A/N: I know A/Ns are long and boring but this one is (kind of) important. Because this story is a little weird. I'll try to keep my explanation concise as possible. Okay, so it's post TIS (which means everything that happened in TIS has happened in this timeline) BUT it's also post What Happens At Weddings, which is a short little fic I wrote before TIS came out.

Why are you doing this, you may ask? Mainly because I wanted to write a post TIS story, but I wanted to include some of the foundation I built up in my own head. Namely: Sydney and Christian's unlikely friendship, among a few other things, but I really feel the Sydney/Christian brotp, and I know a lot of my readers do as well, and fanfiction is the only place to nurse those feels! So I know that might be confusing, like, what happened, what didn't happen, did both stories kind of sort of happen but not? And the only way I can think to explain it is,

like, you know in that episode of Once Upon A Time, after the curse has just been broken and all the fairytale characters are collectively having crippling identity crises, and then Charming/David gets up in front of everyone and is like "Yo! We're our fairytale identities AND our Storybrooke counterparts. We are both." (I'm paraphrasing).

This story is kind of like that. It's both. I don't consider this to be "my version" of what I think will happen in the Fiery Heart or anything. It's just post TIS and post WHAW. I hope that makes sense? And no, reading my previous story isn't really necessary to "get" this one. There are TIS spoilers abound, though, so ye be warned! And above everything, I hope you enjoy the story. :)

Les hommes ont oublié cette vérité, dit le renard. Mais tu ne dois pas l'oublier. Tu deviens responsable pour toujours de ce que tu as apprivoisé. (Men have forgotten this truth, said the fox. But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.) - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince

Sydney Sage was not going to have an emotional breakdown. After everything she'd been through recently, she didn't suppose anyone would really blame her if she did. She'd narrowly avoided an untimely death (again). She'd become the unwitting mother of a callistana, a type of demon, that took the form of a small dragon. She'd let relative strangers inject a foreign substance into her skin, the ingredients of which had "broken" her alchemist tattoo. It was still there, but it was inactive. It meant she was no longer compelled to not speak of vampires, and honestly? Who knew what else the tattoo had been compelling her to do. She had to admit she felt inexplicably more...free...after she'd broken the tattoo. And now when she put makeup over it, as she often did, it was so easy to believe it had never been there at all. She caught herself catching her own reflection more than once, just her bare face, no tattoo branding her to anyone or anything. It was a good feeling.

Zoe, on the other hand, was on the brink of tears on her first day of school, when Sydney came at her with a glob of foundation on a cosmetic sponge.

"Why do we have to cover it up?" she had whined, bringing a hand up to her face protectively. It made Sydney's stomach turn, seeing her so attached to the very thing Sydney didn't want her to be.

"I don't like it either," Sydney had lied gently. "But people at school have seen my tattoo, if you show up with the exact same one, people will ask too many questions you won't know how to answer-"

"I'm not stupid," her little sister had countered. "I know what to say."

"It doesn't matter, Zoe. You could be the world's greatest liar and people would still be suspicious. You just got here. Do you really want to be the reason our cover gets blown?"

Sydney hadn't liked playing on her sister's ferocious need to please the Alchemists, but as disturbing and upsetting as it was, it proved to be a handy way to get her to do what she wanted.

That was another reason Sydney could -but would not- have an emotional breakdown. Her sister being in Palm Springs was like something out of her nightmares. She never wanted this life for Zoe. She was prepared to give up the things she wanted most in the world just to assure it would never happen. And now here she was, tattooed and ready to fight the good fight. She couldn't help but wonder if this was some sort of divine punishment for everything she'd been doing. The magic, the tattoo-breaking, and...Adrian.

The best thing that had come out of all this madness was Adrian. He was hers now. And she was his. She sort of had the feeling it had always been that way, but there'd been so many things clouding her vision. She could see it clearly now. He had called her his flame in the dark. Well, he was hers too.

Unfortunately, Zoe's arrival had hosed down the flame of their kindling new relationship. Zoe tried to put on a good front, but Sydney could tell she was terrified. She was clinging to Sydney every second, and while Sydney loved her sister fiercely and wanted to spend as much time as possible with her, it meant seeing less of Adrian. In the two weeks since Zoe had been in Palm Springs she'd scarcely had a few minutes alone with Adrian. And spirit dreams were out of the question for the time being. Adrian had been using spirit entirely too much lately, and though he was willing to push himself for her, Sydney had put her foot down. She could tell the negative effects were wearing on him. He was on a spirit diet until further notice. So, the last two weeks had been filled with many longing glances and overly dramatic text messages. Adrian had threatened to take his own life more than once, but it was hard to take him seriously when he used an acronym to do so.

Sydney liked to think she was taking all of this in stride. It was a trait that she, as much as she didn't particularly enjoy the fact, took from her father. When bad or unexpected things happened, most people tended to waste an unnecessary amount of time fretting. Not Sydney. Having a breakdown wouldn't solve anything, it wouldn't change the fact that Zoe was an alchemist, or anything else. So instead of wasting time freaking out, she spent what little free time she had brainstorming what could be done to make the situation better.

It had been two weeks. She hadn't come up with anything yet.

