"No! Stop it! Let me go, please let me go!!" Malaika screamed, crying out, wordlessly praying someone would hear her. "LET ME G-" But her scream was muffled as a much larger man put his hand over her nose, mouth and lower jaw.

She was trying to scream still, struggling and kicking against the man who held her fast.

"Shut the girl up will you! We gonna get caught if she keeps screaming!" Another man hissed. "Tie her hands behind her and gag her will you?"

"She's screaming and fighting, I can't keep her still and quiet with one arm you know! You tie her!" The man holding her retorted. And so that was what happened. Roughly her arms were wrenched behind her back, tied tight enough to make her start to cry. Or perhaps it wasn't the tying.

"Let me go! Please! Don't do this to me!!" She managed to cry out before they gagged her. The man then dealt her a swift and strong blow that sent her sprawling.

"She is a feisty little one Jack... You know... I think I wanna just shut her up once and for all. Cute little school girl? Always been one of my fantasies yeah?" Malaika looked up with wide eyes. What was he talking about.

Jack glared from the man to the girl. She wasn't all that cute, but hell... She'd been giving Jack hell since they first grabbed her a few yards from the church. Now they were on the outskirts of the town where they'd meet the guy who'd disappear the girl in no time. "Yeah yeah... Go on Tyler... Plug her if you want, just be quick about it and don't make a mess. The boss don't like'm messy."

Grinning, Tyler moved towards the girl and drug her up by a tied arm, a strangled cry coming from her. "You here that little one? I'm gonna pay you back for everything you've done ta me. And you ain't gonna forget it, ever." Her fearful eyes as he reached up her school skirt and pulled down her underwear he shoved her against the wall.

Malaika was frozen with fear... Unable to do more than whimper and cry as she stood against the wall, praying for someone to save her...

Out on his nightly patrol of the city, Dylan leapt from rooftop to rooftop, covering whole city blocks in seconds. His keen hearing picked up minute sounds no mortal could hear. Overall, the city was peaceful. He could hear others like him, feeding. Most were gentle enough, realizing that humans were their lifeblood, and killing them all was not advisable. But others... Well, that was nothing he needed to worry about. As a hitman, Dylan had killed many people. Now that he had gained a new perspective on his so called life, Dylan had taken up the role of protector for the humans of the city. He'd already stopped one woman from being raped and most likely murdered. So every night, he roamed the city, looking for humans in need.

Tonight he found what he was dreading.

Instantly changing direction at the sound of a young voice screaming, Dylan flew across the rooftops, sprinting, and then throwing himself across to the next rooftop. Finally able to see the source of the screams, Dylan leapt down onto one of the men, using his downward momentum to send the man flying a good ten feet, skidding painfully along the asphalt face first. He wouldn't be getting up.

Even as he landed, Dylan had turned his body so that he was behind the other man, who was preparing to do the unspeakable to such a small innocent girl. The man was obviously distracted, and had no time to react as Dylan simply reached out and crushed the man's windpipe, then tossed him roughly to the side as though he were a simple piece of trash to be taken out.

As she saw the movement, how it distracted the other man, Malaika felt the urge to run. So she ran away from the man, but with her hands tied she tripped a few feet away. The girl curled up then and closed her eyes tight. She didn't need to see what was going on... She knew it some how that she should close her eyes and pray, so that was what she did.

Even when all was quiet she still lay on the ground, curled up as best she could, praying that God would watch over her, keep her safe.

She was trembling terribly, afraid of what was going on around her. She knew cruel people existed, she knew horrible people were out there... But she never thought she would have been taken kicking and screaming only a few blocks from her home away from home, her sanctuary.

The sisters had to be so worried, they had to be terrified that she'd been missing for hours now, and she prayed that God would watch over them as well and ease their worry.

But now... All was quiet... No one was moving that she could hear, but still her eyes stayed shut. And still she stayed quiet, curled up against a brick wall, shivering with cold.

With the movements of a trained killer, Dylan swiftly returned to the first man and checked his pulse. He was still alive. Even if anyone had seen the fight, it was over so fast they wouldn't have known what happened. The second man was dead, that much was clear, but the first...

Damn. I can't kill a man when he's like this, though he really deserves it. Dylan thought to himself.

He turned the man on his side to insure that he didn't choke on his tongue or anything, and then walked over to the young child.

"Are you alright, young one? It's ok now. You're safe." Dylan said, kneeling down. "The bad men won't hurt you anymore, never again." He swiftly cut the ropes that bound her arms and removed them from her. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

She heard footsteps towards her, and then a much kinder voice.

