MORIAH:THE INTRINSIC PROTECTOR
By:Joni Latham


	It had been over two years since Moriah had discovered 
that, Nick Knight, one of her fellow police officers was a vampire, 
and almost a year since she had approached Nick's master, Lucien 
LaCroix.  She and LaCroix had become quite close over the past 
few months and were almost inseparable.  To avert the possibility of 
any trouble with Nick, she chose not to inform him of her 
relationship with LaCroix.  Nick had warned her to stay away from 
LaCroix and she feared that he might interfere.  She found that in 
her personal life, as well as her job as a police detective, it was very 
advantageous to have a friend and a companion who were 
vampires.
	Several times a week, Moriah was assigned to work on the 
night shift.  Several of those times, she was partnered with Nick.  
The special abilities that he possessed came in quite handy on the 
job.  He was always the first on the scene, had no trouble gaining 
access to buildings for investigative purposes, and had no trouble 
subduing the suspect.  It made her job much easier.
	When she was out on the town at night with LaCroix, she 
felt entirely safe.  He possessed the same abilities as Nick, but at a 
much stronger level.  Some would have thought it strange that a 
human female could feel safe with two male vampires, but she did.  
She felt safer with Nick and LaCroix than she did with any human 
male that she could think of, except her father.  LaCroix had also 
arranged it so that the other vampires in his circle left her alone.  
She had several stories that depicted how safe she actually was with 
them.  One of her favorites happened about a few months after she 
and LaCroix started keeping company and had nothing to do with 
police work.


	Moriah and LaCroix slowly walked up the sidewalk to her 
apartment, neither one of them was in a hurry.  As they walked, 
they discussed the ballet that they had just seen.  She wanted to 
reach out and take hold of his hand or have his arm around her 
shoulders, but knowing the type of reaction that she could cause, 
she always allowed him to make those decisions.  Almost as if he 
heard her thinking, he reached over and placed his arm around her 
shoulders.  She sighed softly to herself and leaned against him.  
Some women may have been repelled by the cold clammy feeling of 
a vampire's skin, but it did not bother her.  His company interested 
her more than something as trivial as the feel of his skin.
	They were a block away from her apartment when she saw 
two familiar figures walking up the sidewalk toward them.  She 
recognized the figures as two friends of hers.  They called 
themselves family, but the only time that she ever saw them was 
when they needed her help.  Mary Karnie was a tall green-eyed 
redhead.  Her friend, Susan Thompson was shorter than Moriah 
and was a brown eye-eyed brunette.  Moriah thought that both 
women were pretty, but they always caused her a lot of trouble 
whenever they showed up on her doorstep.  She disentangled 
herself from LaCroix's arm and stopped walking.
	LaCroix immediately stopped walking and asked, "Is 
anything wrong, Moriah?"
	"I don't know yet," she answered, staring at the pair 
walking towards her.  "Lucien, see the two women walking 
towards us?"
	"Yes."
	"Whenever they come to see me, they want me to help them 
with some problem.  It always gets me in some sort of trouble, but I 
can't seem to tell them that I won't help them."
	"You are too good-hearted.  Do you want me to scare them 
away?" he asked as an evil grin appeared on his face.
	"No, Lucien.  Leave them alone, please."
	He was a little stunned at the urgency in her voice.  "I will 
not touch them, I promise."  He turned her to face him and stared 
into her eyes.  "Moriah, I would never do anything to hurt you or 
anyone you cared about.  You must know that by now."
	"I suppose I do, Lucien.  At least, I know that you would 
never hurt me, I wasn't sure about other humans."
	"I would like to keep you around me for a while.  If I hurt 
any of your friends, I feel that I would lose your company, and I 
have come to depend on it."
	"Thank you, Lucien," she said softly, smiling up at him.
	He loved her smiles.  They actually warmed a part of his old 
vampire heart.  When she first approached him, he did not know 
what to make of her.  His curiosity kept her safe at first, because he 
wanted to know what made this little wisp of a woman tick.  It was 
not long before she caught him in her spell, and he would have done 
anything to keep her near him.  It never occurred to him to bring 
her across.  Her power potential as vampire was too high and who 
wanted a fledgling who had the possibility of equaling them one 
day.  He did not, at least not at this time.  The giggling and loud 
voices of Mary and Susan interrupted her thoughts.
