Chapter One

"I can't look. You do it," Sydney said as the thrust the pregnancy test she had clutched in her hands into Jill's chest.

"Oof," Jill mumbled as the cardboard bumped against her. She scrambled to keep it within her grasp. "Sydney, you haven't even opened the box yet. There's nothing to look at." She slid her finger across the edge to pop it open.

"It's smaller than I thought," Sydney said randomly as she eyed the test in Jill's palm.

Jill raised an eyebrow. "What exactly were you expecting?" she asked her.

"A pregnancy test reveals something really significant…I expected more," Sydney tried to explain.

Jill turned the stick over in her hand. "It looks about normal to me," she mused.

Now it was Sydney's turn to raise her eyebrow. "Have you had a lot of experience with them?" she asked curiously.

Jill raised her gaze from her palm up to Sydney. "We're talking about you here, not me," she reminded her. She took the test and placed it into Sydney's hand, folding her fingers around it.

Sydney stared at the piece of plastic like it was some alien science project. She looked up helplessly at Jill.

"Syd, I love you…you know I'd do anything for you, but I cannot physically pee on it for you," Jill said gently. With a small (but firm) push she guided Sydney into the bathroom and shut the door, essentially trapping her in the small room.

Sydney sat down on the edge of the tub tossing the test from one palm to the other. How had this happened? Well, she knew HOW it happened… (It was those damn eyes. Those beautiful green orbs that a girl could get lost in forever. And that hair. Dark as onyx and so easy to run your fingers through…like silk. The way he spoke to her…took care of her…looked at her.)

The mission requiring their little rag tag group to protect Jill had ended nearly eight years ago. The princess was safe now and no longer needed the constant supervision (aside from a regular guardian) that had been required in Palm Springs. Everyone was free to resume their normal lives.

Escaping from and then bringing down the Alchemist organization left Sydney with few friends from her past. Adrian assured her she could return to Court with him and the others. And as much as she wanted to be with Adrian (their time apart had nearly killed them both) she needed to get away from the world of Moroi, Dhampirs, and Strigoi for a while.

Sydney enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania to study Art History. She and Adrian where still close enough (geographic wise) that they saw each other every weekend. Sydney flourished during her time at the university and earned her B.A. in three and a half years.

Upon graduation she was ready to tell Adrian she wanted to move back to Court with him when he beat her to the punch (of course) and proposed. The wedding was a small affair with only Sydney's mother, older sister, and the pair's friends in attendance. But the size of the event didn't matter; the only thing that mattered to Sydney was being with Adrian forever.

Adjusting to life at Court took a little time, but now Sydney couldn't imagine being anywhere else. She put her degree to good use by working at one of the several libraries on the premises while Adrian worked as a painter, doing commissions for wealthy families.

Everything had been perfect until Adrian started bringing up the idea of starting a family. Sydney had let go of her body image issues so it wasn't that she didn't want to gain weight…but having a Dhampir baby (with the possibility he/she would be attuned to magic) scared her beyond words. Of course the Moroi would want the child to start training as soon as he/she could. The offspring would be a valuable guardian.

"I don't hear anything in there," Jill's voice carried through the door.

Sydney was so startled she slipped off the edge and onto the floor. "Ouch," she whined before righting herself and taking a deep breath. She quickly wiggled her pants and panties down before hovering over the toilet seat.

Here goes nothing.

Once Sydney had finished she set the test on the counter and opened the door. She gave Jill a weak smile before collapsing into her arms.

Jill rubbed her back gently. "You know whatever happens you'll be okay, right?" she said softly.

That was easy for Jill to say…all her babies would be Dragomir royalty. "Yeah, I know," Sydney said. She stepped back from her friend and leaned against the doorjamb. "It's supposed to take three minutes."

Jill nodded and set the timer on her phone. Three minutes felt like three years. The girls stood there quietly until the alarm sounded. "Do you still want me to look?" she asked Sydney.

"No, I should be the one to do it," Sydney said. She came away from the piece of wall holding her up and stepped into the bathroom. She gave Jill one last look before picking up the test.

Little blue plus sign.

With shaky hands and wobbly knees Sydney felt the test slip from her hand and into the sink.

Jill was right there to steady her (in more ways than one). "You know these things aren't always accurate," she said. "We can get you to the doctor and he'll do a blood test. It might be nothing," she said.

Sydney shook her head as Jill helped her sit down the now closed toilet seat. "It's not nothing," she said once she caught her breath.

"What are you going to do?" Jill asked.

Sydney was good with facts and figures. Those things were easy to handle. Maybe if she thought of the baby like that she'd be okay. She looked up at Jill and replied, "Research."