A/N: Hello my lovelies! I am terribly sorry that I haven't updated any of my stories in a long, long, long time. My internet at home coupled with a funky laptop has made it difficult for me to access any website. But, I am here with a small update for you! Enjoy!

OOOOOOOOO

Iona's dark gaze turned away from the television when she heard movement coming from the bathroom. The world outside was getting darker and darker as the sun started to descend below the horizon. She had only entered that room three times throughout the day, careful to keep the shower curtain drawn against Dwayne's sleeping form.

I could have looked at any time, Iona thought, looking back at the television as a Billy Idol song played on the current channel. I could have peeked at his face while he was sleeping and he'd never know I did. She shook her head. But he trusted me to stay away from him while he slept. How could I go against him when he's done so much for me in such a short time? I can't break his trust. Without him, what do I have left in this city?

The door to the bathroom opened slowly and Dwayne stepped through it. Iona glanced at him as he let out a slow breath. His eyes searched hers as he stood there, probably trying to detect the smallest inkling of fear in her. Iona allowed a small smile to touch her lips.

"Good morning," she said, turning the television off. "Or good night? I don't really know what to say…" Her smile grew a little bit. "Hello."

Dwayne nodded and stepped into the room, putting the bathroom in his past. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket and looked at Iona. "Have you been here all day?"
"I have."

"So you haven't eaten?"

"I could have ordered some pizza or Chinese takeout," Iona said, tossing the remote aside. "They still do come to this part of town, you know."

She saw the vampire's nose twitch a little and knew that he was scenting the air for the smallest traces of different aromas. Her stomach growled loudly at the thought of the foods that she had mentioned. It didn't take a psychic to know that Dwayne had all the evidence that he needed to come to an obvious conclusion.

"Get your boots on," he ordered, gesturing at the boots that had been haphazardly thrown aside when they had torn each other's clothes off the night before. "We're going on a food run."

The gypsy girl climbed off the bed and stretched her arms. Her shirt rose up slightly, giving the world a glimpse of the diamond bellybutton ring that she'd gotten years prior. Iona's heart clenched a little when she remembered the way that her grandmother had looked at her when she had come home with that piece of metal in her stomach.

Grandmother Ruby hadn't yelled at her, but had told her that it wasn't the best use of money that Iona collected every night at the boardwalk. She had said that it was pretty and that Iona had the right to choose what she did with her body.

Tears came to Iona's eyes as she thought about her grandmother. The woman's death still loomed heavily over her head like a dark storm cloud.

Will this pain ever go away? Iona wondered, scooping up a boot and jumping on one foot to put it on. The pain of losing my mother was easy to get over because I hardly knew her. But Grandmother was a wreck for weeks when Mom passed. She hardly left her loom, except to make dinner for me…She told me that the pain will never go away, but it does become a little easier to bear.

Iona was startled by the hand that touched her shoulder, bringing her back to the real world. She turned her gaze onto Dwayne and lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" he asked, searching her face.

"I'll be fine," Iona told him, reaching for the jacket that she'd placed on the only chair in the room. "In time."

The vampire nodded and slid his arm around her shoulders. "Let's get going. The Boys want to meet us at our favorite pizza joint."

"Why's it your favorite pizza joint? Do you guys pick up a lot of chicks there? Some easy meals or something?"

Dwayne shook his head with a smile. "No. It's the only pizza place that holds the garlic." He tapped his finger against his cheek. "Vampires and garlic don't go together. Remember?"

It was the gypsy's turn to nod. She let Dwayne escort her out of the small hotel room, pausing only a moment to lock the room behind them. Iona felt Dwayne take a deep breath as the night air flooded towards them as they headed down to the parking lot. She closed her eyes for a moment and let the breeze wrap around her like an old friend.

Grandmother, Iona thought, looking up at the darkening sky for a brief moment. Will you always be there in the wind to bring me comfort? Are you the spirit on the wind that hugs me every time I step out of a building? Are you still guiding me even in death?

