Author's note: If you would like to see what life is like for the adult Ivashkov children, please check out my tumblr devoted to them, storiesofthespawnofsydrian. I thought it was about time I got back to the parents since it's been a while. I'll do my best to update The Dullest Knife soon. Promise!

Please feel free to review and share. And you can talk to me on Tumblr at booksrockmyface.

Happy reading!

Big News

Sydrian One Shot

By Danielle Cheri

"Oh, my god." Adrian sighed as he turned off the computer. He sat back and rubbed his face. "Two kids married and a grandbaby on the way."

Sydney laughed. "That's a lot of news to get this early in the morning." She kissed his cheek. "I need some coffee."

"You sure you don't want to go back to bed?" He asked with his signature smirk. "That was quite some treatment you gave me before."

"Don't press your luck. I don't think I have that in me again." She got up and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"I was talking about returning the favor." He said, walking up behind her. He pushed her hair aside and kissed her neck. "Grandma."

She snorted and turned. "Don't call me that when you're trying to be sexy. I don't want to be Grandma anyway. It makes me feel old."

"What are they going to call you?"

She shrugged. "I'll figure it out later." She pressed her eyes into his shoulder a moment and then walked away.

"Are you okay with all this?" He asked gently, sitting beside her at the table.

She took a sip of her coffee and then sat it down and traced the handle. "CJ still wants to be a guardian like Josh."

"And Marti now lives at Court. With her wife."

"Our first grandchild is on the way." She looked at him. "Could we move? Is that an option?"

"I can work anywhere, baby." He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "But would you like to move your work? Or you could retire. Have time to spend with the kids."

"And move to the place I never wanted to be." She pointed out.

"We don't have to live within the walls." He moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. "We don't have to decide today. We don't even have to decide this year. CJ can start training at fourteen like Josh did. She's as good as him, if not better. And she out-paces Mary on occasion. She'll be able to catch up."

"And if she changes her mind?"

"If she changes her mind, we can still move." He kissed her.

Adrian's kisses always had some sort of calming effect. Even in her worst moods, one kiss from him made Sydney feel like she could do anything.

She rested her head against his. "We'll figure it out. But I don't want to miss out on this baby growing up."

"Me neither." He sighed. "I didn't think Josh would be first. I always figured he and Ivanna would wait a while. I thought Marti and Beverly would do something."

"Beverly doesn't want kids right now. That's what Marti told me. She's not even sure she wants them at all."

"And what does Marti want?"

"She wants what her wife wants."

He sighed and sat back. "Is it awful that I'm still sometimes freaked out by that?"

"Which aspect of it?" She rubbed his knee.

"Partly that she's married. I look at her and I see her over the years. Learning to ride a bike, painting with me when she still got more pain on herself than on the canvas, learning to drive." He blinked several times. "When she still wanted to be an architect. When she changed her mind and spent every available moment with you in the shop."

She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You don't see Josh like that?"

"I do. But the difference is that Josh had a million girlfriends. And I always saw him getting with Ivanna in the end anyway. Marti never had anyone until Beverly. And even though it's perfect, it's just so odd to me at times. She should still be playing soccer."

She leaned into him once more. "Our kids are all fine."

"They are." He agreed.

"It's so perfect and natural to me how they are now. Marti with Beverly, Josh with Ivanna. Marriage and babies. I still see them through the years, too. But I see how it led them to now. And I see them how they will be in the future."

Adrian squeezed her hand. "How did you get to be so smart?"

With a laugh, Sydney kissed his cheek. "I think we can take a few minutes and lock ourselves in our room. CJ is asleep." She bit her lip expectantly.

He laughed. "Don't ever tell the kids we still make love. They'll never be able to achieve our greatness."

They stood together. Sydney took Adrian's hand and kissed it. She led him up the stairs to their room, shutting and locking the door behind them.