Epilogue

Adrian POV

Song: Young Liars by TV On The Radio

I ran my fingers over the cool bottle as it sat idly in its velvet case. I was beyond bored and the brown liquid inside it was begging me to indulge. I picked up the note that had been carefully taped to the outside of the black box and read the card once again.

Adrian,

Thank you for all of your help with my daughter. I hope you will accept this small gift as a token of my appreciation and to keep you company on restless nights. If you are ever in need of a favor, I owe you one.

Use it well.

AM

I laughed to myself, thinking about how restless nights and I were more than acquainted these days. We were old pals. Two peas in a pod. But the 40-year single malt whiskey Abe had sent would definitely help me get a break from my unfriendly companion. Zmey's gesture had somewhat surprised me, but I couldn't help but think it was exactly something I would do. I put the lid back on the box, deciding that getting trashed before lunch probably wasn't a good look and I was trying to make a good impression at this new place.

Yesterday I had spent one of those such nights visiting my dear Great Aunt Tatiana in a Spirit dream. We decided it was the best way to stay in contact while still keeping up our deal to keep our location hidden. There wasn't much to tell after only being here for a week so far, but it had pleased her to hear from me nonetheless.

I looked outside to see the compound already filling with people and decided I'd better get out there before Christian came looking for me. He was the first of us to quickly adapt to this new place and had made a routine of dragging my sorry ass around when he saw fit. When I made it outside I spotted him and Eddie at the edge of the compound practicing some partner techniques they had been trying to perfect with one of the other few Dhampirs here. Who would've thought a guy as unsocial and gloomy as him would fit in so well?

It's not that I didn't want to acclimate, I just had a strange feeling about this place since we arrived. Not to mention the boiling tension between me and Eva. Before we had left Court I breached a subject with her that she apparently wasn't too keen on discussing and she had been avoiding me ever since. As I strolled down one of the paved paths I spotted her and Lissa crouched down beside a bed of plants. I could see their auras lighting up with Spirit magic. I felt the urge to join them, but as I moved closer our conversation at Rose and Eddie's congratulatory dinner replayed in my mind.

"So, we're good then," Christian asked.

"Yeah, fine," Eva brusquely replied. I hadn't been meaning to eavesdrop, per say, but my position against the wall had coincidentally put them in direct earshot and I wasn't going to just not listen.

"I just want to make sure everything is cool between us before we head off. I've been getting the feeling that I've upset you for some reason," Chris paused for a moment to give Eva a chance to butt in, but her taciturn demeanor didn't change. "I know things have been a little weird between us since Lissa came back, but I can tell you've been a great support to her and have become very important to her as well. At the end of the day, we both want what's best for Lissa and I hope I haven't done anything to mess up our friendship along the way."

Eva's stiff shoulders and back deflated a little as Christian spoke. She looked down for a moment to study her shoes before finally looking back up at him and replying with, "You haven't, Christian. I'm sorry I gave you that impression. I guess I've just been under a lot more stress lately. But everything's fine. We're good." Her voice was lighter than before, but I could tell it was forced. Not noticing I was nearby, her guard was down, and her aura was dancing with colors. I indulged in the opportunity to read her like an open book while she and Christian finished their little pow-wow.

When Chris scurried away to find Lissa and his Aunt, I half-expected Eva to whip around and scold me for invading her privacy, but she just stood there staring blankly at them from across the room—causing her aura to give far more away than she would have liked. Man, she was really off her game.

"You know, Christian is a very trusting guy," my voice caused her body to bounce in surprise. I pushed off the wall and walked in a small semi-circle around her as I lowered my voice. "But I'm not so easily fooled."

"What the hell are you babbling about now, Ivashkov," she crossed her arms around her dainty-yellow dress and avoided my gaze.

"I know you're lying. There's something going on with you. You just don't want to tell him." I stopped my dramatic pacing and landed right in front of her, so she was forced to look at me. "Something about Lissa."

Her sharp eyes shot up to meet mine at the mention of Lissa's name. "What about her," I could tell she was trying to maintain her cool, but she practically chewed on the words as her teeth ground against each other.

I was wading in dangerous waters but for some reason, everyone else seemed completely oblivious and it was left up to me to approach the little shark in front of me. "I know you have ulterior motives for wanting Lissa to go back with you," she opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off, "don't deny it. Even if I didn't get a good read on you just now, it's painfully obvious."

