For someone who had a gun pointed at his heart, he was very chilled. At least I think he was. I mean, who else stands just there smirking, hands dangling loosely at his side?

"Are you really going to shoot me or are you going to chicken out again like you did in Utah?" asked Marcus playing with his fingernail.

Stanton's only response was to clutch the gun more tightly.

Marcus' eyebrows shot up, "Oh so you're really going to shoot me huh? Well here are my last words: I never did like you mother."

And like a lightening flash Stanton pressed the trigger and I saw the bullet whizzing across the living room in slow motion.

Apparently, I underestimated Castile, because the next thing I knew, there were shards everywhere. I groggily turned to see what had happened to find one of the windows shattered and Eddie protectively covering Marcus' body with his own.

"What happened?" I asked dazed.

"Oh my god Adrian! Are you okay!?" Jill screamed from somewhere in the distance.

"What happened?" I repeated

"The bullet brushed past you and out the windo- huh! Adrian you're bleeding!" Jill shrieked.

I looked down to see where the little girl was pointing, I was bleeding. A lot. But there was no pain in it, I didn't feel anything. There was no pain greater than the pain in my heart.

"Marcus..." I tried to speak but it was as if someone filled my mouth sand, I couldn't get the words out.

"Marcus is fine. Eddie pushed him out of the way in time." Jill explained. It made sense. I mean everything made sense to me except the fact that why did they take Sydney away from me? Because she wasn't allowed to have fun? Because she didn't deserve contentment in her life?

Jill was watching me with a grave expression, no doubt reading my mind, she looked like she was about to tell me everything was okay when a high pitched voice cut through the air.

"What was that!? Did a guardian just protect a human?" Shrieked Donna Stanton looking crazy as a mad woman could.

"We have a heart you know" Castile coldly replied. I shuddered I don't think I've ever heard this much venom in his voice before.

Stanton snorted, " And what you think we don't?"

"No you don't. If you had a heart you wouldn't lock away an innocent girl and you wouldn't try to murder your own son" Eddie replied pointing at Marcus who was trying to stand up. In my peripheral vision I thought I saw Angeline move to help him, but then again how could I see something in my peripheral vision when I couldn't even look straight?

It was that moment when the front door was burst open and guardians spilled in the room.

Jill's POV

My heart was beating a million miles a minute. All in less than a minute, Donna Stanton had fired a gun , Eddie amazingly pushed Marcus out of the way, but the bullet brushed past Adrian causing him to bleed and then suddenly there were guardians everywhere.

I looked back at Eddie and raised an eyebrow Did you call the Emergency Guardians? He shook his head. I looked around the room to see one of the guardians pinning Donna Stanton's arms behind her back while another guardian searched her for more weapons. What the heck was this? Who called these guardians? Perplexed of what to do, I approached Marcus.

"Are you alright?" I asked him tenderly

He nodded slightly.

I opened my mouth to ask him if Stanton was really his mother, but was cut off with when Rose Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov entered the room with the Moroi Queen behind them.

"Lissa!?" I exclaimed.

The young Queen took notice of me, but her eyes quickly averted to the gun that was lying on the floor.

"Eddie", and with that one word the entire room went silent. No one moved a muscle as the Queen moved across the room towards Eddie who was helping Adrian with his wounds. He quickly stood up to greet the Queen in a formal manner, but was stopped when Lissa spoke in dangerous voice, "Eddie, I trusted you with my sister's safety and sent you as her official guardian on this mission. You have obviously failed me." Eddie's face remained as still as a stone, his expression tightly drawn into a guardian mask, but I thought I saw hurt reflect in his eyes.

I shivered, I cant believe I was related to her and I can't believe she was speaking to Eddie as if he was just another guardian. Did she forget Eddie was her friend, that once upon a time they fought together?

"Hey! I'm still alive you know. Eddie didn't fail anyone." I exclaimed, my voice coming out harsher than I intended.

Lissa flinched, but kept her back to me. She quickly whispered something to a guardian that was near her, with a solemn nod he grabbed Eddie pinning his hands to his back and walked out the door.

