Author's note: Here is the latest chapter and I hope it finds you well. This is currently the only fic on here that I am working on, so I should be able to update more often. And I am excited for all that is coming your way.

Happy reading!

Chapter Eleven

"Oh, aren't you sweet?" Lissa said with a smile, bouncing her nephew on her knee. "Did you see Christian?" She looked up at her husband.

He nodded. "He looks like a Dragomir. That's good."

Adrian gave them a questioning look. "Is it important that he looks like a Dragomir?"

"It helps. They won't believe he's just a baby you brought with you. And he has a few small Ivashkov traits." Christian answered. "There's been a lot of angry speculation. And since Lissa and I are having some trouble…" He sighed.

"So there's no second baby any time soon?" Jill asked.

"We keep hoping." Lissa answered. She put Misha on the floor to play with his cousin who hurried over, her dark curls bouncing.

"Baby!" Andrea exclaimed.

"We call him Misha." Jill said, sitting on the floor with her.

"Misha pretty." The girl said.

"He's very pretty."

The baby rolled onto his back and pulled his foot up into his mouth. Jill laughed and smoothed his hair away from his forehead.

"Dada." He said, looking over at Adrian on the couch.

His frown turned into a happy grin. "You need to learn Mama next."

"He'll learn." His wife said, still smoothing her hand over his head as he babbled to her.

"Mommy, I tired." Andrea said, climbing onto her mother's lap.

"Well, my darling, it's almost time for you to go to bed." She shared a look wither husband.

He nodded and pulled the bell rope on the wall.

"I was told you didn't bring a nanny." Lissa said with a critical look.

Jill said vaguely, "We didn't feel her necessary for these two weeks."

"Just two weeks? But there are meetings and dinners set up for the next few months."

"We're not staying here." Her sister said gently. "You have to understand, this isn't our life. This isn't how we want to raise our son."

"This is about Eddie, isn't it?" She looked at Adrian. "And Sydney?"

Jill and Adrian exchanged a quick look.

"What do you know?" Jill asked, pulling Misha protectively to her chest.

"Plenty that I haven't revealed to anyone outside this room." Her sister said. "I know about your other baby."

Adrian clenched his jaw. "That's none of your business."

"It is. I'm the queen. I can protect your secrets. But I have to know them first."

"We don't want our children forced out of our home."

"They won't be. Their training and schooling is your choice. But just remember, Misha is a royal. He'll need to be taught everything you missed out on, Jill."

"I don't think I missed much." She said under her breath.

"And on the same note, your dhampir offspring will need to be trained."

"No, they won't." Adrian said adamantly. "Not if we don't want them to be trained."

"I'm not talking formal training until they're older." Lissa said gently.

There was a knock on the door. Christian opened it and ushered the nanny inside. "Andrea, go with Charlotte and we'll be in soon for our goodnight kiss."

"And Misha." Lissa said.

The woman walked into the room and leaned over the baby resting on his mother's chest, his eyes heavy. Jill kissed him and whispered in his ear that he could trust the other woman and then passed him to her.

"Mommy loves you, Misha. And Daddy, too." She kissed him again. "We'll be there soon for another kiss."

Once the children were gone and the door firmly shut behind them, the queen looked between her sister and brother-in-law. "I can assign more guardians for early training of your children. If you want to send them here or to St. Vladimir's for further training when they're older, that's your choice. And I hope you make it. But they need to be prepared. As your queen, I'm giving you an order."

Adrian clenched his jaw even harder and struggled not to say anything.

Jill, feeling the tumult swirling in his head, spoke for him. "There are a lot of people who won't be too happy with that."

"I can assign the best tutors. You can stay where you are, but your children will need the proper education and training."

"I'll have to think about it." Adrian said softly.

"I'm giving you a choice. You either let me help you get the proper education to them where you are, or they will be put in school away from you when they are old enough."

"And I told you we'd have to think about it." He gave Jill a significant look, We'll discuss it later. He then stood. "I'm going to play with my son for a while before he sleeps." He left the room.

They all watched him go. Christian made a mumbled excuse and then left the room, leaving the sisters alone.

Lissa spoke into the silence, "I didn't mean to upset him."

"I know you didn't. It's something he and… Well, it's been a conflict amongst us." She rubbed her temple and worked to get the block put back in place.

"I don't blame you or him for wanting and having these affairs. But you have to be careful. I'll protect you as much as I can, but I can't do everything."

Jill nodded. "How do you know? Who is your informant?"

"Petrov."

"Of course. You know he's having an affair with our other guardian Shane?"

"I do. And he never reveals any information that is unnecessary. I knew the baby existed, I just didn't know more."

