Vampire Academy 1. Introduction : Summing It Up!

**Hello! If this is the first time you're reading this story, then have fun reading it! I put quite a lot of effort into it, so I would really appreciate it if you guys review and tell me what you think :)**

**Summary of the story between Rose and Dimitri!**

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><p>Rose Hathaway, forced by her harrowing childhood to become self-reliant and head-strong, did not bow down to anybody, especially not her gorgeous and absolutely frigid Instructor, Dimitri Belikov, who seemed to view her as some sort of nuisance. His distant personality and cold façade irritating her to no end, Rose plans several incidents just to see how far she could push him before he finally loses it. . .<p>

Dimitri Belikov, reserved and used to being in total control of his emotions, was shocked to find himself reacting so viscerally to the sexually appealing and hot-headed Rose that tempted him on every level. Knowing that having a relationship of any kind with someone under his charge could only spell trouble for him, he furiously resists the pull between them, pulling in the rein on his raging lust.

But there was one thing that he had not counted on – Rose's perseverance in the face of something she wants. . .

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><p><strong>A short excerpt of what you can expect. . .<strong>

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><p>Everything was ready.<p>

Rose crouched in wait behind the prickly bush, the path in front of her partially illuminated by the soft moonlight, her pulse racing. If everything went according to plan, Dimitri would be coming back from his nightly jog right about now –

_There he is!_

Dimitri's shoes crunched against the gravel, his footsteps light, his pace quick as he negotiated the turn, approaching her ingenious trap rapidly. Rose's breath hitched at the glorious sight of her instructor's bared forearms and long, toned legs covered in a thin sheen of sweat that gleamed under the gentle glow of the light provided by the streetlamp. The muscles of his biceps rippled in sync with the movement of his arms, and Rose practically drooled.

It took all of her willpower to drag her gaze away, and to focus on what she had to do.

_Three more steps…_

The chittering of the crickets increased in volume.

_Two more steps…_

An owl hooted in the distance as Dimitri neared, the exact design of his sport shoes coming clearly into view.

_One more…_

The chitter of the insects reached a crescendo in its melody, becoming all Rose could hear.

_Now! _

Rose pressed the button on the device and held her breath.

All hell broke loose.

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><p>Dimitri had had that sense of foreboding the moment he turned onto the last stretch, his limbs all tingling and the beginning of a headache at the back of his head. He should have known better than to press on, thinking that it was nothing.<p>

His sixth sense had never been wrong before.

It wasn't wrong this time either.

Sadly, he found out too late.

Ice cold water erupted around his feet, blasting little bits of gravel into the air, drenching and soaking him to the bone. Using his hands to shield his face from the sharp stinging pain of the jets of water, Dimitri dove and rolled to the side, scraping his arms on the sharp pieces of stones on the pathway.

Vaulting to his feet an instant later, he assumed a defensive stance, blinking away the droplets of water that fogged his vision as he scanned his immediate vicinity for any adversaries, reaching for the stake that he always kept by his side regardless of where he went.

A second passed in silence besides for the roar of the water, then two. The waterworks died down, leaving a muddy slosh on the ground where the trap had sprung him. Still not relaxing his guard, Dimitri listened intently for any sounds that might indicate that someone was around. The strong gale assaulted him, the chill seeping through the little protection his T-shirt could solicit for him.

He shivered.

Then he heard a giggle coming from behind a bush.

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><p>Rose couldn't help it; she giggled. And then she laughed. Then cackled and had to hold her stomach when it started to hurt.<p>

So when the laughter finally subsided, she opened her eyes to find herself looking directly at a fuming Dimitri, a few tendrils of his brown hair plastered to his forehead. His normally brown eyes were almost fully black from rage, his nostrils flared and jaw set tightly. The black T-shirt he was wearing stuck to his body like a second skin, revealing his whole physique for Rose's hungry eyes to devour.

And the only thought that Rose had was that he looked even better when he was wet.

"Rose," Her name on his lips made Rose tremble – in anticipation? Or dread? "What the _fuck _was that?"

Rose tilted her chin upwards, glaring back at him, still angry with him over that incident with Viktoria – even after he had already explained that she was only his sister. "Revenge."

A muscle ticked under his eye, and in a movement so fast that Rose only managed to blink an eye, he was towering over her seated form. "What, may I ask," He said in a dangerously quiet voice that had Rose using her hands and legs to push herself backwards to put more space between her and the six feet seven inches of bristling male muscle, "had I done to you?"

Rose thought it was a miracle that she could still manage to speak. Or squeak. "You made me angry."

"When?" Dimitri crowded into her space again by taking another intimidating step forward, making a loud, startling crunching noise as he crushed the dried leaves below his feet that cut through the eerie silence like hot knife through butter. Rose was dimly aware that the crickets had stopped chirping altogether, as if sensing something was about to go down.

Something big.

Rose considered telling him the truth about her jealousy, then pushed aside that idea. He won't understand, and she'll just be admitting to him how much she wanted him.

How much she wanted him that it bordered on craving.

"I'm not telling you anything." She said.

"Don't make me angry, Rose." He warned, his eyes narrowed on her with unnerving intensity.

"More than you already are?" She retorted automatically, then slapped a hand over her mouth.

An intense emotion flashed in Dimitri's eyes, something so dark and primal that Rose panicked and scampered backwards, her legs suddenly feeling weak and unstable as she got to her feet.

Dimitri watched her all the while, the burning heat of his gaze scorching her all over and causing desire to pool low in her belly, her hands to start shaking uncontrollably by her side as she continued to backpedal. Her instincts screamed for her to run, but for some unfathomable reason, she couldn't get herself to.

Not when she was so close to breaking through the barrier that Dimitri had around himself.

Her back collided with the rough bark of a tree, and Rose bit her lip to hold back the squeal that almost escaped. Feeling awfully like a trapped bird, she was about to fuck everything and take off when Dimitri did it again, moving towards her at an inhuman speed and caging her in by putting both hands by the side of her head on the tree trunk, his large body surrounding her smaller one. Being so close to Dimitri, Rose could feel the heat he radiated; heat that enfolded her in its embrace and made her feel secure and safe.

His breath, hot and decadent, caressed the tip of her ear as he leaned down. "Do you want to make me lose control, Rose?" A husky question, the stubble of his cheek grazing the edges of her ear, eliciting a delicious shiver that ran through her, awakening her feminine core.

"No?" It came out more like a question.

A warm chuckle. "You sure act like it." A small nip at her earlobe that had Rose moaning. "I don't think you should try to make me lose control."

Fighting to find her train of thought in the rush of sensation, she wrapped her arms around his torso to pull him closer, savoring the warmth that he emanated, almost gasping when the hard line of his erection prodded at his stomach. "Why? I think I like this side of you."

