A/N: So I have learned the dangers of updating twice in a day, in that I'm pretty sure the publishing of Chapter 9 went unnoticed. If you think that this ought to be "Colors of the Wind", sorry, that was last chapter, you might want to go back and read that one first. This is "You'll Be in My Heart", from Tarzan. No particular point of view, and still in line with the current plot. And what a plot it is… anyways, new chapter! Here we go…
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
In a flurry of orchestrated movements, the cogs began to turn. Two cloaked figures hurried down the deserted passageways of the Court, hoods up so that their faces were enveloped in shadows. Whatever charm Sydney had made for each of them, they worked splendidly: it was as if all the noise they made was snatched away and dissipated, they didn't make the slightest creak. One of the figures knocked surreptitiously on Sydney's door, the door opened and another cloaked figure slipped out. Together the three figures ran down hallways, heading for the open forest behind the compound.
Elsewhere, two figures clanked across the pre-dawn lawns of the Court. Only a single person knew that the Guardian accompanying the prisoner wasn't actually a Guardian – but he was already in the forest, and no one would be missing him. A key was produced, and the manacles and leg irons removed. Cloaks were donned, and the shadows too slid into the welcoming dark of the forest.
All the parties ran towards a glade, virtually unknown to both Guardians and Moroi. Jill panted, "Sydney, will whatever charm you hooked up to that portable fan make it sound like we're all where we're supposed to be?"
Sydney replied confidently, "Yes, no one will have cause to question where we are. It sounds like all of us are safely sleeping. How did you get an extension on the timeline?"
Jill grinned deep within her hood, "Lissa has a lot on her mind at the moment. Namely, planning a wedding. Christian was going to propose and with a little encouragement to do it now rather than later, well, Lissa is now way too swamped to finish signing paperwork to exile Adrian." Somewhere close by, Angeline paused and let out a whippoorwill call. A few moments later, the call was returned.
She nodded, "They're on their way. We have to hurry." They picked up the pace, collectively almost flying across the ground.
Trey and Adrian sprinted across the rocky trail, knowing they only had the space of a few minutes to meet. Eddie melted out of the shadows at some point, trailed closely by Rose and Dmitri. Eddie grimaced, but no one tried to stop the pair. Clearly they had invited themselves. The sun began to rise over the mountains behind the Court, just in time to witness the groups collide in the open space.
Almost immediately, Sydney threw back her hood and flew at Adrian, eyes full of tears. "You, you – you big idiot! Why?" She pounded a fist against his chest, and he visibly flinched. She drew back to punch him again. Everyone busied themselves being scarce, melting back into the woods to watch and listen for trouble.
He caught her hand before it could hit again, instead twining their fingers together, "Sage, watch it." Then he smirked down at her, green eyes flashing, "After all, I did get a prison tatt there."
She stared at him, aghast. "Adrian, those aren't sanitary!"
He laughed out loud, "Relax, Sydney, Comrade was the one who did it. Perfectly safe."
She eyed him, tears caught in her lashes, "I still can't believe you. I could have talked everything down to a lesser punishment."
His arms slid across her back, hugging her close, "Sydney, I believe you could have. I know you could have. But I won't accept a lesser punishment, I need to face the consequences of my actions, even if it is only for loving you. Now, moe serdtse, dry your tears. I'm here, now, to protect you in every way I can. Don't worry, don't cry." He flashed her a grin he knew would stop the tears for now, whispering close to her ear. "Aren't you going to ask what I got as my prison tatt?"
Come stop your crying
It will be all right
Just take my hand
Hold it tight
I will protect you
from all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
She laughed, wiping her eyes on the heels of her hands. "Adrian, you'll tell me even if I don't ask."
"Darn right." He towered over her, his lips brushing the cartilage of her ear, "I got a sage plant – getting your face seemed tacky." His deft fingers quickly unbuttoned his shirt, uncovering the bandage covering the left side of his chest. Her hand unpeeled the linen, revealing the angry plant growing over his ribs, the purple flowers neatly decorating the space over his heart.
"This is going to look very unmasculine if you every go to the beach, Adrian."
"I'm secure in my masculinity – very secure. After all, you haven't run away yet."
Her hands touched down lightly against his cheeks. "Adrian, you do realize I came running?"
"Huh. Well, there's that." His light tone sobered, "Do they know about - ?"
Sydney shook her head vehemently. "The Alchemists don't know all about the bond – don't know how it forms, just that it takes a spirit user to save someone from death. The Queen ordered Evelina to lie and claim that I still had the faintest traces of an aura, so you just healed me."
His arms tightened fractionally, smiling a half smile tinged with sadness and regret, "They couldn't tear us apart, break us, not even in a millennia."
For one so small,
you seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry
She laughed, tears gathering unfallen at the corners of her eyes as she ignored the fallacy in his last statement, "Why a millennia?"
Adrian pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Because, not even Alchemists are tenacious enough to keep trying the impossible after that long, moe serdtse."
She rested her head against his chest, resting her hands on either side of his chest, "Why do you keep calling me "my heart"?"
"Sydney, everything has a title. You, you happen to be my heart. My very life and pulse. My everything. Nothing will ever change that, so I might as well make it clear to the whole world, right?"
She laughed, but like the rest it was a strained laugh – almost forced. "Classic male territoriality – marking me as yours."
Adrian bumped her head with his own, "If that's what it takes to get the point across."
