Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House with Dice (she owns herself). Most characters own themselves, I am Iris, and Disney owns the rest.

A/N: Something I've been planning to write for almost four years and finally one day when I have no homework… it forced itself out. Happy Readings!

Summary: A continuance from the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House Stories... Iris and Spot get into a lot of trouble when Iris' parents show up and try to take her away to an arranged marriage. Will Spot be able to get back from Brooklyn in time?

Might want to try other stories written by me first... With You first.... And the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House link is there too...

A Day in the Mist

"Just don't be too long, ya hear? I can barely stand one day without selling wit cha." Iris sniffed and fixed Spot's shirt collar and he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer.

"I won't be too long. Besides, you'se birthday is coming up soon," He winked then bent slightly to bury his head into her neck and got lost in her scent. "I'll be back as soon as I can." His words tickled her neck as he spoke and she wrapped her arms around him holding him like her life depended on it. He returned her embrace and for several moments, everything stopped- all was good in the world.

But something didn't seem right to Iris, she knew something was wrong, like something was going to happen, something bad. She sighed and buried her face in his chest forcing the tears to stay hidden behind her long lashes.

"Hey, hey?" Spot asked pulling away and using his fingers to raise her face so he could look her in the eyes. "What's da matter?"

Iris looked around and tried to look at anything but his stormy grey eyes, suddenly the train behind Spot seemed more interesting then usual. She shrugged her shoulders and with a silent 'nothing' she looked at the pavement again.

"Hey, it can't be nothing, now look here, tell me what's wrong." Iris looked guilty as the one of the train officials called for boarding. Through the hustle and bustle to get on the train, Spot grabbed Iris' hand and dragged her to the baggage cart. "Last chance…." Spot trailed off as they finally reached the cart. Iris stood hugging herself looking lost and alone then suddenly she forcefully wrapped her arms around his neck and near tears, sighed.

"Something just don't feel right, that's all." Iris said not wanting to let go, pressed her cheek to his head, Spot pulled back slightly looking her in the eyes.

"Look, nothings gonna happen. I'll be back in a coupla a weeks, alright?" Iris nodded and hugged him again. Suddenly the train whistle blew causing both Iris and Spot to cover their ears breaking the embrace.

"You better go." Iris said backing away slowly after the ringing left her ears. Spot nodded sadly and pulled her into a heated kiss, braking only to run to the train that just started to move. Walking backwards slowly, she saw Spot risk getting caught by hanging out the carriage door and wave before blowing her a kiss and disappearing within the cart. She watched until the train was out of sight, only then did she walk out of the station where Dice and Race stood waiting.

"Took ya long enough!" Race said earning a hard slap on the back of the head from Dice and a glare from Iris.

"He get on alright?" Dice asked after giving Race a dark glance. All Iris did was nod and start walking slowly back to the Lodging House. "Hey you ok?" Dice nudged Iris with her shoulder as they walked side by side, Race in behind still rubbing his head.

"Not really." Iris answered, "hey look, I'll talk with you later alright? I kinda want to be alone right now." Dice nodded and watched as her friend turned a corner to head to the island, she stopped and waited for Race to catch up with her.

"Something's wrong, it's not like her."

"Yeah I know," Race said slipping an arm around her shoulders, "she's usually…."

"Bouncy when he leaves?" Dice answered for him.

"Yeah, like she can't wait for him to get back or something."

"I know what you mean." Dice said resting her head on his shoulder as they walked.

Once they reached the lodging house, Dice looked towards Iris Island, or rather Goat Island, and saw a tiny figure in a red shirt with its hood up entering the forest path and disappearing into the thicket.

"Hey, she'll come around. She always does."

"It's different this time though." Dice said turning to her boyfriend and staring into his chocolaty brown eyes. He signed, took her hand and led her into the lobby.

"Where's Iris?" A kind looking woman with hazelnut coloured hair in a lose bun asked, standing behind the worn mahogany desk.

"She decided to go to the Island, be by herself and all…." Race answered for Dice then headed up the stairs after the woman nodded. Dice approached the older woman.

"Something's wrong. She won't tell me what it is, but I know something's up."

