Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.
Finally, after what felt like forever working on it, here's the sequel chapter to Pink Blanket. I know there have been other Adrianna chapters, but this one's more like a direct sequel. I hope you enjoy it! Review and let me know what you think!
P.S. There's a pretty cool writing conference coming up in March that may or may not interest some of you guys. It's called Teen Author Boot Camp and is going to be broadcast online for anyone who wants to check it out. It's aimed at teen authors (ahem some of you) but is open to everyone worldwide (ahem the rest of you) and has a lot of great authors giving classes like Kiersten White *bugs out a little*! So if you're interested look it up (because I can't post a link). It only costs like $5 for a pass so I'll definitely be checking it out! Sorry for the long sales pitchy message. I'm just excited for it and wanted to share :)
I wasn't normally such a nervous person, but as we pulled up to our destination I was shaking a little. Because of the... diverse group we were meeting we decided it would be better to do it in a completely neutral place. Rose suggested a small, but busy hotel not far from Court.
"You okay?" Adrian asked, laying his hand on top of my trembling one.
I closed my eyes and nodded, before getting out of the car. Adrian got out too, and then opened the back door and pulled out the small surprise we had in store for all of the most important people in our lives. I took a deep breath and smiled at the sight of Adrian holding our daughter in his arms.
Since he and most of our friends had rescued me and Adrianna from Re-education about a month ago he'd barely let her out of his sight. Or me for that matter, but he couldn't very well carry me around all day long, so he settled for just her. He pulled her small, pink winter jacket tighter around her and then wrapped her in a blanket as well. She smiled up at him, completely uncaring of what the weather was like outside in Pennsylvania on a cold, winter afternoon. She was too enthralled with him to care. I couldn't blame her. I was too.
"Come on," he said, wrapping his free arm around my waist and leading me into the hotel.
Before we'd even stepped inside I could see that the guardians were already in place. Rose had picked this hotel because, not only was it neutral ground for all groups involved, but it was close enough to Court that she could easily call in guardian backup if need be. The Queen's Royal guard was already stationed inside and outside under pretense of the Queen's presence, but when the guards nodded at us as we walked in I knew they were aware of their real assignment here.
Protecting me and Adrianna.
Adrian and I had been in hiding for the past month, trying to stay off the Alchemist's radar. They hadn't exactly been pleased with Adrian's little jailbreak and were "conducting an investigation", which basically translated to man hunt. They were searching for us, and today, in this hotel, we were going to take our stand.
Oddly enough, it was my mother and Adrian's father who finally convinced us enough was enough. My mother, because she'd heard that I had escaped from Re-education and wanted to see me, but couldn't so long as the Alchemists were investigating me. I was pretty sure Adrian's dad was less concerned with seeing Adrian or me and more concerned with putting an end to all of the gossip that seemed to be centered around the Ivashkov name, recently.
The Moroi royals, it turned out, were a talkative bunch and gossip spread faster at Court than it ever had at Amberwood. The moment I'd escaped, the Alchemists were already on the phone with Lissa demanding our location. Lissa had claimed ignorance. The Alchemists had security footage of the ordeal, implicating Adrian, Dimitri and Eddie, but the three didn't really seem to care and Lissa had agreed to hold off any hostilities, from the Alchemists or Moroi, towards us until we came up with a plan. She'd put her neck on the line for us and I owed her big time for that.
She'd also gotten messages passed along from my mom to me. For someone I barely knew, someone who was dealing with the responsibilities of a queen, Lissa was an extraordinary friend. I made a mental note to think of a way to properly thank her. I wasn't sure if I'd ever think of one, but I was certainly going to try.
Adrian paused in front of a set of double wooden doors that led to the small conference room Rose had booked for this meeting. "Do you want to just go in or should one of us stay out here with Adrianna?" he asked, sounding torn.
I knew he didn't want to leave me, but bringing Adrianna into a room full of people that didn't know she existed might get a little... intense.
"I think you should wait out here," I told him. "You can bring her in once I've explained everything."