"Why don't you mind your own goddamn business," she practically yelled. I was surprised that nobody turned towards us, but maybe we were all becoming unphased by her short temper.

The feisty Moroi tried to shove passed me but I snatched her arm and brought my face dangerously close as I spoke into her ear. "Listen to me, I like you Red, I really do, but my allegiance is to my friends and if we are all going to stick our necks out and go on this little rendezvous it better not be a fucking wild goose chase just to indulge your little crush. There are a lot of people counting on us now and I won't let them down." I was a little surprised myself by the harshness of my voice and could sense the same reaction from Eva beneath me. I took a calming breath and loosened my hold on her. "Look, I'm sorry. But if all the stuff about people helping us harness our Spirit and an opportunity to go after the Order was all a bunch of bullshit, you need to tell me right now, Eva."

She whipped her arm away and faced me once again. "I'm not a liar Adrian. Yeah, I may not have told Chris everything I'm fucking feeling at this very moment, but I wouldn't make something up just to get you assholes to come with us. Especially since I've been trying to get away from all of you since we met," she huffed. "I've spent my whole life trying to find ways to get to Kristof and the rest of the Order and now that I've found others who want the same thing, I'm not going to piss it all away."

We stared at each other for a lingering moment, both of us trying to gauge what the other was thinking. Suddenly, her walls slowly trickled down and she willingly revealed her aura to me. "I would never lie to Lissa. There are people who can help her more than you or I ever could and if putting a stop to the destruction she caused is what she wants, then I want it too."

I immediately recognized a particular glow in her aura and found myself swallowing my earlier words. She didn't just have some 'little crush'...she was in love. Shit. This was not good.

I couldn't help but turn slightly sympathetic as I responded. "Eva, you know she's with Christian. She loves him."

"The restoration changes people." There was a definitive note in her voice that elicited an internal shudder from me.

"You do realize you are literally playing with fire, right?" She rolled her eyes at me and turned away.

She began walking towards the dinner table where some of the guests were starting to convene. "I can handle myself," she called over her back as her walls snapped back into place and the space above her went completely blank.

Looking at her across the way with Lissa caused that disturbing phrase to echo in my mind and veered me towards the small plantation on the other side of the lawn instead.

The restoration changes people.

Yes, Lissa had changed that wasn't breaking news to anyone who knew her. But did Eva honestly think she would turn her back on Christian? He'd risked everything and given so much up for her and would gladly do it all again. Was it possible for anyone to give up on that kind of loyalty and dedication? I couldn't fathom how...no matter what they went through.

"What's got you down today pretty boy? Did you run out of hair mousse?" Out of nowhere Rose appeared next to me and my body jolted from the sound of her teasing voice.

"Yeesh! Give a guy a warning why don't you?! You Guardians are always so sneaky." I looked around some of the orange trees and wondered where the hell she had come from. I'm not sure if she really had been using her stealth techniques on me or if I was just so distracted I didn't notice her approaching.

"What? Not happy to see me," she looked up at me with a pouty face, making it nearly impossible not to smile.

"Always happy to see you, Little Dhampir." I flashed her a quick smirk, pushing aside my gloomy thoughts to make room for the playful mood my companion appeared to be in. Rose flicked her hair over her shoulder cavalierly and began playing with the ends of her brightly colored paisley scarf as we continued walking side by side. It had been a gift from her father upon our departure. She seemed hesitant to accept it from him at first, but there hadn't been a day where it wasn't neatly tied around her neck since we'd been here.

"And where is the Russian in shining armor this evening? Not that I'm complaining about getting you alone to myself." Rose nudged my shoulder causing my balance to sway a little as she continued to admire the colorful patterns around her neck. I reached up and grabbed a green apple from a low hanging branch and tossed it in her direction. She deftly caught it with one hand and gave me a sly grin as she took a huge bite out of it.

"He's with Josette and some of the other faction leaders," she tossed me the apple and I flipped it over to take a bite out of the still-whole side.

"Anything interesting going on there," I asked as I continued to munch on the surprisingly sweet fruit. I wasn't sure what these people were putting into their crops, but they were consistently delicious.

"Well, you would know if you'd take up their offer and attend."

I paused mid-bite to look over at Rose, only to find her standing there with an accusatory look on her face and her hands placed on her jutted hips. Suddenly losing my appetite, I threw the remainder of the apple over my shoulder and continued walking down the rows of trees. "And here I thought you just wanted to have a pleasant conversation."