"She'll come around, don't worry."

"But that's the thing Kris, just like I told Race this time its different. It scares me to see her not herself!" Kristina Boylan nodded. All her years managing the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House never had she come across Iris in a mood like she was in now.

Dice walked to the window and saw the tiny figure again coming out on the other side of the forest and staring at the gallons of water pouring over the edge of the cliff. Dice ran outside pulling up the hood on her sweater then continued to jog towards the island. Once she reached Iris' favourite spot, unknown to most, she sat beside her friend.

"Hey."

"Hi." Iris answered not looking away from the trance the rushing water had her under. "Something doesn't feel right." Dice startled, looked at her friend in disbelief.

"Is that it? God! I thought you were going to tell me something more drastic, like… like… you were pregnant or something!" Iris looked slowly to her friend a guilty look on her face. "You aren't, are you?" Suddenly Iris smiled.

"Fell for it again didn't you!" Iris laughed slightly. Indeed, Dice always fell for the pregnant joke. "No I'm not pregnant." Dice signed and it felt like the whole world was released from her shoulders. "I don't know what it is, it's like something in my gut. I feel nauseous and want to barf, and yet I want to scream and run at the same time."

"Oh my God, you are pregnant!" Iris slapped Dice on the arm.

"I am not!" Iris whined childishly. "It's just, I have this horrid feeling something bad is going to happen." Suddenly the weighty clouds let out the rain and it drenched everything in sight and didn't look like it'd let up anytime soon. "See what I mean?" Iris asked in a voice that sounded slightly annoyed, bored and put out at once.

Then lightning struck a tree behind them scaring them both to death, having them both run for their lives back to the lodge, screaming once in a while, as the lightning seemed like it followed them. Once they reached the inside, it was clear that Iris was crying. Almost everyone knew of her fear of being struck by lightning, and getting caught in the storm didn't help her mood one bit. She ran all the way to the backroom and stripped her soaking jumper and threw it into the dirty pile, grabbed a towel and trying to calm her breathing and her stop her tears, she ran up the stairs, and didn't stop until she was in the bedroom.

Grabbing her warm nightclothes, she noticed Ms. Boylan filling two bathtubs with boiling water from the kettle.

"Let it cool a bit before you get in." She said as Iris walked into the stall, draped the towel and her nightgown on the chair beside the tub and stripped off her wet clothes and dropped them outside the door. She was still crying slightly, but as she stepped into the water she slowly relaxed. She heard Dice come in a while later and the sound of her wet clothes tossed outside her stall door. Suddenly, Dice started laughing uncontrollably.

"What?" Iris snapped playfully.

"To think, you were all rallied up for a bit of rain!"

"That's just the start of it."

Spot sat thinking on the train. 'What was that about? Iris never acted like that before.' He's always left for a day or two to check up on Brooklyn now and then. But this time, she really was distraught. He had left before for a couple of weeks, but then again, they were fighting over something he couldn't remember. He smiled at the distant memories. They fought over the simplest things sometimes. How he 'accidentally' ate her pretzel, or how she could get 'jealous' over him just talking to some girl he just sold a paper to, even just how they knew each other too well. But then again, they have known each other and been inseparable for more than three years.

Spot's smile grew as he remembered the make up part. At times it seemed like they purposely got themselves into trouble just so they could make up. They'd run off for hours on end, no one knew where though, and he was glad. And when they returned, they were always smiling, and still they couldn't keep their hands off each other. But everyone knew, that the peace wouldn't last, in a month or so they'd be at it again.

He remembered back to the station and the worried look in her eyes and wondered if he should have stayed and made sure that she was all right. His check up on Brooklyn was long overdue and he couldn't put it off any longer. What if the boys were doing something stupid and ruining his reputation?

He made a mental note about trying to get everything done as soon as possible- he was already starting to miss her and it had only been a few hours. Suddenly Spot heard the crack of lightning and the rumble of thunder and silently prayed that Iris was all right: she hated thunderstorms.

Please be kind and review… that's all I ask. Hope you enjoyed it.

-Iris Conlon-
-xoxo-