	"Moriah!" Mary yelled when she was still a good twenty 
yards away.
	Moriah took a couple of steps back as the women rushed 
towards her, causing her to bump into LaCroix.  As she started to 
step up away from him, he put his hands on her shoulders and held 
her where she was.
	The women stopped walking a few feet away and stared up 
at LaCroix.  "Moriah, we need your help," Susan said, breathlessly.
	"What's new?" she said under her breath.
	"Why do you help them if they aggravate you so much?" he 
whispered.
	"I'll explain later," she whispered.  A loud, she said, "Mary, 
Susan, what do you want this time?"
	"Can we go where we can talk, alone?" Susan asked.
	Moriah shook her head, because she wanted LaCroix with 
her.  "Anything that you can say, you can say in front of Lucien.  
Oh, I forgot, Lucien, meet Mary Karnie and Susan Thompson.  
Ladies, my friend, Lucien LaCroix."
	They exchanged pleasantries, then Moriah said, "All right, 
my time is limited.  What do you want me to do this time?"
	Both women hesitated, they never had a problem asking 
Moriah to help them, but this time LaCroix's presence bothered 
them.  They were not quite sure why, but he made them feel very 
uncomfortable.
	Finally, Mary said, "We have ourselves in a little trouble."
	Moriah sighed.  "Girls, that's nothing new.  The only time 
that you ever come to see me is when you're in trouble."  She 
looked back at LaCroix, then turned and said, "Make it fast and to 
the point, as you can see I am rather busy."
	Susan cleared her throat and stared up at LaCroix as she 
spoke.  "Mary's boyfriend was supposed to deliver a package for 
his uncle and was beat up before he could deliver it.  The package 
was hidden before the ones who beat him up could get their hands 
on it.  We promised him that we would deliver the package, but we 
are scared."
	"So, you want me to deliver this package for you?" she 
questioned as she felt LaCroix's hands tightened on her shoulders.
	"Not, exactly," Mary said.  "We will do this one ourselves.  
We just want you to go with us."
	"What's in the box?  Illegal drugs?" she asked.
	"No, Paul's uncle is an archeologist and this is a piece that 
needs to be delivered to the museum, but there are some people, 
collectors, who are trying to intercept it," Mary explained.
	Moriah thought for a moment.  It sounded on the level and 
they really looked scared.  "All right, girls, I'll do it.  Call me 
tomorrow and give me the details."
	"Oh, thank you.  Thank you," Mary said, grabbing her out 
of LaCroix's grip and hugging her.
	Susan saw the look on LaCroix's when Mary grabbed 
Moriah, so she pulled on Mary's arm and said, "Come on, Mary.  
Let's go and leave them alone.  We can call Moriah in the 
morning."  She succeeded in pulling Mary away and they left.
	Moriah sensed that LaCroix was more than a little miffed, 
so she wrapped her arms around herself and slowly walked to the 
entrance of her apartment building.  There were ten steps leading to 
the outside building entrance.  She slowly ascended the steps.  
When she reached the ninth step, LaCroix appeared on the tenth 
step in front of her.  He startled her and it took a moment for her to 
recover.
	She looked up at him.  "Lucien, I thought that you were 
angry with me."
	He reached down and placed his hand under her chin.  
"Moriah, I was not angry with you.  I was angry with the humans 
for taking advantage of your good nature."
	She smiled at him.  "Are you coming up?" she asked.  "If 
you are, I'll explain why I help them."
	"Yes, I will come up with you.  I am not quite ready to end 
this evening yet."
	Moriah pulled her key out of her pocket.  LaCroix took the 
key from her and unlocked the door, admitting them to the building.  
The walked up the two flights of stairs to her apartment, then he 
used the same key to open her door.  All of the keys to the 
apartments also opened the door downstairs.  He handed her the 
key, then they walked inside.  Turning, she secured the door behind 
them.  LaCroix took his usual seat in the chair that set across from 
her sofa.
	Moriah had started keeping a bottle of blood in the 
refrigerator right after he started escorting about town.  "Would 
you like anything to drink?" she asked.