Sydney was fully prepared for another taxing day of holding Zoe's hand through every step of her new job while simultaneously attempting to figure out a solution to the alone time with Adrian problem. She'd already tried pawning Zoe off on Jill, explaining to her that Jill was the primary focus of the mission and that she'd do well to keep an eye on her. Zoe had combated with the fact that Jill had two guardians now and that her job was to make sure Sydney felt less outnumbered by all the scary Dhampirs and Moroi that were running amok. Sydney couldn't count how many times she'd mentally kicked herself for using that excuse on Stanton. But she told herself it probably didn't matter. Zoe was here to watch her. Whether Zoe herself realized that or not, to Sydney that message was clear.

"You should at least be cordial," Sydney had said. "Make an effort to get to know Jill and the others."

Zoe had just stared at her blankly. "Why on Earth would I want to do that?"

"Because it's only polite." Sydney had snapped. Her sister's blatant indoctrination was almost painful to witness. The way she kept a stiff, haughty posture around everyone and rattled off Alchemist creeds like an automated disciple. There was a coldness to her Sydney didn't recognize and yet found strangely familiar. She eventually realized it was herself she saw in her young sister. Well, the person she used to be. It was not a pleasant realization.

Even with Sydney's nagging, Zoe kept all the vampires at more than an arm's length, barely speaking to any of them unless they spoke to her first. And even when she did she kept her responses monosyllabic. Adrian, bless his heart, had tried his best to win her over every time they were in the same area. At first Sydney had thought it might be working, but when they were alone and Sydney inquired casually about what Zoe thought of Adrian, she'd simply said, "Not much. He seems obnoxious. But he's a Royal, so I suppose that's to be expected."

So there was no reason for Sydney to believe today was going to be much different. She was soon to be proven wrong, however, when a loud ringing in her ears jolted her awake. She reached sleepily over to the alarm on her nightstand to turn it off. When the ringing didn't stop, she blinked in confusion. It took her a few moments to realize it was her phone, not the alarm, that was the source of the ringing. She glanced at the clock and her confusion increased. Who would be calling her at 5 AM? She grabbed for her phone but she'd been too late, the voicemail had already picked up. She looked over to Zoe's bed. She was still fast asleep. Sydney rolled her eyes. Sydney had arranged for Zoe to move into a separate room with a random roommate, but Zoe had gone all teary and begged to stay with Sydney. Sydney had tried every guilt trip in the book, but eventually it was decided that Jill would move out and take a new room with Angeline. It wasn't fair at all to Jill, which seemed to be a common theme as of late, but to her credit she took it with grace, assuring Sydney that she understood and it wasn't a big deal.

Sydney looked down at her phone to see if the caller had left a message. They hadn't. She didn't recognize the number. Frowning, she slipped quietly out of bed and into the hallway, as to not wake her sister. She dialed the unknown number back curiously. Who could it be? Stanton had had the same number for years, and if it was any other Alchemist related business they certainly would have left a message for her. So, who did that leave? Who was the type to call at such an inconvenient hour, mysteriously without leaving a message? Her frown deepened and her mind immediately went to Marcus, the ex-alchemist she'd recently come to know. If he was calling to try and change her mind about running away to Mexico, he was wasting his time. She'd made her choice. He needed to respect that.

The ringing cut short and a surprising, yet unmistakable voice filled her ear. "Sydney! I was just about to call you again. My sincerest apologies if I've woken you. It's quite early there, yes?"

Sydney sighed heavily. "What do you want, Zmey?"

Abe Mazur chuckled heartily. "Always were a no-nonsense kind of girl. I like that in a woman!"

"I'm sure you do," Sydney replied dryly.

"Anyway," he breezed on. "I'm in need of a small favor."

Sydney scoffed. She'd been through too much. It was too early. She was not about to deal with this on top of everything else. "My debt to you has been long since paid, last time I checked. And if you're going to bring up Keith-"

"This has nothing to do with that." Abe cut her off briskly. "I'm simply calling on behalf of Mrs. Tanner."

Sydney was about to ask who he was talking about, but soon remembered that was Mikhail's last name. "Sonya?" she asked, just to be certain.

"The very same." Abe replied.

"Okay," Sydney said, crossing an arm across her chest. "Then what does Sonya need?"

"She and Dimitri will be arriving in Palm Springs shortly."

That snapped Sydney to attention. "What?"

"Their plane will be arriving at eight." Abe went on as if Sydney hadn't said anything.

"Wait." Sydney clutched her head. "They're coming here? Today? What for? And why wasn't anyone here informed of this until now?"

"Ah, well it was all done in a bit of a hurry." Abe said. "Sonya thinks she's discovered some new breakthroughs in regard to her study of spirit." That perked Sydney's ears up. "She wanted to test them out as soon as possible. And the queen is rather busy at the moment, you see. So, the next best candidate is the young Mr. Ivashkov. I assume he's still close by?"

Sydney blinked, attempting to process everything Abe was saying. "Yes."

Sydney's heart swelled with the possibilities of this new development. What if the breakthrough Abe spoke of would allow Adrian to use spirit more often without the inevitable backlash? Even if the breakthrough was just something small, like a new way to quiet the stirrings of insanity Adrian was plagued with from time to time, anything that would help Adrian in any way brought Sydney immense joy.

