Author's note: This little one shot is a result of a bit of a revelation that came to me one day. It's been rattling around for a while and I finally got a more solid idea as to how this all would come to light. Please feel free to review and let me know what you think.

Happy reading!

Heart-to-Heart

A Bloodlines One Shot

By Danielle Cheri

"Marti?" Sydney called as she walked up the stairs. "Baby, did you make it home?"

"Yeah. In my room." She called back.

Her mother opened the bedroom door just as she stuffed something under her mattress. Sydney gave her a questioning look. The girl chewed on her lip for a moment and then pulled a magazine out from under the mattress with a sigh.

"That's what I thought." The woman picked up the magazine and let out a soft gasp when she saw the half-naked woman on the cover. "Marti, where did you get this?"

"Josh's room." She mumbled.

Sydney sat down on the bed beside her. "You know these women are fake, right? They've been molded in real life and then airbrushed in the pictures to make them appear perfect."

"I know." Marti admitted.

"Why do you have this?"

Her lip quivered and she clamped her jaw. She looked anywhere but at her mother.

"Marti?" Sydney said gently.

"I don't know who I am, Mom." She said with a shaky voice. She looked up. "Josh is so sure about himself. Even Caroline knows what she wants and she's only four. How am I supposed to know?"

"You just have to live your life the best you can, baby. You're only fourteen. You don't have to have all the answers now."

"Josh started training when he was my age."

"He did."

"And he's been flirting with girls since he was able to smile." She put her face in her hands. "I'm so confused, Mom."

Sydney wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She was starting to piece it all together. "This isn't about training, is it?"

Marti wrapped her arms around her mother and clung to her. She sobbed, "Don't hate me, Mommy."

"I could never hate you, baby." She kissed her daughter's head. She gently took her face and held it away. "Do you think these pictures are appealing?"

She swallowed and nodded. "I think so."

Sydney wiped the tears away from her face. "I want you to be happy, Marti. That's all I ever want for you. I don't care what you do, as long as it's nothing illegal."

Marti snorted and wiped her nose with the tissue her mother handed her.

"And I don't care who it's with, as long as that person makes you happy. Now, you don't have to know this all now. You're only fourteen. You're still trying to decide what profession you want to pursue. You don't have to know for sure who you're attracted to either." Sydney kissed the girl's forehead.

"Are you going to tell Dad?" She asked, finally calming down.

"That's not my news to give. If you want him to know, you can tell him. If not, this is between us until you figure it all out."

Marti wrapped her arms around her mother. "I sure do love you, Mom. I'm glad you're not freaking out."

"Oh, believe me, baby, I'm freaking out. I'm just keeping it inside for your sake."

Marti laughed softly. Then she sobered. "Are you disappointed?"

Sydney smoothed her hair down, dark like her fathers. "No. I knew you were a different kind of person from the beginning. You do everything with all of yourself, even if you don't particularly care for it. You are growing into a beautiful young woman. That's scary for all of us."

"At least if I date girls you don't have to worry about unplanned pregnancies." She pointed out.

Sydney chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Yes. Fewer chances of passing on or contracting diseases."

"No chance of a guy being intimidated by my mad martial arts skills."

"Your dad won't have to pretend to be macho."

Marti was silent for a while. She spoke the next slowly. "Do you think Josh will try to flirt with my girlfriends?"

Sydney combed her fingers through her daughters hair some more as she thought about it. "Well, I guess if they flirt back, you know they aren't right for you."

The girl gave her mother a squeeze. "I don't really find many of the women in that magazine very attractive. Pencil thin really isn't my type."

"Then I guess you won't be running off with a Moroi girl?"

"Well, probably not. I don't want to be a part of that world if I don't have to, so no dhampirs either. I'll probably end up with a human." She sat back. "You're a pretty cool mom, you know that?"

"I try, baby. You make it easy."

She bit her lip. "So you're not mad?"

"No."

She asked tentatively, "Are you sad?"

Sydney took a moment to think about it. "Only for you because this is going to be difficult for you. Even today there are mean people in the world. I don't want you hurt."

Marti nodded. "I don't want to be hurt either. But I can't help how I feel."

"If anyone knows that, baby, I do. I didn't ask to fall in love with a vampire, but it happened because it was supposed to. And I was so scared at first. But your dad loves me. And love can get us through almost anything." She pressed a kiss to her daughter's cheek. "Now, Daddy and Caroline will be home soon and it's your night to cook. But if you don't feel up to it, we can call and order a pizza or something."

"I could really use a pizza tonight." She picked up the magazine that started the conversation and stuffed it back under the mattress.

"I thought they weren't attractive." Sydney said with a teasing smile.

Marti blushed. "A few of them are kind of hot."