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Chapter Two

"No," Sydney said firmly. "No," she repeated. "We are not playing this game."

Three-year-old Hadley looked up at her mother defiantly, her green eyes so laser focused Sydney felt like she was burning a hole right through her. "No," she mimicked back.

"We don't have time for this," Sydney repeated in the same authoritative tone. While she was no one near as forceful as her own father used to be; she wasn't about to let her daughter walk all over her. Children needed structure and boundaries if they were going to grow up well adjusted.

As headstrong as she was Hadley knew she was fighting a losing battle. She slid off the couch and ran to the door to grab her shoes and coat.

"Good girl," Sydney praised her and slid on her own coat before picking up her briefcase and Hadley's bag off the coffee table.

It had been four years since Sydney left Palm Springs for Mexico. Four years since she had given up everything she knew for a chance at living life on her own terms. Marcus was right. She couldn't live her life with one foot in each world. She was determined not to waste time thinking about the past and to solely focus on the work that Marcus and company had planned.

Two months into the venture she knew something was…off. She was exhausted beyond belief, couldn't keep anything down, and her cycle, which had always run like clockwork, was late. A quick trip to a walk in clinic confirmed what she already knew. She was pregnant.

Sydney had never felt more alone in her life. She had no family to turn to. No friends either. Marcus' group was all about adventure and espionage, not changing diapers and middle of the night feedings.

A nagging voice inside her insisted that she call Adrian. This was his son or daughter after all. She picked up the phone and dialed more times than she could count, but the end result was always the same…she'd hang up before the call connected. Involving him meant going back to that world. A world that wasn't safe anymore now that she had an indigo tattoo.

With the help of some ex-Alchemist contacts she was able to obtain a new identity with ease. Though she normally wasn't goofy or sentimental she chose the last name Steele. She chalked that decision up to hormones working overtime throughout her body. During the months that followed she moved to Chicago and did what she did best…she organized, made lists, got a minimum wage job, took classes at a community college, and planned for the arrival of the baby.

Hadley Adrian Steele arrived with very little fanfare. The only person at the hospital with Sydney was a friend, Kenzie, from work. Obviously the baby was a dhampir, but with the magic she had inside of her Sydney thought something might make her daughter different. For weeks following her birth she watched and waited and the only thing she discovered was that her baby was absolutely perfect.

Sydney didn't think she would take to motherhood, but like everything else in her life she excelled at caring for Hadley. It helped that she was a very sweet little girl who hardly ever fussed. As Hadley grew so did Sydney. She got her associate's degree in Art History and landed a job as an art buyer for a multi-millionaire couple, Mr. and Mrs. Casey, who were far too busy jet setting to pick out their own paintings, sculptures, and the like. The pay was substantial, the hours were flexible, and being around all that beauty warmed Sydney's soul. In a year or so, once Hadley was in pre-school, she planned on going back to school herself and earnings her bachelor's degree.

This was definitely not the life she had planned out for herself, but as she had learned over the past few years that plans often go astray and that's not a bad thing.

"Mommmmmmy!" Hadley squealed.

Sydney looked over at her daughter, who was dressed and ready to go. "Looks like I'm the hold up now, huh?" she asked with a chuckle.

Hadley slid her hand into her mother's as they walked out of their apartment. She locked up behind them and the pair headed into the elevator. Sydney had a lunch date with an up and coming artist that Mr. Casey had been to a small show of while he was on business in Pennsylvania. They were going to meet and discuss his catalog of pieces. Of course Mr. Casey didn't bother to tell Sydney his name so she was hoping she'd be able to spot the artist by the paint under his fingernails. Hadley would be spending the afternoon with Kenzie.

Once Hadley was secured in her car seat Sydney made the quick ten minute ride to her friend's place. Kenzie was very much a free spirit, basically the opposite of Sydney. She lived in a cluttered studio apartment. Kenzie had never quite decided what she wanted to be when she grew up so she hopped from job to job like a bunny rabbit. She and Sydney met when there were both employed at Thanks A Latte, a local coffee shop. They bonded over their mutual love of caffeine and books. Currently she was working at one of those paint your own pottery places. Sydney was forever grateful she had Kenzie in her life, as well as Hadley's.

Sydney parked the car in a guest spot in Kenzie's apartment complex lot and unbuckled Hadley from her seat. "Ready to see Aunt Kenzie?" she asked her.

Hadley's face lit up at the mention of her friend. "Yes, yes," she replied quickly. She snuggled up into her mother's arms as they walked inside the building. Hadley pressed the button for Kenzie's apartment and after she buzzed them in they headed up to apartment 203.

Sydney set her daughter down and Hadley ran in through Kenzie's open door with Sydney following suit.

"Is that a dog?" Sydney asked looking at the foot of Kenzie's bed.

Kenzie looked at Sydney through her curtain of brown hair and grinned. "Isn't she adorable?" she cooed.

Sydney wanted to tell her friend she could barely take care of a houseplant what made her think she could be responsible for a dog, but she held her tongue. "Very cute," she said instead. She wasn't sure what breed the dog was. Maybe a cocker spaniel, but it was hard to tell.

"Name?" Hadley asked as she tentatively held out her hand to touch the animal. She squealed in delight when the puppy licked her hand.

"I think I'm going to call her Cinnamon. The name just speaks to me," Kenzie explained. "What do you think Haddie?"

"Lady!" Hadley insisted. The little girl had been watching a lot of Disney movies lately.

"Where did she even come from?" Sydney asked.

"Funny you should ask," Kenzie said, tearing her attention away from Cinnamon…Lady…whoever.

"Wait," Sydney said, holding up her hand. "This sounds like it's going to be a…story…and if I don't leave now I'm going to be late."

"But it's epiccccc…" Kenzie said in a sing song voice.

Sydney laughed. Kenzie's definition of epic was quite different than her own. "I'm sure it is and you can tell me all about it when I come back for Hadley," she said. "Come give me a hug."

The little girl abandoned the dog and ran towards her mother, wrapping her arms around her legs. "Bye, bye…see you laters," she said. She smiled up at Sydney.

"Be a good girl," she instructed her, leaning down to kiss her head. "Thanks again," she said to Kenzie.

Kenzie waved her hand as if to say no big deal. "Get moving, Syd," she encouraged her.

Sydney untangled herself from Hadley and left the apartment. She turned off the mommy part of her brain and focused on the task at hand.