	"No, I am fine," he said.  "I would like for you to set down 
and tell me about the two humans we encountered on the 
sidewalk."
	Moriah thought that it was rather funny that he referred to 
everyone by the term, "human," except for her.  "Why do you call 
everyone else, `human,' except for me?" she asked, sitting on the 
sofa.  "I am a human."
	He raised his eyebrow.  "Not to me, you are not."
	"But, I am.  One day, in about ten years, I will have aged to 
the point where I will be older than you.  I will have to leave you, 
or you will have to bring me across, which you won't."
	"That is not the topic of discussion at the moment.  Tell me 
about the two female humans and why you always help them, even 
though you seem to resent it."
	Moriah allowed to let the topic of her cross-over drop as 
she always did.  She would enjoy his company while she could, then 
leave quietly when the time came.  Ten years was better than never 
knowing him at all.
	"Lucien, those girls or women, which ever you wish to call 
them, are my wards.  Well, they were my wards.  About ten years 
ago when I was first starting in police work, both sets of parents 
were killed in an auto accident.  I was just as shocked as everyone 
else when both wills named me, the girls' guardian.  I was only 
twenty-eight at the time and the girls were fourteen.  I didn't know 
the parents very well and no one ever knew why they picked me.  I 
raised the girls until they were eighteen, then they went out on their 
own.  They come to me only when they need something.  I still 
have a certain maternal instinct towards them, and I can't refuse 
their request.  It is something along the lines of you and Nick."
	He raised his eyebrow again.  "What are you talking 
about?"
	"He doesn't ask for favors very often, but when he does, I 
have seen you do as he asks.  Staying away from me, is the only 
thing that he has asked you to do that you haven't complied with.  
That is why I am so careful not to let him find out about us."
	"I think that you have gotten off the subject again.  Those 
humans are adults now.  You should not put herself in danger to 
help them."
	"Lucien, are you worried about me?  You shouldn't be, I'll 
be just fine.  I can take care of myself."
	LaCroix stared at her, he did not intend to tell her that many 
times when she was out at night on duty without Nick, he followed 
her to ensure that she remained safe.  "I cannot stop you from 
doing what you want or feel that you have to do.  I want you to 
promise me that you will come to me or go to Nick if you need help 
or are in trouble.  Moriah, promise me?"
	Moriah smiled softly.  "I promise, Lucien.  If I need help, I 
will ask for it."
	"Good," he said, picking up a book from the end table.  
"Would you like for me to read some more of the book tonight?"
	Moriah loved listening to his voice.  It was what had 
attracted her to him in the first place.  Before she approached him 
and they developed this relationship, she listened to his 
Nightcrawler broadcast every evening.  Usually after a night out, 
they would come back to her apartment and he would read to her 
from some of the old classics.  He opened the book and began 
reading.  A few hours before dawn, he glanced over to find that she 
lay on the sofa, asleep.  He dropped an afghan over her, then bent 
down and placed a kiss on her forehead.  He stood for a few 
minutes at the balcony doors, watching her sleep before he opened 
them and stepped out on the balcony.  He closed the doors, then 
shot up into the darkness.
	Moriah was not due to see LaCroix again until the next 
weekend, so he was unaware of her plans with Mary and Susan.  If 
he had been, he would have insisted on going with her.
	She met Mary and Susan at a park just before dark.  The 
plan was that they would pick up the package and deliver it to the 
museum.  Moriah was along to keep an eye out for suspicious 
characters and act as shotgun.  They walked to the bus station 
where the package was hidden in a locker and retrieved it with no 
problem.  Mary put it inside her bag while Susan carried a decoy 
box wrapped in brown paper.  They left the bus station and walked 
along the sidewalk.
	When they reached an outside eatery, Moriah noticed some 
strange looking men following them.  She had the girls sit down at 
a table, then she took the decoy box from Susan and continued up 
the sidewalk, hoping the men would follow her.  She checked her 
pocket for her revolver and felt the gun with her fingers.  The safety 
was on, so she tried to remove it, but it would not budge.  She 
glanced behind her to find four men following her.  Four was too 
many for her to handle without a gun.  She tried several more 
times, but the safety catch would not move.