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart, always
Sydney sighed, "I wish they wouldn't be so unreasonable – why can't they look past it all and realize that we are all people and have the same basic rights, no matter race, creed, ethnicity, gender, no matter what? I wish you don't have to go away."
Adrian smiled down at the Alchemist softly, "Someone once said that change doesn't happen overnight – change must come slowly. Think about all the mixed race couples in the South, change happens slowly, not overnight."
"I know, but that doesn't mean I can't wish."
"Sage, we've both always been caught in the wrong time period, too modern for this time."
Why can't they understand
the way we feel
They just don't trust
what they can't explain
I know we're different but,
deep inside us
We're not that different at all
The sun rose steadily overhead, time was running out too quickly. They were quiet, just holding each other and memorizing everything about the other: the way they fit together like jigsaw puzzle pieces, the pine and paint and musky leather scent Adrian perpetually carried, Sydney's aroma of coffee and chemicals and sensible cotton and a dash or citrus, the way their hearts beat in time with one another's.
And you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
"Maybe I ought to get another tattoo, too." Adrian broke the silence, "You know how Moroi and dhampirs are considered night creatures and Alchemists are by nature the opposite, and thus daylight creatures? A sun and moon together – two worlds colliding and staying together." He indicated the spot on the inside of his wrist, left hand side, "Right here. And while I'm at it, I should get your name on my ring finger – Russian would look awesome across the base. What do you think?"
"Adrian, quit ruining the moment. This is the last time I am ever, ever, going to see you face to face. I want to memorize everything in the time that I have."
Don't listen to them
'Cause what do they know
We need each other,
to have, to hold
They'll see in time
I know
"I know, moe serdtse, I know. But I can't stand to see you sad, I can't help but want to distract you and cheer you up. But take heart, sooner or later, you'll be free and we'll be together. I know."
Rose materialized out of the woods, "Okay, we've got incoming hostiles. Maybe five more minutes, then we have got to get out of here and pretend Adrian was off catching exercise and everyone else was doing whatever you guys planned."
With a new air of urgency, Adrian cradled her face, "This isn't goodbye, moyeĭ lyubovʹyu, I'll come visit you in your dreams. Every night, I swear." He tried and failed to make the situation lighter, "And I'll be sure to show you the tatts I get."
When destiny calls you
You must be strong
I may not be with you
But you've got to hold on
They'll see in time
I know
We'll show them together
Sydney shook her head, tears streaming down her face, "Don't "my love" me Adrian. God, dear God, the one time – "She was too choked up to finish.
He kissed her, hard, "I know, lyubimaya, I know. But this isn't the end – this isn't the Titanic, we're not dead. We are alive, and there are ways to see each other without anyone finding out. We have each other, and they will never be able to take that away from us."
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on,
Now and forever more
Oh, you'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be in my heart, always
Always
This time it was Eddie, pale faced, "Adrian, they know we've been gone for too long, and they know none of us are where we're supposed to be. We have to leave the Court now, instead of letting Lissa exile you. The Alchemists are already chomping at the bit to have any reason to rip you limb from limb."
Adrian called over his shoulder, "Hold up a moment." He cupped her face, eyes tracing everything about it, "You are svoyeĭ zhizni, moe serdtse, my world. No matter where you go, I will follow in spirit, because my soul is only a pale reflection of yours. You are my better half, and for however long we are separated, I will live as if you were by my side, try and become more worthy of loving a goddess like you, Sydney Sage." His hand scrambled into a pocket of his jeans, "Here, it was my Great Aunt's, she left it to me." It was a massive emerald surrounded by smaller diamonds, a gorgeous, ornate, estate piece. He slid it onto her right hand middle finger.
Sydney smiled a water-logged smile at him, kissing him. "Do you know the legend associated with emeralds? They are, supposedly, used to connect lovers as a symbol of faith. They say, that if the stone, like this one, if it's given by one lover to the other, and it's initially clear, that if it flashes to a darker color and stays there, then the one who gave it has stopped loving the one who carries the stone."
"Well, that stone will always stay clear." Trey materialized, along with Angeline and Eddie, Dmitri and Rose, and Jill, cloaks bundled around them, the sounds of Guardians approaching.
They kissed one final time, then separated the ways they had entered the space. Sydney followed Angeline and Jill, pulling up her hood, turning to look back before beginning to walk away. Adrian backpeddled slowly, tracking her shrouded form across the glade. He saw the way she peeked over her shoulder one final time before she disappeared into the dark of the forest. When she was finally out of sight, he turned to Trey. "Okay, now we can go." And together they ran towards the gate, where Abe had a car waiting to whisk them away.
I'll be with you.
When I'll be there for you always
Always and always
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
I'll be there for you always
Always
A/N: Okay, the end. Not. Seriously, though, this song is sooo romantic. Yes I did just desecrate the English written language in order to express my feelings, but it was not due to ignorance and apathy. It was to make a point. Therefore, I will absolve myself of the sin. I hope you all enjoyed, I tried hard to make it as romantic as the song. Probably missed the mark, but I tried. Next up is "A Whole New World," from Aladdin. Then, after that, only one song left. As per usual, review if you want to, don't if you don't want to. Until next chapter.
P.S. - Russian translations:
moe serdtse : my heart
moyeĭ lyubovʹyu : my love
lyubimaya : beloved, darling
svoyeĭ zhizni : my life