THIS FILE WILL BE DELETED ONCE THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE ACTUAL STORY IS POSTED. FOLLOWING THIS STORY WILL NOT PROVIDE UPDATES.

A tiny snippet of my upcoming new story Always by my Side. This teaser was originally posted only on tumblr. Follow my tumblr (coffeefueledauthor) for exclusive art and extras.

Keep in mind that this story takes place in the mind of Riley's Mother.

Enjoy! Be sure to review! The actual story will be posted when Out of Place has been completed.

She looked as though she were on the verge of a complete mental breakdown.

She cradled her huge, tightly shut eyes in her shaking hands as she slowly rocked back and forth in her work chair. She had been dreading this, panicking for months about this very moment. Now that it was here, it had become simply too much to bear. She clenched her eyes closed so not to see it, she tightened her vice grip on the sides of her head so not to hear it; as if by pretending it wasn't happening, she could will the problem away. As she continued to shiver and rock herself, she began to emit a quiet whimper, refusing to realize that her strategy wasn't working.

Joy turned to the other girls, but all had their hands full, literally, with the brand new additions to their lives. None of them had taken notice of their absent coworker, still firmly rooted at her work station. Joy looked down at her own bundle nestled in the crook of her arms. The infant emotion gazed lovingly back at her with enormous sapphire eyes, gently cooing a garbled giggle as she attempted to learn how to take control of her own hand, trying her hardest to guide it to her mouth. Her golden fist only barely met her lips, and she began to softly gnaw her knuckles with toothless gums.

Joy's eyes then drifted away, as she turned back around. She stared at the long, cushioned basket the five infants had arrived in only moments earlier. Sure enough, one still remained, the smallest of the infants, the runt of the litter. A tiny lavender newborn with frail, twig-like limbs and huge, round eyes. With its small, soft face squeezed into a woeful grimace, it weakly wriggled and hiccuped a hushed cry. It was using every last bit of it's minuscule body in an attempt to attract the attention of a potential care taker. It's instincts knew that if it failed to summon an elder, it's helpless form would surely perish. But it was no use. It's mother refused to acknowledge its presence.

It was time for Joy to intervene.

She crossed the room to Sadness, who was holding her own child in her arms. After a brief explanation, Sadness moved the blue infant into one arm, gladly offering the other for the miniature Joy. With both safely cradled with the emotions leader, Joy was able to jump into action.

In less than a moment, she had returned to the basket. The abandoned child continued to wail, though its insignificant voice was so very quiet. A smile spread across Joy's face, and she gently plucked the infant from the basket, wrapping the tiny purple blanket it was sitting on around its bare form. She brought the bundle to her chest, but the creatures fussing continued. It was as if Joy's tender touch had done nothing to calm its stress. If anything, it seemed to become more distressed, fearful of the new person that now held it in its grip.

Slowly and carefully, Joy carried the babe over to Fear, who continued to rock mindlessly in her chair. As the sound of the infants crying neared, her stress only grew, and her quiet whimpering got louder in an attempt to drown out the sound. But the crying, its crying in particular, was impossible to ignore. Its pathetic, tiny sobs pierced all of Fears defenses, and she heard it clear as day. Fear turned herself away from Joy and the terrifying object she held in her arms.

"Fear..." Joy whispered in the most gentle voice she could, offering the infant in her hands a few comforting pats. "Don't you want to see your baby..?"

Fear stopped rocking and shook her head. "I... I can't..." She mumbled, curling up slightly on herself. "I can't be a mother... I can't... I can't stop being scared..."

Undeterred, Joy smiled and glanced at the fussing child. "Well," She giggled. "I think he's more scared of you than you are of him."

Fear picked her head up, slowly moving her hands back to her sides. "He..?"

Joy nodded, holding the bundled creature towards its mother.

Finally, Fear rose to her feet, her curiosity building until it outweighed her concern. She had been so scared, she hadn't realized how much she wanted to know about this new child. Especially what it looked like. After a brief moment of hesitation, she cautiously took a few steps forward, reached out with shivering hands, and accepted the baby placed into her arms.

Almost as if he could tell that the embrace he was now in was that of his mother, his wiggling and wailing instantly ceased. All evidence of his discomfort dissipated, and for the first time in his extremely short life, he seemed at peace.

Fear looked at the infant she was holding. His beady lavender skin shined with the glow of new life. He looked so much like a smaller, pudgier version of herself, from his slender face to his gigantic eyes. Almost on queue, as her attention moved to his eyes, they began to twitch. Slowly, his lavender lids fluttered open, revealing chalky purple irises beneath. His shimmering gaze locked onto the eyes of his mother, carefully studying the source of this new feeling of safety. Fear looked back, holding her breath, in total awe of the living, breathing being in her grasp, watching his tiny chest forcefully rise and fall. After a good time spent staring, the infants eyes gently shut again. His soft lips wriggled, and he slowly opened his mouth wide, sticking out his tiny pink tongue and gulping a deep breath of air. Shutting it once more, he gently nuzzled into the hands beneath him, and was asleep in an instant.

A loving smile grew on Fears lips. "You're... Beautiful." She whispered, bringing the slumbering bundle to her cheek. "My sweet little angel."