"Why is Dimitri coming?" Sydney asked curiously.

"Just to be on the safe side," Abe said. "Mr. Tanner was otherwise occupied, but he didn't want Sonya travelling alone. Ah, love..." Abe sighed wistfully, then his voice returned to business mode. "So you'll be able to pick them up when they arrive? It's through a private airport, or they'd be able to find other means of transportation. Plus, it's always nice to be greeted in a new place by a familiar face, don't you think?"

Sydney sighed. "I can't."

Abe was silent for a moment. "Pardon me?" He seemed genuinely surprised she was refusing.

"I would if I could," Sydney sighed. "But unfortunately I don't have any transportation of my own these days. My car was totaled."

Abe gasped. "Was there an accident?"

She rolled her eyes, not wanting to get into this. "A random act of vandalism."

"That's terrible." Abe's said. "I suppose you can't..."

Technically she supposed she could be able to pick them up. She didn't have Latte anymore, a sad fact that still brought about a deep ache in her chest, but Adrian had given her a copy of the key to The Ivashkinator and told her it was hers to drive whenever she needed it. If she agreed to do this, she'd have take the bus to his apartment to get the car. And she'd have to call the school and explain her absence. And she'd have to wake up Adrian and...

Realization hit Sydney like a crashing wave. Adrian. She'd have to go to his apartment to get the car. Adrian. Adrian would be alone in his apartment. Adrian. And then when she got there. Adrian. They'd be alone together. And after they picked up Sonya and Dimitri they could spend the day together. The thought alone made Sydney's chest squeeze.

Abe was still muttering something about people today and their lack of respect when Sydney cut him off. "I'll do it."

"What's that?" Abe asked, slightly dazed from his bumbling tangent.

"I can pick them up." Sydney said. "Adrian has a car, I can use his."

"Oh, I wasn't aware Adrian had a car of his own. I suppose I can just ask him-"

"No!" Sydney said a little too fiercely. She cleared her throat and tried to sound casual. "I mean. It's really no problem. Adrian's never awake this early, anyway."

"As long as you're certain," Abe drawled. "I really wouldn't want to put you out."

Sydney resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. "Thanks for your concern, but like I said, I can do it."

Abe continued to spew out some more metaphorical schmooze that Sydney could only loosely interpret as him thanking her for the favor. She was lucky she was able to make out the address she'd need to be at and memorize it. She gave him a polite goodbye and slipped back inside her room, unable to stop herself from grinning like an idiot. She was going to get to be alone with Adrian. Finally.

Her overwhelming glee was cut short when she looked up and saw she was face to face with a now wide awake Zoe.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing," Sydney forced a cool expression onto her face. "What are you doing up?"

"I heard you talking," her sister rubbed at her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Sydney said again, realizing she completely forgot she'd have to explain what she was going to do to Zoe. "I've been roped into picking up Dimitri Belikov and Sonya Ka-Tanner," she readjusted the name quickly, "They're going to be in town for a little while."

Zoe's face paled. "What?"

Sydney ignored her sister's horrified expression and started pulling out clothes to dress herself for the day. She shrugged. "Sonya's been doing a lot of research about spirit and how it affects those who can wield it. Adrian is a spirit user. She uses him as a test subject every now and then."

She didn't have to turn to look at Zoe to know her expression had probably gone from horrified to downright flabbergasted. She was preparing what were hopefully sound reasons why she was the one who was going to pick them up, but Zoe's next question took her by surprise.

"Didn't they both used to be Strigoi?"

Sydney spun around to face Zoe. "Yes," she said evenly. "They're not anymore, though. And it's spirit that brought them back, so..." she trailed off, not really knowing where she was going with that thought.

Zoe's expression darkened. "I don't think you should be alone with them. I'm coming with you."

Sydney's eyes widened. She couldn't help but feel a tiny surge of pride at her little sister's bravery. If only it wasn't so awfully misplaced.

She sighed. "I appreciate the offer, Zo. But I'll be fine. And you have school."

Zoe snorted. "So you get to skip and I don't?"

"I've already graduated, Zoe. I'm only posing as a student for our cover story. You, on the other hand, need to take your education seriously."

Zoe crossed her arms. "This is so unfair."

"What's unfair is the fact that I requested actual back up and got stuck with my little sister," Sydney made sure to look pointedly at Zoe so she'd know she was teasing. She hadn't meant to request back up at all, and Zoe being that unwanted back up was literally the worst thing that could have happened, but Zoe didn't know that.

"I am actual back up!" Zoe's voice took on a shrill tone.

"Could have fooled me," Sydney shrugged. "The entire time you've been here you've done nothing but play my shadow. Not much point in there being two of us here if we're always in the same place."

Zoe huffed, throwing the covers off of her legs and standing up. Sydney couldn't help but notice how slender they were. She used to envy her sister's tiny frame, but looking at her now all she saw was how vulnerable she looked. How frail. She'd do well to gain a few pounds. Strengthen up those baby muscles.

"You are such a brat," Zoe spat at her, "I don't want to go with you, anyway."

"Well that's good," Sydney said simply, slipping off her sleep shorts and stepping into a crisp pair of jeans. "Because you're not."

"How are you going to get to them?" Zoe asked. Sydney winced. Here came the hard hitting questions.

"I'm going to drive, of course." Sydney said, pointedly ignoring what her sister's question implied.

Zoe scoffed. "With what car?"

"Adrian's," Sydney answered, pulling her t shirt over her head and sliding on a slim fit tank top.

"Oh my gosh!" Zoe screeched.

Sydney turned sharply. "What?" her heart was pounding. Her brain dove instantly into paranoia land,where in one second Zoe had figured out about the nature of Sydney and Adrian's relationship.

"That top!" Zoe's cheeks reddened, a vaguely disgusted look on her face. "Your...your chest is like, popping out of that."

Sydney looked toward the full length mirror that hung on the wall and was surprised to see her sister was right. She knew this top was tight but she didn't think it was...this tight. She was even more surprised that she actually liked the way it looked on her. It made her feel confident and bold. It reminded her of something Rose would wear. She smiled softly at her reflection, then turned to Zoe. "I'm going to put a blazer on top of it, genius."

"You better button it up all the way." Zoe mumbled, shaking her head.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?" Sydney asked, just to annoy her.

"Wait," Zoe strode toward her, hands on her hips. "You're taking Lord Ivashkov's car?" Despite Sydney's insistence, Zoe refused to address Adrian or Jill informally.

"Yes." Sydney said, keeping her voice emotionless.

"Isn't that...weird?" Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"Why would it be weird?" Sydney asked, swallowing nervously. "I don't have a car right now and Adrian gave me permission to use his until I can remedy that situation."

"I know, but..." Zoe hesitated and Sydney's brain threatened to take another trip to paranoia land. "It's just weird. I mean. This whole thing...being around all these Moroi and Dhampirs. It's just weird."

Sydney put an arm around her sister, trying to remember what it felt like to be in her shoes. It was very strange to think that she'd once felt a strong aversion to the people who now meant more to her than the Alchemists she was supposed to be devoted to.

"You get used to it." Sydney said, reassuringly rubbing Zoe's shoulder.

"I don't want to get used to it." Zoe said with a vehemence that surprised Sydney. "I'll never be like you, Sydney. I don't know how you do it. You act so normal around them. I know you're just acting but...you're so good at it. I can't even stand to be in the same room with them. It makes my skin crawl. And I have to pretend to be related to them." her voice broke and she turned to look Sydney in the eyes. "I don't think I can do this."

Sydney felt a horrible pang in her chest. It was so unbelievably frustrating to see her sister like this. She wished there was a way she could just gather up all the poisonous propaganda the Alchemists had filled her head with and dissolve it into thin air. She took a deep breath, trying not to let her anger at what they'd done to her sister overwhelm her.

"Zoe, listen." Sydney took her by the shoulder and turned her so they were fully facing each other. "You can do this. Not just because you have to, or because it's expected of you, but because you're my sister. And I know you. You're strong, you're smart, you're more than capable of anything you set your mind to. And you can do this. I was just as scared as you were when I started this mission." That wasn't entirely true, but what was another little white lie on top of everything else? "But I just told myself to get over it. And that's what you have to do too. This is your job. Our job. Do you understand?"

Zoe nodded solemnly. "I just-"

"No excuses," Sydney told her firmly. "You've had two weeks to get settled in, Zoe. That's long enough. Starting today, no more shadowing me."

Zoe opened her mouth to protest, but Sydney shot her a look and she closed it again. "I need you today, Zoe. I'm going to be away for a good portion of the day. That means keeping track of things around here is up to you. Got it?"

Zoe took a shaky breath, then nodded. "I got it." she whispered.

Sydney smiled. "You'll be fine." She got up and went to the bathroom, running a brush through her hair quickly and opting out of doing anything with make up. When she returned Zoe was still morosely staring off into the distance. She sighed. "Zoe? You okay?"

Zoe nodded wordlessly.

"I'm counting on you." Sydney said, as she made her way to the door. She felt a little bit bad about leaving her on her own like this, but no one had been there to wade Sydney gently into the sea of vampires when she got to Palm Springs. She'd been pushed head first in the deep end. If Sydney was ever going to get Zoe away from the Alchemists, she had to take it one step at a time. She considered this step one.

"Wait!" Zoe called, and Sydney halted with her hand on the doorknob as she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to find Zoe giving her a smirk, holding out a light gray wad of fabric. "You forgot to put a jacket on, genius."

She rolled her eyes and slipped her arms through the blazer. "What would I do without you?" She teased.

Zoe's eyes were wide and serious. "Be careful," she whispered.

Sydney sighed. "I'll be fine, Zoe. I told you. They're not Strigoi anymore."

"Yeah, but they're still...them." Zoe shuddered and Sydney felt her anger starting to boil up again. Not at Zoe, but at the Alchemists. At their father. She knew what this was. Zoe being there. This was a message...to remind Sydney of who had the power and who didn't. If that's how they wanted to play it, that was fine with Sydney. They had no idea want kind of power she had or what games she could play.

She gave her sister a small smile and opened the door to leave. She turned back for a moment to say, "Don't forget to cover up your tattoo."

The bus ride to Adrian's apartment felt excruciatingly long. She could have called him and asked him to pick her up, but she seriously doubted he'd be awake at this hour. Plus, she wanted to surprise him. Getting out of Amberwood had been a bit tricky. She was going to just call the school's office and feign sickness, but then she'd have no chance getting past Mrs. Weathers. So instead she had decided to go with the old favorite "family emergency" excuse. She wasn't sure if Amberwood was just run by the most non-suspecting people in the world, or if she had become a disturbingly talented liar, or a mixture of both, but the main point was that she got out of there without too much of a hassle.

When she finally arrived, she was dizzy with excitement. It felt surreal. It had been so long she'd been over to his place by herself and the thought of being able to wrap her arms around him, hold him, kiss him, made her entire body thrum with nervous energy She practically ran to his door, fishing his spare key that he'd given her out of her pocket to let herself in. His apartment was dark and quiet. All at once she felt a little creepy, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She tiptoed into his bedroom and nearly gushed at the sight of him sprawled out in his bed, sleeping deeply.

She'd caught herself wondering on several occasions what Adrian wore to bed. She was very disappointed to find him seemingly clothed. But the way his dark v neck t shirt hugged his pale, lean shoulders and chest almost made up for the lack of nudity. Unbuttoning her blazer and draping it over the edge of the bed, she smirked and crawled as quietly as she possibly could over his sleeping form, making sure to hold her weight up so she was hovering over him. Then, she let herself drop, wrapping her arms around him almost violently.

His body jerked in surprise, his eyes snapping open to reveal those beautiful emerald irises she loved so much. He blinked those lovely eyes in confusion, looking up at her like she was an impossible thing.

"Sage?" His voice was scratchy from sleep.

She giggled, bringing her lips to his ear. She kissed him there. "Good morning." she whispered.

He was still disoriented, blinking and looking around, as if trying to spot something amiss."What are you d-" he started to say, but she cut him off by pressing her lips softly to his.

It took him a moment but soon his hands were in her hair, his lips moving passionately against hers. The thickness of the blanket between her body and his was torturous. She needed the warmth of his skin against hers. She made a small sound of annoyance and he pulled away, his hands drifting from the back of her head down her back and she shivered. She rolled over and wormed her way under the blanket, snuggling against him. She buried her face in the crook of his neck. He was warm. And he smelled like home.

He rubbed her back dazedly. "Am I dreaming?" he murmured.

She smiled against his skin, pulling back slightly so she could kiss his neck. She opened her mouth and sucked softly on his skin, using her teeth to bite down gently as she did so.

Adrian's head fell back and he groaned, his hold on her tightening. "I am dreaming."

After a few moments she trailed soft kisses up to his ear and paused to whisper. "That's payback."

"Mean." Adrian grumbled, chuckling. He shifted their bodies until they were face to face. She smiled, nudging his nose with hers. His hands slid down her sides and the thrill of his touch made her sigh. She had no idea how she'd survived the past two weeks. Or how she'd survive another moment without him this close, always.

"I missed you," she mumbled into his chest.

"Missed you more." he said, giving her a squeeze.

"Not possible." she shook her head, squeezing him back.

"I did," he insisted, squeezing her harder. She laughed and then he laughed and then they fell silent, just breathing against each other. For a little while she let herself imagine they were just two people, a normal girl and a normal boy, who did normal things like cuddle in bed and fight over who missed who more.

Adrian's voice soon broke her out of her daydream. "Not that I'm complaining, but what exactly are you doing here?"

She gave him a wounded look. "I have to have a reason?"

He smirked. "No," His gaze drifted downward and his eyes widened. "Especially not in that top."

She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. "Figures."

"Hey," he whined, cuddling up to her from behind, snaking his arms around her waist. He brought his lips to her ear. "I'm glad you're here. I just figured if you were here at this time, there must be a specific reason. Or something's wrong." His arms tensed. "Is something wrong?"

"Besides the fact that this is the first time we've been properly alone since Zoe got here, not really."

He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Sydney said, searching for his hands and threaded her fingers through his. "It's not your fault. If it's anyone's fault it's mine. Zoe wouldn't be here if I hadn't opened my stupid mouth to Stanton."

Adrian kissed her shoulder. "Well, she is here. What's been done is done, so there's no use beating yourself up over it." he trailed kisses across her back. "Besides, it's probably better to have Zoe with you than with them. If she was back home they'd just be filling her head with more and more bullshit every day. Being around you, and all of us, will be good for her."

She turned to face him, smiling. "Since when are you so glass-half-full?"

He brought a hand up to cup her face and the intensity of his gaze made her breath catch. "I have a lot to be optimistic about these days."

And then they were kissing again. Her arms went around his neck. His hands fell to her waist. Every time his lips touched hers a zip of electricity shot through her. He pulled away briefly to smile at her.

She frowned, pouting her bottom lip slightly. "I can't believe I didn't get to kiss you on New Year's." She'd never really celebrated the holiday before. It was mostly just an excuse for lavish parties and getting excessively drunk. The Alchemists weren't big on either of those things. Adrian happened to be big on both, so she had been looking forward to having fun with him. And kissing him at midnight. Neither of those things happened. She was stuck babysitting Zoe and all she got were silly text drunk text messages from him all night.

