Star woke up feeling like shit, her eyes felt swollen from crying and she didn't want to get up. She had no idea what time it was and she didn't care.

'Are you OK?' Her eyes sprung open to see David sitting on the floor against the wall next to her bed. She looked away from him and shook her head no and he placed a flower next to her. 'I'm sorry about your family and I hope they find your friend.' He said and she looked up at saw he had another flower twirling in his hand. It was then she looked around and saw many more flowers scattered around her. She sat up and took in the sight feeling a bit dazed.

'Oh my…' She said disbelieving he'd done this for her.

'I figured you could do with some beauty around you. You're too special to me to be sad.' She looked at him and smiled.

'Thank you.' He got up and kissed her on her forehead.

'You're welcome.' He walked out and left her in the bed alone and she suddenly felt guilty for accusing David and Marko, especially after everything they had done for her. She got up and got dressed, leaving her hair down and placing some dark red lipstick on her lips. She looked at herself in the antique mirror they'd given her and she was happy with what she saw. She felt a little better and she went out to find David there on his own.

'Where are the boys?' She asked.

'They're out. It's just you and me tonight.' He told her. 'Change that skirt, we're going out to dinner.' She looked at her skirt and turned and went to get changed. As she took her skirt off, she felt very exposed in her area knowing he was watching her. She put her black flats on, smoothed her skirt out against her legs and came out to meet him. 'Nice.' He placed his arm around her and accompanied her out of the cave. He took her inland to Bocci's Cellar where they got a table outside on their own. It was a little cold and she involuntarily shivered. 'Are you cold?'

'No, I'm OK.' She lied and he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

'I'll get you a jacket.' The waitress came and took a drinks order and returned with their drinks to take a food order. David declined to order anything but insisted she order whatever she wanted so she ordered a chicken dish and the waiter left.

'Why aren't you eating?' She asked.

'I'm not hungry, not for food anyways.' He said and she knew he was looking for a reaction from her. 'I'll eat something later.'

'OK.' She said looking across the street.

'Star, are you planning on going to the funeral?' Funeral? She hadn't even thought about any funerals.

'I don't think anyone would pay for a funeral for my dad. Besides, if anyone did, it's probably been done already. They'd been looking for me for a week.' She fiddled with her napkin as she spoke. 'I would like to go back and get the rest of my stuff though, if it's still there.' She looked up at him hopeful.

'No, you're not going back. I told you, anything you want I will provide for you. You're my girl.' He lifted his glass. 'To new beginnings.' She looked at his glass waiting for her to cheers with him then into his blue eyes glistening in the candle light and she smiled and picked up her glass of water and clinked her glass with his. 'Next subject, what would you like to do for your birthday?' She looked at him surprised. 'You told me at the concert, remember?'

'Oh.' She smiled shyly.

'What day is it?'

'The 14th'

'Ah, next Friday. A good day to celebrate. Of course we celebrate every Friday but next Friday will be about you.' He took her hand. 'Are you happy living with us?' He asked her and she nodded then she thought about it and she felt comfortable enough to ask him what she wanted to ask him the first night they'd met.

'Why don't you live in a house?'

'The cave suits us better, don't you think?' She shrugged her shoulders not really wanting to answer that.

'Well, once you get to know us better, you'll see.' She wondered what he meant by that and with their fingers still interlinked across the table, she looked around at the other patrons in the old styled restaurant. There was an old couple celebrating an anniversary, there were parents out on a date night, families out for dinner and a group of business men having drinks at the bar top. Then she saw a man, one who looked familiar, at a table in the bar area by himself. He was staring at her and she suddenly clicked that he was the man from the video store and she smiled back at him before the waiter brought her meal. She finished it easily, not realising how hungry she was until she began eating, while David sat there watching her in silence then he wanted to leave as soon as she was done. They walked out through the bar and she noticed the man had gone and, once outside, they rode down to the Boardwalk.

'Are we meeting the boys?' She asked as he got off the bike.

'No.' He kissed her quickly and they walked down towards the clothing and souvenir stores. They walked along in silence and she was beginning to understand that this was the way David operated, he was definitely the strong and silent type and she almost felt privileged that he would spend the time with her. She stopped to look at some dangly earrings at one of the stalls and he suddenly appeared with a black jacket with tassels on the shoulders and embroidery around the cuffs.

'For you.' He said, holding it out for her to put it on. The sleeves were a little big but she liked it.

'Thank you, this is great.'

'Love, do you want anything? I'm closing in five minutes.' The old lady at the stall said to her.

'Oh, no thanks.' Star said smiling.

'Yes, she will. She'll have those and those and these.' David said pointing out some pairs of earrings and Star looked at him and he winked back at her. He'd picked out some beautiful pairs of earrings that totally suited her and he paid for them and they walked away, her holding her new gifts. He'd been such a gentleman tonight which made her feel even guiltier about her behaviour last night.

'Thank you.' She said and he continued walking without looking at her.

