Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns the Bloodlines series.

They have gotten her back from the Alchemists.

Finally.

At first, they can only hope that she is still okay. That she has stayed the same as when she was kidnapped four months ago. Adrian, most of all, fears that they have arrived four months too late. He wants to speak to her as soon as their impromptu crack team -consisting of the entire Palm Springs gang as well as Rose and Dimitri who have tagged along on their own will- manages to get her out, but she's unresponding. She's obviously passed out, and more than possibly drugged. Everyone is stealing glances at her small form, at her tattered clothes and at the bones sticking out that make her look awfully skinny, almost sickly, from their respective seats in the mini-van they're in. Jill oozes nervousness next to Eddie, whose uncertainty has replaced his usual expressionless guardian mask on his face. Angeline, Neil, Rose and Dimitri are crammed in the front seats, inspecting the roads they are passing through for possible threats in full guardian mode.

Adrian hovers over her, worry etched deep in his features, in the crease of his brow and in the downward tilt of his mouth. He wishes to heal her, but there are no physical wounds on her as far as he can tell, and he can't exactly take away the drugs in her body, so all he can do is wait. Wait and hope.

At last she wakes up.

She's still worn out by the drugs and he can feel the exhaustion radiating from her. He can see it in her eyes, her beautiful, golden eyes, that don't shine like they used to. The spark-and-glint has almost entirely vanished. It's because of the drugs. It's because of the hardships. It's because she hasn't realized what's going on. Adrian repeats the words to himself, over and over, like a mantra and then like a prayer and he's trying to force himself to believe them, but it's so hard when she's lying in the backseat, her head on his lap and her half-closed eyes so passive. She makes no move to get up. She lies there, still as a statue, her gaze averted from his, unmoving. She's staring at the roof of the van, but is not really looking at it, that much he can tell.

Seeing her like that makes his chest constrict and his breath hitch, but it's the uncertainty of the situation that breaks his heart. His hope that everything was going to be alright when they'd finally have her back is fading by each passing moment. He shouldn't have let this hope get the best of him, because now he can feel desperation crawling up to him, slowly but steadily. His throat tightens with each breath he takes, each tear he doesn't dare shed.

When he can't take it anymore, when he can sense the silence and stillness driving him mad, he reaches out and touches her hair. His toucn is featherlight, reverent, and at first she doesn't even feel it. He knows, because when he twirls a strand around his finger, she realizes what he's doing. Her body tenses up. Her eyes never move, but her shoulders stiffen. She doesn't say anything, though. He doesn't know if it's for the better or for the worse. He strokes her hair, softly, tentatively, putting as much affection as he can in the simple gesture. Physically touching her after so long has a soothing effect on him. Watching his hand move back and forth proves to be surprisingly calming.

Yet, she doesn't relax. She keeps her posture firm, the stiffness of her limbs intact. It scares him so much. It feels like her fiery spirit has been crushed. Like his flame in the dark has burned out. Like only the ashes of what she once was remain. He knows that spirit is only making everything so much worse. His thoughts are dark and hopeless, but he can't go into that black world of his right now. He has to be stronger than that. For her.

When she finally speaks, her words startle him. They encourage him and discourage him and they cause a hurricane of emotion to stir up inside him. Her voice is monotonous and tired, but he can hear the confusion, the hesitation and the fear. He has missed hearing it so much that a fresh wave of emotion seizes his heart. Her eyes shift to his. She says, "Adrian."

He lets out the breath he didn't know he was holding. At least she remembers him. She remembers them.

"Please, don't hurt me." Her voice is still dull and soft and quiet, but he can see the slight wetness of her eyes. "Please, don't bite me. Don't let them hurt me, either. Please." Her lower lip trembles, and the tiniest bit of emotion has crawled into her tone. Her eyes betray her the most, wide and fearful.

"I won't. Sydney, I swear that I won't let them hurt you. No one will ever hurt you from now on." He's trying to reassure her as much as he's trying to reassure himself. The look she gives him is disbelieving as much as it is hopeful, like she can't quite trust that he will stay true to his word, despite wanting to. It must have been hard, being torn so badly between who her heart and mind tell her to trust, he thinks to himself. So he tries again. "Really. Sage. You're safe now. You're with us. How could you even think that we could hurt you?" he asks.

The sincerity of his voice must have somehow shone through, because, surprisingly, she offers him a tentative smile that wobbles so much from her effort to hide her feelings, that it pains him. He offers her his hand, slowly and cautiously, as if towards a scared animal who might run away. She moves her hand and puts it on top of his just as slowly, hesitantly. The feeling of her skin touching his after so long is freeing and burning. It is pure joy, creating a form of happiness in him he didn't think possible after everything he's been through. He marvels at the way their hands fit together, her tiny fist curled into his long fingers. He pulls her up and entwines their fingers, so that their hands are palm to palm. The touch feels electric to him, and he turns his head to see if she feels it too.

He finds her staring at their combined hands, a different kind of wonder filling her features. Like she's only now realizing that what is happening is not a dream. She turns to him again.

"Tell me it's real."

"It's real," he replies emphatically, attempting to diminish every last trace of doubt from her mind.

"Promise me you won't bite me."

"Sydney, you must know-"

"Promise me," she insists stubbornly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I promise," he says solemnly. And then he tugs at her hand and he pulls her against him. "Is that okay?" he asks, just to make sure.

Instead of replying, she pushes herself as close to him as possible and clutches the back of his shirt so hard he's sure her knuckles have turned white. She puts her head in the crook of his neck and inhales. When she exhales, her breath sounds ragged and her body shakes with silent sobs. He can sense her relief, almost palpable in the restricted space the backseat offers. She presses her mouth close to his ear and murmurs to herself, "It's real. It's real. It's real," so quietly, again and again and again. Then, "Don't hurt me. Don't you ever hurt me. Don't let what they said about you be true," she pleads, her voice choked.

"Never," he replies. He pulls back so that he can see her face.

"Never," he repeats.

He savors her hopeful expression and the renewed light in her eyes, her eyes that he has been painting from memory for the past four months. But they are so much more beautiful when they are right in front of him. They steal his breath and his words and his thoughts and he can't bear the thought of losing them ever again. He stares at them, through them, in them and he's lost, so far gone that he doesn't notice her moving forward until after her lips have touched his.

The kiss is quick and closed-mouthed and so sweet he feels all the love he has for her swelling into him. She curls into his side and he puts his arms around her. He looks over her shoulder, at Jill and Eddie, who are smiling encouragingly at him, and gives them a slight nod.

She is going to be okay. He already feels okay. Everything is fine.

"Oh, Sydney. The center held."

A/N: So. My first fanfiction ever. Constructive criticism is GREATLY appreciated- seriously, I can't say this enough. Be as harsh as you want to and tell me what's wrong with the pacing, the characters' voices, the dialogue etc.. If you liked it, I'm glad. If you didn't, please point out some or all of the stuff you disliked so I can get better. THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading.