Sadie stared in horror as Bryan fell to the ground, a small stream of red oozed from his nose.

"I... I..." she stammered as she took a few steps back "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I..."

"It's okay." Bryan said as he got back to his feet "I actually expected that to happen a long time ago. Only..." he looked at her curiously "I didn't expect you to apologize." he stared at her ashen face for a long moment before asking "Are you okay?"

A sob caught in her throat then she spun around and took off running.

"Sadie! Wait!" Bryan called as he took off after her. The chase lasted for several minutes before it came to an abrupt stop at a river bank "Sadie?" he said quietly as he stepped up behind her "What's wrong?"

"I don't know how." she whispered.

He frowned in confusion "Don't know how to do what?"

"Stop." she answered "I was raised to be a thief, Bryan. It's the only life I have." she looked over at him as a tear trailed down her cheek "My mother died when I was ten. My father married Fiona when I was eleven." she shook her head "I was so desperate to feel part of something that... when she started slowly reeling me into the ring I... I didn't care." she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand "I didn't want to."

Bryan shook his head slightly "But your father..."

"What about him?" Sadie snapped "He turned his back on life when my mother died. He doesn't care about anyone or anything except money. He wastes away his life in his office. Locked away from the world. He won't even look at me anymore."

Bryan was taken aback "Why?"

"Because he... doesn't care." she shook her head violently "And neither do I."

He leaned forward to look at her face "I think you do."

"No I don't!" she said through gritted teeth "It doesn't pay to care. You get more out of stealing from your friends then you do out of caring and feeling and... loving." she basically spat the last word.

"You don't believe in love?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Her face changed from angry to that of a child, left to face the world alone. She shook her head slowly "No." she looked over at him as tears began to build up in her eyes again "Love isn't real, Bryan. If it was... my father wouldn't have turned his back on me."

There was a long moment of silence before Bryan put on a small smile "You called me Bryan."

She frowned "What?"

His smile widened "You called me by my name. You've never done that before."

She suddenly chuckled slightly "So I did."

He turned her to face him "Everything will be alright, Sadie. I promise." then he pulled her into his arms.

She let out a sigh as she buried her face in his shoulder "You don't know that." her brain screamed.

~*~*~*Sadie*~*~*~

"Alright," Fiona said to the group sitting in her living room "Royal ball coming up. Lots of nobility will be there."

"Rich nobility." Trent added.

Jackson rolled his eyes "Trent. You can't be of nobility without being rich."

"Can so! There's lots of noble people who aren't rich!"

"Oh forget it!" Sadie shook her head "Are we going as guests or armed robbers?"

"Guests." Fiona answered "We're not just robbing the other guests. At the stroke of midnight you abandon your dance partners and casually leave the room."

"Who's leading this?" Hatchet asked, a self assured look on his face.

Fiona rolled her eyes "Sadie."

"What!? Why can't I lead it?"

Sadie leaned over the arm of the chair she was sitting in and tossed him a newspaper "See for yourself." On the front cover was a picture of the bandit "If you step a foot into that ballroom the guests will flee."

Jackson raised a slight eyebrow. Sadie was being calmer than usual. Not to mention she seemed a little bit... happy? If anything, her eyes weren't as dark as they usually were.

"The dresses and suits are all ready." Fiona added.

Sadie froze "Riiiight."

"What's up?" Boris asked "Scared of wearing a long dress?"

Sadie raised an eyebrow "No. It's the heels I'm worried about." then she got up and left the room.

~*~*~*Sadie*~*~*~

Bryan slowly walked to the castle library and leaned against the door jam.

Danielle slowly looked up from the book she was reading "What?"

He just stood there. Quiet. Unmoving.

"Bryan..." Danielle said slowly "What did you do?"

He slowly looked over at her and let out a loooong breath "You were right."

She raised an eyebrow "About what?"

"About Sadie." he answered "You said if I tried to help her I'd fall for her." he took a deep breath "You were right."

Danielle's mouth fell open "I said that so you wouldn't! Bryan!"

"I didn't mean to!" the prince argued "It just... happened."

"You know your parents will have a royal fit if they find out!"

"What other kind could they have? Considering they're the king and queen."

"Bryan!"

"What?"

"Are you listening to me?" Danielle stood up from her seat "I know you say that Sadie is... different. But your parents will never buy it. She's stolen too much."

Bryan chuckled, a crooked grin coming over his face "Way too much."

~*~*~*Sadie*~*~*~

Night of the Ball

"I will bestationed inside the ballroom." Fiona said as she clipped on an earring "Remember. This could be our biggest heist yet."

"Even bigger than that barge we wrecked a few years ago?" Trent asked.

Jackson and Boris looked at him then, of course, punched him.

"Well," Fiona shrugged "This could lead to bigger things."

Sadie slightly shook her head then stood up from the couch "Let's go. It's already going to take us past midnight to do this."

Trent frowned "That's because we don't start til midnight."

Sadie froze "Boris. Jack."

"Ow!" Trent yelped as he was once again pounded in the shoulders.

Sadie smoothed out the bottom of her long, dark blue skirt "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Why?" Jackson asked "It's just another robbery."

"Zip it." she blew a strand of hair out of her face "Let's just go."

Fiona nodded "Did you get the invitation?"

"Mm-hm." Sadie held up the paper "Signed, sealed, and delivered." then she smiled. She'd actually gotten it easily. She'd just asked Bryan for it.

"Well, let's go." Fiona said "We will be back here by three. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am." The others replied.