'I'm sorry.' She said quickly and he stopped and looked at her but didn't say anything creating an awkward silence which she felt obliged to fill. 'For last night, I just couldn't put it all together and I was freaking out. I didn't mean to go off at you and Marko, I know he didn't do anything because Paul told me he was with him when she left,' she was rambling and she had to stop talking 'and I'm sorry.' He stood and looked at her and, although he said nothing, he seemed to accept her apology and she hoped Marko would too. It began to spit steadily and he took her hand.

'Come on, let's get out of here.' They walked back to his bike and they rode back to the cave. Halfway down the rocky staircase it began to pour down when suddenly he spun around and picked her up and carried her the rest of the way. He was surprisingly strong for how wiry he was, much like Paul, and he moved faster than she expected, with an eerie precision in his steps. He gently placed her down as they reached the cave floor and she walked to her bed while he took his large overcoat off and shook the water out of his spiked hair with his hand. She took her earrings out of her jacket pocket and placed them with her bracelets, inserting one pair into her ears and looking in the mirror pleased.

'You like?' He asked her.

'I love.' She said, taking her jacket off and placing it on the end of her bed. 'I pierced my own ears last year.' She smiled at him.

'Will you do mine?' He asked as she walked back towards him and she sat on the couch.

'Sure, if you want.'

'I want.' He affirmed.

'OK, I'll need a needle and a lighter and ice and some antiseptic.' She told him.

'What's the ice for?'

'To numb it.' She answered creasing her brow.

'You won't need that. I like a little pain.' He flicked her a cheeky smile. 'I have a pin, do it now.'

'I don't have a ring to put in it or any antiseptic.' She said and he handed her a barbed wire looking thing and she studied it. He then gave her a safety pin and a lighter.

'What about antiseptic? I don't want it getting infected.' She said concerned.

'Don't worry about it.' He dismissed her comment.

'Are you sure?' She asked, looking at him sceptically and he smiled back at her.

'Do your worst.' He said. She looked at him for a second then back at the 'earring' he'd given her. She suddenly had an idea and went to her bag and got out a strip of leather that she had in her bag she used for a necklace strap and she snapped an inch off and twisted it into his barbed wire hook. She took the lighter and began burning the pin until it was red hot and she lay it on a piece of cloth to cool. He had sat on her bed watching her and once the pin was ready, she got down on her knees beside him and looked at him.

'Are you ready?' She asked.

'You have no idea.' She took his ear in her hand and inserted the pin into his skin waiting for him to flinch but he didn't, he didn't seem like he felt it at all. She pushed it through the other side and looked at him.

'Did that hurt?' She asked him wincing.

'No.' He said calmly and she finished the procedure and slid the earring into his ear.

'There, do you want to look at it?' She asked getting up to get her mirror to show him but he grabbed her arm quite hard and stopped her.

'No.' He said intently and she sat back down next to him, a little confused that he didn't want to see her handiwork. 'Thank you.' He said his face close to hers and his voice as smooth as velvet. She didn't understand that with just a word he could have this effect on her.

'You're … welcome.' She struggled to get the words out as he continued to stare into her eyes. He reached up and slid his hand around the back of her neck and began stroking her nape sending shivers all through her body. She closed her eyes and felt him kiss her and as she returned the kiss, he pulled her up on top of him with his unexplainable strength and he held her tight as they began to get more intense with each other and she felt his hands beneath her singlet and sliding the material up and over her head. She was jerked out of her bliss by loud voices and laughing and she realised the boys were back and she quickly grabbed her top and tried to cover herself up.

'Woooo!' She heard Paul calling out and she cringed covering her face.

'Get out.' David warned the boys.

'Nah, we like the show.' Paul joked, making her even more embarrassed.

'GET OUT!' David screamed and it frightened her. She looked up at him and saw the look on his face and the boys' reaction to him and it scared her even more. Paul mumbled something and she suddenly felt guilty as they left and she looked at David and his face has calmed as he looked back at her but the damage was done and she was again wary of him.

'Sorry about that, they won't be back out tonight.' He said and with the way he'd spoken, she believed him.

'You can't kick them out because of me.' She looked at him trying to put her singlet on again but he stopped her.

'I can do whatever I want.' Lightning flashed into the cave and she jumped. 'They won't be going anywhere in this weather tonight. We're on our own out here.' He leaned toward her to kiss her again and she withdrew a little. 'You can put up some curtains around here for some privacy. I should have known better with Paul around. Come here.' He pulled her to him again and his concern for her privacy comforted her a little and she went to him. She kissed him again and as he leaned over her, she could feel how badly he wanted her and then she felt a sharp pain in her mouth as he bit her lip. She pulled away lifting her hand to her lip and seeing blood and she looked up at him shocked but she was nowhere near prepared for what she saw once she looked at him. His eyes were yellow and red and very wrong, they looked inhuman even and she didn't know how to react. He leaned towards her and held her but she pushed him off her.

'Wait, what…' She pulled away from him and he looked at her.

'What?' He asked and she looked at him to see his stunning blue eyes glinting at her and she studied them trying to understand what just happened. 'I'm sorry, sometimes I get carried away. Are you hurt?' He said like he genuinely cared.

'Oh, no. Um… I'm fine.' What the fuck? Was she hallucinating?

'Good.' He said leaning over her and kissing her again and she let it go, she had to and after they'd made love, she felt like they had truly connected for the first time.