Her eyes opened brightly then but she lay still as she felt him tug and cut at the ropes. But the moment they were off she flung herself up, her arms tight around his neck. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, sobbing softly.

He'd saved her... He'd saved her life, her body... She didn't even care about the gag in her mouth still at the moment, she just wanted to make sure she was safe, she wanted to know everything was play.

She had been so afraid... She'd never really understood what it was like before, but a few minutes ago... She had been so afraid that she didn't know what to do but to pray for help, and it had come. It had come in the form of an angel that had punished the demons on earth.

She clung to him, her tears falling silently now as she thanked her savior with affection.

Dylan jolted slightly as the crying child latched onto his shoulders, and at the same time, his heart. His heart went out to her, an innocent child that, for some unknown reason, had nearly been raped, and sold to some other sick bastard as a plaything. It made Dylan furious, and he would eventually hunt down the bastards who ran this operation. But for now, this girl needed a shoulder to cry on, and his jacket was waterproof.

Gently removing the gag from her mouth, Dylan hugged the girl tightly.

"Don't worry. You're safe now. Let it all out, you can cry all you need to. Just let it out." He said, rocking her back and forth. "You're ok now."

Small drops of blood welled up in the corner of Dylan's eyes, but he quickly wiped them away. It wouldn't do for the girl to experience the shock of her rescuer being a demon.

"Oh God..." She murmured. "Thank you... Thank you God..." She said softly.

"I... I was so scared... I thought they were actually.... They would..." She took a deep breath and sighed, nuzzling against him affectionately, gratefully. "Thank you so much... Thank you for saving me... Thank God..."

But she calmed greatly as he held her close, as he pulled her tight and rocked her gently. She may have been more mature than most children her age, but she was still a child. It was a night that she'd probably never forget, that would never leave her mind no matter how much she tried to forget about it.

She had needed an angel to save her, and God had indeed sent her one.

"I... I'm Malaika... I... I was just on my way home from school and they grabbed me.... I didn't even see them..." She murmured softly, letting her heart go back to it's normal pace. "I was so scared. I've never been more scared in my life..."

She's thanking God? Dylan chuckled silently. If she only knew just how far from God I really am. Poor girl would probably never recover from that shock.

Dylan held her tiny head against him and stroked her hair lightly.

"Don't worry, I know what they were going to do, but you're safe and they won't do this to anyone ever again." He said quietly. Of course, one of them would never do anything again, and the other... Well, Dylan doubted the other would try anything like this again.

"Malaika was it?" Dylan asked, standing up. "Well Malaika, lets get you home, I'm sure there are many people who are very worried about you."

It... It just felt so wonderful.

To have someone hold her, love her like this. To feel someone care so much for her that they saved her from all sorts of things. She murmured happily as he stroked her head, nuzzling into his chest.

As he stood up though, Malaika stayed close to him, smiling all the while. "Yes sir. It means Angel, but you are much more of an angel than I am." She was positively beaming at him as she looked up. "Yes! I should be getting home right away! But... I... I live at the Orphanage of St Jerome... And I was on my way home from Holy Innocents when I was taken. Surely the Priests there have heard of my disappearance." She said nervously, biting her lip.

"Please, could we stop there first? Father Borden especially will be greatly worried. I... I'm kind of his favorite." She said with a little smile.

"And please, what is your name Sir. I... You are truly an angel to me, and I wish that I could repay you some how." Malaika said as she took his hand.

Dylan smiled at the child and nodded.

"Of course. Wherever you need to go, I'll get you there safe and sound." He said, offering his hand. "Call me Drake." He gave his last name out of habit, and, to be honest, it was cooler than his first name. "And I'm no angel. Just a man out for a walk when I heard a struggle. Anyone would have done the same thing."

Dylan came up with an idea, that would speed things up, as well as, he guessed, be fun for her.

"Tell you what... why don't you just hop up here onto my back?" Dylan said, crouching down. "And I'll just give you a piggyback ride to the church. Its late, and I'm sure you must be tired after this ordeal. I'm just starting my night, so I'm fresh and ready to go."

Malaika moved over a few feet where she saw her underwear lying on the ground and slipped it back on quickly, her face full of embarrassment. Sure she hadn't done anything.. But it was still humiliating to think about what could have happened.

