almbookbuyer: Hi. This is a fanfic I am writing with randomgirl1385.

disclaimer: randomgirl1385 and I do not own the Bloodlines world or characters. Nor the quotes used below (from TFH)

Adrian's POV

My feet fell asleep about a state and a half ago, but I wasn't about to follow their lead. I was much more eager to spend that time with the girl I'd been looking for for three months. Even if she wasn't nearly as elated about our time together as me.

She sat in the seat next to me. The soft blue dress she wore sagged. She was wearing Jill's clothes, though they were too big for her. Her knees were to her chest, and one hand rested on the door handle. It didn't look like she was going to try to open it, though. She just sat there, watching us, and periodically sending a sidelong glance out the window.

Everyone had been quiet the entire ride. The smell of stale french fries drifted from the front where we were storing the wrappers from our fast food stop a few miles back. Even Rose, Neil and Christian, who sat behind us, did not speak. Rose's phone gave off a lot of beeps and cheers, telling me she was probably playing some game I didn't know or care about. Each time I heard a booing crowd, she kicked my seat. Christian kept leaning over her to flick my ear every few minutes. Jill and Eddie were whispering in front of us. It sounded like they were throwing out ideas on how to get to court faster. That was unsurprising, considering Jill could probably sense I was very close to turning around and lashing out at one of the people in the back. The only one of those three who wasn't being annoying was Neil, who was writing in a notebook.

I think the fact that I jumped at Rose's dubstep ring tone proved that it was too quiet in the car, but I wasn't going to be the first one to speak. Rose, after kicking my seat another time, answered.

"Hello? Hey Lissa!" Her voice sounded too loud. "Yeah. We got her out. It wasn't too hard." Sydney was watching her closely. "We don't really know." Another pause. "Yeah, we'll be back soon." Honestly, Rose was probably the loudest person alive. "Sure. You can talk to Adrian."

And then the phone was thrust into my hand. I struggled to keep a grip on it.

"It's Lissa," Rose said.

"I know who it is." I pressed the phone to my cheek. "Hey, Cousin."

"Hey, Adrian."

I could feel everyone's eyes on me, but I refused to look back. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah. I was just calling to check in."

"Well, like Rose said, we're out."

"And you don't really know if Sydney's okay?"

I hesitated before giving my answer. "No. When we came in, she didn't really know us. Or, maybe she did. She hasn't spoken much. But she certainly didn't want us there."

"Can you tell me... what they did?"

"No." I said it with too much force. I couldn't bare to think of Sydney alone, stripped of everything, engulfed in darkness, wet, dirty, shaking...

"Adrian." Her voice was soft. "You don't have to answer now. I understand. But, can I at least know how you're doing?"

How was I doing? I didn't know. I was happy that I had Sydney again, but in spite of that, I couldn't really remember the last time I was happy, so I had nothing to compare it to.

No. That wasn't right. I did remember. It was the last time Sydney and I had spoken and had seen each other. I was dropping her off at Amberwood.

"You know I love you right?" I'd said.

"Not as much as I love you."

"Oh man. This is my dream come true: having an 'I love you more' debate. Here, I'll start. I love you more. Your turn."

Her laugh echoed in my mind. "I've taken debate classes. You'd lose to my logic. See you tonight."

I wouldn't see her then. I wouldn't see her until that happy light that always seemed to glow from her, even when I was cut off from spirit, faded.

"Adrian?"

"Sorry. I'm, well, how you'd think I'd be."

"She'll be okay. I'll help in any way I can, you know."

I lean back in my seat, wishing it was taller so I could lean my head back like I wanted to. It felt heavy. "I know."

"Speaking of, I set up another stop a little ways ahead from where you should be now. There's a car waiting for you. Where are you now?"

"Uh, I don't know. I haven't exactly been paying attention to road signs with Lord Pokes a lot and Guardian Kick Your Seat behind me."

She laughed. "Could I talk to Eddie then?"

"Sure," I said and brushed the phone against Eddie's shoulder. He took it and pressed it to his ear. He had, somehow, stayed stiff and vigilant the entire ride, though it had to have been at least three hours already.

Jill was watching me with eyes that spoke only innocence, though she'd seen so much. "What did Lissa say?"

"She wants us to switch cars again." We were leaving a trail of minivans all the way from the alchemist's main base to court. I was wondering how long it would take for someone to catch on that we were the only minivan going the exact speed limit on every road. No more. No less. That was Eddie.