"Oh c'mon, don't give me that," she scurried up behind me. "I'm not here to try and talk you into anything, I just don't understand why you won't even give it a try."

Shortly after arriving, and learning my name/title, Josette and Elara were quick to ask me to join some of their pseudo-council meetings. It had been a while since anyone in their community had been to Court and since I had the most experience there, and obvious familial connections, they wanted my insight. Ironically, I had spent the majority of my life trying to get away from the politics at Court and within my family and now the first thing these people wanted from me centered directly around that. Was that all I was good to anyone for? Another bloody Ivashkov to mold into the perfect politician.

"That's right, Rose. You don't understand." I could already hear my father's scolding voice berating me time and time again for being nothing more than a huge disappointment to him. Whether it be my refusal to go to business school or my disinterest in his countless attempts to get me involved in his bureaucratic bullshit.

My fingernails began digging into my palms and my steps became heavier. Suddenly, something shot up to my arm, its grip stern, yet somehow still gentle. I looked down to see Rose's hand clasped around me and followed it up to her face where a concerned look was firmly lodged. "Then help me to understand."

I stared at her for a moment, letting her genuine interest start to soothe me. I took in a deep breath, inhaling a mix of rosemary and peaches and relaxed my hands from their tight grip. A cool breeze rustled through the nearby trees and sent a quick sting into the fresh cuts on my palms, yet another reminder of my arduous childhood. I focused on Rose's dark eyes to ground me and hold my composure. Maybe opening that bottle of whiskey wouldn't have been such a bad idea after all.

"It's complicated, Rose," I finally breathed out.

An amused smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and her face contorted as she attempted to raise an eyebrow at me. "Haven't you heard? I practically wrote the manual on complicated."

We shared a laugh and I ran my hand through my hair, slightly embarrassed for over-reacting to her simple question. "I'm sorry. It's just a touchy subject for me. Politics and I haven't always necessarily gotten along, a big part of it stemming from my father's not so subtle hints and even less effective methods of parenting." Rose moved her grasp on my arm and linked hers with mine as we started walking again. "You see, I was close with my Aunt despite her position at Court, not because of it. I'm not who they think I am or who they are looking for. The Salvatori would be better off without me mucking things up."

"Adrian, you don't give yourself enough credit," Rose argued. "There's so much more to you than just your name and if you give them a chance to see that, I think you can really make a difference."

She paused, waiting for my response but there was nothing for me to say. I heard a small sigh escape her and her arm slowly slipped out of mine as we made our way to the end of the plot. I turned to face her, trying my best not to look like a lost puppy and she placed her hand on my chest just above my heart. "I just wish you'd believe in yourself as much as I believe in you."

That tender touch sent a beam of warmth through me and I moved to place my hand on top of hers, trying to hold on to that feeling for just a bit longer. "You know Rose, you might be the best friend I've ever had." I had meant it to come out as a flirty joke, in an attempt to ignite our usual banter, but somewhere along the way it morphed into something more earnest, and I realized that I truly meant it.

A sweet smile inched up her cheeks as she said, "And don't you ever forget it." I smiled back and released her hand, letting it drop back down to her side. "Well, I gotta run and catch up with Eddie and Chris. Come find me at dinner?" I nodded in response and watched as she turned to skip away.

I decided I'd walk just a little bit further before finally settling on a task to start on. I couldn't be a complete bum all night or I'd never hear the end of it from Christian. Damn his productiveness and incessant pestering! I looked up from my internal groaning to find myself at the front gate of the compound. It was usually the most inactive place in the community since hardly anyone ever came or went, but to my surprise, there was a small group gathered nearby. Curiosity took over and I made my way to them to see what the fuss was about. As I got closer I could see two men that I had met when we first arrived; John and Nick or Dave and Brian? Some basic names that I couldn't remember at the time. They were arguing with someone on the other side of the cracked opening.

"Hey guys, what's going on," I asked, causing their sharp glares to turn towards me.

"There's a lost girl here," angry guy 1 clarified.

"You're not welcome here," angry guy 2 shouted through the gate.

"I can see that," a new voice seeped through the wood paneling to enter the conversation. "And I told you already, I'm not lost. I was sent here." The pitch of her words was sweet, but her tone was anything but. I moved closer to the gate to try and get a look at the owner of the frustrated shouts. "Trust me, I want to be here even less than you want me here, but either way it looks like we are stuck with each other. So how about you please just let me in already."

