A/N: Hello my lovely friends! It's been quite a while since I last updated this little thing here. I'm sorry but things have been rather crazy on my end. This update is a bit short, but a big thing happens. I'll leave it up to you to find out what. Please enjoy.

OOOOOOOOO

Iona wrapped her arms around herself as she stood at the boardwalk and leaned against the wooden railing, listening to the happy screams of children on the rides behind her. Her thoughts were elsewhere, thinking about how her grandmother had given away pieces of their family's history. It hadn't been just the loom that Grandmother Ruby had given to the museum. She'd given away several of the gypsy outfits that had been kept in a cedar box in Grandmother Ruby's room and many photos to go with them. Iona had gone through the rooms of the house and noted what was all missing from the place that she had grown up in, wondering why her family's history was leaving the house and moving into a cold building where people would merely glance over the work of art without feeling the vast history contained within in every piece.

I should feel lucky that she didn't take anything from my room, Iona thought, watching the passing of the tourists along the boardwalk. She let me keep my dancing outfit and my book of photos…I just wish I knew why she was giving all of this away, acting like the end of the world is coming and she's not going to make it.

Iona hardly glanced at the front of the boardwalk when she heard the loud roar of motorcycles. She knew that she wouldn't have to go seek the vampire that had captured her interest. He would come find her and they would go about like the night was their own. She craved having Dwayne near her, to have his arms around her and make the world seem right again. She wanted him to make her forget what was falling apart around her for just a little while. Just a few moments of blind happiness is all that she wanted as she stood there amongst the oblivious world.

"Dancer!" two loud voices called out into the night.

The gypsy turned to see the two wild blond brothers of Dwayne come running towards her. Each grabbed an arm and twirled her around, laughing loudly. The smallest smile pulled at the corners of Iona's lips as she was swung around by the laughing boys.

"Dancer, you gonna dance for us?" the one with the wildest hair asked.

"Or is it all for our bro?" the other one asked, biting his thumbnail.

Iona looked at them. "I'm not in the mood to dance right now, boys," she said softly, trying to get them to stop spinning her around. "Maybe some other time I'll dance for you."
"No!" the first blond protested.

"C'mon and dance for a bit, Sis."

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" they chanted, spinning around and around with her.

Iona kept her mouth shut as she quickly became dizzy and felt her stomach churn uncomfortably. The last thing she wanted to do was throw up on them since she'd never done it on the spinning rides on the boardwalk and would never hear the end of it if she did upchuck on them. They seemed to sense it because they quickly changed tactic.

"Woo!" the two blonds exclaimed, letting her again suddenly.

The gypsy girl flew out of their grips and fell heavily against a solid body. She swallowed down the bile and took several deep breaths. The two blonds laughed again and shouted out their goodbyes before disappearing. Iona took one final deep breath and told herself to look up.

"Are you okay?" Dwayne asked, looking down at her.

"I'm something," Iona muttered, pushing herself away from him slightly though she remained wrapped in his arms. "I'm just not quite sure what that is right now." She sighed and tapped her fingertips against his bare chest. "I'll let you know how I feel when I figure it out for myself. Okay?"

Dwayne tilted his head to the side and looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes. "Do you want to go somewhere to eat? To talk about what's bugging you?"

Iona glanced around them. "Are you sure your family won't get mad at me for taking up all of your time on this boardwalk?"

"Since Faith came, that's not a real problem with the gang," Dwayne assured her. "Come on. I'll take you to the best Chinese restaurant in town. And we'll talk as long as you want to talk to me."

The gypsy nodded. "Okay. I could go for some food right now," she admitted. "But if I start crying, I don't want you to look at me. I'm an ugly crier."

Dwayne smiled slightly down at her. "I highly doubt that."

OOOOOOOOO

Iona had come clean about everything that she had been feeling that night over the Chinese food that Dwayne had bought for them to share. He had heard her tell him about how her grandmother was getting rid of objects that held the history of Iona's family in them. He knew that she was worried about this sudden need to get rid of everything. Dwayne watched Iona wipe away a few tears as she talked about how she had this feeling that Grandmother Ruby knew something bad was coming and wasn't telling her about it because she didn't think that Iona was strong enough to handle the knowledge. He held her hand through the meal and held her hand as they walked through the park.

"I just wish I knew what was going on," Iona muttered, swinging their hands back and forth. "I'm nineteen and I think that I can handle most things." Her eyes turned to meet his. "What if she's very sick and doesn't know how to break it to me yet?"

"I think your grandmother would tell you if she was sick," Dwayne said, squeezing her hand. "I may not know that lady, but she seems like the kind of person that would be upfront about that kind of thing."

"Maybe you're right." Iona broke away from him and leaned heavily against a nearby tree, crossing her arms over her chest. "Ugh! I'm so sorry, Dwayne."

Dwayne lifted his eyebrow. "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"I've complained about my life the entire time we've been together. Nonstop. I've cried about things that aren't worth crying over, not like I did. I've really made this date about me and my insecurities." She looked away from him. "I'm sorry about that."

The vampire moved closer to the gypsy dancer and put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't be sorry about that, Iona. I'm a vampire and my life has been stagnant for decades. Hearing your problems doesn't bother me. It makes me feel like I'm part of something again. Something normal and full of life..."