"The rest of it really isn't your business."

"No, it's not. But on a personal note, as your sister, are you and Eddie making any plans for your own?"

Jill watched her a moment and then nodded. "Yes. Adrian and I have agreed on it."

"And when will you do this. You need more Moroi children."

"We'll have them at our own pace. It should be enough that we're actually having them."

Lissa nodded. "Does Adrian want his dhampir children to become guardians?"

"He thinks it's something we should all take pride in. Eddie and I want ours to be. Adrian goes back and forth. Sydney is definitely against it."

She thought about it a moment and then nodded. "Let Eddie train them while they're young. He'll teach them all they need. Find your own tutors, people you trust. If you want more formal training for them, then it can be discussed later, but they don't have to have it."

Jill nodded. "That was what we had all discussed."

"Good. And I can assign another guardian to make up the extra time his training lessons will leave." Lissa smiled. "So what is the child's name?"

Jill's face relaxed and a proud grin spread across her face. "Joshua. Misha loves him already. Well, we all do."

"I know it was hard for him to leave, but it was necessary. I've had a lot of threats and other royals demanding to know your whereabouts so they can lay eyes on him themselves." She sighed. "I've set up a ceremony to present your son to Court. They'll all have to believe his existence then."

"Do you expect us to stay for all the upcoming functions the next few months?"

Her sister thought a moment. "Could you stretch your stay to a month?"

"That's not in my power to say on my own. I'll speak with Adrian and let you know." She stood. "Misha needs to be fed before he goes to sleep or he won't sleep all night."

Jill hurried from the room, her mind racing. She needed to get back to Eddie. Adrian needed to get back to Joshua and Sydney. Staying a month would be better than staying indefinitely. But she was sure that month would turn into another and another until they had been there for almost a year.

She stepped into the nursery and found Adrian struggling with Misha throwing a massive fit. As soon as the boy saw her, he reached out and cried even harder.

"Hush now. Mama is here. I know you're hungry." She took him and walked onto a room away from the others. She looked over her shoulder. "Adrian, we need to talk."

"Now?" He asked, startled.

"Yes." She took a seat in a rocking chair and began to unfasten the buttons on her dress.

Adrian stood awkwardly beside the door, looking away.

"I'm slightly more decent now." She said softly. "Lissa wants us to stay an entire month."

"Absolutely not." He said without hesitation.

"Then I'll tell her." She looked down at the boy at her breast. "I don't want him to be around all these people. Most of them won't wish him well."

"I feel the same."

"Not to mention Eddie, Sydney, and Joshua are still at home without us."

Adrian nodded and walked toward the window. "I couldn't last a month here after all that's happened. Even though they say the threat against you has been handled, there's still a chance. And now with our son…" He shook his head. "I don't want to be here again until he's older."

"I agree. We'll suffer two weeks, but no more. I know he misses Eddie just as much as I do. I won't do that to him."

"I'll let her know." He turned and headed out of the room.

"Adrian?"

He stopped with his hand on the door. "Yes?"

"Turn around and look at me."

He did. "What?"

"Let me handle it, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because she's my sister. And I don't want you to get angry. I'll handle it. You go cool off somewhere. Get a drink. Have a cigarette."

"I want to hold him for a while." He gestured to their son. "That's how I relax these days."

She smiled. "He's almost asleep." She lifted him away from her breast and quickly covered herself. "Just two weeks."

Adrian lifted the boy from her arms. "Yes. We'll be home then." He kissed Misha's face. "Come, my boy. Let's sit in here and go to sleep."

Eddie placed a card on the discard pile and watched as the side of Sydney's mouth tilted up. She picked up the card and then put another down.

Joshua fussed in the cradle nearby. Sydney looked over him and touched his tiny face. "It's all right, baby. Mommy is right here."

"You look a little tired." Eddie observed.

"I haven't slept well." She admitted, moving her cards around.

"Me neither. Used to having a baby fussing nearby."

"You can always take Josh for the night." She said with a small laugh.

"I think we'd have fun. But I definitely don't miss losing sleep." He looked at the clock on the mantle. "I need to patrol." He put down his hand. "Gin."

She laughed and showed her own hand. "Good game."

"Yes." He stood and leaned over the cradle. "Hello, handsome. Don't give your mother a hard time."

"Could I join you for supper tonight?" Sydney asked as gathered the cards.

"You can join me any time, Sydney." He gave her a sympathetic look. "It's not forever."

She shook her head. "Just two very long weeks."

"We've already survived two days, Syd, we can survive the rest." He walked to the front door and pulled on his coat. "I'll see you later." He walked out the door to her house and stepped out to the boarder of the property.

