Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy.

A/N: I want to take a second to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Your words brought me so much joy! Hope you like this chapter just as much :)

"I can't stay on the line for long."

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, just expecting an important call."

Sydney pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the time. Any minute now the alchemists were expecting their monthly debriefing on the situation down south.

Last month's update had left her optimistic and she was crossing her fingers that this one would leave her hopeful.

She'd yet to spill the beans to anyone. She'd kept it from Abe and the rest of the Royal Court. Even her husband didn't know.

If the data was correct, it was looking like radiation levels had begun decreasing in the area around Pennsylvania.

It was nothing to celebrate just yet, but certainly something she could put her faith in. She knew it would still take months for it to be safe for anyone to step outside without very expensive protection.

She didn't want to jump the gun. If life taught her anything, it was to be precautious. She'd never forgive herself if the information was misleading.

She knew from her dreamwalks with Adrian that he and everyone in the bunker were going through a tough time mentally. She didn't want to give false hope to any of them until she knew for sure.

Today's phone call would decide whether or not she would share her intel. She wasn't being malicious. She was being thoughtful.

Things were on an upward trend in Canada. Slowly people were venturing outside more. Fear had lessened a bit and there was no longer a worry of retaliation.

While Canada had not been directly involved, it's citizens feared for their safety as they were close allies to the US. However, in the time that passed, tensions had settled while both devastated countries tried to rebound, recover their footing, heal.

This meant Sydney and Declan were no longer in the bunker, so there was that. She'd take a victory wherever she could. She never knew how much she valued natural sunlight until now.

A small whine from the bed drew her attention.

Declan was waking up.

"Eddie, I've got to go," she apologized, knowing he probably had more that he wanted to say.

She could almost see him shrug. "No problem. We can talk later."

She sat down beside her son and began running her fingers through his hair to try and soothe him. She reminded herself of the time and the important phone call she was expecting.

It was still early. Maybe she could trick him into falling back asleep. She didn't want to have to call someone else to watch him while she was busy. She'd been doing a little too much of that lately.

"Okay," she responded while distracted.

"Don't forget what we talked about last time, okay?"

Refocusing, she nodded even though he couldn't see her. "I haven't."

"Good. Take care of yourself and Declan. Jill says bye."

She could hear some rustling in the background and recognized she'd been put on speaker.

"Bye, guys. Talk to you soon."

The phone hung up and she cradled Declan in her arms, shushing him quietly.

He had stretched out over the past year. Adrian was going to be so shocked when he saw him. She sighed, her chest heavy.

Their child was growing up without Adrian there to see it. She missed him and how their family unit functioned when the three were together.

She reminisced until her phone vibrated.

'Report to Room C immediately.'

Sitting up slowly so as to not disturb Declan, she turned on the child monitor and opened the app on her phone so she could keep an eye on him while she was away. Before leaving, she positioned pillows on either side of him so he wouldn't shift too much.

Hopefully he'd sleep through the meeting so she wouldn't have to ask anyone to babysit. Not just because of the guilt she felt for neglecting him to work when she was his only present parent, but also because she knew how alchemists could sneak their beliefs and practices into you.

Children retained everything.

Declan was an impressionable young boy. The last thing she needed was someone leading him astray. A dhampir alchemist, she thought, how "backwards" would that be?, considering what they thought of vampires.

Then there was also a matter of maintaining the story of his true parentage. She shivered as she let her mind go down the rabbit hole. There were so many ways this could go wrong. It had been over a year without a hitch, but she knew not to let her guard down.

While she'd grabbed hold of the lifesaver they'd thrown her for the sake of her son's life, she did not want to get caught up in their world again.

She'd fought like hell to get out and wasn't planning on doing it a second time.

Sydney knew it was a risk being there, but for the time being, it was worth it. She needed information and she needed shelter.

Still, she had to admit, she was growing a little nervous about her situation. How hard would they make it for her to leave? She trusted her contact, but how deep did the alchemists have their claws into him? And now that she'd joined a larger group in the compound, how would she leave without conflict?

She reminded herself of what Eddie had said.

'Don't forget what we talked about last time.'

He had made her a promise.

Give him the word and he'd get her and Declan out. No questions asked, no matter how dangerous it was.

She was grateful to have such good friends.

When she reached Room C, she met the eyes of her contact and nodded in greeting.

While everyone else was properly dressed, donning button ups and slacks, she was casual in a plain gray tee and jeans. It was her own silent protest of their ways.

She chuckled internally every time she saw them in their 'uniforms'. Their attire was actually very close to what Eddie, Rose, and Dimitri wore on duty.

Yet another amusing observation. God, she sounded like Adrian.

There was a landline in the middle of the office table. It was on speaker.

By the time she joined them, they were already mid-conversation.

It was the news she'd been waiting for.

As soon as Eddie hung up the line, he turned to Jill and held his arms open for her.

She walked into his embrace and breathed in his scent. The smell was irresistible to her, especially now.

A content sigh fell from her lips before she chuckled.

"You smell like pancakes."

Eddie laughed and pulled back to sit down on their bed.

Not wanting to deal with the hassle of having to get back up, Jill remained standing, coming to a stop between his legs—as close to him as her belly would allow.

He placed a gentle hand on her protruding stomach.

"I think that's your mom's doing," he reasoned, sniffing the air.

Their room was directly above the kitchen which explained the strong sweet smell. The two were purposefully quiet until they heard the faint sound of Emily Mastrano whisking away.

They were living in the Mastrano family home in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

When the news of the incoming missile broke, Eddie had tried and failed locating Adrian before calling Jill when he thought he was done for. She had been with her family for the week, wanting to get away from the drama of Court.

She begged him to save himself, swearing that Adrian was on his way out of town too. She had popped into his head quickly to see he was standing with Lissa and Rose. She knew he'd be safe with them.

So Eddie did what she said and he got the hell out of there.

"She's spoiling me," Jill groaned in annoyance though the smile never left her face. She looked down at her stomach and shook her head. "I'm huge!"

Eddie shushed her. "You are not huge. You are pregnant. That's my son in there so no smack talk."

She giggled before they heard her stomach growl. They both knew the baby was ready for breakfast.

The question was on Jill's lips, let's go eat?

"Go on ahead, I'll meet you there in a few minutes. I have one more quick call to make."

He unlocked his phone and began scrolling through his contacts.

Jill made it to the door before she turned around.

"Make it quick or there won't be any left for you," she warned. With that, she began making her way slowly and safely down the steps.

His thumb hovered over the 'call' button.

He had been struggling with this for weeks (okay, months) but it was time. Eddie had put it off for too long and his guilt was only growing larger.

Grateful that Jill wasn't there to hear, he practiced speaking a few lines.

Eddie was incredibly pleased with his life these days. He had found euphoria in the darkest of times.

Because he was out of work, his time was completely his own. He got a taste of what it felt like to be a normal person, to have free time. He and Jill had connected on a deeper level than ever before. They were having a baby!

But while he was on cloud nine, his friends were suffering. Many were suffering.

He was certain the person he was about to call would be happy for him, but he also knew he had to be hurting. Sydney had filled him in on what happened and Eddie wanted to be mindful of that, especially because he knew babies were once a sore topic.

(Rose had told him about their pregnancy scare/letdown a few weeks after it had happened.)

So far, Jill and Eddie had only personally shared the good news with her family because they were all under the same roof and it wasn't like they could hide it.

Sydney knew too because they wanted advice and they had given her the okay to pass the news along to Adrian, Rose, and Lissa when the time seemed right if Adrian didn't dreamwalk him first.

Naturally, Dimitri and Christian were next on the list as Eddie and Jill valued their relationships. He wanted nothing more than to share their news with the people he considered special, to shout it from the rooftops, but he was worrisome.

Releasing a heavy breath, Eddie hit dial before he could talk himself out of it.

Lucky for him, Belikov never let the line ring for too long.

"Belikov."

He sounded as formal as ever. Eddie realized he probably hadn't bothered to check who was calling.

"Belikov, it's Castile."

There was a pause.

"Eddie," Dimitri muttered something in Russian that Eddie didn't understand. "It's good to hear from you. Sydney mentioned you were doing okay...and that you're with Jill?"

At the mention of Jill, some of Eddie's anxiety faded away. Dimitri sounded relieved that she was with him and he was. He had grown to care for the young Moroi during his time in Palm Springs and he couldn't think of a couple more deserving of happiness.

"Yes, we're together." He chuckled, more of his nerves falling away. "Living with her parents."

Dimitri laughed at the tone of Eddie's voice. "How's that?"

"Eh, not too bad. I mean it could be worse. At least her parents aren't Janine Hathaway and Abe Mazur."

In Finland, Dimitri looked up at said parents-in-law and chuckled.

"Touché."

After some more chuckling, there was a lull in the conversation that Eddie used to build his courage.

"Listen," he began, his tone turning serious. Some of the nerves returned. "I have some news."

Dimitri raised an eyebrow and stepped away from the others in the room for privacy. He could tell whatever it was, it was serious.

Instead of asking, Dimitri let Eddie take the lead. He remained dutifully silent as he waited for Eddie to elaborate.

"Jill and I…we're having a baby."

Dimitri's worry changed to joy, a smile spreading across his face. "That's incredible news."

A weight was lifted from Eddie's shoulders.