	When Moriah looked around her, she realized that she was 
only six blocks from The Raven.  If she could make it to the club, 
she would be safe.  LaCroix would be broadcasting the 
Nightcrawler from his booth in the back of the club, but she would 
be safe with the other vampires.  She turned in the direction of the 
club and picked up her pace.  The men stayed right behind and sped 
up their pace.  She surmised that they would catch up with her in 
another block if she did not speed up her pace a little.  Two blocks 
away from the club, two of the men caught up to her.  One grabbed 
one of her arms and the other man grabbed her other arm.  She 
struggled against them, but they held her tight.  She needed 
LaCroix or Nick, but she had no way to contact them or the police.  
As a last ditch effort, she dug the heel of her boot into the top of 
their feet.  It caused them to release her arms and she sped off into 
the darkness.
	She did not look behind her as she ran towards The Raven.  
She reached the door and jerked it open.  The minute she stepped 
inside, she felt safer.  She ran into the middle of the bar and its 
vampire patrons.  Most of the club members knew her and knew 
not to harm her.  As she watched the door, the vampires began to 
gather around her.  She searched them for a familiar face and found 
several, so she felt fairly safe, plus the bartender knew her.  A noise 
drew her attention back to the door as it was being pulled open.  
The four men stepped into the club with their guns drawn and 
marched towards her.  The vampires just stared at them.  She 
stepped back a few paces and ran into someone.  When she turned 
and looked up, it was LaCroix and a wave of relief swept through 
her.
	"Are you all right?" he whispered.
	"Yes, Lucien, I guess so," she answered.  LaCroix thought 
otherwise when he saw the bruise that one of the men left on her 
upper arm.
	"No, you are not," he growled so low that only she heard 
him.  He reached down and gently pushed her behind him.  
"Gentleman, what do mean by this intrusion into my private club?" 
he asked, taking a few steps towards them.  "And, manhandling one 
of my friends."
	Not knowing what they were dealing with, one of the men 
pointed his gun at LaCroix and said, "Out of the way!  We want the 
bitch and the box."
	"I do not think so," he answered calmly.  "Look around 
you."
	When the men looked at the vampires around them, they 
found all of them vamped out.  All had fangs and their eyes were 
glowing.  Moriah knew that there was no way to stop what was 
about to happen, but she also knew that she could not stay and 
watch it or listen it.  She quickly moved to back of the club as she 
heard one of the men scream.  She pushed through the back doors 
into the storage area.  She hid in a corner and put her hands over 
ears and closed her eyes.  She had no choice it was them or her.
	Moriah was not sure how long she had been hiding in the 
storeroom when a pair of hands reached down and picked her up 
from her hiding place.  A hand pulled her hands away from her face.  
She opened her eyes to find LaCroix standing in front of her, 
holding her in his arms.  He was still vamped out, although his 
fangs and eyes were slowly returning to normal.  She quickly back 
out of his arms and away from him.
	"You are afraid of me?" he said softly.
	"No, I am not afraid of you.  I just don't want to take the 
chance of causing something to happen that I know that you don't 
want to happen.  Honest."
	"I am in control.  If you are not afraid of me, come here," 
he said, opening his arms.
	Moriah did not hesitate.  She trusted him completely.  She 
had to trust him, that was what their relationship was based on, 
trust.  She moved into his arms and he hugged her close to him.  He 
kissed the top of her head, then released her.
	"You do trust me?" he said, staring at her.
	"I said that I did.  I have to trust you, I couldn't be in your 
company as much as I am and not trust you completely."
	"It has been a long time since someone has trusted me.  I am 
not quite sure how to react."
	She smiled.  "I think that you did just fine."  She paused for 
a moment.  "Did you and the others make a meal out of the men 
who were pursuing me?"
	"Is that why you were hiding back here?" he asked, 
laughing.
	She felt almost insulted.  "Are you laughing at me?"
	"No, I am not laughing at you.  You thought that I would 
allow the others to kill them with you in the building.  No, they are 
still very much alive, but they will not be quite the same for a while.  
No one hurts my friends," he said, picking up her arm and looking 
at the bruise which was now turning a reddish-purple color.