Part of him always hoped there would be someone trying to break past their wards. As he walked around the boarder, he ran scenarios in his head of how things could go down. He paused by the water at last and looked out over it, watching the moon reflecting over the waves.

There, by the water, he started a series of stretches. He shed his coat and rolled up his sleeves when his muscles were stretched to his liking. He started executing several blocks and advances against an invisible opponent.

He paused when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and quickly turned, ready to fight.

"It's just us." Sydney said, holding a hand out.

He stood taller and walked to the edge of the water. He splashed some on his face and wiped it on his neck to cool off after his exercise. He stood and rolled his sleeves down.

"You're very graceful. I didn't realize that was possible." She admitted.

He smiled. "I'm not nearly as graceful as some." He slipped his coat back on.

"Who could be more graceful than what I just witnessed?"

"Dimitri. Rose."

She nodded. "Joshua and I needed some air. It's safe, I assume."

"Yes."

She sat, placing the sleeping baby on her outstretched knees. "I can help. I don't know what Jill and Adrian have told you, but I have some of my own resources."

He sat beside her, close enough to hear her soft voice, but far enough away to be proper. The servants were already whispering enough. "I've been told nothing."

She smiled nervously and reached into the pocket of her dress. "I wanted to help before, but Adrian wouldn't let me. He wanted me to rest after my journey. But then this little one happened." She smiled and smoothed a finger down his tiny cheek."

She threw the small bag she held in her hand and said a word Eddie didn't recognize. Where it landed on a pile of driftwood, fire exploded.

He shot to his feet in shock. "Holy shit!" He swallowed. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me."

She chuckled. "Always the gentleman. I probably should have given you a little more warning."

"Probably." He walked closer to examine the fire. "You have magic. But you're a human. How is that possible?"

"I had the same reservations myself." She explained softly. "Do you remember Miss Terwilliger?"

He nodded.

"She saw it in me and convinced me to cultivate it. I know of a protection spell. Once I'm a little more recovered, I can perform it around the property so that no ill-wishers enter the grounds."

He looked at her in the firelight. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." She pulled a small flask out of her other pocket and took a drink.

"Sydney?"

"It's orange juice." She held out the flak to him. "Drink it if you don't believe me."

He shook his head. "I believe you."

She took another drink and then put it back. "I need a little after performing magic."

Eddie sat back down beside her. "A protection spell around a property this massive is going to drain you if that's what happens after something this small."

"It's because of Joshua. Well, mostly." She looked down, embarrassed.

"I don't know if it would be so good for you to do something this large. Especially by yourself and so soon after Josh."

"I can do it. I can do it around the big house at the very least."

"You need to discuss it with Adrian and Jill."

"I want to keep Misha and Jill safe. Isn't that what's most important?" She smoothed her hands over her baby's face as he slept, memorizing his soft features with her fingertips.

"You're health is important, too, Sydney. For Joshua. For Adrian."

She looked out to the sea.

He sat down beside her once more. "I would feel comfortable with extra protection. But I don't want you to do it on your own. If we could find someone else to help you, just one more at least, I'd agree to it."

Sydney thought about it a moment and then nodded. "All right. I'll find someone. It may take a while."

"You still have a lot of healing." Eddie pointed out.

She nodded. "But I can perform the spell on the big house at least. And I think I can even do some sort of charm for the nursery and Jill's room." She swallowed and looked away. "Do the two of you ever go to yours?"

"Not since Misha was born."

"I can make one for there anyway." She smiled down at the baby on her lap as he started to wake. "It's a little cooler out here than I thought it would be. We should go inside."

When she didn't move, Eddie asked, "Is something wrong?"

She didn't look at him. "May I ask you something on a very intimate level?"

He hesitated. "All right."

"Has Jill ever bitten you?"

He felt his cheeks flaring and looked away. "She's asked. But I always say no." He admitted just above a whisper, "I've been tempted to ask her to."

"Adrian and I have talked about it. Sometimes I really want him to. But then I see his fangs and all my old fears come back."

Eddie placed a hand on her arm. She looked over and he gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Sydney. I don't feel any shame in wanting it most of the time. But I know if it did happen, I'd either get addicted or hate myself afterward. So I push away the wanting. It's difficult sometimes, but it's necessary."

Sydney nodded. "I feel the same way." She gathered Joshua to her chest and stood. "I know it's not entirely proper for men and women to discuss these things, but I appreciate your honesty despite our mutual embarrassment."

He nodded. "Yours too. Still coming up to eat with me?"

"Yes, of course." She fell into step beside him.