
angry again.  Divia could see this also, because Moriah's eyes
were glowing a bright green color.
     "Am I upsetting your little fledgling?" Divia taunted.
     "Leave her alone!" he shouted, grabbing her.
     She stared up at her father, who was well over a foot taller
than she and not that much younger in vampire years.  He was not
going to allow her to harm Moriah, so why even try.  She had
never thought that LaCroix would find a mate, let alone one who
would exhibit such loyalty.  She also never thought that he would
care enough, to put his life on the line for someone else.  This
was not the man that she knew as her father or had brought across
in 79 A.D. during the destruction of Pompeii.  Divia did not understand
 what was happening, but she knew that the source of the problem was
Moriah.  Suddenly, she did not want her revenge against her
father.  She wanted Moriah to be the one to suffer.  The only way
to do that was to take LaCroix away from her, and she knew that
that he would not leave of his own accord.
     "If I cannot have you, no one can," Divia hissed. "Least of
all, that little holier than thou fledgling.  You are too good
for her."
     She grabbed LaCroix's hand and removed it from her arm. 
Stepping towards him, she tried to bring him under her control. 
As he resisted her influence, he vamped out.  He grabbed her arm
and pushed her away from him.
     Moriah shook her head to clear it.  This was a very serious
situation, but she found that his vamped-out state was affecting
her rather strangely.  She found that it appealed to something
deep inside her.  She finally focused her attention back on the
struggle before her.
     Divia did something next that she would regret.  She reached
out with her free hand and slapped LaCroix.  His eyes as well as
Moriah's glowed brighter as he grabbed her other wrist.  She
struggled against him and pulled herself free.  She did not
intend to back off now that she started the fight.  They
struggled with each other on the rooftop with neither one making
any ground.  They took the battle into the air and it would have
lasted for an eternity, had LaCroix not hit one of the chimneys
and fell towards a rooftop.  As he fell, Divia dove towards him. 
Moriah knew that he was in trouble, but she was not sure what to
do and Nick was not strong enough to be much use to her.
     Divia landed beside him, then knelt down and wrapped her
arms around him.  LaCroix was still stunned and unaware of what
was happening to him.  Her head was moving towards his neck. 
Moriah had to do something, but what?  She could not let Divia
take him, but she was a much weaker vampire than Divia.  As Divia
was about to sink her fangs into his neck, Moriah remembered the
stake in her hand.  She would have to use the speed on which
LaCroix always complimented her.  She shot up and flew through
the air towards them.  Before Divia knew that she had left the
rooftop, Moriah shove the stake into her back and pushed it all
the way through her.
     Divia grabbed the stake where it was protruding from her
chest and turned to stare at Moriah.  "What the..!" she cried. 
"Why that little fledgling staked me!."
     Divia staggered backwards while Moriah knelt down next to
LaCroix.  Moriah wrapped her arms around him and tried to pull
him to his feet.  Nick was beginning to feel stronger and flew
over to help her.  They picked LaCroix up from the roof and
supported him between them while they watched Divia.
     She staggered backwards a few more steps and slumped against
a chimney.  Looking down at the stake that was sticking out of
her chest, she said, "Lucius, you little fledgling did it.  She killed her 
master's master and she did it for you, of all people."  Her features 
soften and she began to take on the characteristics of the little girl that she
was.  She looked up at LaCroix and whimpered, "Father, help me. 
I do not want to die."
     LaCroix started to move towards her, but Nick held on to his
arm.  When he turned to glance at him, Nick shook his head.  Nick
looked to Moriah for support, but she was having her own personal
problems.  Feeling that she was in trouble, LaCroix turned his
attentions to Moriah and away from Divia.
     Moriah walked over and watched as Divia's body suddenly went
limp and her head fell to one side.  In death, she looked like
the innocent, angelic child that she should have been.  Moriah's
resolve to view her as a woman disappeared and all she could see
was a child with a stake through her.
     Divia's words hit Moriah hard.  "Divia's right," she
whispered, standing over her body.  "I have never killed anyone
as a vampire.  My first kill is your daughter and your master. 
Look at her, she's just a child."
     Nick and LaCroix walked over to her and each took one of her
arms.
     "Moriah," Nick whispered, holding on to her arm.  "It is no
different than the criminals you killed when you were a cop.  She
was a murderer, a criminal, she had to be stopped and you stopped
her.  You saved me, LaCroix, and countless others."
     Moriah was hearing Nick's words, but they did not mean much. 
