"What is Illinois known for?" Damon asked.

Gwen looked around at the questionable scenery. "Corn maybe?"

Damon snorted, "Seems likely."

"My grandmother's house is right up here." Gwen pointed at a large white farmhouse on the top of a hill. "Isn't it just gorgeous?"

"You think that's pretty? You ought to see my house." Damon said.

Gwen arched an eyebrow. "This whole bracelets, bullets, and blood thing isn't just an elaborate plan to get into your house is it?"

Damon smirked, "I don't need elaborate plans to get women to come home with me."

Gwen snorted, "I don't know if there is enough room in this car for the three of us."

"Three?" Damon asked, confused.

"Yes. Me, you, and your humongous ego." Gwen replied.

Damon smirked again and they pulled into the driveway.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Nana opened the door seconds before Damon knocked. She had a big smile on her face. "Gwendolyn!"

Gwen walked in and hugged Nana, "Hello Nana!"

Nana guided her down the hallway, "So, how was your trip?"

"Pretty adventurous. We–" Damon cleared his throat. Gwen raised her eyebrows. "What?"

He knocked on an invisible barrier in the doorway. "I need to be invited in."

Gwen looked at her grandmother who sighed. "Never thought I'd invite a vampire into my home. Please, come in."

Damon hesitantly stepped inside. "You have a beautiful house."

"I know." Nana replied. She frowned at Damon. "I'd offer you a drink but…"

Damon smirked, "Anything stronger than water would be welcome."

"I'll take a glass of orange juice." Gwen said. They all walked into the kitchen.

Nana got the drinks and they all took a seat in the parlor. "So vampire, you don't believe in psychics?"

"It's Damon and no. I don't believe in psychic because they don't exist." Damon said.

Nana laughed, "That is truly a funny statement coming from a vampire."

"Listen Mrs. Bright. I've met werewolves, druids, witches, vampires, and even doppelgangers. The only thing I haven't seen are psychics. Because they don't exist." Damon said.

Nana leaned forward. "May I see your hand Damon?"

Damon sighed but gave her his hand. He mumbled, "Crazy old bat." Earning him a glare from Gwen.

Nana closed her eyes. "Salvatore, your last name is Salvatore. You served during the Civil War on the Confederate side and turned soon after. Your brother was turned into as well, by the same woman who you both once had feelings for. Your brother's current girlfriend looks exactly like her. You used to have feelings for her too. Now…now…"

Nana snapped her eyes open. She faked a smile and asked Gwen, "Could you go get me another glass of orange juice my dear?"

"Of course Nana." Gwen said as she stood up. "Cool huh?"

Damon faked a smile too, "Yeah, cool."

Gwen left. Nana waited until she was out of ear shot before she said, "You're in love with my granddaughter, aren't you."

Damon snatched his hand away. "No, I'm not."

"You have strong feelings for her." Nana said.

"We've grown close." Damon admitted. "I consider her my friend."

"It's more than that and you know it." Nana said. "As a psychic I can feel emotions. I know you love her."

"You know nothing!" Damon shouted. He shot up out of the chair.

Gwen walked back in with a glass of orange juice and a surprised expression. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Nothing happened." Damon snarled. "I'm going outside for awhile."

He stormed out of the parlor and slammed the door shut as he left. Nana sighed, "I'm afraid his anger is all my fault."

Gwen patted her grandmother's shoulder. "It's okay. He'll cool down."

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Damon slammed his fist into a tree and smiled as it shook. "People need to mind their own business."

He leaned on the oak and sighed. Running a hand through his hair he thought, when this is over I'll have to leave. He wouldn't want to leave of course, Gwen was the kind of person even Damon could be friends with, but humans and vampires didn't have a friend relationship. Humans were blood and blood was food; Damon had to remember that.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Gwen stood at the top of the stairs. About a quarter of the way down she missed a step and fell the rest of the way down. She laid at the bottom of the stairs with her ankle in excruciating pain. She blinked a couple of times and then passed out.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Damon was walking back to the house when his ankle gave out. He collapsed to the ground. It was painful but he'd dealt with worse and the only reason he would be feeling this pain was because of Gwen. He stood and then ran to the house.

Gwen was on the floor at the bottom of the steps. He knelt by her, "You better not be dead Gwen! You better not be dead!"

Her eyes flickered open. "If I were dead then you would be dead too stupid."

"Oh." Damon said. "Right."

"My ankle…" Gwen said. "I think I broke it."

"No, it's just a sprain." Damon said. He rubbed his own ankle.

Damon nodded. "Yes, why?"

"Because if this is just the pain of a sprain I would hate to have actually broken it." Gwen said.

Damon rolled his eyes. "You big baby. It doesn't hurt that bad."

Gwen attempted to stand but crumbled downward. Damon caught her and then lifted her into his arms. "What are you doing?"

"You're going upstairs to rest before you kill us both." Damon said.

"I don't need to rest." Gwen complained.

However, minutes after her head hit the pillow she was fast asleep. When Damon came back downstairs Nana was waiting with a worried expression. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. A couple of sprained ankles, one of them mine, and a very tired human." Damon said.

"She's not human." Nana said.

Damon almost denied the existence of psychics again. Instead he asked, "What can you tell me about your kind?"

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

They were seated in the parlor when Nana started. "My mother was not psychic. She was an upstanding farmer's wife. As far as I can tell I am the first psychic of my line."

Nana continued, "My daughter, Gwen's mother, got the gene but she resented her abilities. As far as I can tell I am the first psychic of my line."

Nana continued, "Gwen got the gene too. Unfortunately she's too practical to accept her abilities. She gives luck all the credit when in reality it's her gifts. Her gifts are how she won the lottery and helps her to count cards. If she accepted her abilities she would be a very powerful psychic."

"Where did your abilities come from?" Damon asked.

Nana shrugged, "Where did the vampires come from? Psychics are just another evolution of the humans."

"May I try something?" Damon asked.

"Sure." Nana replied.

Damon was surprised. "You don't even want to know what it is I'm going to try?"

"I've lived a long life and I enjoy new things. Try away." Nana said.

Damon looked into her eyes. "Pinch yourself."

"What?" Nana asked.

"Pinch yourself." Damon repeated.

Nana shook her head. "What would pinching myself help?"

"You can't be compelled either." Damon said. "I don't understand."

"That's the point of magic." Nana replied. "You're not supposed to understand it."

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Later that night Damon went upstairs to check on Gwen. She was awake and she smiled when she saw him. She motioned for him to come close. Damon asked, "What?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It felt good and she melted. He kissed her for a moment and then pulled away. "What are you doing?"

"I thought it was pretty obvious what I was doing." Gwen said.

He ran a hand through his hair. "We can't do that."

"Why not?" Gwen asked. "We're both adults. We both want to, right?"

"Yes but…" Damon said.

"But what then?" Gwen asked.

"You need your rest." Damon said.

Gwen slid her hand under his shirt to feel his abs. "I'm plenty rested."

Damon groaned. "This is a really bad idea."

Gwen didn't get much rest that night…