Note: This fanfic contains references to canonical events in the Bloodlines series because I thought that would be fun. If you notice any errors/have any recommendations, please do let me know. Also, I do not own any characters of the Bloodlines series although a certain green eyed hottie does make it sound like a terrible loss.
"Wake up already, Ivashkov!"
A groan escaped Adrian's lips. His head was pounding, and waking up was the last thing he wanted to do. He shifted and turned to his side, only to be wrestled back to his previous position. His eyes flew open and he immediately bolted into a sitting position, cursing as the sudden movement increased his headache. The image of a girl greeted his periphery. The girl was all sinful darkness- brown curls gently caressed the perfect oval of her face and her rusty complexion was complemented by chocolate-brown almond shaped eyes. Sunlight streamed through the parting between the curtains and gave her a bronze glow. Her shirt carelessly covered her torso and she wore flannel trousers which looked suspiciously like Adrian's. At the moment, she was sitting on the other side of Adrian's bed and regarding him with a mixture of irritation and curiosity.
"I refuse to entertain myself for another hour with doughnuts from your fridge and shitty cable tv" she declared. "So get the hell up before I personally drag you off this bed."
"Rose?" Adrian said weakly. "What are you…" His voice seemed to die off at her expression.
"You don't remember, do you?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
Adrian did remember. Well, bits and pieces at least. He remembered receiving the wedding invitation the previous afternoon. He remembered the wave of angst and anger and despair that had overwhelmed him. He remembered gatecrashing Avery Lazar's party to fight those emotions. He remembered drinking like there was no tomorrow and drunkenly stumbling across the threshold of Rose's apartment and flirting with her, asking her and finally begging her to come home with him. That's all he remembered but that was enough for him. A heavy feeling settled in his chest and he realized he had gone ahead and given himself yet another reason to hate himself. His eyes grew wide and he looked at Rose with a feeling of remorse and guilt, and was bewildered when Rose answered with a smirk.
"Whoa there, lover boy. Calm down. Nothing happened- hey! Don't look that relieved!" she said, as he let out a great sigh of relief. "I have a reputation to maintain."
"Sorry," Adrian said quickly, without looking like he meant it. "I'm just glad I don't have to answer to that Russian warlord of yours."
At that, Rose's lips quirked up in an affectionate smile. "Please," she said. "I'm not that vulnerable to your casanova ways."
"No," said Adrian, deadpan. "Not that much."
Rose threw a pillow at him, which Adrian caught deftly.
"But…if nothing of that sort happened, then what happened?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
At that, Rose's smirk grew into a full blown grin.
"You dragged me home, dumped me onto the bed," she paused mischievously "and then fell asleep next to me."
At the look of horror on his face, she laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, you look adorable when you sleep."
"Thanks" said Adrian sarcastically. "Never got that before."
He gingerly stepped out of bed and walked into the bathroom to brush, leaving Rose to munch on her doughnuts. He couldn't help but feel glad that he had fallen asleep last night. He was feeling terrible about the drinking as it is. An image of a girl, all gold and light, flitted across his mind's eye and he felt a pang in his chest. He had promised her that he would avoid drinking at all costs, and had even kept up with it until last night, despite everything that had occurred between them. But if anything had happened between Rose and him last night, he would never have been able to forgive himself.
After brushing and showering, he grabbed some bagels from the kitchen and walked into the living room to find Rose Hathaway finishing off her millionth doughnut and watching the 'shitty' cable tv with explicit interest. Adrian smiled at the small but strong form of his childhood friend, and went to sit next to her.
"Thanks," he murmured softly, without looking at her.
"Why?"
She switched off the TV and directed her full attention to him.
"For coming home with me," said Adrian with a rueful smile. "I know that the Russian warlord himself cannot make you do something you don't want to do. When you came here last night, you came here willingly. Because you were concerned. Thank you for that."
Rose looked at him with an unreadable expression. "It has been weeks, hell, months even, since you last got drunk, Adrian. Something happened yesterday. Something devastating that you just couldn't take. Something you wanted to drown out. What is it? Tell me." She ended with a note of plea in her voice. It sounded foreign coming from her. She was always so fiery and hot tempered and straightforward that these rare moments of gentle concern transformed her into someone else.
Adrian swallowed back the ache in his throat and looked away.
"It doesn't matter," he whispered. "Not anymore, at least."