Dimitri stilled in the middle of planting a heated kiss at the sensitive spot of her neck that led to her shoulder. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, yes I do." Rose argued, one of her hands snaking around his neck to tug him back to her neck, a silent plea to continue what he was doing.

Dimitri resisted, pulling back with an unreadable expression. "We have to stop."

Rose wanted to scream out in frustration, her sexual need already reaching burning point. How could he tease her, played with her – no matter how little – and just leave her? "Stop that! I know you want me" – A pointed look at the bulge in his shorts – "so why do you keep doing this?"

"Roza," He held out a hand as if to reach for her, then shook his head and ran that hand through his hair instead. "this is not appropriate at all."

_Argh! _"Forget it!" Rose yelled, stamping her feet loudly and turned to stalk off. She would just have to take matters into her own hands – with a special friend she had just purchased on Saturday.

A special friend that vibrates.

She had merely taken a step before she was swept off her feet by strong hands, and shoved against the same tree. She gave a squeal of protest when a chip of bark dug into her skin through her blouse, but shut up the moment she saw the way Dimitri was staring at her.

With so much desire her legs turned to jelly, and would have folded beneath her if he wasn't holding her up. "Don't," he said softly, "walk away from me."

Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

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><p><strong>So, what do you think? And yes, I did say that this was supposed to be for all four couples, but I got lazy. I'll just update each one of them separately. Prepare for the next one, which would be between Christian and Lissa. I'll try to get it up by tomorrow, and the chapter update on the following day. But no promises, alright? I'll try my best.<strong>

**Oh yeah, I'm going to move this to chapter 1 after the next chapter update since some people cant seem to find the chapters I update because it's at chapter 1 and the link provided by the email brings you to chapter 12 :/  
><strong>

**And yes, once again, review please! :)**


	2. Chapter 1 : First Impressions

**A/N : Hey! Alright, this is a new story which revolves around Rose and Dimitri, with Christian and Lissa as the continuing story in this series. **

**An important note though, all of them are Dhampirs in this story, none of them are Morois. **

**Review please! Tell me what you think of the attitude revamp in Christian, as well as the stoic Dimitri and Rose and Lissa!**

**Oh, and if you like how this story is going, then you'll also like my other story, Fixing the Broken. Check it out, it's of the other characters that were left out of the relationship circle, like Eddie, Adrian, Jill and Mia. Currently still doing Eddie though.**

**Read on!**

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><p>The first thought Dimitri Belikov had when he saw the new recruits hopping off the step of the old, battered bus that can easily pass as a relic of the nineteenth century was that none of them would survive the first week.<p>

Every one of them were still chattering away happily, no doubt unaware of the rigorous training they would be put to immediately. Being a Guardian was no laughing matter like some people might assume; it was a life or death job. Only with the proper conditioning can a good Guardian actually live to see the next sunrise – or have any hope of surviving past the age of thirty.

The number of Strigois – the Moroi's fiercest nemesis – had never ceased increasing despite how many Guardians have taken to the street to attempt to put an end to their reign of terror.

In fact, it appeared that they were thriving.

Another cause for concern was how the Strigois seemed to have a sudden change in dietary preference – preying on the dwindling Moroi population rather than the abundant and rapidly growing human crowd. It wasn't a bad thing, since the human government had stopped investigating the mysterious disappearances and speculating about the real reason behind it.

It was a totally different scenario for the Morois though.

Christian Ozera, his friend of a few years and assistant-in-charge of the training course, standing next to him gave a whistle of appreciation as the two last female trainees emerged from the bus. "I swear they're getting hotter every damn batch. Not that I'm complaining, of course."

Dimitri hardly spared the two girls a glance, instead ticking off the names of the trainees on the attendance sheet. He already knew who would be able to capture his friend's attention – not that it was particularly hard to accomplish that, considering how Christian was too much of a playboy to note the exact difference between a blonde and a brunette, only whether he had 'nailed' them or not – as he had memorized all the stats of the twenty four recruits that would be under his care this year.

Rosemarie Hathaway and Vasilisa Dragomir, more commonly known as Lissa.

Rosemarie Hathaway looked harmless on the first glance, like some innocent girl that had somehow lost her way and needed help due to her large, imploring black eyes. Her rich brown hair fell in tangles around her slim neck, ending only above her waist. Her body was to die for. Literally. The innocence portrayed by her delicate facial features definitely seemed to be at odds with her athletic figure, looking capable of murder with her curves alone that should be illegal in forty three different states. Don't even get him started on her breas –

Another aspect of her appearance that had roused his interest – ah, who the hell was he kidding? Everything about the girl roused something else besides his interest, more specifically located below his waist and above his thighs – was how lightly tanned her skin was.

Just like chocolate; made for nibbling, licking and… absolutely _revolting. _Yeah, that's right. She was in no way appealing. Besides, he was the fucking instructor. Relationships with trainees were a strict _no-no, _and he was sure of that because he was the one to implement that fucking rule.

Back on track. Lissa Dragomir, on the other hand, was a fluff of femininity who had long, curly platinum blonde hair and green eyes. The only common trait the both shared was the similar pixie-like features, giving them both that deceiving harmless air. Oh, and Lissa was only 5'4 in a pair of heels. The only reason he had known this was because the picture she had submitted for her profile was one of her in a strapless black dress that hugged her damn curves like a boa around its food, along with a pair of black stiletto heels.

But the thing that worried him most was how that picture had not aroused him as much as the one of Rose in just a fucking T-shirt and jeans.

Yep, he was definitely suffering from temporary insanity.

Besides for that little, _redundant _in-depth study of their appearances, Dimitri had naught on their background. He knew almost everything about the other trainees, from their parents to their results to their achievements. But, he drew a blank when he reached the two girls, as if they had somehow managed to wipe the information from their system. Or bribed to get it done, which was probably the more feasible explanation, seeing how opulent Lissa was.

"Dimitri!" Exasperation laced Christian's voice as he hissed at him, nudging his shoulders with his own violently. "What the fuck is wrong with you, man? You're supposed to give the damn speech to scare the panties off those pussies there."

Dimitri squared his shoulders, cursing inwardly for his lapse in awareness. "I know, fuck head. Patience is a fucking virtue, can't you wait?"

Christian lifted an eyebrow at his rare outburst of temper. "Geez, you need to get laid." Typical Christian thinking – the solution to every problem to him either involved fucking a girl or well, fucking another one. "And being cranky isn't going to help you accomplish that," Christian paused. "Another piece of advice – virtues don't help you get that done neither."

Ignoring Christian's moronic advices – but damn if that didn't get a twitch of his lips – Dimitri gave a bellow for everybody to get into line. Everybody jumped to attention, wide-eyed and lips parted in shock at the authority in his voice, along with the unsaid do-it-or-die message he was spontaneously sending out. Well, everyone except for Rose and Lissa, who were pointedly ignoring his orders and chatting animatedly with each other. Had he actually heard 'nails'?

"You two!" He growled, jabbing a finger in their direction. What _was _wrong with him? He was usually calm and composed, but just a few minutes into the start of the new year and he was already fighting for control – and failing. "Get into line."

Rose looked up from the conversation, looking bored and, to his consternation, _annoyed. _"We need a minute here." Jesus Christ, even her voice sounded like cotton candy dipped into a bowl of sugar and drenched with liquid honey then sprinkled with star dust.

Barely keeping his anger in check, Dimitri clenched his fists tightly and drew in a ragged breath to calm himself down. It seemed to have the opposite effect on him though, aggravating him further. "_Now."_ He enunciated the word with as much control as he could muster, making it sound cold and demanding at once.

Rose's head whipped towards his, their gazes clashing with scorching intensity and she frowned as if confused. Though it was brief, he had a sudden, _irrational _thought about never letting her frown again. As fast as that thought came, he dismissed it without entertaining it any further, blaming it on the lack of sleep he had every intention on catching up on today.

His tight control over his emotions quickly returning, Dimitri repeated, more harshly this time, "Now."

Rose's mouth thinned with displeasure, but she complied with a glare that promised retribution. Lissa just shrugged it off with a toss of her hair, sending her ponytail swerving into the air. Dimitri watched as Christian's eyes followed the movement of her hair as if entranced. He almost laughed; he had never seen Christian take to a girl so quickly, much less be mesmerized by something less promiscuous than a girl's body. This might spell trouble for the playboy that had never known commitment in his whole life.

Seriously, Dimitri actually doubted that word even existed in Christian's vocabulary. So far, he had made known to him that only words related or somehow linked to the woman's body had any place in his mind or they were 'thrown into the bin, along with the condoms'.

Anyway…

After Rose and Lissa got into their positions in the line – or in Rose's case, stomped into position – Dimitri started the impromptu speech that was supposed to scare the shit out of the ones who were vying for the position of Guardian just because it was 'cool' and 'got them ladies'. Granted, male Guardians were widely regarded as the best available male specimen in the dating market purely because they were stoic and prime muscular meat for the taking.

Female Guardians? They were portrayed as untouchable and chaste, and surprise surprise, all the guys wanted to nail them simply because of their tag that screamed 'Hard to get!"

"I would like to say that I'm pleased to see all of you, but I would be lying. There are a specific few that I'm not all too pleased with" – Dimitri sent a pointed glance at Rose who stuck her tongue out in response. That pink little tongue did things to the lower part of his body that he would prefer not to acknowledge – "along with your slow movements and response. If you were out fighting Strigois and you had hesitated for such a long period of time, you would have been dead. No second chances. This isn't a holiday, this isn't a vacation. This is a place to train your mind and body to prepare yourselves for the cruel world outside that you would face if you pass the exams at the end of the grueling two years of training – and that is only _if _you can withstand it. If anyone of you present are here just to hopefully acquire the title of 'Guardian' for bragging purposes, please leave the camp now." Dimitri paused, scanning the fidgeting crowd of trainees who were mostly averting his gaze and looking down at their feet. Rose and Lissa, of course, faced him without the slightest hint of fear. Instead, they looked defiant and ready for anything he was going to throw at them.

Such perseverance and confidence was admirable, but might also prove to be their downfall if they decide to be stubborn in the wrong circumstances.

And he definitely was going to enjoy teaching them why.

Christian took over after that, sensing how the recruits were feeling very depressed. "The name of the instructor next to me is Dimitri Belikov, but you all can only address him as Instructor Belikov. I'm Christian Ozera, address me as Instructor Ozera as well. Or, and this is only reserved for the beautiful girls in this batch, you may call me sweetie pie." With that, Christian shot all the girls, all eight of them, his trademark grin, a slightly lopsided grin that held just the hint of seductiveness that had almost anything female in gender falling to their knees in surrender.

Dimitri swore that one of the recruits almost fainted, her breaths becoming shallow and her cheeks flushed.

Rose just rolled her eyes and Dimitri felt a flood of satisfaction at that. So she was immune to Christian's potent flirting attempts.

Wait, why the hell should he care?

Lissa, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes at Christian with undisguised hatred in the green depths of her eyes. Now _this _was interesting. The girl that Christian was interested in seemed to detest his smooth talking rather than falling head over heels for them. Maybe Christian will finally have some trouble actually persuading someone to get into bed with him rather than have them practically begging him to take them home.

"I see that all of you are tired after the long, bumpy trip here and would like to get some rest. This is entirely acceptable, except for the fact that you won't be able to get any rest." This announcement was met by a chorus of groans and complaints. "The training will commence right after you all have put your belongings back in your bunks. Meet back here in thirty minutes."

One female redhead raised her hand up shyly, looking at Christian. When given the affirmation to speak, she asked, "Can we bathe first?"

Christian shook his head. "I'm afraid not – you'll get dirty later from your first try at the obstacle course anyway. Thank you for clearing that up…" He raised an eyebrow at the girl, silently imploring her for her name.

"Rachel," she gushed out, practically blabbering. "Rachel Trest."

Christian beamed, smiling down at the petite redhead. "Thank you, Rachel Trest." He paused, looked at all the recruits again. "Any more questions before you all go back to your bunks?"

A long protracted moment of silence while the recruits looked at each other.

"Yes, just one." Lisa spoke up, her anger evident by the tone of her voice. "Why are you such a damn flirt?"

There was stunned silence for a second as every pair of eyes darted from the fuming Lissa to the gaping Christian. Then Christian regained his common sense and grinned smoothly back at her, the mischievous glint that Dimitri recognized so well leaping into his eyes. He shook his head; Christian tended to treat a battle of words with a witty female some sort of foreplay.

"I may have mentioned this earlier, but I only flirt with girls that I deem worthwhile."

"Oh?" Lissa glared, arms anchored at her hips, the picture of female disapproval. "Please enlighten us on why are we _worthwhile _then?"

Christian blinked. "Is it not obvious? I think you're beautiful."

"Not just because we are most susceptible to falling for your tricks and ending up on your bed?" Lissa asked, oh so innocently.

Christian blinked again – this time in surprise at her unabashed she was. There was a collective intake of breath from the other girls, as if enraged that she had asked such a question. A squeal of dismay escaped Rachel's lips and she glared at Lissa.

Christian shrugged, not the least daunted. "That's an added bonus if I play my cards right. But trust me, if that happens, you won't regret it at all. In fact," Christian winked, eliciting some sighs from the girls, "I assure you that you would be so sated you won't be able to do anything but sleep."

Dimitri spotted a flash of irritation in Lissa's eyes before she smiled sweetly, venomously.

Uh oh.

"Oh come on, Christian. Don't pretend that you don't know me at all." She said in a hushed voice, her timbre low and seductive.

"What?" Christian shook his head in confusion. "What the hell are you – "

"Oh, Christian darling," Sympathy – feigned? – flashed in her eyes as they widened with comprehension – again, feigned? She lowered her voice by just a fraction, though it still could be heard by the entire crowd – just what she wanted, if Dimitri understood what she was doing. "You could have just told me from the start that your… problems were still troubling you. I wouldn't have made a fuss at all."

Christian growled, a menacing sound as all eyes swiveled onto him, wondering if they were understanding the situation. "Lissa, you – "

Lissa smirked, a victorious triumph in her eyes even as she continued with the ruse. "I mean, it must be embarrassing for you, since you have such a glorious reputation to live up to." Her sultry tone implied all sorts of things. Dimitri barely stifled his laughter. "The last time was an aberration, I'm sure. But if not, there's always pills…"

Dimitri burst into laughter, unable to help himself at her Grammy worthy finish. Christian's eyes blazed hot, his anger stoked to a breaking point. "Lissa, you just went way out of fucking line."

The girls were all still gaping while the boys were all snickering and pointing at Christian's crotch.

"No, I don't think I did." Lissa snapped back, her façade gone completely. In place was the still raging fury Dimitri had spotted earlier, though he couldn't even start to fathom why it was there in the first place. "It's about time someone actually fucked you players over, rather than the other way around." Was that bitterness in her tone?

"Get. The. Fuck. Back. To. Your. Bunks. Now." Christian gritted out every syllabus, absolutely livid, before stomping off. The anger poured off him in waves, almost palpable in its intensity. Shit, it had been awhile since Dimitri had seen him in such a fit.

Sighing, he faced the scattering crowd and addressed the remaining recruits. "Take an hour, and report back here. Tell the others that have already left to not be late, or punishments will be dished out."

The recruits nodded and headed off, chatting among themselves leisurely.

This was unacceptable – and Dimitri was referring to both Christian being insulted and the recruits having a nice time. Not that Christian didn't deserve something like that, but Lissa should have known better than to insult his manhood.

Oh well.

Then there was the issue of the recruits actually enjoying themselves. No, that cannot continue. The first three months for them had to be hell, in living conditions equivalent to that in hell or worst. Which they would quickly find out, Dimitri thought smugly. Then only the strongest of the batch would remain, and those would be transferred to the Vampire Academy to be trained to be full-fledged Guardians.

For now, it was his responsibility to eliminate the weak that would not survive in the harsh reality. He was doing them a favor actually, giving them a chance to actually live their life to the fullest rather than throwing it away just because they were stubborn.

And his first unofficial mission was to get rid of Rose and Lissa.


	3. Chapter 2 : Camaraderie

**A/N : Thanks for all the reviews, guys! **

**As a treat, here's chapter two slightly earlier than intended. **

**And for those of you guys who are reading Fixing the Broken, the next update for me would be for that story! So, the next update for this story might not be too soon, maybe the end of next week? Anyway, enjoy! :)**

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><p>Rose plopped her duffel which contained her measly belongings onto the double decked bed – if you even consider it one. It was only a thin piece of mattress that smelled suspiciously like dinner left out in the sun for a few weeks to decay, on top of a wooden support which didn't seem supportive at all.<p>

The most worrying part?

She was on the bottom bunk.

"Remind me again why you got the top bunk?" She groused to Lissa, who was still wrinkling her nose in distaste at the layout of the dorm, or as she had recently named it, a-in-dire-need-of-repairs-kennel. Which made them bitches, Rose thought with a grin, though she didn't point that out to Lissa who seemed to be in a pretty bad mood already.

"Because you love me and want the best for me." Lissa answered vacantly from the top bunk, only her bobbing head in sight as she sifted through her much bigger assortment of clothes and accessories. Not that Lissa hadn't offered Rose to buy everything she could ever wish for, but Rose was just too proud to accept any help from others. Whatever clothes she wore, she had scrimped and saved to get the money to buy them.

In fact, the idea of embarking on the journey towards becoming a Guardian was entirely Rose's idea. Lissa was just along for the ride because they were, and still are, inseparable. Not that Lissa wasn't Guardian material – she was as good a fighter as Rose was, which was pretty damn good, if she would say so herself. Growing up in an under-privileged neighborhood had forced her to learn how to defend herself so she didn't get picked on, and also how to inflict as much hurt on someone so that they never dared to threaten her again.

"I'm obviously the foolish and dumb one in this relationship then." Rose grumbled, wincing when the wooden poles creaked and protested at every sharp movement from Lissa above. She had never been one to suffer from claustrophobia, but right then, she had the fear that she just might die if the wooden poles decided to take a break and gave way, squashing her flat.

Not exactly a dignified way to pass on.

"Are you absolutely, _positively, _hundred-percent sure that there's nothing that I can bargain with you for the top bunk?" Rose pleaded with Lissa, her hands clasped together. "I'll even let you buy me something nice to wear!"

Lissa arched an eyebrow. "That desperate, huh?"

"Yeah!" Rose nodded her head vigorously. "I'm on my knees here, Liss. _Please."_

"You're not on your knees." Lissa pointed out while folding a pair of jeans.

Rose glanced at the ashen ground and shook her head. "Too dirty. Use your imagination."

Lissa rolled her eyes. "That defeats the entire purpose, Rosie."

"Oh come on!" Rose pouted. "After all the favors I've done for you, this is the least you can do!"

Lissa tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Let me finance whatever you buy for the next month and you got a deal."

Rose groaned, slapping a hand over her forehead. An entire month of Lissa fussing over her choice of clothes and picking for her all the expensive ones that she could never afford in her lifetime? "Can't we discuss thi – "

"No, not up for discussion," Lissa wagged her head back and forth for emphasis, even holding up her hands. "a month or nothing."

"Fine!" Rose agreed grumpily. "A month."

"And that's before we factor in the bet that you just lost." Lissa continued cheerily, probably delighted that she could finally increase Rose's limited wardrobe. Exponentially.

"Don't remind me." Rose sighed, still brooding over that loss. After they had heard that Dimitri Belikov – a famous Guardian with a reputation for his legendary control – would be one of their instructors in the boot camp, Lissa had wagered a bet with her that she would be unable to elicit any reaction from him with all her anger-inducing antics.

Rose had accepted. After all, she was legendary in her own right – making a person go crazy with frustration till they were literally pulling at their hair and screaming incoherently. Wasn't something to be proud of, but still one of the many talents at her disposal.

What she hadn't counted on was how… cold Dimitri was.

He was nearing perfection in terms of appearance, rough chiseled features that could have been cut out from granite, carelessly cut hazel hair and intense brown eyes that pierced through her very soul whenever he looked – or glared – at her. He towered over everybody, his height giving him an intimidating presence. Rose herself wasn't that short, but she knew without a doubt that if Dimitri stood in front of her, he would practically dwarf her.

And damn if that thought didn't thrill her in some primal way.

She had always been regarded as too violent to other boys – in her defense, she had no other choice to survive in the world – and only had one boyfriend in the past. Even then, due to her strength as a Dhampir, she was afraid that she might actually _harm _him without knowing it. That means that she had to be careful around him all the damn time, and that just didn't cut it for her. But with Dimitri…

Wait, why was she even thinking along that line?

Dimitri exuded an aura of frigidness. His eyes were cold and calculative, gauging every single person with the same disinterest and disgust. He didn't seem capable of affection or anything related to _emotions _in general. One thing was for sure, he'll make the worst lover possible.

_Not going there, remember?_

He was about as cold as an arctic wasteland could get and considering how his country of origin was Siberia…

Don't ask her how she knew that. She definitely had _not _researched on her to-be-instructor, definitely had _not _gushed over his appearance and definitely _never _fantasized about him at night. Uh uh, no way. It was just a . . . lucky guess. Yeah, that's it! Just a pure stroke of luck.

Anyway, she still couldn't get over how his attitude had changed in a split second. When she had ignored his order to get into line and started whispering to Lissa to look like they were having a conversation, she could almost _feel _him seething. And he couldn't quite hide his anger in his first barked order for them to get into position.

But then, it was like a blanket fell into place, smothering the embers of his anger and leaving him just cold. Or a drastic change in temperature. That was the exact impression Rose had gotten when he uttered the second command.

_Chilling and empty._

Emotionless.

Either he had a really tight leash on his emotions – true to his reputation – or he was incapable of feeling.

Why did the latter cause her to feel a strange pang in her chest?

Obviously, she had failed to rile Dimitri up. Instead, she had only succeeded in getting herself angry at _him _for being so damn in control.

"Coupled with the punishment for losing the bet…" Lissa pressed a few buttons on an imaginary calculator before turning to Rose with a raised eyebrow. "That brings it up to a total of . . . oh, lookie! Three months."

Rose gaped. Three months? Her ego would never live it down. "Let's be reasonable now, Lissa…"

Lissa shook her head, her hastily tied up ponytail swinging in unison. "You have to know when to pamper yourself too, Rosie. And I say that it's time to lay back and let me pay for all your expenses. Anyway, the last I checked, your bank savings are drying up."

"Not true," Rose protested, while in actual fact, drying up was an understatement. Try dried up with no hope for rain since she was now unable to work. "I have cash on me – "

"Which amounts to less than ten." At Rose's enquiring look, Lissa shrugged. "I went through your stuff while you were asleep on the bus."

"Lissa!"

"What?" Lissa asked, all innocence.

_Ergh. _Arguing with Lissa was useless once she was adamant about something. "Fine, three months. Now can we _please _switch beds?"

Lissa laughed and swung her legs over the side of her bed, landing with the grace of a feline. "Sure."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Rose climbed up the rungs of the wooden ladder that also appeared to be on the verge of collapse and set down her items. From her vantage point, she could see and hear the many conversations going on in the room – most of which was interrupted only by pointed glares at Lissa and whispered words that sounded suspiciously like 'that bitch insulted Christian!"

Surprise surprise, only an hour into the camp and Christian had rallied up support of all the other girls.

Christian looks were striking, in the I-can-make-your-darkest-fantasies-come-through way with his wicked grin that promised nights filled with sinful pleasure and sapphire blue eyes that dazzled and entranced. His raven hair complemented well with his tanned complexion, another thing going for his sex drive. Well, until Lissa sent it down the drain, of course. That didn't seem to dampen the other female recruits' attraction to him though.

The funniest part? They seemed to believe that she and Christian had shared a past.

"Can you believe that bitch actually insulted Christian?" Rachel was saying to her group of friends, a furious frown on her face. "She was obviously lying! Someone as hot – " she released a dreamy sigh " – as Christian won't have such problems."

"What about Dimitri?" A blue-haired girl who had introduced herself as Sharon piped up while brushing her hair, a gleam in her eyes. "He's hot too."

Rose tensed immediately at the sound of Dimitri's name on another girl's lips, not knowing why she reacted that way.

"Dimitri? Yeah, he's definitely bitable!" A blonde, Ronnie, giggled and Rose took an instant dislike to her – again, without knowing why. Maybe it was her high-pitched giggle that got on her nerves? "But he's real strict too."

"I bet he likes it kinky." Freya, a black-haired girl said, grinning. "I won't mind submitting to him. Did you see his muscles?"

The most feminine part of Rose labeled Freya as a bitch.

Lorraine, another blonde nodded rapidly, her hair whipping into the air like a lash. "Oh my gosh, it's like, so big!"

Rose barely stopped herself from shouting at them in a sudden spur of anger. What right did they have to discuss about Dimitri?

Wait, what right did _she_ have to be angry about that?

The last girl in the group, Carol, sat silent. Rose thought she was the best among them, mainly because she hadn't talked about Dimi –

"Dibs on Dimitri." Carol declared with a flourish of her hand.

Okay, fuck that. They're all fucking bitches.


	4. Chapter 3 : Comfort

**A/N : Changed the story name! For a good reason too, for the title is the theme song for the relationship between Christian and Lissa. **

**So go to youtube, search 'What makes you beautiful' by One Direction, and imagine Christian and Lissa. I swear the lyrics fit perfectly. **

**Rose and Dimitri, you ask? That will be revealed in due time ;)**

**Edit : Changed the title again... Don't ask me why, I just felt that it didn't suit the story well. Hopefully, this story title will stick now.  
><strong>

**Oh, one more thing before you get to reading the story. I'm working part-time now, which leaves me little to no time to write stories. Since I do it for my leisure, I find it really hard to actually sit down and type. It will probably take me much longer to upload than before, maybe only a short chapter of around this length once a week. Sorry for any inconvenience :/ I will, however, be able to spend more time writing at the end of January because that's when my work ends. So, until then, I apologize for my updates that will become less and less frequent :|**

**But for now, enjoy a little sisterly romance between Rose and Lissa :D**

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><p>"Rose," Lissa mumbled, using her knuckles to hammer lightly on the bunk above. She had an uncanny sense of telling when Rose was nearing the boundaries of her less-than-legendary control. And she knew without a doubt that Rose was already edging off the cliff. "ignore them. They're not worth it."<p>

"I can't" was the gritted response from above.

Lissa sighed. "We really don't want to be kicked out of this training camp before it even started for murder."

"It won't be murder," Rose snarled darkly. "but a mysterious disappearance. They won't be able to find the bodies."

A pretty impossible claim, considering the Dhampir's superior senses, but Rose had pulled it off on several occasions.

Several occasions where Lissa had been her partner-in-crime.

"Or you can just kick their ugly asses later on the obstacle course." She suggested.

Lissa could almost feel the sudden change in her best friend's temper. "Of course!" The clapping of her hands. "I'll kill them a_fter _I disgrace them then."

Lissa rolled her eyes despite knowing that Rose couldn't see it. "No killing, Rose."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

Rose's head popped up from above, her hair cascading around her upside-down face. Her mouth was pulled into a pout. "Spoil sport."

Lissa grinned. "If I don't stop you all the time, there won't be enough people on earth to populate it."

Rose withdrew her head with a huff. "You're exaggerating."

"I'm not. How many times have you wanted to recklessly charge out and kill someone just because he or she looked at you funny?"

"Erm, once?"

Lissa snorted. "Hardly. I've kept count. Five thousand, three hundred and sixty seven times. And that's not including the times you actually _did_."

"In my defense, they were all jerks."

Lissa sobered instantly at that word. _Jerks. _Unfortunately, she herself already had numerous encounters with people that fell into that category. To put it more bluntly, all the guys she had dated before were jerks.

Dickheads weren't even a good enough insult for the likes of them.

Maybe only after you add asshole and fucktard, along with a pinch of bastard and multiply the entire thing by a thousand.

Maybe then will it suffice –

Na, nope. Nothing came close.

And to make her already miserable life even more miserable, God had to throw a particularly irresistible and too-handsome-for-his-own-good Christian Ozera her way. And to top it all off, Christian had flirted with every girl in the camp openly, not even bothering to conceal the fact that he was a playboy.

A playboy that deserved to have his fucking cock cut off, like every last one of them.

Lissa had been hurt irrevocably when the young, naïve version of her had been dumped unceremoniously by whom she assumed to be the love of her life. She had only been fifteen when Joel came into her life; a charming boy that took her breath away with his easy compliments and gorgeous smile.

Along with her virginity.

And what did that fucker do after that? Left her without a single word. Disappeared entirely from her life, not even bothering to leave her a message or give her a phone call.

It was like he had never existed.

But Lissa knew better, for Joel had taken a part of her away forever.

A fragment of her that she would never get back, or be foolish enough to let go of again.

"Lissa!" Rose's worried voice cut through her reverie. "I'm sorry, it was a slip of the tongue. You okay? Shit, you're trembling." Lissa blinked past the hot flood of tears as Rose's arms wrapped around her soothingly. Instantly, she leaned into her embrace, seeking comfort from the only place she had ever known.

"It's okay," Rose cooed, stroking the length of Lissa's arm. "don't think about that fucker, he's probably burning in hell now."

Lissa sniffed. "I won't wish that on anybody. Not even him."

Rose frowned, though she never ceased the movements of her hand. "I never understand you sometimes, Liss. You're way too kind-hearted. Luckily, I'm here to destroy the people who dare try to take advantage of you."

Lissa gave a bout of self-deprecation laughter. "I can't muster up enough hatred against him, Rose. He probably doesn't even know we – " She indicated the female population with a flick of her wrist " – have emotions."

It was true; Lissa could not get herself to hate Joel, no matter how much and deep he had wounded her. After all, he probably took her for just another one of his many conquests, and it was _her _fault for thinking otherwise, that he was her one and only.

After he had vanished, Lissa was left to brood over why the relationship was a complete disaster. Did she do something wrong? Did she not meet Joel's expectations; appearance-wise or sexually? Or was it doomed for failure from the start?

All of those thoughts had built up insecurity – the very same insecurity that still clung to Lissa now, refusing to let go.

She couldn't lie to herself that when Christian had called her beautiful, she had not taken any delight in the compliment. No, quite the contrary in fact. She had reveled in it; loving that someone saw her as beautiful, regardless of what might had been his motives. After all, the little girl residing inside of her still constantly sought affection and approval to alleviate the insecurity she felt.

Lissa felt Rose grow rigid beside her, her hands around her shoulders stiffening in anger. "I'll show that fucker exactly how much emotions we actually possess. . . by tearing him from limb to fucking limb."

"Rose – "

"No, Lissa." Rose said fiercely, her eyes blazing. "I won't allow anybody to hurt you. Those who do will suffer a fate worse than death – by my hands."

Lissa knew every word that Rose said was true, she was unreasonably protective of her. As was Lissa of Rose, for they both found comfort in each other's presence, drawing strength from each other. At least with Rose, Lissa felt treasured and loved, no matter if it wasn't exactly the love she desperately longed for.

At least it assuaged the pain of being ignored by her family all her life; the pain of being deprived of any motherly or fatherly love that other children took for granted.

"Come on, Lissa. Stop it. I hate seeing you like this." Rose mumbled, brushing away the tendrils of hair that tumbled onto her face tenderly. "It's all in the past, it's time to move on."

"I know, I know." Lissa sniffed, once again fighting the urge to cry. "I hate feeling like this."

Rose nodded solemnly before breaking into a grin. "Look on the bright side; we're going to annihilate the other girls later. Then we can kill – "

"No killing, Rose, and that's final."

Rose glared briefly at Lissa, but there was no heat behind it. "Who gave you the authority to dictate my actions again?"

"You!"

"Wow, I must have been pretty dumb back then to do that."

"You still are."

Both girls glared at each other for a second before bursting into laughter.

"Oh god, Rose, I love you." Lissa wrapped her arms around Rose's neck, incredibly grateful for such a good friend.

"Me too, Lissa," Rose patted her back. "Love you, that is. Not myself."

"I swear, if you have a dick, I will marry you."

Rose raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Attached or detached? I can always go and cut one off – "

"No, Rose, don't do that…"


	5. Chapter 4 : Throttled

**Sorry guys, a short chapter this time round! Just a little bit of banter between Christian and Dimitri, and some information - or lack of it - about Christian's past. And would you like to see Sydney and Adrian being added to this story as well? They'll be a couple too! Tell me what you want :)**

**And of course, review please! They really keep me going!**

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><p>Thirty minutes later found Dimitri holding a cup of warm coffee, offering it to a gloomy looking Christian to try to comfort him. "Come on man, where's that asshole that always bounce back stronger than ever after every fall?"<p>

Christian, propping his chin up with his arms on the wooden table, grimaced. "I was never rejected _so _badly before." He gave a bout of self-deprecating laughter. "I don't think my cock had ever been insulted that way either."

Dimitri hated seeing his friend so downcast. He could almost see the storm cloud hanging over his head. "Is there anything that I can do?" When Christian looked up with the familiar glint in his eyes, he shook his head before Christian spoke a single word. "Besides for bringing you a harem of women."

Christian made a face. "In that case, no." The dark-haired Guardian proceeded to bang his head against the table.

Dimitri frowned, not really knowing how to console his friend. "I can't exactly compliment your cock since I've never seen it before – and I have no intention of ever seeing it, mind you – but from the praises you always receive, I can confidently say that" – He took a deep breath for the courage to say the next few words that will no doubt scar him for life – "your cock is definitely fit for duty."

A few seconds passed in awkward silence while Christian glanced unbelievingly at Dimitri. Finally, his lips curved into a wide grin, his eyes alit with amusement. "I can't comprehend what it cost you to say those words, but I know one thing for sure – I'm going to have something to tease you about for the rest of my life."

Dimitri scowled, not knowing which side of Christian he despised more. The bright and cheery one which irritated him to no end, or the lethargic one which made him feel equally tired and sad. "Which won't be long if you don't man up and stop brooding over what Lissa said."

"You won't kill me," Christian answered flippantly, getting up with exaggerated slowness just to push his buttons. "Damn, my leg is numb from sitting for so long. Can you be a dear and help massage it for me?"

Dimitri showed him exactly what he thought of his request – with his middle finger. "Fuck off."

"What, no more sympathy for me already?" Christian pouted, fingers curling around the mug of coffee as he slowly brought it up to his mouth. "And I thought I was finally getting to you."

"Wishful thinking." Dimitri surveyed the more elaborate cabin he and Christian shared. Most of the furniture were made of polished wood, with the occasional vase with withered flowers – courtesy of Christian since he always 'forgets' to water them – and a glass case that displayed their numerous awards and accomplishments. Christian had a special plaque of his own, one that declares him the 'Number 1 Orgiver', short form for orgasm giver. "We have to meet the recruits in about" – Dimitri glanced at the time on the wall clock – "twenty-five minutes to brief them about the obstacle course. Go and get ready for it."

"Yes, sir." Christian mock saluted him. "Anything else, sir? Should I suck your cock while I'm at it?"

Dimitri pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sometimes, I wonder how you manage to get to this position."

"Your guess is as good as mine." Christian smiled, but there was an edge to it that Dimitri recognized as bitterness. Why? Dimitri knew almost nothing about his friend's past; Christian continued to refuse to reveal anything about it. Maybe one day he will finally manage to get it out of him, but he wasn't going to hold his breath.

Besides, Christian's a damned good Guardian – when he decides to be one anyway. If not, he's a nuisance; a noisy and whiny nuisance. It's like Christian has some sort of switch that can be flipped on or off to change his personality. Another thing that Dimitri realized is that Christian seems to use his cheerful side as a sort of . . . shield – he couldn't find a better word to describe it – against people when they get too affectionate with him. He wondered what could possibly have molded Christian into who he is now.

But he wasn't going to push Christian for answers.

Not now, anyway.

"Guessing was never my strength." Dimitri said, arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the kitchen counter, the sole thing in the cabin made of marble.

"That's too bad, then." Christian replied, having already drained the contents in the mug. He walked over to the basin to wash it. "What about your imagination?"

"What about it?" Dimitri asked, suddenly weary.

"Is it good?"

"What's your motive this time?"

Christian looked over his shoulder, eyebrows raised. "What makes you think that I have a motive for asking that? It might just be an innocent question."

Dimitri snorted. "And I'm the fucking tooth fairy."

Christian's eyes narrowed as he spun around. "You are? Well, that make things simpler for me. I would like to know why you didn't leave me a penny when you took my baby teeth – "

An exasperated growl from Dimitri. "I was _kidding, _Christian."

Christian's face remained perfectly serious. "Denying me a much needed massage wasn't enough for you, huh? Now you have to go and dash my childhood dream of meeting the tooth fairy?"

A sudden urge to throttle Christian almost overwhelmed Dimitri. "I don't know why I bother talking to you."

"I don't know either," Christian responded, grinning. "must be my irresistible charisma that somehow draws you. Or maybe – hey, why are you looking at me like that? And why are you walking towards me with your hands outstretched? Do you want to give me a hug? Aw, that's – "

Christian only managed a small yelp before Dimitri grabbed his neck and throttled him to his heart's content.


	6. Chapter 5 : The Obstacles

**A/N : Hullo. Okay, so just a little bit of news - I'm going to write a story about Adrian and Sydney. Just wondering whether you want me to seperate these three stories, or incorporate every little bit of romance into one lump under The Sweetest Surrender.**

**And for the folks that have just started reading my stories, another reminder to check out Fixing the Broken, my other story revolving around Eddie Castile. I'll do this reminder thing every few chapters, so please don't be miffed about it! :P**

**Okay, on to the story.**

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><p>"Was that really necessary?" Christian grumbled, running his hands up and down the bruised length of his neck, wincing slightly. He knew that Dimitri had somewhat of an explosive temper – despite his cold exterior, especially when Dimitri was dealing with him – but he had not expected his friend to <em>throttle <em>him. "I can't even turn my neck!"

"You'll live," Dimitri answered curtly, barely sparing him a glance. They were both walking to the rendezvous point decided on earlier – a large sandy area near the obstacle course the recruits will be taking on in a short while. After giving the two word answer which translated to a figurative middle finger, Dimitri increased his pace, forcing Christian to practically jog to keep up with his longer strides.

"Slowing down is the least you can do after you injured me so badly." Christian whined.

"Be grateful I didn't kill you." Dimitri said, his words devoid of any trace of emotions as his mask of control slipped into place. "Get your act together; the recruits are already there." He jabbed a finger at a rowdy group of people in the distance.

Christian acknowledged his words with a nod, then winced at the jolt of pain. "Fucking son of a bitch."

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><p>Rose whistled appreciatively at the obstacle course. The bunks – with the exception of the Officers' one, of course – were all in shambles and looked as if they would topple over from a slight push of her finger, but the obstacle course in front of her was in a whole different league.<p>

It looked absolutely brand new and in perfect condition.

Rose gave the course a run-down, noting and deducing which particular stage might prove a problem for her. The first part of the course boasted of a single log propped up by a metal contraption, elevating it from the ground. Probably a balancing test, Rose thought, which she could sail pass with ease.

Next in line was a monkey bar, though the bars were spaced further apart than normal, requiring the person to swing and throw him or herself into the air for a moment to get to the next bar. A slightly harder challenge, but not too much of a problem for her either.

The third part of the course will force the recruits to crawl under the barb wires to reach the other end over about fifty meters of grainy sand. It would have been simple for her a few years back, but now with her considerable bosom… not so much.

Cursing inwardly for her growth boost, Rose's gaze shifted to the fourth and final stretch. _Now that's interesting. _The last portion of the obstacle course was a hundred meter dash, with traps littered all over the place. Unlike the terrain around it, the land resembled a forested region, with grass and leaves and trees. Of course, it also provided much more foliage and cover for traps that were lying in wait for a very, very unfortunate contestant.

Rose had no intention of being that unfortunate person.

Lissa poked her in the shoulder. "Erm, _hello?" _Exasperation in every single word.

Rose swung her head back to face her friend. "Yeah? Was just checking the obstacle course out."

Lissa gave a great huff, tossing back her glorious mane of hair. "I was asking you" – she made a face – "before I was so rudely interrupted by you 'checking the obstacle course out' how you would like to spend the weekend we have off."