"Well, you're an angel to me Drake. Really. If it wasn't for you, who knows what would have happened to me. And... And where as I'd love to think that anyone would have done the same thing... I doubt that sincerely." She said with a smile at him. "Thank you Drake..." She said as she took his hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"A piggy back ride? I'm not a little kid you know, I'm twelve." She had to laugh at the thought. She'd never had one before really, but weren't those for little kids? "It would be too far for you to carry me Drake. Don't worry, I'm okay. I... I feel a little worn out now... I guess the adrenaline's wearing off. I should be okay though. Beside, it would feel weird, I've never had one before." She said with a shrug.

"Oh! My bag! My bag should be around here somewhere! And... And I have some change to call just in case! I'll call Father Borden and see what he wants me to do. But... It's so dark down here... It's hard to see my back pack. It's dark blue... Dark brown leather bottom. Eastpack..." She said as she hurried over to where she had been before the guys started tying her up. They'd probably brought it along to not leave any evidence.

Dylan turned away as he saw Malaika pick up her lost underwear. This seemed to be a common trend. Save girl, turn away while girl gets redressed, take girl home. If it happened again, maybe he'd start a business of it. After Malaika spoke to him, he turned back around and smiled at her.

"I know you aren't a kid anymore. No one is in this place. But what can I say, I am a big kid at heart anyway, and I never get tired from piggy back rides." Dylan said, flexing his muscles. "But perhaps walking would be better for you, work of the adrenaline so that you'll actually be able to sleep tonight."

As she ran away to look for her bag, Dylan watched her run. Any normal person would hardly be able to move from fear at this point, but she was running around, more concerned over her handbag than over the fact that she was almost just raped. She was really something.

Dylan's enhanced night vision easily spotted the bag, and he walked over to grab it for her.

"Here you go Malaika. The nearest pay phone is quite aways, so perhaps we should just head to the Orphanage?"

"Yeah! That's it!" She said with a grin as she wobbled, turning around. Yes it was hard to forget... But she had to. If she didn't try to forget it, or didn't push it away... She'd only get too scared to move again.

"Weeell... I guess if it won't bother you, it would be fun." She said with a grin. She'd never had one before, so yeah. "I... My legs are kinda shaky... So yeah, I can take you up on that offer."

She frowned thoughtfully as he asked if they should go to the orphanage from here. Well it was closer than the church... "Yes sir. That would probably be better. I just hope they're not to scared..." Hopefully God had soothed their fears and told them she was okay...

"But Father Borden... Oh... I hope he hasn't called the police or gone out looking for me himself." She bit her lip slightly. "I don't want to cause them so much trouble, really..." She murmured softly as she moved back to Drake and wrapped her arms around one of his.

Dylan smiled at the young girl, sensing her excitement for her first piggy back ride. They were really nothing special, but everyone deserved to be carried every once in awhile.

"Well, if they know you, I'm sure they aren't worried one bit." Dylan said, picking her up effortlessly and putting her on his shoulders. "I bet they think you stopped to help someone cross the street, or some other good deed like that." He started walking, careful to keep her balanced. "But we'll have you back to the Orphanage in no time flat, and you can call Father Borden from there."

He began walking in the directly of the orphanage, easily seeing everything around him as though it was day.

"I'm sure he's a little worried, but if I know priests, he has faith that you'll come back safe and sound." Dylan said, looking up slightly. "And who am I to argue with faith."

Her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, Malaika lay her head against his back. With a sigh she closed her eyes, he smelt so comforting... He smelt so warm and good.

"Father Borden always said that God doesn't do everything himself and that he expects us to work just as hard for what we want." She said with a soft smile. But in truth, she hoped that Drake was right. He'd just gotten over a bad cold... He didn't need to be running around this late at night.

Malaika gave a soft yawn, and nuzzled her head against his back. "Thank you so much for everything Drake." She murmured almost sleepily. The pace of his walk made a gentle rocking motion for her and it soon lulled her into a doze. Sure she might have been almost a teenager, but she still loved to be babied because she'd never gotten that as a small child.

She dozed softly as they traveled along, her head bouncing slightly on his back.

The child on his back was almost imperceptible to Dylan as he walked along. As a vampire he had extreme strength, and almost infinte stamina. His muscles were already dead after all, so it wasn't like they could get tired.

"Well, sometimes God walks amongst us, if he knows our hearts desire to do it ourselves, but it is simply impossible." Dylan knew that Father Borden would be at the church, most likely praying. But even a priest would not go searching for a child around here, especially at night in the cold.