"Of course it does!" exclaimed Rose. "Adrian. You cannot, no matter how much you try, replace someone special in your life. You cannot drown out their memories, neither the emotions that comes along with them. There's no amount of alcohol in this world that can help you achieve that. Please. Do not let go of someone who makes you a better person, who makes you happy, who makes you love yourself. Such people are hard to come by." She paused to breathe. "Adrian," she began again, slower this time. "You obviously cannot control your heart. So follow it." she said simply.
Adrian looked at her long and hard. He ran her words over and over in his mind.
"What if it's too late?" he whispered finally, his voice trembling slightly. "What if she won't accept me?"
"What if she does?" Rose countered. "What if she says she feels the same way about you? Is the possibility of that happening not good enough to make you try?"
Feeling jittery or nervous was not part of Sydney's personality description. Sydney was calm, composed and confident even in the most dire circumstances. But even Sydney Sage had to succumb to the emotional turmoil associated with weddings.
She sat on a chair in front of the vanity in the bride's dressing room, staring at her reflection. A young girl of 22 stared back at her. She had flowing blonde hair that was swept back in an elaborate hairstyle, studded with pearls. Her slim body was draped in a beautiful satin strapless wedding dress and her pale round face held a frustrated expression. Although her expression and posture radiated chagrin, her eyes, rich light-brown eyes, sparkled with energy. Like molten gold, he had said.
She sighed.
Her eyes flew to the clock on her vanity yet again and then fell on to the wedding invite beside it. She picked it up and the bold, black letters glared at her.
'With great pleasure, we invite you to the union of Sydney Katherine Sage and Ian Jansen.'
A loud thump from behind her startled her out of her solitude. She dropped the card and spun round only to have her breath hitch in her chest.
She regarded the tall person in front of her warily. She took in his chestnut brown hair, made messier by the breeze from the open window, and his slim artist's fingers with which he told the stories of his soul, and his emerald green eyes, that stared back at her with desperation.
"Sage," he breathed.
She felt an involuntary warm trickle develop in her heart, slowly spreading to all parts of her body.
Keeping her expression carefully blank, she asked, "What are you doing here, Adrian?"
"Sydney, I want-", he broke off. He took a step toward her. Clearly flustered, he ran a hand through his hair and Sydney watched, patiently, as he fought an internal battle.
Finally, he walked to her, closing the distance between them until he stood directly in front of her, so close that she could smell the musky smell of the ridiculously expensive cologne he had bought with her.
He took her hands and held her gaze as he whispered "I love you."
Her heart skittered in her chest.
"What…what was that?" she whispered back.
He cleared his throat and said "Sydney Katherine Sage, I love you. I love you so much that it overwhelms me sometimes. Ever since you walked into my life four years ago, you have constantly inspired me to-" He broke off as Sydney suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips firmly to his. At first, he just stood there, frozen with shock. Eventually, he kissed her back, slowly and softly. One of his hands snaked around her back, pressing her to him while the other rested below her chin, gently tilting her face upwards for better angle. The kiss gradually developed into something more intense and passionate and Sydney broke it off before it took off in a different direction. She didn't have time for that, not right now.
"I knew you'd come!" she laughed breathlessly.
Adrian, still dazed, looked at her blankly.
"I knew you'd come," she repeated. "Although I must admit, I was beginning to think you were going to prove me wrong. I had even begun thinking of ways to run off by myself."
Adrian looked at her like he had begun doubting her sanity, or maybe he was doubting his own.
"Sydney," he started, "I don't think you get it. I love you. Like-"
"I know," Sydney replied with a grin. "So what's the plan?"
"What plan?" asked Adrian incredulously.
"Oh Adrian," said Sydney in her signature tone. "Don't tell me you came to confess your feelings to me, 30 minutes before my wedding to another man, without making any plans to elope with me."
Adrian looked truly taken aback.
"Uh, I…I didn't really think you'd be so…enthusiastic about the whole situation." he answered carefully.
Sydney bit her lip, trying to hide her smile, and then spoke in a conspiratorial tone.
"You know, those escape plans you wrote in that journal of yours-"
"You read my journal?"
"- I really liked numbers 5 and 1," she completed. "Your pick," she added impishly.
Adrian couldn't believe his eyes. Or ears, for the matter. As he stared at the creature, the goddess, the beautiful woman in front of him as she radiated light and shone all golden, he felt her hand creeping into his and an excited expression wipe out all other expressions from her glowing face. With all new confidence and happiness, Adrian clasped her hand tighter in his and grinned.
"Number 1 it is," he declared.