Author's note: I am so sorry for the delay in publishing, I have been working on fluff and the angst just wasn't coming for me. If you're interested, you can check out I Don't Want to be Unknown, a Hermione/Luna/Ginny polyamory fluff fic. It's been fun so far and will continue to be so. Anyway, as to this, I will work hard to keep this going. There's not much left. And there's not a whole lot more angst.

Happy reading!

Chapter Seven

Adrian's phone rang just as he settled in to call up his magic. He grumbled and reached for it. But when he saw the number, he relaxed.

"He found her." Rose said on the other end. "We're moving fast. Eddie is on his way over. You have a flight that leaves in two hours. Get what you need, you won't be going back."

"Are you serious?" He looked out the window at the Ivaskinator. "She loves the car."

"You can get another. Adrian, this is her life."

"I know." He sighed and headed to his room to pack a bag. "What about Jill?"

This time he heard Rose sigh. "She's insisting on coming. She's on the phone with Lissa right now. Just get ready. We'll make arrangements for your car."

"Thanks, Rose." He hung up and packed all that he knew he'd need for a while. He knew Rose would also make arrangements for the rest of his things.

He looked over his canvases and his eyes caught one of the paintings he'd done in his most recent depressions: a background painted in different hues of gold and brown, all mixed together in swirls. It was globby in places and thinner in others. It was one of his favorites, actually.

He ran to the kitchen and found a knife. He pried the staples from the wood and folded the painting up with great care. He'd have it remounted later. All the others could stay. He didn't really care about them.

Jill burst through the door as she knocked on it. "Get your ass in gear. Don't worry about your stuff. Lissa will set up a team to come get all our things and bring them back to Court. Let's go." She picked up his bag and headed for the door. "Make sure you have a phone charger. We're going to get new ones soon, but you shouldn't let it die just yet."

They were in the car and headed out of town with Trey and Angeline in the back seat. Adrian was shocked at first seeing them, but then he realized they needed all the help they could get.

Adrian stared out the window. Jill sat beside him and watched him anxiously. He patted her hand every so often. But it wasn't a comfort for him and she was nervous from his feelings and her own.

Jill heaved a sigh and stood. She made her way back a few rows to where Eddie sat. She leaned over him and whispered, "I can't take it anymore."

He reached up and cupped her cheek. "Just a little longer."

"Go sit with him for a while. I'm already in his head. I can't take it sitting next to him, too."

"You'll be out of my sight, my princess." He whispered.

She looked just behind him. Trey and Angeline had landed the other two seats they were given side-by-side. "Angeline, you're with Adrian. Tell him that story about the time you let the frogs loose in biology. That should take up the rest of the flight. Trey, you're here." She pointed to Eddie's seat. "Eddie and I are taking your seats."

The pair grumbled and stood. After some shuffling, the seating was changed. The anxiety Jill felt through the bond slowly turned to annoyance and then reluctant affection for the girl prattling on at Adrian's side. Jill was finally able to relax and she rested her head on Eddie's shoulder and took a much-needed nap.

"We've been sitting here for hours." Adrian complained.

"Then get out and have a smoke." Rose snapped. "But don't be obvious. Walk down two blocks to that coffee shop. Bring Jill with you."

Eddie opened his mouth to protest, but Rose cut him off. "You go too, lover boy."

He nodded and the three of them left the vehicle. Adrian immediately lit up as he walked through the shadows with Jill and Eddie trailing behind. "Why haven't we seen her yet? Or moved on something?"

Eddie explained, "It's risky to make a move without visual confirmation."

Adrian sighed and leaned against a wall. "I know she's here. I can feel it." He took a pull from his cigarette. He rubbed his forehead as he blew out the plume of smoke. "She won't let me in her dreams anymore. Something's happened. Something bad. They re-inked her or something. I don't know. She hasn't used magic in a couple months."

Jill placed a calming hand on his arm. "She'll be okay."

He nodded. They relaxed in the darkness a few minutes and then made their way back to the van. They slept in shifts for the rest of the night. In the morning, they all sat alert for any sign of movement outside the Alchemist headquarters.

In the early afternoon, they finally saw what they were looking for. Sydney walked with a purpose like always. But the difference was that she was no longer the woman Adrian and the others loved. She was cold and distant by her body language. Back to the girl she was when they all first met.

Adrian reached for the handle of the door, but Eddie stopped him.

"Not yet."

"But it's her." Adrian argued.

Eddie gave him a sympathetic look. "And I want to get her to safety as badly as you, but we have protocol."

They watched as she got into a boring black sedan. Rose followed. She ran a few errands and then returned to the headquarters. There was no other sight of her the rest of the day.

"So what do we do?" Adrian asked.

"We break her out." Rose said simply.

"And I suppose you have just the idea?"

"Last time Eddie and I did this, we had a different spirit user, but yeah, I have a plan that is tested and worked swimmingly the last time." She grinned. "And this time we have a second Moroi to help with the compulsion so it's not all on you."

"I'm weak in it." Jill said softly.

"Jill stays behind." Eddie protested.

This got the pair arguing once more.

Adrian stopped it. "Look, I know it's hard to believe, but I think it's a good idea for Jill to help. She's smart and she's fast and she's improved her water magic exponentially over the last several months. I know water isn't the best defensive magic, but it saved your ass a time or two."

Eddie gritted his teeth and then nodded. "Okay. But you stay in the center of the group as much as possible. Don't get more than a few steps away from me. And if you try anything stupid, Jill, so help me—"

Jill cut him off with a kiss. "You need to learn to shut up."

He softened. "And maybe I know you'll stop me with a kiss when I don't."

Adrian and Rose shared an eye roll. "Moving on." Rose said as she lined out how the rescue would work.