Disclaimer: I don't own Bloodlines.

Post Indigo Spell. What happens when Adrian begins his strange ramblings from spirit, and only Sydney is by his side?

A Flame in the Dark

After I closed my eyes, Adrian's apartment materialized around me and I instantly recognized that I was in a spirit dream. These dreams were something I looked forward to every night. I looked for Adrian, and smiled when I saw him walking to me. As he got closer, my heart stopped.

Adrian's green eyes seemed so lost and haunted, like he'd forgotten who he was. His dark hair was just messy, with none of the stylish messiness I had come to appreciate, and his face was gaunt. He looked like an old man who had aged before his time. I looked at him, feeling as if my heart was going to break. This was the man I loved, and yet he wasn't. He was a shell. His use of spirit in dreams for the past months had finally culminated to this.

Fear and heartbreak filled me. I wasn't afraid of Adrian himself - I was afraid of spirit's darkness.

"Everything's so dark," he murmured, looking at me. His eyes saw me but I got the feeling he wasn't really seeing me. His eyes were like the broken bits of a kaleidoscope. "It's like the darkness will crush and suffocate me. I used to drink and smoke to keep it at bay. Now, I only have my painting to keep away the darkness, and it doesn't feel like it's enough. When will the darkness come and take me away forever?"

I knelt by his side, and put my arms around his shoulders. I felt helpless, not knowing exactly how to help him. Maybe if Jill was here…but she wasn't, so I would have to give helping Adrian my best shot. I wouldn't let him slip away from me ."Adrian, I'm here. I won't let the darkness take you away. I'll fight those shadows and keep them away."

"Sometimes, I feel like my grip on reality is slowly slipping," he said, his voice a whisper. He sounded so desolate, and my heart broke even further listening to him talk. "Maybe it would be easier to just let go. Let the darkness claim me. I don't really have that much to offer the world, besides my art and my spirit powers. There isn't much to live for anyway."

"No," I insisted, cupping his face and looking into his eyes. Come back to me, please. "You're an amazing man, with a lot to offer the world. You have reasons to live. Your art. Jill. Hopper. Me."

His eyes locked with mine, and I saw that they'd become a bit more focused. A bit of hope sparked in me. It wasn't completely hopeless yet. "Hopper, huh? Our little love child dragon."

"Where would he be without his 'father?'" I asked, managing a small smile. I had to keep him here, and prevent spirit's darkness from overcoming him. I had to save him, even though I didn't know how. This was when I wished Rose was here so she could give me advice to help him. "Especially when I first summoned him. You were all manly and brave, scooping him into that basket."

This brought a faint trace of a smile to Adrian's face. I continued, "You told me that I was your flame in the dark, and that we chase the shadows around each other. You've been there for me so many times. It's my turn to be there for you – to chase away your shadows."

"But my shadows are growing darker and bigger," Adrian whispered, looking scared.

I wish I could reach into his mind and take away the darkness that spirit had caused. I felt guilty that spirit was taking its toll on him – and it was because of me. Ever since my little sister Zoe had arrived in Palm Springs as a junior Alchemist, I couldn't be with Adrian as openly as before, in that brief span of time when I had admitted my love for him to myself.

I was pretty sure that Zoe's alliances would not lie with her big sister – they would lie with the Alchemists. Our relationship had become strained when I had taken over the Palm Springs assignment, and even though it'd improved with her arrival…I couldn't take any more risks than I already had.

As though he could read my thoughts, Adrian shook his head, but the motion seemed to cause him a great deal of effort. "No, Sage. It's not your fault that I'm surrounded in shadows. It's a small price to pay to see you safely, away from the eyes of the Alchemists."

I shook my head. "It's hurting you! And if you keep using spirit like this…" I couldn't bear to finish, and tears shimmered in my eyes. Adrian would eventually be driven insane. I couldn't stand the thought of my strong, witty Adrian being driven to insane and having to live out the rest of his days in an asylum.

"No," he murmured, but he sounded uncertain. I was determined to not let him leave me.

I rested my hands on either side of his face, and whispered, "I will chase your shadows away. They won't linger for long when I'm here. I'll always be here. You're here with me. You're not getting away from me."

"Sage," he murmured softly. His eyes focused on me again, and this time I could see that he was really here with me.

I threw my arms around him, burying my head in his chest. He'd sounded so close to slipping away from me and into the darkness of insanity. "My personal goddess. You'll always be my flame in the dark, lighting my way."

Author's note: Just a Sydrian one-shot! Reviews/ideas for more one-shots? Might be adding more stories with my ideas :)