AN: My first attempt at writing for the Vampire Academy/Bloodlines universe, so I'm not sure how well I've done. Admittedly at first I was not crazy about the idea of the Adrian/Sydney pairing but after reading Bloodlines and seeing how they interact I totally fell in love with them. So being me, I had to find a writing outlet for it. Ideally this will be 50 stories, though considering my track record. . . we will see. Enjoy!

Air

"Sage, it's a wonder you're still alive."

Her golden brown eyes lifted from the page she was reading, her voice dry as she addressed the dark haired young man who had strolled in silently, very unlike him. "Unlike some people who only read when there's nothing else to do, some of us actually enjoy it."

Snorting, he dropped casually into the chair across the table from her. "I can enjoy a book, but you can't seriously tell me you're reading this. . . this tome for pleasure," he objected, jabbing a finger at the yellowed page she had been examining, seeming not to notice Sydney's wince at his casual treatment of a relic. "You spend hours reading this stuff for that teacher of yours- you barely see the sun. It's a wonder you're not in the same condition as this book. Now really, who's acting like a vampire here?"

Her eyebrows shot up, bristling. "Excuse me?" she demanded, an icy note in her voice, her fingers reaching up to touch the golden cross around her neck as if to ward off his words.

Adrian held up his hands. "Whoa, simmer down. But you got to admit, your aversion to sunlight is going to make others draw the same conclusions." When her stony expression didn't change, he sighed, leaning across the table to take one of her hands in his. "Come on, the air in here is stale; it's springtime for hell sakes. Come out and enjoy it. Jill and Eddie are waiting for us."

For a moment, Sydney was ready to tell him no, to go back to her work and be the responsible, predictable young woman she had always been. But something in his pleading expression made her pause, and she uneasily wondered what it was about that look that made her resolve crumble.

"You can't even stay long in the sun," she protested halfheartedly. "What's the point?"

"Well, that's the beauty of you being so engrossed in your reading, Sage. You've been here so long it's evening now. No sunshine to worry about."

She followed the direction of his gesture to the window, surprised to find that he was right; dusk had fallen while she had been reading and jotting down her painstaking notes. Glancing back at Adrian, she couldn't help but smile slightly at the knowing grin on his face.

"See? No worries, I'm not going to burst into dust and scare the peasants." He rose smoothly, his fingers running through his messy hair as he gazed down at her. "Coming before you become a relic, Sage?"

Rolling her eyes at his remark, she nonetheless closed the book with a snap, gathering her papers and putting them in her bag. "Fine although I really don't see the point."

Pushing back her chair, she moved to stand when he was suddenly at her side, taking her bag and slinging it effortlessly over his shoulder, his free hand curving around her elbow. She blinked up at him, startled at his sudden proximity, the breath in her lungs freezing as she found that charming grin focused on her.

"Sage, why does there always have to be a point? Just go with it."

Easy to say, harder to do. Life for her was about planning and executing things in an orderly fashion – she didn't know how to live the way he did. Somehow though, she suspected he would be all too eager to help her out with that. Adrian's eyes were unusually serious as he peered down at her, though the lazy grin remained as his fingers slid down the length of her arm, making her skin tingle before his hand wrapped securely around hers and he tugged her towards the doors.

He pushed them open, and a warm evening breeze fluttered through her hair. Her hand tightened around Adrian's, but she let him pull her out of the library and into the gathering dusk.