She still had taken a life and a child's at that.  She turned and
looked up at LaCroix.  He knew that she wanted to leave, needed
to leave.  He thought that he and Nick were strong enough to
handle the disposal of Divia's body, so he decided to send her
home.
     He tightened his grip on her arm. "Moriah, Little One, you
should go home now.  You have done more than your share tonight. 
Nick and I shall attend to the rest of what needs to be done."
     She continued to stare down at Divia, so LaCroix gently
pulled her away to the other side of the roof.  He turned her
around and tilted her face up so that he could stare into her
eyes.  "Moriah, go home.  I will be there in a while.  It is all
over, she will never bother us or anyone again."
     "But, I killed her."
     "You had to.  She was going to kill me and she tried to kill
Nicolas.  She left you no choice.  Luckily for me, you have a
speed unequaled by any other vampire that I know.  Please, go
home and we can talk about this later."
     Moriah looked across the roof at Nick, then back up at
LaCroix.  She had sworn that she would not be the victim again
and she was not.  She still had LaCroix and Nick with her, but
she was forced to put a stake through someone to keep them.  What
a horrible way for Divia to go!  She still had some things to
work out within herself, but she would do as he asked.
     She dropped her head.  "All right, Lucien.  I'll go to THE
RAVEN," she said quietly, looking up at him through her
eyelashes.
     He lifted her head, then bent over and kissed her.  "Go! 
Nicolas and I will return soon."
     Moriah, not wanting to encounter the other vampires, landed
in the alley behind the club and entered through the back door. 
She stepped into the storeroom and secured the door behind her. 
She really did not want to go upstairs to the apartment, but she
did not want be with the other vampires either.
     Once when she was human, she had hidden in the storeroom. 
Some men were chasing her and she ran to THE RAVEN to seek
shelter with LaCroix and the others.  She thought that LaCroix
would kill the men, so she hide in the storeroom where she would
not hear their screams, but he did not hurt them.  He knew that
she would not have wanted it and was afraid that she would stop
keeping company with him if he did.  As she looked around the
storeroom, she spotted the corner where she had hidden.  She
slowly walked over, curled up in the corner, and closed her eyes
as she had done before.
     LaCroix walked over to Nick.  "Nicolas, after we dispose of
Divia, would you come back with me.  I think that Moriah may need
you.  Killing Divia has been hard on her."
     "Of course, LaCroix," Nick answered.  "I would do anything
for her.  You know that we'll have to burn the body?"
     "Yes, I know."
     He and Nick bent down and picked up Divia, careful to keep
the stake in place.  They flew with her to a landfill outside of
town and set her body on fire.  They stayed for several hours
until nothing was left but her ashes, then spread them to the
wind.  A feeling of relief spread through them as they flew back
to THE RAVEN and Moriah.
     When they walked into the apartment, Moriah was nowhere to
be found.  They could feel her, so they knew that she was
somewhere in the building.  LaCroix leaned against the mantel and
stared at Nick for a moment.
     "Nicolas, I think that I know where she is," he remarked. 
"I will return in a little while.  Will you wait?"
     "Yes, LaCroix.  I'll be here," Nick answered.
     After LaCroix walked out of the apartment, Nick walked over
to the refrigerator and helped himself to one of their bottles. 
He picked up another bottle and some glasses, then brought them
back to the living room.  He knew that Moriah was going a need to
drink and he had an idea that LaCroix would too.  He sat on the
sofa to wait.  Moriah had proved tonight how much he and LaCroix
meant to her.  She had also showed them just how strong of a
person she was.  She had stayed and helped him when she could
have ran.  He sighed and walked over to build a fire in the
fireplace.
     Curled up in her corner, Moriah thought over the events of
the evening.  She had seen just how strong Nick was.  He just had
so much turmoil inside him that it caused him to doubt himself. 
She would have to try to treat him with a little more
understanding.  LaCroix had proved how much he cared and she had
almost lost him in the process.  Lastly, and the part that
worried her most, was her taking a life, even if it was an evil
one.
     LaCroix remembered the same night that Moriah had and walked
downstairs to search the storeroom for her.  He found her in the
same corner, curled up in the same way as he had found her that
night.  He knelt down and wrapped his arms around her.
     "Moriah.  Little One, are you all right?" he whispered
against her hair.
     Moriah lifted her hands and grabbed onto his arms.  "I will
be, My Love.  I will be.  I guess that I just need some time."
     "Have I thanked you for saving me?"
     "I don't remember.  Right now all I can see is a dead
child."
     "Moriah, you must accept the fact that Divia was never a
child.  She leapt straight from infant to woman."
     "But, Lucien, she's your daughter."