"Are you sure?" he asked quietly. He bounced Adrianna slightly in his arms as she started to doze off. "I could go in if you wanted to wait with her..."
He trailed off as I shook my head. He knew I needed to do this myself. He leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. Closing my eyes, I leaned into him, smiling. I kissed our daughter's wispy blonde head before taking a deep breath and turning back to the door.
Adrian sat down in a leather chair next to the guardian who's position apparently meant guarding the hallway outside the conference room. For a moment I just let myself watch over my shoulder as Adrian rocked our daughter to sleep. But I knew I couldn't put this meeting off any longer. It was too important.
This meeting could mean a life for me and Adrian. A family for Adrianna. It meant a future. I took a brave step toward the wooden door and pushed it open.
Sixteen pairs of eyes stared back at me as I entered the room. It was a nice room. Muted tones and wooden accents, a long mahogany conference table set in the center. Eight of the most important people in my life, and Adrian's, all seated around it. Staring at me.
You can do it, Sydney. Just a little more. I reminded myself that this was the finish line, or it had the potential to be. Just one more burst of energy and you never have to worry about it again.
"Sydney!" My mom gasped when she saw me. She started to stand, but my dad put a hand on her arm. Silently telling her to stay in her seat next to him. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I figured I'd get to see her soon enough anyway. Might as well get this meeting over with as soon as possible.
"Miss Sage," said a middle aged woman seated at the far end of the table, slightly further away than everyone else. "Thank you for coming today."
I gave her a tight-lipped smile. I liked Donna Stanton, but it was hard to look at her—at any Alchemist—the same way after everything I'd been through. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw something flash through her eyes at my wariness.
"I'm glad the Alchemists agreed to this meeting," I said, my voice taking on a very business-like quality. "We have a lot to discuss."
"Yes, yes, of course," she nodded. Everyone around the table nodded in unison.
Well, at least they weren't all fighting. Yet. I took a deep breath and then started this meeting off the way I'd practiced over an over again on the car ride over.
"Thank you all for coming," I said, smiling warmly at everyone in the room. "We asked for you to meet us today because Adrian and I are done running. As many of you are aware, the Alchemists are searching for us." Stanton started to interrupt but I pushed on. "I was being held in an Alchemist Re-education center for the better part of this year and now they're looking for me to put me back in one. Can you deny that, ma'am?" I asked Stanton pointedly.
"No," she answered honestly.
"I'm here today to plead my case," I said calmly. "And when I'm finished, I hope we can all come to some sort of agreement. Because after today I am done. I am no longer an Alchemist." I glanced back and forth between Stanton and my father. "Adrian and I will run if we have to, we'll dig a hole in the side of a mountain to hide in if that's the what it takes to stay off the grid, but I will never let you split up my family. Ever again."
Both Alchemists looked taken aback by my growled declaration, as did most everyone else in the room. I took another deep breath and began telling my story. Once I was done I was hoping these people would understand my plea for amnesty.
I barely got further than the word pregnant before the fighting broke out.
###
I leaned close to Adrianna, causing a squeal of delight to escape from her lips. She beamed up at me, completely oblivious to the argument going on in the other room.
I felt terrible about letting Sydney go in there by herself, but it was something she wanted to handle on her own. She still felt like the Alchemists and all the trouble they were causing was her fault somehow. She knew how much I disagreed with her on that subject, but, listening to them argue now, I knew she was right about not bring Adrianna in right away. All that would accomplish is to piss everyone in that room off a little bit more and to upset the kid while we were at it.
"And you knew!" A man's voice was saying. Or, well, yelling really. I assumed the voice belonged to Sydney's dad from his next sentence. "You knew she was pregnant and didn't bother to inform me?"
"It was need to know information, Jared," a female voice replied. I recognized her as Sydney's supervisor, Stanton something or other. I'd only met her once, what felt like forever ago now. When she'd questioned me after Sydney and I had been attacked by Strigoi in my apartment.
"And my wife and I didn't need to know?" Jared sounded angry, but I couldn't be sure if that was a good thing of not.
"She was placed in Re-education," Stanton said simply. "You know the family has no contact of any kind when an Alchemist is... being helped."
Was it just me or did Stanton sound a little uncertain of herself? I concentrated a little harder on the conversation going on behind the double doors, while still trying to keep Adrianna entertained after the mini nap she'd just woke up from. Sydney's dad yelled about having the right to know vital health information about his daughter even if she was in Re-education. A female voice jumped in yelling about Sydney having the right not to be locked away in the first place. I smiled a little, figuring that was probably Sydney's mom. If it was, I liked the woman already.
I couldn't hear my parents at all. I figured they were probably sitting on the sidelines, taking in all the information, but not having any to contribute themselves. They were more here as a courtesy than anything else. Well, my dad anyway. Lissa had gone through some trouble helping me get Mom special permission to come to this meeting even though she was still serving a prison sentence for fraud. I only invited my dad because of family obligation. I hoped that didn't prove to be a bad idea in the end.
After a few more minutes of Sydney's parents and Stanton bickering back and forth, I finally heard a voice that made me smile. "What you all seem to be forgetting," Jackie Terwilliger said smoothly, "is that Sydney is not merely an Alchemist. Miss Sage is a witch. A damn good one. And you have no right to take her into any sort of custody. I don't care what your organization states about proper behavior or interracial relationships."
This was what we had been banking on. We needed a solid way to get the Alchemists off our back and this seemed like the best way to do that. Jackie was a strong, outspoken, and sometimes downright scary witch who had always been supportive of both Sydney's developing magical abilities and her relationship with me. We'd been in touch with her since the jailbreak and had come up with a plan of attack. Jackie would hit them with the "Sydney's a witch" card and the Alchemists would back off. I hoped she knew some sort of spell that would make everyone in that room agreeable so that way they could come to a decision. Hopefully one that benefited us.
Our plan seemed to be half working. I could hear more arguments break out about whether being magically inclined—as Stanton so eloquently put it—meant Sydney should no longer be considered an Alchemist. We were basically playing a label game. Mark Sydney with a new label and maybe people would see her as part of that group and stop fighting over her.
What pissed me off was that they weren't fighting for Sydney. They were fighting for the right to punish her. Punish her for being with me. And she was barely saying anything in there! I knew she had to let them fight it out, but hearing them talk about her like she wasn't in there was infuriating.
Adrianna made a happy cooing sound that put a smile on my face even though what was happening behind those doors was driving me insane.
"We're gonna get through this. Don't worry, baby," I whispered to her, which earned me a look from the guardian standing next to me, but he didn't say anything. I knew the kid wasn't actually worried, she was smiling at me without a care in the world. And Sydney and I had to make sure it stayed that way.
I heard footsteps from down the hall and the guardian—I probably should've asked his name—turned a split second before I did. Two girls were paused at the entrance to the short hallway that led to the conference room. One was probably around my age, with blonde hair, and the other looked to be about Jill's age. She had brown hair. But what gave me pause wasn't that they were clearly heading into the conference room, or looked shocked to see a Moroi sitting outside with a baby.
No, it was that they both looked remarkably like Sydney.
"Hi," I smiled warmly at them.
###
"Alright," Lissa finally said about an hour later. She'd been mostly quiet during the meeting, except to take charge when things got out of hand. "I think everyone agrees that Moroi and humans should not mix. It's dangerous for both worlds."
I sighed internally at that. They'd been going on and on about how wrong what Adrian and I had done was. Or, well, my dad and Stanton had made it abundantly clear. My father went as far as to say I should go live "with those cave people", meaning the Keepers, of course. There wasn't much I could say. I'd realized early on in this meeting that my father was releasing all of his frustration with me, but he wasn't saying that I should be put back into Re-education so I appreciated that, at least. Stanton on the other hand didn't seem to be arguing about me at all. It was like she was talking about some other Alchemist, someone who wasn't in the room. She didn't bash me or anything, just kept her thoughts mostly hypothetical as they discussed my fate. I got the feeling that she, wasn't on my side exactly, but wasn't fighting against me as hard as another Alchemist might. And since she and my father were the only Alchemists in the room, my confidence level shot up a bit. Maybe this meeting was going to end on a good note.