"Wow…" Dimitri took a moment to let the news sink in. "I'm so happy for you two. Please give Jill my congratulations. How far along is she?"

"Seven months."

"That's far," Dimitri responded, remembering Karolina at that stage. His heart panged at the thought of Paul and Zoya. Katya...

"I'm sorry I didn't call sooner." Eddie hesitated, unsure of how to put his earlier concern into words, but he needn't say a thing.

Everyone was going through a lot. Dimitri didn't need an explanation. He was grateful for the news. It was a much needed silver lining.

A baby was a blessing.

The image of Rose with a pregnant belly came to mind. Just the thought of it sent a wave of warmth over him. He was comforted by the possibility.

In the face of devastating tragedy, the future would be their saving grace. He was holding onto that to get him through.

"It's okay, my friend. You're calling now and that's what matters."

After a few more minutes of updating each other on what was going on in their respective lives, Eddie promised he'd call again soon while Dimitri said he'd share the news of the baby with everyone else.

When the call was over, Eddie realized he should've given Dimitri more credit. He then realized maybe it wasn't even Dimitri's reaction he was worried about.

A small part of him knew that he'd been putting off calling Dimitri because then this part would be unavoidable. Now that the important people in his life were all checked off, he was left with the glaring reminder that the person he wanted to share this with the most was no longer there.

Eddie pulled out his wallet and fished out a worn photo he had tucked inside of it.

A younger version of himself stared back at him. As well as a younger version of Rose.

And Mason.

A small smile graced his lips.

"Miss you, buddy,"

Jill's contagious laughter echoed throughout the house, reminding him that he promised he wouldn't be long.

He carefully slipped the photo back into place and made his way to the kitchen where his happiness was waiting.

"What's the update, spirit man?"

Rose, Lissa, and Crystal were chatting on the sofa while Gene and Alec were putting some food together for the group. Mark was skulking in an open doorway, silently leaning against the frame.

He'd been very quiet as of late, his behavior mirroring Rose's when she'd been struggling with depression. Not even Alec was bothering with him these days.

Adrian walked out of Rose's bedroom quietly, a peculiar look on his face.

Alec had been the one to ask the question, but his focus was on the plate of rice he was carefully seasoning. Gene stood beside him, trying to make canned chicken look tasty.

Rose was the first to notice Adrian's odd demeanor.

She stood from the couch and took a step in his direction.

"Is everything alright?" Her stomach dropped, fearing the worst. Was everyone okay? Had something happened at St. Henrik's? Had there been another bomb?

She couldn't handle an extended timeline.

She clasped her hands together to her chest. Her bottom lip began to tremble. "Adrian?" She was unable to hide the tremor in her voice.

That caught everyone else's attention. The room silenced as they all focused on the male Spirit user.

Adrian breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. It was a real smile, fangs and all.

"It's good news, Rose." He shook his head like he couldn't believe it. "It's good news."

"Out with it, Adrian," Lissa huffed, standing now too.

"The radiation levels are going down."

"When can we go outside?" Mark asked, breaking his silence.

"She said it'll still be some time, but more importantly, we have something to look forward to now. It's within reach!"

Astonished, Rose grabbed Adrian by the shirt and hugged him before doing the same thing to Lissa.

The three of them laughed uncontrollably until the others joined in. It was contagious. Even Mark looked relieved.

"Well, in that case," Gene began, opening a cabinet. He slammed a can of spam down onto the counter and popped it open. "I'd say this is cause for celebration."

"Hell yeah, it is. Warm that up!" Crystal joined his side and kissed him on the cheek, elated.

When the three released each other, Rose excused herself for a moment alone.

She disappeared into her bedroom and softly closed the door behind her.

She smiled and thought of Dimitri, hoping he was thinking of her and that he had gotten the good news.

She was certain Sydney would have contacted him by now. Now that everyone was in Finland, Adrian was limiting his dreamwalks to Sydney only to cut down on his need for blood and spirit side effects. It had been a tough blow for Rose and Lissa to no longer get as many updates on their husbands but Sydney was good with maintaining contact with St. Henrik's to placate them.

She had been overwhelmed when she first learned he was in Finland, but something in the back of her mind wasn't sitting right. Something seemed off but she couldn't tell what.

It was just a gut feeling.

Whatever it was had prevented her from really celebrating when she'd learned Dimitri and Christian had made it.

That uneasiness had contributed to her struggle afterward. Thankfully, Adrian had been able to pull her out of that.

Before she could let anything sour her mood, she held her wedding band and engagement ring close to her chest as she looked forward to the future.

Soon, Comrade.

A/N: We are moving in the right direction, folks! I wanted to show that even in the darkest of times, happiness can prevail. Stay safe out there!