	Moriah stared down at her arm.  "It's nothing, really.  It 
takes more than a bruise to stop me."
	He ran his hand over the bruise, then said, "Were you 
helping those two human girls when you were caught in this 
situation?"
	"Yes, Lucien, I was."
	"Why did you not call me?  Moriah, you knew that I did not 
want you to do this alone."
	She walked away and across to the door of the storeroom.  
"I was taking care of myself long before you came along.  I am not 
going to call you every time that I do something remotely 
dangerous."
	LaCroix decided to let the matter drop.  "Did your girls 
deliver their package?"
	"I don't know.  I was the decoy to draw away those men, 
so that they could have a clear path to the museum."
	He walked over and picked up her hand.  "Come, shall we 
find out if they were successful and whether you risked your life for 
nothing?"
	"All right."
	He turned and pulled her through the back door of the club.  
They stepped out into the alleyway and walked around to the front 
of the club.
	"Well?" Moriah said.  "What now?"
	"We will walk towards the museum and hope that we meet 
your humans on their way back from their delivery."
	"Why don't you fly ahead?" she suggested.  "I'll be fine if 
you can unlatch the safety on my revolver.  It jammed earlier."  She 
reached in her pocket, producing the gun.
	He took it from her and with very little effort, pushed the 
latch to the off position, then handed it back to her.  "I will fly 
ahead only if you will walk fast and keep the gun drawn."  He 
turned her to face him.  "Moriah, if you need me, scream my name.  
I will hear you."
	"Yes, Lucien, she said.
	It bothered her to be subservient, but he was a vampire and 
much stronger than she or any human she knew.  He was also very 
old and very ancient, so he knew much more than she did.  Besides, 
what he was asking her to do was nothing major against her 
principles, and it was for her own good.
	LaCroix knew that she did not like taking orders, so he very 
rarely gave her any.  At the moment though, her life could be in 
danger.  He was not prepared to lose her company, not yet.
	He flew towards the museum, watching the sidewalks in the 
area for signs of Mary and Susan.  At the same time, he kept his 
ears tuned for any cry of help from Moriah.  He finally spotted the 
girls on the sidewalk in front of the museum.  Mary had the 
package in her arms.  He still did not trust them.  There was no way 
that he was going to allow them to hurt or use Moriah.  He landed 
behind them and walked up to them.
	"Ladies, could you use some help?" he asked.
	They stared at him for a moment, then a look of recognition 
crossed their faces.
	"You are Moriah's new boyfriend?" Susan questioned.
	LaCroix smiled to himself.  He guessed that he was, since 
she saw no one but him.  "Yes, I am," he answered.  "I thought that 
you might need some assistance with your delivery."
	"You know about this package?" Mary questioned, looking 
down at the box.
	"Yes, I do.  Moriah told me everything.  She almost lost her 
life tonight, because of you two," he said as his eyes began to 
narrow.  "I came to ensure that the package was delivered and that 
it is what you say that it is.  I will not allow you to hurt her or use 
her any longer."
	"And, how do you intend to accomplish that?" Mary asked.
	"Ladies, you do not wish to know.  All you need to 
understand is that you will stay away from Moriah after this.  Hand 
me the box and tell me where it is to be delivered."
	Mary started to protest, but thought better of it after seeing 
the look in his eyes.  She handed him the box and gave him the 
instructions.  He walked towards the museum entrance, thinking 
about the things that he did to protect Moriah.  Things that he 
would have never thought of doing before, such as allowing the 
two humans to live.
	"Ladies, wait for me to return," he said before entering the 
building.
	LaCroix had been in the building about two minutes when 
Moriah appeared on the sidewalk beside Mary and Susan.
	"Where's Lucien?" she asked.
	"He took the package inside," Mary answered.  "Where did 
you find him?  He is spooky, almost like a vampire."
	"Mary, what is in the box?" she asked.  Mary hesitated, so 
she grabbed her and demanded, "Mary, what's in the box!"
	Mary stared at her.  "I-i-it's just an old cross.  I believe it 
belonged to an old pope."
	"Cross!" Moriah yelled as she ran for the museum entrance.
	Susan looked at Mary.  "Has she lost her mind?" she asked.  
