Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the storyline.

Chapter 11

Adrian's POV

Lunch was surprisingly going well (Abe had been keeping his suspicious/knowing looks to a minimum). Or at least it was until a young moroi appeared at the door.

"What is it now?" I heard Rose mutter. "I swear..."

"Sorry your majesty, this package arrived at the front gate for the alchemist and I thought it best to deliver it quickly."

"Arrived?" Lissa asked. "It didn't come with the mail?"

"No ma'am. It was found at the gate."

"Nobody saw who dropped it off?"

"No ma'am."

"Huh. Never mind. Sydney? Were you expecting anything?"

"Just some stuff from the alchemists. Thanks for that." Sydney said quickly, walking over the man and taking the small wrapped up box out of his hands. She then smiles slightly. Oh no. "You're lucky you didn't shake it. You might not be here if you did."

He jumps back, landing wide-eyed and ashen faced. "What?"

"It's nothing you need to know."

Lissa steps in. "That will be all. Thank you."

Sydney sits back down beside me as he scurries back out the door, making sure to brush against my side, and then starts her convocation with the others back up.

"So, what were you saying about that guardian Rose?"

"Oh, yeah. So this big, tough guardian with these HUGE muscles, comes up to me and was like, 'so this is the great and powerful Rosie Hathaway, muhahaha.' So I'm like 'what's it to you jackass?' and he, for some reason, decided to take offence at that," Sure Rose, somehow "and wanted to fight me."

"Let me guess," Eddie said. "You took him down in 10 seconds flat."

Dimitri spoke up, looking proud. "More like 5."

"Yeah, when I was done with him, there was soothing left. At least in the ego department." She winks.

I laugh at her fierce expression. "I'd love to have seen that."

She looks down disappointed. "A few people there filmed it but the wont allow me to have a copy."

"They don't want your ego to get any bigger, though that would be a feat in itself."

"Shut it Pyro!"

"Love you too Rosie."

The whole table seems to sigh at the same time.

"Can't I have one meal where you two don't act like little children?"

They pretend to think about it. "Nope," they say together.

After lunch is finally over Sage and I rush back to her room.

"Open it! Open it! Open it!"

She laughs. "I'm beginning to think that Rose and Christian aren't the only ones acting like children today."

"I can't help it." I smirk at her. "I can't wait to see our little demon baby again."

She huffs and shakes her head in mock annoyance before tearing open the package and lifting a little stone Hopper out.

"Come on," I urge.

She looks at me and rolls her eyes but says the little incantation to wake our Hopper up, then puts him in my hand in time for him to start screeching.

"We know, we know. You're hungry."

Sage pulls out a bread roll from her pocket.

"What – how did you – how did that even fit in your pocket?"

"I used magic to shrink it."

"Really?"

"No, not really. I just have functioning pockets unlike your designer ones."

"Ouch, but true."

"Do you want to feed him?"

"Oh, I don't know." I say jokingly and look down at Hopper to give him a light scratch, causing him to purr. "Do you want Daddy to feed you, or do you want Momma Sage?"

I feel the bread roll being pushed into my other hand. "Feed your precious baby then get him something to drink. I'm going to do a bit more of that ink."

"But Sage, you're doing too much – "

"I'll be fine. I've eaten well and if I need any more sugar I'll just send you out or get something dropped off."

"If you're sure?"

"I'm sure. Now, feed your boy before he starts shrieking again."

I lean towards Hopper and stage whisper at him. "Don't worry baby, mummy still loves you. She just has to work a lot. I'm the fun one."

"Adrian!"

"Fine! Fine! I'm going. Here you are...hey, hey. Eat slower buddy, it's not going to disappear. Well, by the way you're eating it, it will. But that's not what I meant..."

I hear Sydney laugh again and it causes my smile to grow.

Just you wait Sage. You haven't seen anything yet. Just wait till we have kids of our own.

Sydney's POV

As I sat down at my work bench I could hear Adrian feeding 'our little demon baby' as he liked to call Hopper, and I laughed lightly before pulling out the note and the small package that I was hoping Adrian wouldn't see.

Hello Dear,
Things are going well here and I wish the same for you and your handsome young man.
I trust that your little Hopper got there in one piece as well as the following tumbled stones for your... special project. After doing a lot of research I found that not many stones adsorbed negative energies like you wanted, instead they deflected them. I agree with you that that this wouldn't be for the best as the darkness would most likely be deflected onto the shadow bond mate.
The best option that I found wasblack tourmaline (possibly combined with a piece of clear quartz). There also options like black obsidian, amethyst and kyanite. Topaz is also an option as it is well-known for transmuting negative energies into positive, and can help to replace negative emotions with joy, happiness and peace. If you use the others they'll need regular cleansing.
I've given you a few small samples of each. Be careful with them and god luck!
J.T
PS: Let me know if you need anything else and what you're results are!

I smile and take out the stones, rolling them over in my hands.

"There! All done."

Oh! Adrian! I slip the stones back in the package and hide them, and the letter, behind a box of vials and get out more salt to infuse.

"Done much?"

"Nope. To busy watching you."

Adrian laughs. "How about we order in tonight, put our little bundle of joy to bed and have some grown up time?"

I shake my head. Oh Adrian. What am I going to do with you?

"Sure. But for now, how about you catch up more with the others while I do this? Leave Hopper with me and have some fun."

"As if I can have fun without you, my Little Asparagus!"

Asparagus? Please don't let that one stick around.

"Go on, get out of here!"

He laughs again and kisses me. "I'll see if I can find Lissa."

"You do that."

"Bye Honey Dew. Bye Hopster."

Hopper squeaks and tries to follow Adrian as he walks out the door only to be pushed back.

"No buddy. Stay. Stay. Good boy. See ya Sage! Don't get into any trouble when I'm gone!"

"Bye!"

Breathe out.

Ok. Time to work on that project...