     A far away look came to his face.  "So, she says.  It has
never been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.  I chose to accept
it at the time."
     Moriah sighed.  "Well, it will just take a little time, but
I'll be all right.  I still have you, My Love.  This time I stood
my ground and won.  I have made peace with Edward and his
mother."
     He smiled.  "I would still like to pay them a visit.  No one
should ever lay a hand on you, and they will not as long as I
live."
     Moriah blinked back tears.  "I never thought that I could
love someone so much."
     "I am glad.  I want you to be completely mine," he
whispered.
     She suddenly felt better and a hint of a smile played on her
lips as she turned to face him.  "Completely?"
     "Yes, it is time," he said, kissing her until her fangs
began to appear.  "After Nicolas has left, we will discuss it
further."
     She smiled and her smile warm LaCroix's heart. He loved her
smiles.  When she smiled at him, he thought that all things were
possible, even Nick's absurd dream.
     "All right.  If Nick is waiting, we should join him," she
remarked, trying to stand.
     He stood and lifted her to her feet.  "Yes, we should.  We
have an appointment after he leaves," he commented, smiling down
her.
     "I love you, Lucien LaCroix," she said, placing her hands on
his arm.
     There was no hesitation when he responded, "And, I love you,
My Little One."
     They walked up stairs to the apartment where they found Nick
waiting on the sofa.  He smiled as they walked in, she looked
better than he expected.  He poured three glasses from one of the
bottles.
     He handed two of the glasses to them.  "I thought that
everyone might need a little drink," he said.
     Moriah took one of the glasses and LaCroix took the other.
     "Thank you, Nick," she said, taking a sip.
     "No, thank you," he said.  "You helped me throw off Divia's
evil.  I owe you."
     She released LaCroix's arm and walked over to hug him. 
"Nick, we are family or at least I would like to think so. 
Families help each other.  You helped me when I needed it."
     He hugged her back.  "Yes, you are right.  We are family." 
He glanced over at LaCroix who had finished his glass and was
setting it on the mantel.  He smiled back at Moriah.  "How are
you doing?  Are you going to be all right?"
     She kissed his cheek.  "I'll be fine.  It'll just take some
time."
     "Just remember that Divia is the same as the man you shot
that time who had murdered all those children.  She was an evil
that the world could do without."
     She smiled.  "I'll try Nick.  I promise."
     She was coping better than he had thought she would.  When
he glanced at LaCroix, he knew that he wanted him to leave. 
Since he had a need to see Natalie, he decided that it was time
to leave them alone.
     "I'll be going now," he said.  "You know where I am if you
need me, and my door is always open to you."
     "Thank you, Nick," she said, hugging him and placing a kiss
on his check again.
     He opened the door and stepped outside, but before he closed
the door, LaCroix said quietly, "Nicolas, thank you for helping
me watch over her."
     Knowing how hard it was for LaCroix to choke out a
thank-you, Nick smiled, then closed the door.
     Moriah finished her glass, then walked over to pick up the
glass that LaCroix had emptied.  When she reached for the glass,
he reached for her.  He took her glass out of her hand and set it
on the mantel next to his.
     "You can do that later," he said, pulling her close.  "We
have some unfinished business to discuss.  Are you up to it?"
     "I think I am.  I have wanted this for so long," she said,
caressing his cheek.
     Placing his hands on either side of her face, he kissed her
very long and very passionately.
     Opening her eyes, Moriah saw a faint glow in LaCroix's eyes. 
He was staring at her.  "My Love," she said, putting her hand to
his lips.  "What are you staring at?"
     He kissed her again.  "The glow in your eyes, My Little One. 
You are so beautiful.  Are you sure that you are ready for this?"
     "Yes," she whispered, smiling.  "I have been ready for a
long while."
     He led her to the sofa and sat down pulling her into his
lap, wrapping her up in his arms.  "The reality of what it would
be like without you, hit me the night when I came home and you
were not here.  There have been nights that you were out all
night, but I knew that you would be home before sunrise.  That
night, I had no idea if you would ever be in this apartment
again.  When you put your own existence on the line for me, I
knew that you were ready to be completely mine."
     Noticing that his eyes had returned to normal, Moriah kissed
him and said, "Really?  Well, all I can say is that, it's about
time.  Lucien, this is the first time, in all the years that we
have been together, that I have ever had any cause to be jealous. 
I must admit that I don't like the feeling.  The fact that she
was your daughter and a child made everything much worse."