"Hey, Sade." Jackson said, slightly nodding towards the kitchen "I need to ask you something real quick."

"Ooookay." She followed him from the room "So what's up?"

"Is everything okay?" her stepbrother asked slowly.

She raised an eyebrow "Why?"

"I don't know. You seem really... happy."

Sadie burst out laughing, which caused Jackson's eyebrows to lurch "Is there a crime against being happy?"

"But you're never happy." he said bluntly "You're generally... angry."

She shook her head "I know. I wish I wasn't." she sent him a slight smile "If I had the past years to do over..."

He cocked his head "I never thought you could.." she quirked an eyebrow "I mean I didn't think you... I mean..."

"You thought I was heartless." she stated.

"Uh... not quite."

"Jack, let's just go."

"Okay." he nodded then led the way back to the living room.

"We're ready." Fiona said as she grabbed her bag "James! It's time to go."

Sadie froze in shock "Dad's coming?"

"Yes he is." Fiona answered "If I have to drag him there in his PJs. He's going."

James Russel emerged from his office a moment later dressed for the ball. His face was still blank and his eyes lifeless.

"There you are, James." Fiona said "Come on."

"Hello, Sir." Jackson nodded.

"Hi Pops." Trent waved.

"Hi Dad." Boris said.

Sadie sighed and whispered under her breath "Hey, Daddy."

"Let's go!" Fiona said as she drug James towards the door "Hatchet! Stay out of trouble! I'm serious!"

Craddock rolled his eyes "Whatever."

As soon as they stepped out into the night air Trent leaned over to the other three and whispered "First one to the ballroom gets to swipe the queen's necklace."

Boris nodded "You're on."

"Alright." Jackson whispered "On your mark. Get set... Go!"

Then all four took off up the road.

"Children! Sadie!" Fiona shouted "Get back... oh forget it!"

~*~*~*Sadie*~*~*~

Bryan stepped out of his room and straightened the collar to his light blue suit then turned to face Danielle who was coming his way, dressed in an elegant dark golden dress with pearl trim.

"Hello." Danielle smiled as she turned in a circle "How do I look?"

"Like a princess." Bryan responded with a mischievous grin.

Danielle huffed "Can you at least be amusing?"

"Fine." He grinned "You look like a drop from the sun."

"That's better." she smoothed out her skirt "You ready?"

"To dance or announce to the entire kingdom, again, about our engagement?"

"Both."

She sighed "Me neither. But we have to."

"Why?" he shrugged "Why can't we just... chose our own... you know."

"I wish we could," Danielle responded "But it's part of being a royal. Your spouse is chosen for you."

He nodded slightly then held his arm out to her "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

~*~*~*Sadie*~*~*~

"Where's the ballroom located in the castle anyways?" Boris asked as the palace came into sight.

"First right." Sadie answered "Third left. Second door on the right." then she grinned "See ya." and she shot ahead.

"Hey!" Trent shouted "You can't do that! You're in heels!"

"What does that have to do with it?" Jackson asked.

"I don't know. It just seemed like the thing to say."

~*~*~*Sadie*~*~*~

Sadie shot through the castle halls. But as she rounded a corner, someone grabbed her arm and spun her around. The next thing she knew she was looking straight into the face of Prince Bryan.

"Why Hello." he said with a grin "Charmed, running into you out here."

She chuckled "Hi Bryan."

"Glad you could make it, Sadie."

She raised a slight eyebrow "You won't be."

"Ah." he nodded in understanding then turned "Sadie, this is Princess Danielle. Danielle, this is Sadie."

Danielle sent her a small wave "Hi. It's nice to meet the person of whom everyone speaks."

Sadie nodded ever so slightly "All good things, I assume."

"Sure."

Just then, the clambering of feet was heard around the corner.

"Oh, see you in the ballroom." Sadie said right before she turned and took off again.

Bryan stepped out of the way "Watch out for the brothers."

Trent went shooting by, followed by Jackson who immediately skid to a stop when he spotted Danielle.

"Your Highness." he bowed quickly then smiled "It's a pleasure to see you."

"Likewise, Mr. Russell." Danielle said with a slight giggle.

Bryan looked back and forth between the two curiously as Boris ran past.

"Just call me Jackson." he responded "Mr. Russell is my father. Well, stepfather." he shook his head "He's married to my mother. But he's not my birth father. He..."

"Hey Jack." Bryan said with a laugh "Stop while you're ahead." then he continued to the ballroom, leaving the two to talk. When he found Sadie, she was standing at the buffet tables popping grapes into her mouth "What was the racing?"

She swallowed the berry in her mouth "The winner swipes your mother's necklace."

The smile left his face "Sadie..."

"Bryan. Chill." she rolled her eyes "I won. So I can swipe it if I wish or leave it if I don't want to." she smiled slightly "I thought you knew I was a thief."

"How could I forget?"

She popped another grape into her mouth "I'm just warning you. I'm not going to be able to get out of stealing tonight." she nodded towards the door way "My stepmother's here."

Bryan looked to where Fiona was entering the room and his eyebrows raised "That's the ring leader?"

"Mm-hm." she shook her head "She's mean as a snake if you don't do what she wants. Believe me, I know."

Bryan let out a huff "Okay..." then he watched as Danielle and Jackson entered the room and started to dance "Well. Sadie, may I have the honor?"

She looked at his hand which was now extended towards her and nodded "You shall."

(This chapter didn't turn out how I'd hoped. Sorry if it was long, awkward and hard to read. :( Well, more happenences in to come! Laterz!)