A/N: Hello again. Here it is. The sequel to The Waterways…THE VINES! Yea, I know. Strange names. IF you haven't read The Waterways, you need to, just go to my profile and click on it, then read it, then come back and read this. Got it? Good. Now, READ!

I don't own HOA.

Nina's POV

The bells were ringing.

It was real.

I was going to do this.

I griped Jerome's arm tightly, hanging onto the muscle of his arm. A rock at this time. All that I had been through, it was all done. Done. And gone. Now was the present. The future was just around the corner. I could taste it.

I took a step into the hall.

This was it. My last day as a Martin.

I took another step.

This was the day I was giving my all to him.

I took another step.

This was perfect.

I took another step.

This was heaven on earth.

I took another step.

Everything was going to be fine.

I took another step.

Then, all hell broke loose.

The roof fell in.

The tar and shingles of the roof fell down from the sky, raining down on my family and my new family and the peasants I had helped.

Ropes fell into the hole that had been created in the ceiling.

I felt Fabian beside me, and the rest of our family around us, protecting us. We were the wanted ones here.

The crowd began to close around us, protecting us from the intruders.

"Help me up," I told Jerome and Mick. They understood. Up on their shoulders.

When I was above the level of the crowd I could see who had intruded on our wedding.

"Nina Martin," he called out, swinging a sword at my living guard. I glared at him. "What a pleasure it is to see you. Tell me, is everything perfect?"

I glared at him. "Rufus Zeno, get out of my wedding. You weren't invited." I clenched my fist in Jerome's hair, making him wince.

Rufus laughed. "You see darling, I was invited. You owe me too much for me not to be excepted into your life," he said, making large gestures with his arms, waving at the crowd. "Darling, you must be insane to think I wouldn't come to this party!"

"I'm not. You are," I answered coldly. Thank god I had weapons on me.

"Me, insane? Oh, that's quite possibly true. But you see, you still owe me a whole lot," he said, leaning forward. The crowd backed up, pressing us more closely together.

"I owe you nothing," I said coldly.

"Oh but you do. Girl, give me the contract," he ordered some girl he had brought with him. I watched at the sad thing opened his bag and began to root around in it. "FASTER!" he yelled. She jumped and handed him a long sheet of parchment. "Ah yes, I remember when you signed this. 'I, Nina Martin, hearby agree that if Rufus Zeno gives me back my family, I will repay him 2,000 in gold.' My, my, my, what a price. Oh! And what does it say here? 'I will do this before my wedding day…'" He stared up at me, I glared back.

"That contract is not valid. It went out of date three years ago," I answered.

"Oh, but you see, my contracts don't abide by the city rules, I go by my own rules," he answered. "And you owe me 2,000 pieces of gold, right about now."

There was no way I was going to get out of this…alive.

A/N: Sorry it isn't long, but it's just a taste of what is to come. Thanks guys! Hope you enjoy. (Sorry if I didn't get you in the credits on The Waterways, you can still get in the credits at the end of this one!) PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW!