Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.

I have like a million different one shots halfway written right now, but they're all getting so long with no end in sight. And I'm working on the next chapter of TTD. I should, hopefully, have that finished soon for you guys. Anyway, just wanted to post something since it's been a while. Hope you enjoy it!

"This is too hard!"

My exclamation, for all the passion behind it, came out a whispered complaint. Slowly, I leaned back into the couch cushions, careful not to jostle the bundle in my arms. Adrian gave me a look that said he understood my feelings, but he still looked exasperated. Two nights of little to no sleep will do that to you, I guess.

"We don't have much of a choice, Sage." He sat back too, and scrubbed his hands down his face. "She didn't ask for this anymore than we did. We have to stay strong and get through this. For her."

He was right, of course. I looked down at the sleepy little bundle in my arms. Adrianna, my daughter—our daughter—lay sound asleep, cooing softly to herself. She was the most precious thing I'd ever seen. Her teeny tiny fingers curled into a pudgy little fist, her thumb in her mouth. She was perfect. But that didn't make our situation any better.

Adrian and I had been on the run from the Alchemists for half a week now, and we'd been camped in this hotel for most of it. Two days ago the others had gone ahead to make sure the Alchemists weren't on our trail. Eddie had stayed behind, just in case they were. And this was the first time Adrianna had slept since. Crying, eating, pooping. She never stopped for more then twenty minutes. I was tired and cranky and scared to death. And Adrian must have felt the same, though he tried not to let me see it get to him.

I sighed, wanting nothing more than to crawl into his arms and forget about our problems. "This would just be so much easier without her."

I felt him stiffen beside me and immediately felt like the worst mother in the world. I hadn't had much practice in the mother department, but I should be better than that.

"I don't mean to sound like I don't love her," I said, desperate for him to understand. "I do. I love every inch of her."

"I know," he whispered, pulling me closer. It had been so long since the Alchemists had taken me into custody, I'd almost forgotten that Adrian always understood. It was one of the reasons I loved him the way I did. "She knows, too," he swore.

"She's a baby," I said, but a small smile was tugging on the corner of my lips.

"Yeah, but kids are smart. And our kid is bound to be smarter than the rest." He got the laugh he was looking for to break free from my chest and I leaned my head against his shoulder, toying with Adrianna's onesie. "Love is simple to them. She loves your presence, Sydney. She just loves the sight of you. Actually," he turned to me with a smile, "I also love those things. Guess I'm simple, too."

My heart swelled and I pressed closer, closing my eyes. My forehead rested in the crook of his neck. "I think love is supposed to be that simple," I whispered.

I felt Adrian shift, causing me to look up at him. His green eyes burned into mine. "It is," he said, his voice so serious it startled me. "It's simple when you love someone the way we do. And that's why we'll make this work. Taking care of a newborn is difficult even when you have a house and a crib and all the right things. But we'll manage."

"We'll be on the run for awhile," I said, my eyes tearing up. "I'll be on the run. But you could go." I hated the idea, but knew it was a reasonable one. "You could bring her back to Court. Keep her comfortable and safe."

His eyes slid closed and, before I'd even finished speaking, he was shaking who head. "No. That's not happening, Sage, so get the idea out of your head. Besides, Adrianna looks plenty comfortable right now. It took her a little while to get accustomed to us, but she's fine."

My gaze fell on her tiny, pink face and I smiled, watching her lips twitch in her sleep. She did look comfortable, wrapped up in my arms, but she was going to be hungry when she woke up and that brought me back to my point.

"We don't have what we need to take care of her. This is the last clean diaper. The Alchemists aren't stupid. They'll be watching for people buying baby supplies. We'll get caught."

"We won't get caught."

He'd said it with such certainty, I couldn't help but want to believe him. "But how do you know?"

Adrian leaned in a little, bring our faces within inches of each other. His green eyes filled my vision, filled my world. "Because I have faith in you. In us. And I know the Alchemists might be smart and conniving, but they aren't as motivated as we are." He shifted Adrianna from my arms into his and she immediately snuggled up to his chest, never opening her eyes. "We have her to protect now, as well as each other." His green eyes held mine. "That changes things."

I wanted to point out that that was my argument, that we needed to consider what was best for Adrianna, but I didn't dare. As logical as my reasoning was, I didn't want to be right. I wanted to be with Adrian and our daughter, not running from the Alchemists all by myself.

Adrian leaned over and kissed my forehead, then dropped a kiss to Adrianna's cheek. "I'll go get more diapers and formula, alright? Eddie's right next door, but I'll tell him to come over and stay with you until I'm back."

He handed Adrianna back to me and I sunk back against the cushions. Looking up at him, I wondered if he was right, if this could really work. The look he gave me said he wasn't going to let it not work.

"I love you."

He grabbed his keys from the end table next to the bed and smiled over at us. "I love you so much. Both of you. That's all that matters, Sage."

"I know that. It's just," I shrugged, helplessly, and felt stupid and pathetic in a way I wasn't used to. "I'm scared."

"I'm scared, too," he admitted, but where I was a nervous wreck, he looked completely at ease. "Fear is okay. Fear is a motivator. But we can't give in to it. That's what the Alchemists want."

I blinked at him for a few moments, before smiling. "When did you get so smart?"

He walked over, leaning over the back of the couch, and stroked the hair away from my face. "Since I became a father," he grinned adorably. "I have to practice being wise for when the kid grows up."

"Well, you nailed it," I joked. "This kid will have the wisest of fathers by the time she's ready for your advice."

The happy sound of his chuckle made me smile, but his face turned serious again all too soon. "We can do this, Sydney. Me and you. Together. That's how we work best."

I leaned up slightly, careful of Adrianna. Adrian knew what I wanted and leaned down to meet me, his lips warm and soft and perfect against my own. It felt like ages later when he pulled away, but it was only a few seconds.

"We're going to be okay," he whispered. And then he was walking out the door to get our daughter diapers. Something so regular and commonplace as buying diapers struck fear in me, because Adrian could be captured, forced to tell where I was. The Alchemists could follow him back to the motel. They could do much worse.

But I believed in him. Adrian would be careful, because he had Adrianna to worry about. Adrian, for all of his faults, was the best man I'd ever met. If he said we'd get through this, then I had to believe him, because he believed in us.