"And, that friend of hers is really weird."
	Susan shook her head.  "I don't know.  I do know that after 
this is over, I will not bother her as long as he is around."
	Moriah ran through the doors, hoping that LaCroix did not 
try to look inside the box.  Since she was not a vampire, she could 
not find him by sense.  She would have to depend on good old 
human deduction or she could just yell.
	She stood in the middle of the hall and at the top of her 
lungs, yelled, "Lucien!"
	Hoping that he kept his hearing tuned in to her, she looked 
up and down the hall, waiting for him to appear.  She felt a tapped 
on her shoulder and whirled around to find him standing in front of 
her.  He was still holding the sealed box.
	"What is wrong, Moriah?" he asked.
	She grabbed the box from him.  "Oh, Lucien, I had to be 
sure that you didn't open this box or that it wasn't opened in your 
presence."
	"Why?"
	"It contains a cross that was once owned by one of the 
popes."  She shook her head.  "I can't lose you.  Not now."
	He reached over and touched her cheek.  "You care for me 
that much."
	"Yes."
	He put his arm around her shoulders.  "Shall we deliver this 
box and spend the rest of the evening together?"
	"I thought that you were busy tonight."
	"It can wait.  I want to be with you at the moment."
	She reached up and placed her hand on his.  "All right."
	They walked to the office where the box was to be delivered 
and knocked on the door.  When someone beckoned for them to 
enter, LaCroix waited outside the door while Moriah walked into 
the office.  She left the door ajar and walked over to a desk sitting 
in the middle of the room.  A small man with a balding head sat in 
the over-sized chair behind the desk.
	She set the box on the desk.  "Here is your package," she 
said, turning to leave.
	"Not so fast," a voice said from the shadows.  "Right, 
Professor?"
	Moriah noticed for the first time that the little man in the 
chair was shaking.  "What is going on here?" she asked.
	The men who had followed her, stepped out from the 
shadows and they all had guns.
	"We want the box," the voice said again.
	"Well, take it," she said.  "I won't stop you."
	She heard a noise to her right and two more men stepped 
out and walked towards her.  She thought about backing up 
towards the door, but she could not leave the professor to their 
mercy.  She wrapped her hand around her gun which was still in her 
pocket, then she stepped around the side of the desk and helped the 
professor out of his chair.
	"It isn't quite that easy," the man said.  "Can't leave any 
witnesses, you know."
	She looked around the room at the men and knew that she 
did not have a chance alone.  She could possibly shoot one or two 
before they shot her.  She definitely needed some unearthly help.
	"Lucien!" she yelled.
	In the blink of an eye, she watched the guns fall from their 
hands.  As the last gun fell, LaCroix landed beside Moriah.  She 
drew her gun and held it on the men.  The professor called the 
police while she and LaCroix pushed the men into a corner.  When 
they heard a siren outside, LaCroix slipped out of the room, saying 
that he would meet her at the club.
	The police came and helped Moriah take the men away, 
then she had to go to the station to file a report.  Before she left, 
she asked the professor to allow her to see what was in the box.  
He opened it in front of her and it contained a cross just as Mary 
said.  She was glad that LaCroix had not opened the box.  She 
thanked the professor, then followed one of the officers out to a 
squad car.  Mary and Susan were still waiting on the sidewalk 
where LaCroix had told them to wait.
	Moriah sent them home, then rode with the officers to the 
station.  While she was writing up the report, Nick stopped by her 
desk.  He made small talk and asked about the arrest.  She watched 
what she said carefully so that she did not divulge that LaCroix had 
been with her.  She finished the report, then made sure that Nick 
had gone before she took a cab to The Raven.
	The cab pulled up at the curb and she climbed out of it.  She 
stood for a moment, staring at the club door.  A year ago, she 
would have not thought that it was possible for her to be in love 
with a vampire.  A vampire who was supposed to be the ultimate 
evil.  A vampire who proved tonight that he obviously cared a great 
deal for her, too.  He was there both times when she needed him.  
The door slowly opened and he stepped out on the sidewalk.  He 
extended his hand to her while he held the door open with his other 
hand.  She placed her hand in his and followed him into the club, 
letting the door close behind her.