This is just something I thought of when reading comments about how people disliked Sydneys attitude towards vampires. Flames welcome.

Pretend

Adrian was always up for a mystery.

He was a bonafied Sherlock Holmes. The Robert Downey Jr version not the Basil Rathbone one.

So when Jill informed him of one such mystery—the mystery of Sydney's Sages' nightly escapades—he declared himself on the case.

And promptly roped Jill, Eddie and Angeline into being his Watson's.

Not a short time later they were squished into Sonya's small hatch back car which he had borrowed for their spelunking expedition, parked across the road from flashing lights and yellow tape, a crowd meandering talking in hushed whispers.

A crime scene

A fitting place for a mystery to begin.

"What's she doing?" that was Jill's voice form the back seat where she was squished shoulder to shoulder with Angeline—when Eddie had seen the space in the back he had promptly called shotgun and avoided Jill's curious eye—she leaned forward in her seat to tap Adrian on the shoulder. "Huh?"

The elder Moroi was peering out the window bemoaning his lack of pipe and magnifying glass when he answered. "Talking to the cop at the tape—oh there you go he's letting her in."

Indeed across the street and through the haphazardly parked police cars Jill could just see the form of her blonder headed Alchemist friend, dressed in white blouse, with black jacket and slacks, sensible shoes as well, slip from sight, accompanied by a uniformed officer.

"I wonder what happened?"

"You said she's been disappearing all this week?" that was Eddie from the passenger's set, he was craning his neck to get a better look.

Jill nodded her head, "Tuesday and Thursday, now Sunday, I don't know how she's been getting past the dorm matron, but she's definitely been off campus. I've had to do my own chemistry homework all week."

Eddie gave her a suffering look and the young Moroi looked sheepish, before sitting back in her chair

"Who wants to take a closer look?" Adrian asked, he twisted in his seat to look at his three companions. "Watson one, two or three?" Eddie gave him an unimpressed look and a minute later Adrian was shoved form the car by the collective strength of his two Dhamphir friends. He tugged his jacket straight and barked. "Okay, okay, no need to get rough."

"Just remember Ivashkov, if you get caught, this was all your idea. I take no responsibility for what she might do to you if she catches us following her."

Adrian paled; he reached for the door handle. "On second thoughts."

"Go Ivashkov." Eddie pointed. "We don't have all night."

A black bag was being wheeled out of the alley, people were hastily being kept away by the police, red and blue light flashed off the grim faces of the officers.

Adrian peeked a glance around the shoulder of the man in front to spy Sydney. Half way down the mouth of the alley. White latex gloves covering her hands. She was talking to a man in a suit, he seemed rather irate with her. In typical Alchemist style Sydney wasn't even breaking a sweat, she spoke calmly and coolly. They walked towards the crowd, Sydney stripping off her gloves and reaching into her pocket to retrieve a business card. They were a few feet form him now and Adrian's super hearing was able to pick up their words.

"—three in less then a week, in my town, I don't bloody well care who you are, this is my case."

"The FBI disagrees detective Hellington. You can call your boss to check but I'm sure he'll tell you what I just told you. Your agency is to hand the body and any evidence over to my department. Just like with the others."

The detectives face was purple from anger; he gave Sydney a withering look. "And what happens in a month or so when you big shots find another case to occupy your time. These girls just get dropped and I get a cold trail. No dice missy."

Adrian winced, Sydney Sage didn't appreciate nicknames—except Sage of course—"that won't happen detective you have my word. My colleagues and I are very close to tracking down this guy, you won't have to worry about him any longer."

"Funny thing"—his face suggested it was anything but comical—"but I don't recall ever meeting any of your so called colleagues."

Sydney didn't seem bothered by his accusation. "That's because their too busy solving crime detective. I'll contact you later with our findings." And she walked away from him coolly. Ducking under the tape and making Adrian hide quickly behind a gawking old lady before she could spot him

When he retreated back to the car, he tried to find the best way to report his findings.

When they confronted Sydney in her dorm room, she paused a second before fixing her glare directly on him, he noticed awkwardly her eyes were now a furious colour of amber. "You followed me." She said darkly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jill fidgeted nervously but Eddie jumped in before she could apologise. "You should have told me!"

"Told you what?"

Eddie glared at her, standing from his place on her bed. "If there are Strigoi in town. Angeline and I should be informed!" Castile didn't often loose his temper. "the Guardians have to be told, we have to move—"

"What makes you think it was Strigoi?" Sydney asked.

"Why else would the Alchemists get involved?" Angeline asked. She was sitting backwards on Sydney's desk chair playing with her stapler. "And three murders. Only the Lost Ones could be so vicious."

Sydney glared at Angeline, who carelessly tossed the stapler back onto the Alchemist's desk.

Sydney took a breath and her teeth were gritted. "It wasn't Strigoi Eddie, that's why I didn't tell you. It's none of your concern."

Eddie started to protest—"The Alchemists…"

He trailed off. There was a beat.

"It was a Moroi." That was Adrian. He too was sitting on Sydney's bed, his voice was soft.

There was silence.

"If he drained them," Eddie spoke slowly, "he'd been a Strigoi now. That could explain the rapid kills."

Sydney didn't uncross her arms; she seemed reluctant to speak but did so anyway. "He didn't drain any of them Eddie. He just ripped their throats out. He's not trying to become Strigoi."

There was a long silence then, "The Guardians—"

"The Guardians don't care!" Sydney snapped and her voice was loud. It took Adrian a moment to decipher that the colour of her eyes—dark brown—was a furious colour.

She was standing away from them, her arms crossed over her stomach, her muscles tight. "The victims are only human." she spat.

Adrian looked at his shoes. He had rarely seen her so mad. She'd been pissed when he'd got drunk in Los Angeles and exposed Jill to his hangover, she'd been hurt when he'd screwed up the job interviews, she'd be indignant when he's gotten angry at her over the college tuition.

This was none of those.

This was honest to goodness hate

"They would send someone to investigate." Eddie argued while Angeline snorted at his words, Jill looked small and Sydney rolled her eyes.

"To protect the buffet table?" she asked dryly. "Eddie how many Guardians to the Moroi spare for the murder of one of their kind?"

"One or two." he answered honestly.

"How many do you think they'd spare to investigate a human death?"

"None."

"Exactly."

"But killing is illegal, Moroi or human!" that was Jill, her eyes were bright and when Sydney saw the tears that glistened in her eyes she softened just a little.

She spoke quietly. "Laws are only any good if they can be enforced."

There was another silence. Adrian couldn't take his eyes of the Alchemist, he wondered if she saw him staring.

"What about the Alchemists?" That was Angeline. "Can't they pull some vigilante justice? Or are they too scared?"

Sydney looked for a second like she wanted to say something before changing her mind and instead shaking her head. "Only if the Moroi crimes threaten exposure, until that happens we have strict order to make the cases disappear and nothing else."

There was a stirring in her aura and Adrian shifted, it felt like, looked like spirit darkness.

It scared him to see that in her.

"What do you mean?" that was Jill, her voice was soft and there were tear stains on her cheeks, Eddie reached an arm around her for a hug.

Sydney glanced at her, quickly looking away, "Don't worry about it Jill."

"She wants to know." Damn Angeline and her self-righteousness.

Sydney gave the Dhamphir a cold look. "Well I don't want to tell. So if you all don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep."

The others shuffled out.

Adrian paused at the door and Sydney sighed, she should have know getting rid of him would have been harder then that.

"What Adrian?" she looked at him and there was defeat in her eyes.

He paused, for once, stumbling for words before. "You can tell me you know, if…it'll help."

That darkness scares him, Sydney Sage was light. Too good for him.

Her face blanks and for a moment he's sure she's about to thank him then politely kick him out before she shuts the door with a gentle click and begins to speak.

He's only half listening; this is for her not for him. "We give any one who asks the run around, all computer files will state the case is active till a few months later when we can officially change it to a cold case. From there it's buried."

She sits on her bed and her fingers curl in her sheets. She looks bone tired. "We keep an eye on the family, if anyone gets too independent, we have a word to them, they usually back down."

"And if they don't."

"We have a slightly less polite word."

He doesn't imagine that's a very happy fate.

They sit in silence when she's done speaking, but Adrian can still see it in her aura. The darkness, the unknown something that's she's holding back, that's making her like him for just a few seconds.

"That's why you hate us, isn't it?" he asks.

"She was fourteen Adrian. Younger then Jill and your kind don't give a damn." That fury is back.

"I do. Jill does, Eddie to."

She raises her eyes to him at the plead in his voice and her smile is humourless. "What about the people you feed from?"