He chuckled. "You're still upset about that?"

"Yes!" she whined. "Aren't you?"

He shook his head. "I'm finding it hard to be upset at much of anything, to be honest. I mean, we're still figuring out how we're going to make this work with Zoe here and all, but...you're with me." He stroked her arm. "You're mine." He looked at her and smirked. "Tell you what, I'll make it up to you next New Year's."

She moved her body against his in a way she could only hope was inviting. Her fingers tangled in his hair and she pulled his face close to hers. "Make it up to me now."

"You shouldn't say things like that when you're in my bed." His voice was rough.

She bit her lip, grinning. "Why not?"

He rolled on top of her, smiling devilishly. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

She snorted. "Are you implying that I should be frightened?"

He pressed his weight on top of her, a sensation in which she delighted in. He brought his face inches from hers. "You used to be scared of me," he teased, his voice a low whisper.

She laughed. "Well, in my defense you were very scary."

"Oh yeah?" He gave her what she assumed was an attempt at a menacing glare. "How's this?"

"Terrifying." she breathed, reaching up to trace the outline of his jaw.

"There's something you should know about me," he took a deep breath, leaning in close to her to whisper, "I'm a vampire."

He made a sort of growling sound, which Sydney found infinitely sexier than anything else she'd experienced in life prior to that moment.

"Oh no...what are you going to do to me?" she asked with wide eyes, still playing along with the idea that he was 'scary'.

"Hmm, I don't know..." he mused, cocking his head to the side. "Maybe some of this," he gently brought his lips to hers. "And a little of this," he kissed from her lips to her neck and she eagerly titled her head back, giving him more access to her throat. She loved the way it felt to have him kiss her there. His lips stayed there for awhile, teasing her, then started playfully gnawing on her skin with his lips and gums and making obnoxiously loud chomping noises.

"What are you doing?!" she squealed, wriggling violently underneath him. She gasped for breath. "That tickles!"

She didn't realize until much later how inappropriate what he was doing was. Well, the old Sydney would have thought it was more than inappropriate. She would have been terrified. A vampire's mouth on her neck. That was the worst thing she could have imagined. She certainly wouldn't have found any amusement in such a disgusting thing. But the Sydney that was currently thrashing around futilely as her boyfriend continued to slobber all over her neck was giggling like a lunatic, pushing at his chest half-heartedly because even though she was equally annoyed as she was amused, she didn't really want him to stop. He was just being silly, anyway. He'd never actually bite her. She knew that. Well, not unless she wanted him to. But that was irrelevant, because she didn't. And wouldn't.

When she finally managed to push him off of her, she smacked his shoulder. "You're ridiculous."

His smile was as gorgeous as it was infuriating. "I love you, too."

"Gross!" she hissed, reaching up to wipe his saliva off her skin. She then wiped her hand down the front of Adrian's shirt.

"Hey!" he whined, clearly distraught to have his most likely outrageously expensive t shirt sticky with spit.

"That's what you get." Sydney shook her head.

"I think I got you better, though." Adrian smirked.

"I'll get you back eventually."

"Oh, really?" he raised his eyebrows.

"I'm still waiting to have my awful New Year's Eve made up to me," she sighed, bringing her hand up to her face, checking an imaginary watch.

He clasped a hand around her wrist and held it there for a moment. Then grabbed for her other hand and brought of her arms up and above her head, pinning them to the bed. Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest. She blinked up at him, her cheeks flushing. He just grinned. She wondered if he liked having this effect on her. He lowered his mouth to hers, very softly. His kiss remained soft, too soft, for her liking. She ached to wrap her arms around his neck and force him closer, but his hands were still pinning hers down. Her fingers wound around his, squeezing and pushing against him, but he remained firm. She was powerless. She never thought lack of control could feel so... exhilarating. Since she couldn't use her hands to pull him close, she craned her neck upward, pushing her mouth roughly against his. He leaned back slightly, not breaking the contact but still not allowing her the satisfaction. She groaned against his mouth. He was supposed to be making her kissless New Year's up to her, not teasing her. She caught hold of his bottom lip with her teeth and bit down. She'd meant for it to be unpleasant but he made that sexy growling sound again and finally relented, pressing his mouth completely against hers. His hands released hers and he slid his fingers down her arms and across her shoulders until his hands encircled her neck. Once freed, her hands immediately darted underneath his shirt, caressing his lean-muscled abdomen. They kissed like that for awhile, until they were lost in each other. His hands slid down her torso and she was grateful for the thin material of the tank top. She realized all at once she wouldn't mind if he took it off her. If his fingers on her bare skin had felt as good as they did in the spirit dream they'd shared, she couldn't even imagine how good they would feel in real life. She pushed her body forward until she was in an almost sitting position, hands on Adrian's chest, lips still locked against his. Reluctantly, she pulled away to tell him what she wanted. Unfortunately in that moment she remembered the reason she had (or well, had used as an excuse to) come over to Adrian's apartment. She gasped.

"What time is it?"

Adrian glanced at the clock on the nightstand behind her. "A little past seven."

"How is that possible?!" Sydney pushed away from Adrian, scrambling out of the bed.