A faint buzz in his head told him that the boys and Faith were off doing something that they found unpleasant. He shoved the sounds of their voices into the dark recesses of his mind and turned all of his attention back onto the young woman that stood before him.

"Dwayne," Iona said softly, looking up at him. "Thank you for being here for me. I know we haven't known each other that long, but I trust you more than I trust most people in this town. You make me feel safe, even if you're a vampire. You make me feel like there is some good in the darkness…You've just been there for me and I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to thank you enough."

"You don't have to repay me or thank me," Dwayne said. "A decent human being wouldn't hold debts over the heads of a person." He chuckled. "A decent human being? I guess that leaves me out."

"I think vampires can fall into that category too. When they're like you and your brothers."

Dwayne smiled. "You obviously don't know my brothers very well."

"That can always change." Iona smiled up at him. "I wouldn't mind hanging out with your family for a while someday. It could be fun."

A small wave of possessiveness swept through Dwayne and he lowered his hands from Iona's shoulders to her hips. "Maybe someday soon…Once I tell Paul and Marko to behave around you."

"Aw, you don't want me to see what those two are really like?" Iona draped her hands over his shoulders and tilted her head back. "I mean, I've had a taste of what they're like when they're out in public. Are they really worse than that when they're just with the group?"

"They're pretty bad," Dwayne admitted. "Not as bad as they were before Faith came into the picture, but they're still really bad."

"I guess I'll just have to get my feet wet a little bit at a time." Her eyes stared at his lips for a moment. "I want to know your family and I want to learn more about you."

The gypsy girl bounced herself onto the balls of her feet and brushed her lips against his. Dwayne captured her lips with his before she could completely pull away from him. He kept pulling the kiss deeper and deeper, allowing Iona to tangle her fingers in his long dark locks. She pressed herself against him even as he pushed her back against the tree that she'd been leaning against. His fingertips brushed against the warm flesh that was revealed to the world as her jacket rode up slightly. A sudden carnal hunger spread through him and he pressed himself flush against her body, letting her feel the sudden change in his mood.

"We shouldn't," Iona whispered when he let her come up for air, his lips moving to her neck. "Not here...not...oh."

The vampire could feel the racing of Iona's heart with his lips against her neck. He could smell the fresh blood coursing through her, mere inches from him. He had to force back the fangs that throbbed in his gums and regain control over the change that the vampire in him wanted to show. He didn't want to scare her with the bestial change. He just wanted her, body and soul.

"Dwayne, please…" Iona begged breathlessly. "Please…"

Dwayne pressed his lips against hers once more, his tongue invading her mouth. Iona moaned softly against him and pressed her body closer to his.

A sudden wail hit the air surrounding them. Dwayne pulled back away from the gypsy and looked around the area, thinking that one of the town's dutiful police officers had stopped in the park to stop teenagers from having fun in the park at night. Instead, he saw a firetruck heading on down the road, lights flashing and sirens blaring. The noise and light show quickly faded away in the night.

The vampire turned his attention back to the gypsy, still ready to continue on with what they had been doing. But her eyes were widened in fear and she seemed to forgotten how to breathe. Dwayne reached out to touch her face and she flinched.

"Grandmother," she whispered, the color draining out of her skin. "Dwayne, we need to get to my house. Now."

Without explanation, the gypsy girl ducked out of Dwayne's embrace and ran in the opposite direction that the firetruck had gone.

OOOOOOOOO

Iona ran down familiar streets in the darkness, not caring about the light evening traffic or the people that she almost ran into. She kept her eyes focused on the distance, silently praying that the ill feeling in her stomach was coming from food instead of what she thought it meant. She knew that Dwayne was hurrying after her, but that didn't offer her any comfort or strength.

Grandmother, please be all right, Iona begged mentally, noticing the bright glow of something a few streets away.

Her heart clenched painfully in her chest as she slid onto the street where her house stood. "Oh God! No!"

Hot flames dominated the house, licking up every inch of it as it sent tendril of red toward the sky. Windows belched out thick black smoke where the glass had been blown out. The door stood open, feeding the flames an expanse of oxygen that kept it roaring loud.

"No!" Iona screamed out into the night, rushing towards the little fence that surrounded the house. "No! Someone call the firemen! Please! Oh, God!"

The heat of the fire was horrible as she approached it, making it impossible for her to get too close to the burning carnage.

"Grandmother!" she called out, staring in horror at the house. "Grandmother!"

She heard her name being called from somewhere behind her, but ignored it. Under the roar of flames, she managed to hear the sound of someone coughing. Moving along the property, she let out a cry of mixed relief and concern.

"Grandmother!"

The little old woman was lying on the ground at the side of the house. She was covered in black ash and her clothes showed signs of being caught on fire. Burns covered the woman's hands and her hair was singed in places. She coughed, but her breaths remained shallow.

"Grandmother," Iona repeated, tears blurring her vision as she knelt next to the woman. "Stay with me, Grandmother. Stay with me!" She looked around her and screamed. "Someone help! Help! Please!"

OOOOOOOOO

A/N: And there you have it. I was thinking about putting a lemon in this chapter update, but obviously changed my mind about it. It just didn't fit right. Please a little review and I'll see you later! –Scarlet