"Nothing else?"

"She asked if everyone was okay."

Eddie got the address for the place and dismissed Lissa with a quick, "Thanks. See you in two hours."

They hung up and we passed the phone back to Rose. Jill turned quickly, and made a point to look straight out the window, her hands folded in her lap and her back stiff.

"Do you know how to get to the new stop?" Neil asked, looking up from his notebook.

"I think so." Eddie got off on the next exit. Sydney gripped her knees harder at the sudden and sharp turn, her alert eyes turning to fear for a short second before she seemed to grasp what was happening and went back to watching us, her knuckles that much more white.

Eddie put his hand on Jill's knee and she looked over at him. I saw the sadness in her eyes.

"Hey, are you alright?" he whispered. I didn't know how he managed to look so stiff and guardian like, and keep his eyes soft. "What's wrong?"

"I thought she would want to speak to me is all. I didn't get a chance to see her again before we left. We didn't really even say bye."

Christian flicked me again and I dug my fingernails into the armrest, trying to listen.

"You know she cares. She just isn't used to this."

"It's been a year. I am."

"Lissa just needs time."

Jill nodded, but her hands stayed folded in her lap. She and Lissa had been doing better: talking once in a while, getting closer, even going as far as to call each other sisters instead of friends. But, where Jill was willing to throw herself into a relationship like this, Lissa seemed unsure.

Rose kicked my seat again. I tried to shift forward again, but the seat belt held me back.

"Does anyone want to play the license plate game?" Christian exclaimed, louder then Rose had been speaking into the phone. Sydney flinched and shifted so her back was to the door. It wasn't in any way how you were suppose to sit in this car, but I knew she was probably scared out of her mind. I didn't stop her.

Her bare feet were close enough to me that if I moved the wrong way, I'd touch them. I wanted to. I wanted to reach out and hold her and kiss her. But I wasn't sure if she'd ever talk to me again. Not like she used to.

The only things she'd said to us were in panicked screams, "No! Don't touch me! Don't touch me!"

She had been crying. I'd only ever seen her cry once before.

Eddie turned suddenly into an empty parking lot and pulled into a parking spot. For a second, everything was quiet. Even Rose's game had shut up. Eddie leaned on the steering wheel a moment.

"Does anyone have a GPS app on their phone?"

"I knew you didn't know," Christian teased.

"Shut up, Ozera," I warned.

"I have one." Rose handed the phone to me, and I handed it to Eddie. Jill grabbed it.

"I'll set it. I can be the navigator."

"Alright." He told her the address and she typed it in.

"Calculating," said a machine like voice. Sydney jumped, sliding almost off her seat and catching herself by bracing both hands on the window behind her. Eddie pulled up to the edge of the lot. "Turn right."

I was watching Sydney now. Her panic was radiating off her and was palpable in the air. She covered her ears and closed her eyes.

"Turn left in nine point three miles."

Sydney pulled in a shaky breath, letting it out in almost a whimper.

I couldn't watch this. "Turn it off."

"Why?" Eddie asked.

"Turn it off! It's scaring her." My voice was loud and harsh.

Jill turned back. Sydney had curled into a ball again, her hands pressed over her ears, her eyes squeezed shut.

"I don't want her to be scared any more than you do," Eddie said, "But we need to get her to court."

"Turn left in eight miles."

She was trembling. I could see every bit of her shaking. My heart beat quickened. I lurched forward, choking myself with my seat belt, and grabbed the phone out of Jill's hands.

"Give it back!"

"It's scaring her!"

I tried to turn it off, but Jill grabbed it back. I caught hold of her wrist and wrapped my fingers around it.

"We need it Adrian."

"Guys, stop," Eddie said, "You're scaring her more."

But she was terrified of that voice.

"Turn left in five miles."

She gasped again and I yanked the phone away too hard. Jill let out a strained noise and Eddie turned to see what was happening.

I couldn't tell exactly what happened next. But suddenly, all that was surrounding us was noise and motion and fire. Too much fire.

The air bags went off. I watched Sydney grab for the window pain as she was tossed forward, luckily held back from going too far be the seat belt.

A glowing light dropped to the floor. I saw the message pop up, "Turn left." But there was too many screams to hear the voice.

It was deadly quiet. All I could hear was the fire crackling.

Then, the light flashed again. "Recalculating."

a/n Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to review with any critique or anything else you'd like to say :)

We will hopefully be posting the next chapter soon.