Iona turned her head to look at Dwayne with a smile on her face. He mounted his bike and kicked it into life before holding out a hand to help Iona on it. The gypsy girl climbed onto the back of the motorcycle, wrapping her arms around Dwayne's waist.

Is he the comfort that you've sent my way, Grandmother? Long before you knew that you were going to be passing from one world into another…Grandmother, did you know?

OOOOOOOOO

Dwayne's head was buzzing with loud voices as he drove Iona into town on his motorcycle. David was getting on him for not coming home in time to avoid the sunrise, just because he decided to have sex with the gypsy girl. Paul and Marko were laughing at him because of the same act – one that Dwayne had only done a few times before, except the difference being that he hadn't drained Iona afterwards. They wanted details, but Dwayne refused to give any and David – under the command of Faith – made the others shut their mouths.

"There's my little buddy!" Iona said when Dwayne pulled into the parking lot of the pizza place.

Laddie smiled and waved at her, his fingers already looking sticky from something he'd eaten earlier. Iona climbed off of Dwayne's bike and held her arms open. Without hesitation, the little boy ran forward and wrapped his arms around her. Dwayne watched the little display of affection before snapping his eyes on his two younger brothers.

"Hey!" Paul called out, crossing his arms. "Where's our hug, Dancer?"

"Yeah," Marko echoed. "What are we? Chopped liver?"

Iona lifted her gaze from the little boy that clung to her and smiled. "Come here, you two." She held her hand up in warning. "But keep your hands away from the goods. Okay?"

Paul pouted, glancing at Dwayne. The older Lost Boy crossed his arms and made a mental warning to his brother to keep his hands where he could see them. Marko bit his thumbnail as he looked between Dwayne and the gypsy dancer.

Dwayne nodded to his brothers, watching them. Iona let go of Laddie, but the boy remained close to her side. She glanced at Dwayne for a moment before her eyes turned towards the two wild blonds. The gypsy dancer opened her arms slowly.

Both blonds rushed forward and hugged Iona tightly. Dwayne kept a careful eye on them, hardly acknowledging the amused expressions that were on Faith and David's faces. He waited several moments, hearing the laughter that came from Iona as the blonds spun her around.

"All right, all right," Iona said, putting her hand on a shoulder of each boy. "That's enough, guys. Put me down and step back slowly. Okay?"

Like it was something that they really dreaded doing, both blonds solemnly released the gypsy. They had their heads bowed, but Dwayne knew that they were really smiling. And laughing at him when they joked about him being as moody as Max.

"Are we going to go for pizza now or am I going to have to put you all in the ground?" David demanded, taking a pull on his cigarette. "Ain't anyone in this group like Max and we aren't ever going to be, all right?"

The group fell silent. Paul slid his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Marko hid his expression behind his thumb. Dwayne's eyes turned towards Faith and saw that she was holding herself in a different manner. He knew by the muted expression on her face, that Faith wasn't there anymore. She was the Southern belle from David's past and it had been awhile since the belle had made her appearance. All of the Boys could feel the change in her and knew that it was because she was thinking about Max and what he had done to her and now Iona.

Iona's gaze turned from the blonds and landed on Faith. As Dwayne watched, the gypsy straightened and moved over to stand before the redhead.

"Faith," Iona said, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Come back to us. Max isn't going to touch either one of us. We're safe. And we're going to be all right, no matter how hard that bastard tries to make our lives." She squeezed Faith's shoulders. "Okay?"

The Southern belle stared at Iona, watching her with an uncertain look in her eyes. She reached out and David grasped her hand tightly in his own.

"Come back Faith," Iona whispered once more.

As the group watched, the redhead's eyes closed for a moment. Her body relaxed and she took a slow breath. When she opened her eyes, Faith was looking out at the world.

"Wow," Marko whispered, saying what all the other Boys thought.

"Iona…" Faith said, looking at the older teenager. "Thank you."

Iona smiled and took a step back, moving to stand closer to Dwayne. "Any time, Faith."