     "You have nothing to worry about, Moriah," he said,
caressing her cheek.  "It will not happen, again.  You proved
that you can take care of yourself.  I am just glad that you are
on my side.  I would hate to have you really angry with me."  He
thought for a minute, then said, "You know, you could go back to
Texas and teach the redneck vampires a lesson if you wanted to do
so.  Show them what they would have had to contend with if they
had brought you across."
     A mischievous smile spread across Moriah's face.  "Sounds
like fun, want to come with me?"
     "You ARE a lot like me.  Of course, I will come with you.  I
would not want you to travel alone.  Besides, I would not want to
miss the looks on their faces for the world," he said with a
half-evil smile.
     A look of concern crossed her face.  "I heard what Divia
said.  Are you afraid that one day, I might turn on you?"
     LaCroix leaned over and kissed her.  "No, I do not think
that you would ever turn on me unless I gave you a very good
reason, then I would not blame you.  It has been a long evening."
     "Yes, it has," Moriah said, leaning close and putting her
lips near his.  "Now Lucien, are you really ready?"
     LaCroix looked at her and touched the side of her face.  "I
think so, I almost lost you because of it.  I did not realize
that it meant that much to you until you brought it up several
times in reference to Divia.  I want you to belong to me, but
only if you are sure that you are ready.  Are you sure that you
can handle sinking your fangs into flesh, into my flesh and
drawing blood."
     "I am pretty sure," she said softly.  "But we will never
know unless we try."
     Moriah touched her lips to his and kissed him.  This time,
he did not push her away; instead, he kissed her back.  He kissed
her as he had done the night that he brought her across.
     On that night so long ago when it came time to bring her
across, LaCroix had trouble completing the act.  The red-necked
vampires were beating on the barn walls where he and Moriah were
hiding.  He could not allow them to have her, but he was unable
to bring her across either.  She kissed him, trying to stir up
the vampire lust, but to no avail.  It was her tears of
desperation that finally broke through his wall of resistance. 
He grabbed her and kissed her passionately and deeply.  He kissed
her as no man had ever kissed her before.  It did the trick, his
fangs appeared and he brought her across just as the other
vampires broke through the walls.
     This time, there was no forcing involved, but the feelings
that she felt were the same ones that she had felt that night. 
There was a tension building up inside her as they kissed, a
tension that begged to be released.
     LaCroix pulled away for a moment and looked down into
Moriah's face.  He wanted to see if there was a glow in her eyes. 
His eyes met the bright yellow-green glow of hers.  She stared up
at him as he looked at her and saw that his eyes held the same
yellow-green glow as hers.  He brought his lips back down on hers
and they kissed deeply, passionately.  For the first time, Moriah
did not have to stop kissing him.
     In a few minutes, Moriah began to feel strange, then she
realized that her fangs were at their full length and ready.  The
time was almost upon her to do something that she had never done
before.  She had used her fangs to scare people, but never to
puncture flesh.  As they kissed, LaCroix ran his hands over her
body.  The tension inside her was growing to an almost unbearable
point.
     He watched her carefully, because he wanted her to make the
first move.  He wanted her to decided if she was ready and that
meant that she had to bite him first.  He did not want to put his
fangs into her neck until he was sure.  One time when Moriah
lifted her head and looked at him, he could see that her eyes
were bright and that her fangs were at their full length.  He
knew that it was almost time to find out if she was ready to be
his.
     He felt Moriah place her fangs against the side of his neck,
so he placed his fangs against the side of hers.  He wanted to
make no move before she did, so he followed her move for move. 
It was a few seconds, before he felt her actually begin to try to
puncture the skin.  He had to keep remembering that she had never
done anything with her fangs before, but show them.  This was all
new to her and it might take her a little longer than the normal
time to complete the act.  He just had to be patient.
     Moriah wanted the tension released, but she knew that the
only way was to bite and be bitten.  As her fangs were resting
against LaCroix's neck, she summoned up all of her inner
fortitude and let go of her inhibition, then pushed them into his
neck.  When he felt Moriah's fangs sink into his flesh, LaCroix
began to slowly push his fangs into her neck, waiting for her,
because he did not want to finish before she did.  As her fangs
moved farther and farther into his neck, she felt his fangs
puncture her skin, pushing into her neck.  Suddenly, they were
both swept with a release of the tension that had built up inside
them.
     The feelings that she felt were more intense than anything
that she had ever experienced as a human or the night of her
cross over.  She found nothing distasteful about what she had
just done.
     When Moriah pulled her face away from LaCroix's neck, he
could see blood on her lips, trickling down towards her chin.  He
reached over to wipe the blood away, but she used her tongue to
clean her lips and chin.  This simple act startled him more than
he could have imagined, because she hated the taste of blood.
