A/N: I know I said I would probably finish my other Sydrian story a long time ago- and then promptly stopped updating. I'm really, really sorry about that. I had ideas for that story, I really did. I'm just not sure that I can handle a full-length story any more. I feel like maybe I got in over my head. I feel much happier when I'm just writing one shots. I know that might anger or depress some of you, but I really think I need to just start writing only one shots, mainly for the Bloodlines and Harry Potter world, though I may occasionally add in other fandoms. I'm really sorry if that disappoints you. I feel terrible, but I have to do what makes me happy first when it comes to my writing.

However, I hope you like this one shot. If any of you guys want, I may continue Adrian and Syndey's honeymoon from Sydney's POV at a later date so I'll leave this marked as unfinished. If enough people want me to add to this from Sydney's POV, I'll do one more chapter from her POV, but that will be it.

Also, as a sort of warning, please don't read this if you haven't yet finished The Ruby Circle. It contains mild spoilers.

Thanks to those of you who read my work for supporting me and I hope you enjoy this.

Adrian and Sydney were alone. Finally. They were completely, truly alone. It seemed like they hadn't been really alone in years. What with the threat of the Alchemists looming over them, the Moroi scorning them at court, Adrian's mother constantly there, and taking care of Declan, it seemed that they barely had a moment of rest. Adrian had planned this out, but it felt even more glorious to finally be alone with Sydney than he had ever imagined. And he owed it all to the women in his life- well, and Clarence.

Once things started to get back to normal after Jill's rescue- or whatever counted as such for a vampire married to a human witch- he began to plan their honeymoon. They had been staying at Jackie's, weighing their options and trying to figure out where to move. It had been a stressful time: full of late night diaper changes with Adrian's mom, arguments between everyone in the home, and Wolfe's earthy wisdom about parenting. When Adrian had asked him how he was qualified to give them advice on how to raise a child, Wolfe had looked away into the distance as though haunted and replied, "You don't want to know, boy." Then he had went to make himself a cup of coffee, swinging his nunchuk in his fingers.

He knew Sydney was still freaked out about this new motherhood thing and he wanted to give her a stress-free vacation. He wanted to take her somewhere great, somewhere she would undoubtedly love. Obviously, the top of his list was Italy or Greece. However, since he was cut off from his father and unemployed at the time that seemed an unlikely option. So he had decided to talk to some of the strong-willed women in his life. Namely Rose, Jill, his mother, and Rowena Clarke- who had been introduced to Rose and become fast friends with her to the surprise of everyone. Of course, all of these women were vastly different from Sydney. But they all had her best interest in mind and seemed to want to help him out.

They had helped him research places in the United States that were similar to Italy or Greece, done some calculations for the amount of money he could afford to spend, factored in the places with the most museums and other intellectual attractions that Sydney was sure to love. Of course, there had to be good coffee shops nearby. It had taken a very long time for them to hit any perfect leads. Then one came out of nowhere: San Francisco.

They had been trying to steer clear of California destinations, figuring Sydney had seen enough of those for a lifetime. So when Rose, Jill, and Rowena had walked into the kitchen wielding some pamphlets about North Beach in San Francisco he was obviously less than impressed. He'd raised his brows at them as they spread out the information on the table. "Uh, I'm sure you two have a good reason for this, but I can't think of one. When I think of North Beach, I think of hippies and girls in bikinis. And while I adore the thought of Sydney in a bikini, I doubt she'd like that." He had pointed out.

Rowena had rolled her eyes. "North Beach is so much more than that. It's the Little Italy of San Francisco."

"Okay, but…"

Rose had jumped in then. "And it's got about a million museums nearby, ranging from the Exploratorium to the Cable Car Museum to some museum about early beat poetry."

"That does sound great, but…"

Jill continued, "The California Academy of the Sciences is nearby. It's a natural history museum with everything Sydney loves- from a planetarium to an aquarium."

"Okay, but isn't that…"

Rose jumped in once again. "And it's got about a million Italian restaurants, most of which have great reviews."

Adrian sighed, waiting for them to calm down before he continued. "Okay, this does sound right up Sydney's alley, but isn't San Francisco a bit expensive?" He had never thought money would be an object for him, but here he was, worrying about it. Not that Sydney wasn't worth it; she definitely was. But he couldn't afford to spend too much money on a Honeymoon either, not with Castile and Declan to feed.

Rowena grinned at him. "Well, we took the liberty of discussing it with your mom and she's willing to pay for your hotel room the week you are there."