As Malaika fell into a doze, Dylan slowed his pace slightly, so as not to wake her. It was nice to be able to take care of someone else like this. Dylan had been living alone for 70+ years now, and he'd really never interacted much with anyone. This girl was a miracle though. An orphan in a town like this... would either be so scared to walk around, or would be dead. Malaika was neither. She had said her name meant Angel, but it seemed as though she had an angel of her own, guarding her delicate life here in Demaitre.

It wasn't until they reached the orphanage that she woke up, whether it was a change in pace or if it was something else, but as she opened her eyes the semi-worn building of brick with a wrought iron fence was in her view.

"Oh! I'm home!" She said excitedly, sliding off of Drake's back and running up the front walk after opening the squeaky front gate.

"Sister Josephine! Sister Margret!" She called out, seeing two figures in the door.

"Heavens child! Where on earth have you been! Father Borden's been calling every five minutes to see if you'd come home yet! We called the constables, but they couldn't do anything just yet."

"Gabriella dear... Who's the man with you?"

Malaika grinned up at them and said brightly. "He's my angel! He saved me from some guys today. Mr. Drake!" She waved to him to come closer. "Come in for a while will you?"

"Yes, Sir. Please do. We have much to thank you for, and I'm sure the Father will want to thank you as well. Please come in. We have just finished dinner if you would care for some." One of the sisters said with a smile.

And this was the part that Dylan had been dreading. He couldn't eat anymore, so he couldn't accept that offer, and he couldn't stay long. Crosses didn't hurt him, as many people assumed, but he knew that he could not stay to meet Father Borden. A priest would likely sense what he was, and even if he didn't, Dylan had no desire to talk to a holy man. Everything he said would have to be a lie.

Dylan held up his hands and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I would love to stay, really, but I must be going. Besides, no thanks are necessary, I just did what any man would have done if they saw a little girl being attacked." He smiled. "You take care of her. She's special. Not cold like everyone else in this city."

He turned and began walking off down the street, waving goodbye as he went.

Malaika's face dropped significantly as he said that he couldn't stay... but it... It seemed to her to be more of a 'wouldn't'

"Very well sir. Thank you very much for bringing our dear Gabriella home to us. You are a truly noble person." One said with a smile before turning to head back in.

"Gabriella, come, we have dinner for you. You must be hungry." The other said, trying to usher her in. But Malaika refused to go. Shaking her head she dropped her backpack and ran back down the way and wrapped her arms around his waist, her head against his back again.

"No... Please. Please don't go yet Drake..." She looked up with hopeful eyes. "Please just stay for a little bit? I... I don't want you to go..." Her brown eyes were sad, almost fearful even. "Will... Will I ever see you again? I really like you." And she did. She wanted to see him again. Wanted to talk to him and get to know him. He'd saved her life! She couldn't just let him walk back out of it.

He made her feel safe, secure and even wanted, just like Father Borden, like the sisters here.

Dylan stopped walking as little arms wrapped around his waist once more. He smiled slightly and then turned around and knelt down, getting to her level.

"Malaika... I can't stay." He said. "I wish I could but I must go. I know you want me to stay, but the Sisters will take care of you now. And Father Borden will be here soon I'm sure, to see that you are safe and sound." He messed with her hair playfully and then continued. "I'm sure you'll see me again, God willing. I'll be watching over you, and if you're ever in trouble again, I'll be there to save you." He smiled. "But don't go looking for trouble just to see me!"

He scooped her up in his arms and gave her a big hug before carrying her back over to the sisters.

"Now, be a good girl and eat your dinner. Especially your vegetables." He said with a smile and a chuckle. "And don't worry, I'll not forget you. I'll come visit sometimes."

She looked down as he began to play with her hair as she wrapped her arms around his neck with a tight hug. No one ever did that before... Played with her hair. "Please Drake... Don't leave?" She said softly, but she sighed as he made it clear that he was leaving.

"Okay... I won't go looking for trouble... But I want to see you sometime! Promise you'll visit me soon? Please?" She smiled though as he said he would, and scooped her up and carried her back to the front steps.

"Gabriella... I'm sure Mr. Drake has things he needs to get to. You've caused him enough trouble for one night. As you have all of us." She said with a sigh, hearing in the girl as she held the backpack. "Come on now child. Or your supper's going to be cold."

She nodded sadly and turned away. "Bye Drake... Come and visit me sometime please... I'd really like that..." She turned away then, hanging her head. She knew the sisters were upset right now with her disappearance... But she didn't know if they would even believe her, though she'd never lied to them ever. But it was an odd story all things considered.