"I think I heard on the History Channel once that the 24 hour day comes from the ancient Egyptians." Adrian flashed her a wicked grin.

Sydney's brain halted mid panic. "What were you doing watching the History Channel?"

Adrian shrugged, rolling out of bed and stretching. "It helps me sleep, sometimes."

Sydney blinked at him, then shook her head. "Anyway-"

"Did you know that they even found these coffins with clocks painted on the inside of the lids? So the mummies could tell time?" Adrian cackled. "The ancient Egyptians were nuts!"

Sydney bit her lip, trying not to smile. She walked toward him, snaking her arms around his neck. "Your extensive knowledge of ancient cultures is very impressive, for someone using educational material as a sleeping pill."

Adrian beamed. "Yeah, some might say I'm a quick study."

Sydney scoffed loudly. "You're still not over that?"

Adrian shook his head. "I'll never be over it." He leaned in to kiss her but she pushed him away.

"No, no, we can't-we have to go!"

"Go?" Adrian pulled back, confused. "Go where?"

"To pick up Sonya and Dimitri." Sydney sighed.

Adrian scrunched up his face. "Do what now?"

Sydney rapidly summarized the situation that was at hand while locating her blazer and slinging it back on over her tank top.

Adrian shook his head. "Sage, I can't go."

Sydney gaped at him. "What do you mean? Why not?"

He frowned. "I have an art class."

"This early?"

"It's actually more of a workshop...sort of thing..." Adrian looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, it's not mandatory but I signed up for...well my teacher did, thought it would be something I'd um...you know...enjoy." He coughed, seemingly embarrassed. "Usually you have to pay for it, but my teacher knows the guy who's running it so she got me in...or you know...whatever. You know what? Never mind. It's stupid-"

"No no no no," Sydney rushed forward, taking his hand in hers. "It's not stupid at all. That's...that's great. I'm excited for you."

He rolled his eyes. "Nothing to be excited about, Sage. It's just an art class."

"Well, I'm still excited." Sydney brought her hand up to his face, forcing him to look at her. "Your art is important."

He brought his hand up as well, stroking her cheek. "Not as important as spending time with you."

She smiled, leaning forward to bump his forehead with hers. "Don't skip it. I'll figure something out. What time is your class?"

Adrian pecked her lips softly. "Nine."

Sydney sighed. "I have to be at this address Abe gave me at eight." She looked up at him, pouting slightly. "Would it be okay if I dropped you off at your class early?"

"You want me to wait around like a loser for almost two hours before people start to show up?" Adrian was incredulous. "All the other kids will make fun of me. And steal my lunch money."

Sydney scoffed, then narrowed her eyes. "I'll beat them up."

"There's a good ice breaker," Adrian said. "Don't mess with me or my girlfriend will throw a fireball at you."

"Or sic Hopper on them," Sydney suggested. "How is he, by the way?" After Zoe's arrival Sydney had managed to sneak Hopper to Adrian's apartment for safe keeping. The last thing she needed was her little sister waking up one day to find a demon-dragon in her bed.

"Miserable," Adrian sighed heavily. "I've been feeding him just like you told me. But I think he misses his mother. I know the feeling."

The double meaning of Adrian's last sentence made Sydney's heart hurt. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "We can spend some quality family time together after your class today."

Adrian squeezed back. "Never thought I'd hear those words uttered to me in the same sentence," he laughed. "But that sounds good. We can all cuddle up on the couch and watch the History Channel."

She laughed, arms still tight around him.

"I can take the bus to my class," Adrian said after a moment. "You take the car."

Sydney pulled back. "You don't have to do that, Adrian."

He shrugged. "I don't really mind. It sort of puts me in the right mood, you know? Makes me feel like a grungy art student in an independent film. The bus is a metaphor for the life that's passing me by, or something."

Sydney shook her head at him. "You're really too much, you know that?"

"I know," he drawled, throwing his head back dramatically. "Sick of me yet?"

She gave him a serious look. "Never."

Adrian chuckled. "Good, because I don't want to put little Hopper through a messy divorce, especially at his tender age."

"What time is your class over?" Sydney asked, ignoring his antics. "I'll come pick you up. Make all the other kids jealous."

"Of my rare vintage car, or of my super hot girlfriend?"

Sydney leaned forward to kiss him, cupping his face with her hands. She pulled away, smirking. "Both."

"Motherhood has done wonders for you," Adrian purred, letting his hands wind around her waist.

"I really do have to get going soon." Sydney said, allowing herself one last small kiss before pulling away from him completely.

"Drive safe," Adrian said, slowly peeling his hands from her body, almost as if it was painful for him to do.

"Have fun at your class." she said, making her way toward the door of his bedroom. "Remember, family time later."

"I'll call or text you when it's over." he said, walking backward and collapsing in a heap onto his bed.

She didn't know how to end the conversation. All she wanted to do was crawl back into the bed and just be close to him. Instead, she forced herself to open the door. "See you," she said lamely.

"Love you," came his reply.

She blushed, his words giving her the strength to keep walking. "You too."

Sydney Sage was about to have an emotional breakdown.