"What are you doing with him?" When the guardian didn't answer me, I stalked across the room to stand directly in front Lissa, "What the hell was that? He was doing his job properly y'know. Look at me do you see a single scratch?" I demanded.

"There was a gun shot in here and instead of protecting you he was across the room, that's all I know, and that's enough for me to judge that he not doing his job properly." Lissa replied coolly.

I opened my mouth to retort a snarky comment, but was cut off by Stanton's sharp laughter.

I whirled around to face her, "what, what do you want?" I snapped

"I told that boy that you creatures didn't have a heart, now if you can be nice enough to let me go..." she glanced at the guardian holding her.

"And why exactly don't we have a heart?" Lissa asked

"Cousin...?" Adrian looked pale, paler than usual, There were dark rings under his eyes. He was loosing a lot of blood. The wound wasn't small, but I know Adrian felt no pain. His internal pain was killing him, killing me.

Lissa moved past me to tenderly touch Adrian. I could feel the hum of spirit as she healed him. Colour rushed back to his face and he looked a little better, but I knew better. Adrian's soul wouldn't rest until we find Sydney.

Lissa was quick at work she practically floated across the room with queenly grace to stand directly in front of Stanton, "Who was the gun pointed at?" she asked

"Cousin.." Adrian stood up and supported himself by leaning on me

"Yes Adrian?"

"Marcus Finch, he's an ex-alchemist, and her son, but Lissa please don't hand him over to her. Please." Adrian's expression was pained, and I felt the pain that he was feeling. It was as if his most important necessity in life was snatched away from him. I felt sorry for him, but I knew Adrian would survive he was strong.

"I take it that by ex-alchemist you mean his loyalties to the alchemist are broken and his tattoo is broken." When Adrian nodded to this, Lissa continued, "then the alchemist have no right over him."

"What do you mean no right over him?" I could practically see the gears in Adrian's head spinning.

"I mean, if not an alchemist, then Marcus is only a regular a human, one that the alchemist can't bother." Lissa replied.

"No...no.." Stanton stuttered.

"Adrian, that's a great idea!" I exclaimed, suddenly all eyes in the room were on me.
"Care to explain princess?" Dimitri asked raising an eyebrow

"Don't call me that." I said through gritted teeth, "And Adrian had a great idea! Right Adrian? Tell them." I promoted Adrian. His habits of suddenly not talking to anyone was very bad.

"Ya...um, Sydney broke her tattoo too. So if breaking your tattoo means that you aren't legally owned by the alchemist then that means they can't hold Sydney against her will. Right?" Adrian hurried to get the words out of his mouth, he looked as if he wanted to go to bed and never wake up.

"But there is absolutely no proof that Ms. Sage broke her tattoo" Stanton replied before anyone could speak up.

"Well then I'll prove it, bring Sydney over, the tattoo prevents her from talking about us to humans who don't know about us right? Well, I'll bring a couple of my friends over tell them it an experiment or something watch everyone will understand her when she talks." Adrain's joy and excitement was making me happy, at least he was feeling something besides hurt and loneliness.

"I will not let normal teenagers become part of an experiment!" exclaimed Stanton disgusted by the idea.

Adrian sighed exasperatedly, "You can hear me when I call them, they wont even know anything is off."

Donna Stanton opened her mouth to protest when Lissa cut in, "Ms. Stanton, I believe there was favour you owed me, I will collect it now if you will."

A favour? What had Donna Stanton, the superior of the alchemist wanted from the Moroi Queen?

The two women's eyes' locked and Stanton finally looked away, "I will allow it."

"Then it is settled. You will bring Sydney over and it will be proven to you that her tattoo is broken. And if it is, you must leave Sydney." Lissa smiled at Stanton, but there was no kindness in that smile.

Stanton finally free of the guardian who was holding her walked out the door with her head held high, but everyone knew the lady's ego was bruised.

Everyone seemed unsure of what to do. Rose went to help Clarence settle in a chair and asked him if there was anything she could do for him. A couple of the guardians went to examine the broken window. But Adrian, there was only one thing on Adrian's mind.

Sydeney.

Sydney was coming back.

Thank you so much for your reviews and feel free to leave any criticism. I really hoped you enjoyed reading this! :D