     He put his hand on her check.  "Well," he said quietly.  "Do
you still want to be my lover or do you wish me to put you back
on a pedestal?"
     Moriah kissed him and he could taste the blood, his blood,
on her lips.  "I don't want to be put back on that pedestal.  Why
would you think that I would find this distasteful?  I'll admit
that it was a little more intense than sex between humans, but it
was not distasteful or horrid.  I liked it."
     For once, he had trouble hiding his emotions.  Moriah saw
that he was very pleased and a little excited.  "You did, really? 
You were not repulsed?"
     "Yes, I really liked it.  Now, I would not want to go out
and hunt humans for food, but this use of my fangs did not
repulse me, at all."
     Lying down on the sofa and pulling her into his arms,
LaCroix whispered, "Well, that breaks down the last barrier
between us.  We are equals now."
     Moriah snuggled down into his arms.  "When can we leave for
Texas?"
     LaCroix laughed and smiled mischievously.  "You may be nicer
than I am in public, but you are just as mean and vengeful on the
inside.  That is why I do not understand why you have not paid a
visit to Edward before now."
     Moriah thought for a moment.  She really would like to see
Edward again and see if he was still with his mother.  She also
wanted him to see her now with LaCroix.  There was always a sense
of pride that welled up inside her when she was seen in his
company.
     LaCroix interrupted her thoughts.  "You do want to see him?"
he questioned.
     "I suppose that I do.  I do have a bit of a mean streak in
me.  I really haven't thought of Edward for a long time, not
since I met you.  Divia's appearance woke it all up in me again."
     An evil grin appeared on his face.  "Well then, I think that
before we leave for Texas, we pay Edward a visit."
     She smiled.  "It does sound like fun.  First, Edward, then
the red-necked vampires."
     "You are evil," he commented, laughing.
     "Only to those who deserve it.  And, maybe you are right
about Edward deserving a little scare.  He was let off scot-free
while I suffered for years mentally and physically.  Those little
'redneck vampires' also deserve a little something, don't you
think?  I mean they made my life hell for a while, and they were
the reason that you had to bring me across."
     LaCroix thought for a moment.  "Actually, in that respect, I
owe them a debt of gratitude.  I would not have you with me now
if they had not forced my hand.  I do not know if I could or
would have brought you across on my own since I had no idea just
how content you would be."
     "If we had managed to remain together after the 'redneck
vampires' and I was not a vampire yet,  I would have found some
way to make you bring me across," she said, staring down at him. 
LaCroix noticed as Moriah talked, her eyes began to glow a
little.  "By then there would have been no way, that I would have
wanted to go on without you and as you can see, I'm not like most
humans."
     "You definitely are not.  You are not like anyone else that
I know, have known, or will probably ever know.  I have never
seen anyone take to being and enjoy being a vampire as much as
you do."
     "It is fun to have these extra powers and be able to exact a
certain amount of revenge against evil.  As long as I'm not
forced to eat humans, I'll be just fine."
     "I repeat myself," he said, with an evil grin.  "You are
evil."
     "All right, I will admit it," Moriah said, laughing.  "I do
have an evil streak running through me, but don't tell anyone. 
You're the evil one, remember?  I am the one that is suppose to
be saving your 'black' soul."
     "I should have never let you into my life.  You make me feel
too good, too content."
     Moriah leaned down and kissed him.  "I suppose that I could
change that if you wish.  Personally though, I'm ready to rest
for a while.  It has been long evening.  First, Divia, then
finally, becoming your lover," she said, lying down beside him
with her head on his chest.
     "You have had a busy evening," he said, wrapping his arm
around her.  "You have definitely come of age as a vampire. 
Sleep now and we will visit Edward and plan our trip to Texas
tomorrow."
     Moriah snuggled closer to LaCroix and closed her eyes.  He
stayed awake a little while longer, thinking over the things that
had happened in the last twenty-four hours.  Moriah had proved
that she could take care of herself and she was devoted to him. 
She was actually willing to allow Divia take her head before she
allowed him to leave with her.  When she thought that Divia was
going to take him, she had actually killed her.  He had no
regrets that he had brought her across and he did owe those
"redneck vampires" for forcing him to do so.  He also owed Edward
something for hurting her as deeply as he had.  The more he
thought about Edward, the more angry he became, causing him to
vamp-out.  He finally calmed himself enough to try and rest. 
Tightening his arms around Moriah, LaCroix closed his eyes.