"But," Lissa continued. "Sydney isn't just a human. She's got magical abilities most humans don't possess. And she knows plenty about our world and its rules."
"Yes," Stanton admitted. "And she's broken some of those rules already."
My father closed his eyes, looking like he had a headache. My mom sat next to him, looking fiercely interested in the result of this conversation. Mrs. Terwilliger, who had fought on my side this whole time, gave me a small smile. Adrian's parents sat at the end of the conference table looking resigned. They hadn't said anything at all since I'd walked in, aside from Mrs. Ivashkov's gasp when I'd admitted that I'd had Adrian's child. Nathan had just shaken his head.
"She may have broken the rules, but she has payed for them. She was in your Re-education center for ten months. And during that time the Alchemists kept her child as well. That was not your right to do so. The child was born to a member of the royal families and therefore, dhampir or not, should have been handed over immediately."
I tried not to scrunch my face up in confusion, although I was confused about Lissa's argument. I was pretty sure she was making it up on the spot, if Mr. and Mrs. Ivashkov's faces were any indicator. Nathan started to open his mouth to say something, but his wife shushed him.
"It was not our intention to withhold the child," Stanton said. "But at the time we weren't sure who the father was. There was no way to be certain." At Lissa's hard look Stanton gave in. "You're right though. We should have worked harder to find the father and deliver the child to him."
"So now that the child is with the father, your group is not going to pursue this further?" Lissa asked, but it didn't sound like a question.
Stanton agreed.
"And since Sydney is a magic user who has already been punished for her actions, your group will stop any pursuit of her as well?"
I saw Stanton exchange a quick look with my father before nodding once. "Yes. While the Alchemists are not pleased that one of our facilities was broken into and a member of our association removed from said facility, we believe it is more important to end this civilly. There's no need for further interracial incidents."
As she spoke, Stanton glanced around the table, meeting the eyes of the Queen of the Moroi as well as Ms. Terwilliger. I was reminded that the Alchemists had only recently been made aware that witches well and truly existed in this world. And I doubted they wanted to see any sort of magical rebellion break out because of me.
"I agree," Lissa stated in the most queenly voice I'd ever heard from her. "And I will see to it that the Moroi and dhampir's who broke into your facility will be punished for their actions. But your investigation on Sydney Sage will be closed immediately." With her long blonde hair up in a professional looking twist and the navy pant suit she was wearing, Lissa looked more like a lawyer than a queen, but I was glad for the finality her stately voice projected.
Ms. Terwilliger stood. "I agree, as well. And I hope this never has to go any further than this room," she added with a meaningful look towards Stanton.
In that moment, with the eyes of everyone in the room burning into her, I felt bad for Stanton. I knew my friends were only trying to protect me and my family, but I had a feeling in my gut that that's what Stanton was trying to do as well. During the hour long argument they'd had over my fate, Stanton hadn't seemed to be fighting her hardest to have me thrown back into Re-education. I sent her a small smile, trying to indicate that I appreciated her help. She didn't exactly smile back, but she did give me a brisk nod that I took to mean she had gotten the message.
"I do believe we're all done here," Lissa said, sliding her chair back and standing. She smiled graciously at everyone in the room. "I thank you all for coming to help settle this mess. I know none of us want this becoming a bigger problem than it already is so it's good that it's taken care of now."
I knew I should probably be the one thanking everyone for coming, this was my meeting after all, but it seemed more diplomatic for Lissa to take control now. I was worried opening my mouth would cause everyone in the room to change their minds and send me back to Re-education. So I stood quietly with the others and watched as they said their goodbyes, preparing to leave now that the little matter of my family and future was wrapped up.