David placed a kiss on Faith's temple and she leaned closer to him. Iona's smile turned towards Dwayne and she placed a hand on her stomach, covering the diamond belly button ring.

"Are we going to get some pizza now?" she asked. "As the only human here, I think that I need to have some food. I mean, I haven't eaten since yesterday."

Laddie's eyes widened in surprise. "You haven't eaten since then?"

"Not everyone is a pig like you," Paul commented, looking down at the little boy. "Some people can actually go a few hours without gobbling shit down like they've been starved for weeks."

Dwayne felt Iona shift against him. "Be nice," she ordered, glaring briefly at Paul. "He's a growing boy. Let him eat all that he wants while he can properly enjoy it."

Laddie stuck his tongue out at Paul and reclaimed his hold on Iona's hand. Dwayne shook his head at the nonsense. Iona turned away from the group, leading the way into the pizza parlor. She was talking about the different pizzas that Laddie would enjoy.

"Better watch out, Dwayne," Marko teased.

"Laddie looks like he's going to try to make a move or two on Iona," Paul said with a large grin. "He's going to try to make her his girlfriend, man. What are you going to do about it?"

Dwayne rolled his eyes, not dignifying the question with a response. He led the group into the pizza parlor after Laddie and frowned when he saw that Iona was seated at the Boys' usual booth, with Laddie at her side.

"Told you," Marko whispered, peeking around Dwayne.

Paul started humming the wedding march as he moved past the older vampire. Laddie's eyes met Dwayne's from across the room and the little boy smiled at him. In that moment, Dwayne knew what the others found so annoying about Laddie.

"Hey Twerp!" David growled, snapping his fingers at Laddie. "Make some room for the rest of us or I'll ask for the kiddie seat for you again."

Thanks, Dwayne thought at his brother.

David nodded and guided Faith away. You owe me one, Dwayne.

OOOOOOOOO

Iona and Faith seemed to hit it off really well as they talked over pizza. The Boys did their best to not become a part of the conversation, but Paul and Marko couldn't stop themselves. Laddie remained glued to Iona's side, only allowing Dwayne to sit at her other side as they devoured three pizzas together.

David got up for a smoke break and motioned with his head for Dwayne to follow him. Dwayne didn't want to leave the table. The thought of leaving Iona alone with the other Boys didn't appeal to him. The last thing that he needed was for them to drive Iona away from him for good. It took David reminding the vampire that Faith was there to temper the conversation and that the two of them were just going to step out the door.

"I'll be back," Dwayne muttered, pressing a kiss to Iona's temple.

Laddie made a dirty face at Dwayne, bringing a smug smirk to Dwayne's face. Iona smiled up at Dwayne as he leapt over the back of the booth. "Don't be too long," she called after him.

I won't be, Dwayne thought, heading out of the building.

The cool air of the night greeted him with a chilly embrace. Dwayne shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket. Already, David had a cigarette between his lips and the oldest Boy blew out a long puff of smoke. The platinum blond sighed, staring out at the town.

"Are you serious about this girl?" David asked. "I know you've been in bed with several women before, but none of them lasted. Do you think that Iona is someone that you can be serious with?"

"I think so. Why?"

"Because Max is seeing the motherly qualities of her every time the group gets together. You saw how she was with Laddie back there. Did you think that Max wouldn't notice?"

I had hoped, Dwayne thought, shaking his head.

"What are you trying to say, David?"

David cast a dark look in Dwayne's direction. "You aren't that fucking dumb, Dwayne. So don't act like it." The older Lost Boy took his cigarette from between his lips. "I'm saying that you better make a decision about the gypsy girl soon. Or Max is going to make his move."

OOOOOOOOO

A/N: Well? What do you think about this? I'll try to start getting more chapters ready, but I can't make any guarantees with the problems that my computer is having at the house. I look forward to seeing your reviews and knowing what you think about this story. Any comment is welcome. Thanks! -Scarlet