I put my hand on John/Brian's shoulder, halting whatever aimless argument he was about to launch at the mysterious stranger again. He looked back at me and deciding this incident wasn't worth his time he stepped to the side and let me through, finally giving me a full view of the scene ahead. There was a 1966 convertible mustang with a luminous candy apple red coat, looking completely out of place in the middle of the dense forest. It was definitely a gorgeous sight. But the car, however, wasn't the most intriguing thing there. Beside it stood a girl, a human girl for that matter. Her blonde hair was neatly combed, despite the top of her car being down, her eyes were the color of fresh sap that rolled down the trees in the plantation, and as she turned her head I could see a fleck of gold illuminate her cheek in the dim light.

"You're an Alchemist?" Her eyes darted over to me, noting that she had heard my question, but she didn't say anything in response. I walked through the gate towards her and her hand immediately shot up to the cross around her neck. Yep, definitely an Alchemist.

"That's quite a nice ride," I walked around the other side, admiring the car's pristine condition. The girl moved protectively to it and when my hand came up to touch it she finally replied with, "Yes, I know. And I plan to keep it that way, so if you don't mind." Her amber eyes flicked to my hand, her nostrils slightly flaring in irritation.

"Alright, alright. I can take a hint," I lifted my hands above me in surrender, but her guarded position remained. "So, you're obviously not delivering this beautiful car to us. Shame," I looked down at it one last time before meeting her gaze again. "Then what are you doing here?"

"I was sent by Zm...ehem Mr. Mazur," she corrected. "He's asked me to come here."

I heard one of the guys behind me let out a grunt but decided to intervene once again before they got the chance to start another ineffective argument. "Oh, did he now? And why on earth should we believe that? Don't you think Mr. Mazur would have informed us first," I kept my tone light, but slightly narrowed my eyes so that she would know I still expected an answer.

"I've been sent to look after his daughter," she deadpanned, unphased by my attempts to lighten the mood.

"Well, I didn't know she needed a keeper," I looked behind me and the two guards were trying to hold in a laugh, no doubt already becoming very well accustomed to Rose's demeanor and complete lack for the need, or want, of a caregiver.

"You must be Adrian," I looked back over to the girl to see her now standing with her arms crossed looking smug as ever. "And how was the single malt? 40 years aged, right?"

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed. "I wouldn't know," I dared to move even closer so that she could hear my low voice. "Been saving it for a special occasion." Her hand twitched on her arm and I wondered if she was trying to hold back from grasping her cross again. I took a step back to give her some space and could see her relax the tiniest bit. "And who might you be, Miss..?"

"Sage. Sydney Sage," she practically blurted it out and her cheeks slightly flushed at her momentary loss of composure. However, she quickly recovered and spoke with more confidence. "Now, if you'd please take me to Miss Hathaway, I would greatly appreciate it." She didn't necessarily sound that appreciative, but her conflicting expressions were rather amusing, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, Sage follow me. But remember...you asked for this." Her brows furrowed and a confused expression took over her features, but she fell in step with me nonetheless. I saw her cast a worried glance back to her car as we walked through the gate but before I could assure her it would be fine, she whipped her head ahead and lifted her chin high.

I wasn't sure where Abe managed to scoop up this one, or how he even managed to get an Alchemist working under him—really, nothing with him should surprise me anymore. I hadn't realized I'd been studying her until her eyes nervously flicked to mine and noticing my focus fixed on her, that same light blush filled up her cheeks. As we walked into the illuminated grounds I noticed she was actually a pretty girl, quite stunning really, and somehow her cheeks looked even lovelier that way when she was flustered.

"So you're here to watch over Rose," I asked speculatively as I eyed her aura for answers.

"Yes," she replied sternly. "Apparently her friends were not doing a sufficient job." I let out a short laugh, even though I'm not sure if it was meant as a joke or not. Her aura twisted under the sound, and I was surprised by what I saw. Outwardly, she seemed nervous around me, as most Alchemists did, but her aura revealed that she was somewhat interested and curious as well. However, it also revealed that she was holding back and harboring some kind of secret she wasn't yet ready to reveal.

I wasn't sure what part she would play here or why Abe had really sent her, but I felt drawn to find out more. Despite the dreary start to the day, I thought to myself, suddenly this place was starting to look up.

A/N: I thought it only appropriate that since this story started with Adrian, it should end with him as well ;)

Thanks for reading!