There were humans crowding the Boardwalk even though it was a Sunday evening, people taking advantage of the warm autumn weather that made the night pleasant. David was glad to find something that hadn't changed in his absence.

After parking their bikes in the usual spot, he and Marko had headed towards the covered colonnade, scaring open a spot with just a dark look. David smiled to himself; he still had it. He leaned against the iron rail as Marko hopped atop it, both vampires looking out at the less crowded beach.

The incessant sounds of people talking and laughing mixed with the noise of the amusement rides and the rock music that was pumping through speakers placed throughout the Boardwalk. It felt like he was home again; the atmosphere soothed David's mind and reminded him of how awesome it was to live in such a place, with a steady source of tourists to eat and a cave to live in right on the ocean.

If other vampires existed out in the rest of the world, none had it so good as David did.

"Oh wow!" Marko exclaimed as Beth returned from her errand, handing him a flyer. "I wonder if they sprung for milk cartons, too?"

He flashed it at David, grinning. It was a standard MISSING flyer, one of hundreds that dotted the telephone poles and public notice boards throughout the coastal town. A black and white photo of Edgar and Alan Frog, looking solemn and expressionless as usual, stared up at David.

"Here," Beth handed David a pack of Camels, which he promptly tore into. She turned to Marko, nodding her head at the flyer. "You better stash that before someone sees us looking at it."

"Yeah, I guess so." Marko shrugged, crumpling the flyer up and stuffing it into his jacket pocket.

"You mentioned something about those Rambo-wannabes last night?" David eyed Marko while he lit up.

"All part of my rehabilitation therapy!" Marko grinned, his eyes bright. "You know how flammable old comics are? Pretty damn flammable!"

David looked at Beth, who shrugged. "It seems the Frogs improperly stored some boxes of comics next to a heat source and they unfortunately lost their store and main source of income."

"Oh really."

"And their parents." Marko's grin took on a decidedly evil cast. "Smoke inhalation will do that."

"Edgar and Alan were put up temporarily in a local motel, since they couldn't return to the family home, now being adolescent wards of the state. That and the horrific sewage backup that had rendered the home inhospitable." Beth explained.

"You've been a busy boy, Marko." David chuckled.

"The Emersons must have put up the flyers. The Frogs have no immediate family in the area, or the state." Beth mused. "The fire happened over four weeks ago. It was all a tragic set of a circumstances to befall the Frog family. Do you think Sam got a idea in his head and suspected us?"

"We didn't come to the Boardwalk, babe." Marko shook his head.

"You didn't?" David tilted his head, looking between the two vampires. "We always come here."

"Didn't feel right without you, and if one of them had seen me they'd have known something was coming. Beth and Maria kept me supplied with take-away." Marko winked. "It was kind of nice, having home delivered meals."

"We didn't go out because you were in rocky shape for the first few weeks." Beth reminded him. David's brow rose.

"Really?"

Beth eyed him. "What, you feel off, too?" David scowled at her. "You better tell me, if you aren't feeling one hundred percent."

"I'm fine, Beth."

Marko drummed his hands on his thighs, looking out over the beach. "I doubt Sam knew. We didn't… you know… pick up his friends until two weeks after we knew they were being held by the state. And we paid fat bribes to get the case dropped and them registered as runaways."

"Sam knew his friends were missing. The Frogs put all kinds of ideas into his head about what goes on in this town."

"Like that little butthead would be smart enough to figure all out on his own." Marko scoffed.

"He was smart enough to consider Max wasn't what he seemed." Beth countered.

"Enough discussion!" David ground the cigarette butt out under his boot heel. "Beth, go walk, we'll be back at the bikes."

"Uh, David…" Marko warned, giving his leader a look.

"I am not her, David." Beth snapped, her blue eyes darkening. "I don't cruise the Boardwalk looking for easy pickings."

David frowned, his back straightening, rising to his full height. "You're right." He didn't bother to apologize. Beth was staring at him.

"Gaps in your memory, David? Or just picking up right where you left off?"

"Shut. Up." He hissed at the blonde, giving her a dark look as he sailed away from the railing, into the crowd. Marko shook his head as he hopped down from the rail.

"There's a meal out there somewhere, just waiting to be eaten." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand. "Don't prod him too hard, girl. You know how I was the first couple of nights back."

"Yeah, that's what worries me. You we could handle. David…" Beth shook her head. "That's a whole different ball game."

"Once he eats he'll be right as rain."

"I hope you're right, Marko."