Adrian frowns. "Feeders?" Sydney flinches at the word and he regrets it. "They choose it." He defends.

"You think your venom leaves them with enough will to actually 'choose' something. Even drug addicts have rehab. What do you think would happen if a feeder ever developed the desire to leave?" her question is open ended but the answer rings in his head.

The Alchemists…

Couldn't risk the secret getting out.

Adrian felt ashamed and Sydney sighed, getting to her feet, her intention hadn't been to hurt him or even convert him. Things were the way they were.

She was food.

He was a monster.

They all were.

What was the point in pretending?

"You should go." It wasn't a question.

Adrian spared her one glance from the threshold and his stomach lurched.

The darkness was larger then ever. She was keeping something from him. Something dark and dangerous.

Adrian decided he didn't like mystery's any more.

The next day Adrian was at a place he had only been a few times in his life.

The library.

It was useless.

Human history was riddled with falsehood and ignorance. He needed a better source.

He called Sonya who gave him an upbeat response. When he appeared on her doorstep a few minutes later she was more then happy to show him to her collection of books she'd brought to Palm Springs for reading. She was a teacher after all.

Adrian found a few volumes on history and started for the first time in his life, studying.

There was an uncomfortable feeling in his chest. Had been since last night. Sydney had called him a monster before. The insult had rolled off his back, he dismissed it.

Now as he read more and more Moroi history.

He was starting to realise, that to her, to her kind, he really was a creature of the night.

Sydney was on the phone. It was lunch at Amberwood, and Jillian Dragomir was taking the time to mourn the sudden frigidness that had developed between them. She'd seen the paper that morning, the front cover splashed with the face of a young girl, with red hair and freckles and an overbite.

Jill had burst into tears

Sydney had merely picked up her cell phone and started making calls, in that professional voice of hers.

Later, two men with matching suits and matching golden lily tattoos came to meet Sydney as they got off the campus bus. Sydney instructed Jill inside before leaving without a backwards glance.

It was late and Adrian was rubbing his bruised shin. He'd smacked it sneaking through her window. That harpy of a ward matron hadn't budged a bit on his plea to see his 'sister' so he'd been forced to go cross country.

Now he sat on her bed admiring the patterns on the quilt while waiting for her to return. She'd been gone all day now according to Jill. The clock on her desk ticked over to midnight just as the door opened.

He smelt blood

And sulphur.

"Sydney?"

Her silhouette froze at his voice and slowly she turned to face him. Vampires turning up in her bed in the darkness of night wasn't exactly a calming experience for her.

"What Adrian?"

"Are you hurt?" the smell of blood was weak but it lingered, he stood. His superior sight allowing him to make his way over to her incident free.

She tensed as he stepped close to her. "No."

The darkness in her aura spread and he knew now what it was. A lie. She'd had been lying to him before, she was lying to him now.

He touched her arm.

"It's not my blood." That was the truth. "Can we talk about this later?"

"No." he answered.

He'd spent the whole day preparing for this moment, learning so that he wouldn't be ignorant. Searching for a counter argument short of getting on his knees and begging her to believe he was good, to not be afraid of him.

"I know why you're afraid." He said softly. "Did that Moroi kill someone else tonight?"

Sydney's voice was cold. "No, he didn't."

Adrian saw the darkness and knew he wasn't receiving all the truth, the answers came to him though and he felt compelled to say it out loud. "You killed him. You and the Alchemists that came here."

"Yes."

And he's searching for regret, for sadness, for something that tells him it was hard for her that reminds him of the pure sweet girl he knows who took a chance on him.

"Well, they did, I'm mostly just a paper pusher." There it is. Faint, but there. Regret.

He ignored the actually words though. "You killed a person Sydney."

"No I didn't." its growing weaker. "He wasn't a person Adrian." She steps away from him suddenly and he sees her arms cross protectively. Her next words are through gritted teeth. "None of you are."

That stings. Worse now that he understands why she thinks that way. The Moroi may see themselves as great protectors of humanity, but when it comes to food. It's us or them.

He was an us and she was a them.

They were on different sides.

He had to stop kidding himself.

"Are you afraid of me Sydney?" and he's standing too close to her again.

"No." she whispered.

"You probably should be."

"Probably."

"I should go." It wasn't a question.

He slips form the room.

This time he doesn't look back