Rose walked over to speak to me but barely got a hello out before the doors to the conference room opened and Adrian walked in, a baby in his arms and my two sisters following behind him like he was the pied piper or something. I guess they'd come along with my parents but hadn't been invited to the meeting itself. Everyone, especially my father, watched with wide, shocked eyes as Adrian walked up to me and smiled. Carly gave me a bright smile too, wrapping her arms around me, but then she turned away and was smiling and cooing at Adrianna. Even Zoe was smiling, although she still kept her distance from Adrian. She was close enough to touch the baby in his arms though, which is closer than I would have ever thought she'd be to a vampire.
"It's nice to see you guys, too," I grumbled teasingly. They both turned and smiled at me. Zoe had a few tears in her eyes as she watched me, but she didn't move closer.
"You're chopped liver compared to the kid," Adrian laughed, handing Adrianna over to me. "You should have seen them fighting over who got to hold her first in the hallway."
"Did not!" Zoe said, looking a little embarrassed. But she settled down when Carly laughed.
"Yes we did. She's our niece," she said in amazement. "Of course we're going to fight over who gets to hold her. Look at that little face." She cooed the end of her sentence, reaching out to pinch Adrianna's chubby little baby cheeks.
I snuggled her tightly to my chest, feeling myself relax for the first time since... well, ever. We were free. I smiled down at our daughter in my arms and laughed in relief. "We're finally free!" I said, bouncing Adrianna in my arms.
Adrian smiled, looking like he was about to say something but didn't when someone stepped up into my peripheral vision. To my surprise, it was Stanton. I was almost shocked when she stopped in front of me and Adrian. Sure, she'd agreed with everyone in the meeting and had agreed to stand with our decisions today, but I knew she felt the way the rest of the Alchemists did about what I'd done. She glanced down quickly at the infant in my hands before looking back up to me.
"Good luck, Sydney. I wish you all the best." She stepped back, but her eyes lingered on Adrianna for a moment longer. She glanced at both me and Adrian as she said, "She's a very beautiful baby."
I nodded and Adrian gave her a small smile. Then she was gone. I truly hoped the Alchemists would listen to her. I had my doubts, but somehow, I trusted her to follow through on her promise to us.
My mom practically assaulted us next, wanting to see Adrianna. I handed her over and watched Mom pepper her face with kisses, saying things like, "She's just too cute," and "I can't believe I'm a grandma already!"
Dad stood silently by her side. Even though I could tell he was mad at me and he didn't like Adrian, I saw him smile down at the baby a few times. He didn't try to hold her, but those few small smiles had given me hope for the future. He didn't think Adrianna was some sort of monster spawn, so that was promising.
Once Adrian's mom came over Dad went outside, probably to get away from what he saw as too many Moroi. My mom, however, was more than welcoming. She smiled at Daniella and together the women oohed and ahhed at everything Adrianna did. Daniella even held Adrianna much to Adrian's delight. I knew that he loved his mother very much, but that she could be somewhat cold and standoffish. Seeing her laughing with my mom and smiling adoringly at Adrianna, Adrian's face lit up in a way that warmed my heart.
Nathan Ivashkov kept his distance, not immediately joining his wife to meet his granddaughter. His face was unhelpfully blank, so I couldn't tell what was going through his mind. After a few minutes he came over and started to speak to Adrian, but was almost immediately cut off by his son.
"Dad, before you say anything, there's something I need to tell you," he said. When his father nodded he continued. "I don't care what you think," Adrian said bluntly, causing everyone in the room to stop and stare. Nathan looked taken aback. "I don't care if you think I've ruined the family reputation, I don't care if you think I'm making a mistake, I don't care if you disapprove or want to cut off my trust fund or whatever. It doesn't matter to me." He wrapped an arm abound my shoulders and nodded to our daughter, currently giggling in Daniella's arms. "I have everything I need right here. We don't need your money or approval or respect. We just need the people we love. And I'd really like you to be one of those people, Dad, but it's up to you. I won't have my daughter around someone who's going to treat her like a second class citizen just because she's a dhampir. So you either accept us, or you don't. But you don't get to have it both ways."
Nathan was looking at his son like he was seeing him for the first time. Finally the shock faded into a look of grudging respect and he nodded, finally glancing down at his granddaughter. "She's got my eyes," he said softly, sounding slightly in awe. I could understand that. Adrianna had that effect.
Adrian was still looking at his father, waiting for an actual answer to his unspoken question. Nathan sighed.
"I don't agree with any of this. But I..." He glanced back down at the baby. "I don't want to be cut off from my family either. And I respect the two of you for taking responsibility for your actions instead of just running away. That took a lot of courage."
Adrian looked shocked, but the slight flush on his cheeks was enough for me to recognize the pride he felt at his father's words. I doubted Adrian's father had ever told him he respected anything he'd done before. This was new territory to him.
Rose and Lissa finally made their way over to us once Nathan and Daniella had said their goodbyes. Daniella had to get back to the prison she was being held in for fraud. My mom and sisters all hugged and kissed me and Adrianna goodbye—my mom even hugged Adrian—and then went to find my dad.
"She's beautiful," Lissa said once everyone was gone. She smiled down at Adrianna who was starting to nod off to sleep.
"Thanks," Adrian said with a smirk. "She really looks just like me, doesn't she?"
Rose smacked his arm. "She looks like Sydney," she tried to declare very seriously, but a smirk of her own broke through. "Let's hope she has her personality, too."
"Do you believe that the Alchemists will leave you alone now?" Lissa asked, ignoring the bickering.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "I think Stanton was being truthful about not wanting this to go any further than today, but who knows what the other Alchemists will want to do? I do think knowing that a coven full of witches might come after them will keep them back for awhile though."
Rose laughed. "Yeah, that'd keep me away, too. You know, I'd love to see you in action one of these days." She shook her head. "It's sort of hard to believe you're some sort of badass witch. I just don't see you that way."
"Next time we're in a secluded place, you have to ask her to throw fireballs for you. It's so freaking cool," Adrian laughed.
Ms. Terwilliger who'd been hanging out by the back of the conference room, speaking quietly on her phone, finally made her way over to us. "It is pretty cool," she said with a smile toward Adrian, then looked at Lissa and Rose. "We don't really want much exposure, but you're more than welcome to come to a coven meeting if you're ever in California."
Lissa thanked her and Rose looked like she wanted to immediately accept the offer and then plan a day to visit. I smiled a little, thinking about how much Rose would love being surrounded by people like Ms. Terwilliger and her coven—strong women who spoke their minds and, occasionally, broke the rules for the greater good.
"So here she is," Ms. Terwilliger said softly, startling me out of my thoughts. She was smiling down at Adrianna. "Such a beautiful little thing. Looks so much like the two of you. Especially you, Adrian. Those eyes are gorgeous."
Adrian threw Rose a smug smirk and I laughed and thanked Ms. Terwilliger.
"Has she shown signs of being able to use magic?" she asked curiously.
Adrian and I gaped, and I think Rose and Lissa may have too. "She could... She could be a witch?" I asked, shocked.
Ms. Terwilliger shrugged. "I'm not sure," she said. "I've never come across the offspring of a vampire and a witch. I could look into it, ask around, but I'd keep an eye out for signs in the meantime. Around six months human babies start to show signs, though some are known to start sooner."
Adrian shook his head. "Well, that'll be fun," he said sarcastically. "I barely know how to handle her when she cries. What do we do if she starts having some sort of magical tantrums?"
"Oh, you can handle it," Ms. Terwilliger said confidently. "I've never seen you two come across a problem you couldn't solve together."
A small smile stretched across my face as I took in her words. We could handle it. We could handle the Alchemists and whatever they decided, we could handle our families and whatever prejudices the world had against us. We could even handle our daughter possibly being a dhampir/witch hybrid. Because Ms. Terwilliger was right. There wasn't anything Adrian and I couldn't take on together. And we were together now, and we were going to make sure we stayed that way.