Jill nodded, smile on her angelic face. She swept some wispy brown hair from her eyes and added, "She also talked to Clarence, who is willing to pay for some of your museum trips and at least two of your restaurant trips. And he said if you argued to… how did he put it? 'Sick that dark-haired dhamphir girl on you'?"

Rose grinned, crossing her arms over her chest in a way that was more intimidating than he cared to admit. "So, what do you say, Ivashkov?"

Adrian sighed, though he wasn't at all mad at them. He was actually excited to tell Sydney about this trip and surprise her. "I suppose I have to agree, don't I?" He said, as though it was really putting him off.

So it had been arranged. He would go to the North Shore, take Sydney on a museum tour to the Exploratorium their second day, and then about ten more museum tours- including the California Academy of Sciences- the rest of the week. They would dine in about a million Italian restaurants and cafes, and they would go to the beach too many times to count.

Most importantly, they would be alone at last.

And so here they were.

Adrian had just checked them into a hotel. Outside the weather was lovely. It was prime Northern California weather. Sparse amount of clouds in the sky, 70 degrees, and a mild wind blowing through the air. It was great after the dry heat of Palm Springs.

As they neared their bedroom door, Adrian dropped his bags and grinned at Sydney. "Alright. Let's do this right. Come on." To her surprise but delight, Adrian picked up Sydney bridal style. Then he tried unsuccessfully to unlock the door a few times. The one time he managed to unlock the door he had been to slow to open. "Okay, maybe I didn't think this out well." He muttered, furrowing his brow. Sydney laughed, a sound he would never get tired of. "Oh, Adrian." She murmured. "Let me try." He handed her the key and after some tricky maneuvering, he managed to get her into the suite.

It was simply but beautifully furnished. There was a small wooden desk with elaborate in one corner with some paper and pen on it, along with some violets in a vase Adrian had added. A large flat screen TV stood erect in one corner, a small fridge and microwave in the other. A few paintings of Italy hung on the wall. Then there was the bed. It was a large, four poster bed. The spread on it was of different well-known Italian attractions. He had managed to distract Sydney earlier and slip in to put rose petals on the bed. Outside, buildings that reflected both Western and Italian architecture were visible, as was the beach. He was worried Sydney's Alchemist sensibilities would find all of the Italian things over kill. On the contraire, Sydney seemed enamored. "Adrian, this is amazing." She murmured. "It's absolutely lovely."

He shrugged. "It's not Italy, but I hoped you'd like it."

She smiled, that kind, small smile that was uniquely Sydney. "Are you kidding? It's perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend my honeymoon." She assured him, kissing him gently.

Adrian was suddenly acutely aware that the two of them were alone, really alone, for the first time in forever. He wanted to hold onto her and never let go. He wanted to stay in this moment forever. Sure, he loved Declan and he loved their new life together. But with so much clustering up their young lives, it seemed they rarely got to be the average college-age couple. And now they were absolutely alone. Adrian was not going to settle for one of those soft kisses. He gently carried her to the bed, laying her on the rose petals and kissing her deeply. She responded the way she always did, with that same passion and zeal he had come to expect from her. Her fingers ran through his hair as his brushed the soft skin of her thigh.

Then she suddenly pulled away and Adrian- bad boy extraordinaire- was actually reduced to a soft whimper. "What's the matter?" He asked her, frustrated by the interruption.

She grinned up at him. "Our bags are still in the hallway." Figures that she of all people could recall that at a time like this.

He sighed and sat up, knowing better than to argue with her. "I'll get them." He offered, heading out into the hallway. He managed to grab all of the bags in one trip, not wanting to waste any time away from Sydney.

When he returned, she had somehow manage to undress in about five seconds flat. She was laying on their bed in red lingerie that perfectly matched the rose petals sprinkled on the bed. Her hair had quickly been tossed out of its earlier bun and hung loosely over her shoulder. "You like me in red, right?" She asked, a smirk playing on her lips.

He grinned at her, nodding. "I do. Which is why I hope you won't be offended when I get you out of it as quickly as humanly possible." He agreed, coming over and hovering gently over her.

She smiled up at him once more. "I'll try not to take it to heart." She murmured before kissing him slowly and passionately.

Later, when they lay in each other's arms sweaty and spent, he couldn't help but marvel at how much his life had changed since he first met Sydney. He had grown, both spiritually and emotionally, all thanks to her. He loved her so much it sometimes hurt. He owed everything to her. She was his entire reason for living. God, he loved her. He whispered as much to her, and another angelic smile filled up her beautiful face as they kissed. They fell asleep in each other's arms, each happier than ever to finally be alone.

Yeah, this was definitely better than any honeymoon Adrian could ever imagine.