In the time she'd spent driving from Adrian's apartment to the "private airport" (which turned out to be not even an airport, really, at all.) She'd missed several call from Abe that she refused to answer because she didn't believe in talking on the phone while driving unless it was an emergency. When she got to the "private airport", also known as a large patch of land with no markers or signs anywhere in sight, she punched in Abe's phone number, silently fuming. He'd assured her that she was at the right place and that the plane would be landing any minute, surely. He also took the time to offer some more strange condolences about her late car, Latte. But the real climax of the conversation is when Abe mentioned the people Sydney was to be picking up. And he used the the number three.

"Excuse me?" Sydney gasped. "What do you mean, the three of them?"

Abe paused. "Well, the three passengers on the plane, of course. Sonya, Dimitri, and that other one. Oh, what's his name. Always was terrible with names. Well, not always, but here recently I've-"

"You never mentioned 'that other one' earlier, when I agreed to do this."

"Didn't I?" Abe seemed startled by this accusation.

"No," Sydney said. "You didn't. Is it another guardian for Sonya or what? Another Dhampir?"

"No, no." Abe said. "That Moroi. The one Dimitri's-" his voice cut off abruptly.

Sydney heard muffled talking through the phone and what sounded like a loud crash. A few strangled grunts, and then Abe's voice was back on the line, strained but polite. "Miss Sage, I'm afraid I'll have to call you back. A business matter has come to my attention that I must see to immediately. I'll be in touch."

"Wait!" Sydney yelled, but the called had ended. She groaned loudly, her head falling against the steering wheel in frustration. She didn't know why, but this, on top of everything else, was just too much to deal with. Sydney's main objective was to get Zoe away from the Alchemists. Step one in that plan meant she had to get her to understand that vampires were not the evil creatures the Alchemists made them out to be. She was all for Zoe being exposed to them as much as possible, but there was such a thing as bad culture shock. It would be too much, too soon for her. And Sydney was just starting to realize converting Zoe was going to be a lot harder than she thought. She didn't even know who this other Moroi was, what if he or she was awful? They were no different from humans, in the sense that there were good ones and bad ones. But if they were awful, that tore a gaping hole in Operation Un-brainwash Zoe. It also meant another person who would need blood on a semi-regular basis. Well, Sydney thought bitterly, They can fend for it themselves.

She was still hanging on to her emotional stability by a thread when, believe it or not, an impossibly small plane closed in on the clearing. Sydney watched in silence as it landed, kicking up a huge plume of dust in its wake, quite a measurable distance from where she was parked. She stared at it for a few seconds. She took a deep breath and started the car, driving up to it so Sonya, Dimitri, and Mystery Moroi wouldn't have to walk to where she was.

She tried to smile when the plane's door opened and Sonya's statuesque figured appeared, smiling brightly. "Ah, Sydney. I see Abe got ahold of you. We didn't put you through any trouble, did we?" she asked as she descended gracefully out of the plane.

Sydney sighed. "Not too much, no. Although I wasn't expecting-"

"Sydney!" A booming voice called from behind Sonya and soon after, Dimitri Belikov appeared before her. He turned back for a moment, saying something inaudible to the pilot of the tiny aircraft. He jumped down from the opening in one swift movement. "It's great to see you again."

"You too," Sydney nodded, looking behind to see who else was travelling with them.

Sonya looked back as well. "Where is he?"

"He's just taking a second," Dimitri winced, looking toward Sydney. "The flight was a bit hard on him."

Sydney found it hard to conjure up any sympathy for this stranger who was ruining her life. "About that, Abe didn't mention that another Moroi would be coming with you guys."

"It's fine," she quickly added, though it wasn't. "I just wondered why."

Dimitri looked puzzled. "Well...I am his guardian, after all."

"Oh," Sydney said. "I didn't know...I thought you were one of Lissa's guardians."

Dimitri shook his head slowly. "I apologize if it's an inconvenience. I knew we shouldn't have relied on Ibrahim to pass the information, but there wasn't a lot of time..."

"Oh no, don't apologize." Sydney said, flustered. "It's not your fault."

Dimitri smirked. "And to be honest, I didn't think you'd mind so much. He was certainly looking forward to seeing you again."

Sydney frowned. "What do you mean? Why would the Moroi you're guarding be interested in seeing me?"

Dimitri and Sonya exchanged a glance. When he spoke again, he was clearly amused. "You mean, you don't know?"

Sydney looked between the two of them, more confused than ever. "Know what?"

Just then, a lanky figure appeared in the plane's doorway, shakily stepping off onto the ground. He dusted himself off, and straightened up, flashing Sydney a dazzling smile.

Sydney's face, mood, and all around outlook on life brightened substantially. She couldn't help herself from springing forward, enveloping the Moroi in a fierce embrace.

"Christian!" she yelped, teetering with him as he staggered from her unexpected tackle.

He wrapped his arms around her, steadying them before they fell, and laughed. It was a wonderful, hopeful sound. "Hey BSB, long time no see."

In that instant Sydney knew he was the answer to her unspoken prayer. He was exactly what she needed in her current state of emotional turmoil a friend. Maybe his being here would prove to be disastrous on the Operation Un-brainwash Zoe front, but as much as Sydney hated to admit it, Abe Mazur had been right. Sometimes it is just nice to see a familiar face.