"Oh," Rose said. The camp they were in worked on a five-day training basis, with Saturday and Sunday off for leisure and relaxation. "Isn't it a bit too early to discuss that?" It was after all, only Monday.

"It's never too early to talk about the weekend." Lissa made a face as she ran her fingers through the silky mass of her hair. A devilish glint lit up her eyes when she next looked up. "And don't think that I've forgotten about how I get to buy you a truckload of clothes."

Rose sighed at Lissa's perverse sense of satisfaction. "Of all things you remember, you must remember _that?"_

"What's more important than buying clothes for my thrifty friend?" Lissa laughed, then her expression turned solemn, spotting the arrival of their two officers. "Here they come : Instructor Belikov and," she rolled her eyes, "Mr. You-Can-Call-Me-Sweetie-Pie."

Rose stifled her giggle, then frowned as she observed how stiffly Christian was walking. "Hey, does it look to you as if Christian has some sort of neck inju – "

"Alright," Dimitri shouted as he approached, interrupting her mid-speech, "get into line, everyone. We don't have time to waste." Now dressed in a form fitting plain black shirt that made every ridge of his muscled abdomen obvious, he definitely looked _bitable. _Add in some whipped cream and a layer of melted chocolate over that tanned complexion –

Rose scowled at the direction of her thoughts, shaking her head as if to dislodge the pictures that crept unbidden into her mind. Of course, it was futile. Her noble attempts to do exactly that was no match for her prurient interest in the coldly perfection that was Dimitri – _Oops, she did not just think that_.

"Miss Hathaway and Miss Dragomir, will you mind hurrying it up?" Christian's throaty voice called out. "I will like you all to get started on the obstacle course, preferably, oh I don't know, before New Year?"

Amidst snickers from the other recruits, Lissa gave Christian a withering stare that no doubt have felled weaker men as she got into line. Christian just stared right back, unblinking – and wincing slightly? – as he tilted his head slightly to indicate them to get a move on. "Hurry up, we don't have all day."

Dimitri spoke up next, Rose feeling his eyes drilling a hole through her back as she continued to walk with deliberate slowness. "Miss Hathaway, are you trying to get yourself kicked out? Because at this rate, I think you are on your way towards having the honor of being the first recruit to be hauled back to civilization in less than two hours."

Feeling frisky, Rose decided that it was time to put Dimitri's legendary control to the test. She whipped around, putting on the best haughty expression she could manage. "I'm so sorry for my slow movements, _Instructor Belikov."_ She apologized with a mock grimace, then drew out the anticipation for a second longer to build the tension before delivering her next line.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have had my first anal experience last night."


	7. Chapter 6 : Adrian To The Rescue!

Dimitri had expected some sort of retort when he had commanded Rose to quicken her pace, but what he had not expected was for her to say something so damn… well, unexpected. Even as he struggled past his anger –which he had no trouble dealing with after his first encounter with Rose – another darker and more primal emotion emerged to batter at his already weakening control.

One that he immediately recognized as jealousy.

Shocked by the intensity of the foreign emotion, Dimitri clenched his fists and grasped for a semblance of control. He did _not _care what Rose did in her spare time; she can go fuck a goat for all he cared.

Expect he might just hunt down that goat and kill –

_Get a hold of yourself, Dimitri! _He chastised himself, releasing his fingers one by one, noting the marks where his nails had dug into skin. In another second, he had regulated his breathing and was no longer teetering at the fine edge of his rage. Meeting Rose's expectant stare another moment later, he stuffed every last bit of that savage emotion behind a cold shield of sheer will.

And forced himself to smile.

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><p>Of all the things Rose anticipated Dimitri of doing after she dropped the bombshell, she had not anticipated the cold smile to creep onto his face.<p>

A face that bore an equally cold expression.

Even the words that followed were calculative and measured, without any trace of emotion. "Your personal life is none of my concern, Miss Hathaway, but I'll appreciate if you do not mention such matters again."

Rose felt her bottom lip quiver slightly at his words, but under Dimitri's sharp gaze, she didn't want to let him know just how badly his words had hurt her. All her life, nobody had ever shown her the slightest bit of concern. Her family – if you would even consider her drunk of a father and whore of a mother that – had never given two fucks about their little girl who had to literally fight to survive in the shady neighborhood she was living in. Maybe that's why Lissa and Rose got along so well together; because they found in each other the things that they were sorely lacking in their individual lives.

Hating herself for allowing someone she scarcely knew hurt her so much with words alone, Rose nodded, not trusting herself to speak without quavering and acquiesced to his order, walking head down to the end of the line, blinking back the hot flood of tears. _Damn it, why does he have to make me feel so vulnerable?_

Rose despised feeling the vulnerability she carried like a veil around her during her childhood years. She had always prayed for a respite from the numerous beatings she would receive from the older and more aggressive teenagers prowling around.

Her prayers, of course, were unanswered, evident by how she had grown up to not take shit from anyone, not listen to any orders given.

But this shit from her superiors, she will endure.

Because nothing will prevent her from reaching her goal of becoming a Guardian, and helping the exact same vulnerable people she empathized and understood with a clarity that nobody would comprehend – unless they had been in their shoes once before.

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><p>Dimitri's eyes followed Rose as she trudged to her position, her face obscured by the midnight fall of her hair. Ignoring the sudden jolt of concern he felt towards her, along with the inexplicable urge to hold her in his arms till she opened up to him – he fisted his hands to stop himself from reaching out for her – he faced the rest of the wide-eyed recruits and addressed them. "Christian will now split you up into your respective groups for the challenge, which will stick for the rest of the year."<p>

Numerous groans and complains filled the air as the recruits whined about forming their own groups according to their preferences.

"Sorry, but no. When you become a full-fledged Guardian, you cannot control who you end up working with, so you have to manage with whoever you are grouped with. There can be no compromise on this; it is crucial that you learn how to work with others you might not like and figure out how to overcome the tension." Dimitri explained, all the while finding himself searching for Rose sub-consciously as if to check on her.

He almost rolled his eyes when he spotted her chatting happily with Lissa, her previous gloomy mood forgotten. Soul finally at peace for unfathomable reasons, Dimitri handed over the reins to Christian who walked forward, still a little stiffly with his bruised neck, and began with the briefing. In the meantime, he had someone to contact.

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><p>Adrian Ivashkov woke up to the irritating, incessant and ear-blaringly loud damnation that was the ring-tone of his phone – which genius had decided that Crazy Frog suited him?<p>

Grumbling and swearing under his breath, he extended a hand and groped blindly for that electronic device that had just found a one way ticket to the garbage bin in the morning. Mind still foggy with lethargy, his fingers closed around the offending phone and, only then, did he open his eyes and look at the glowing screen.

**Dimitri Belikov.**

It had been a long time since he had gotten a phone call from his fellow Guardian, and intrigue warred with fatigue to claim victory. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he pressed the button to answer the call. "Do you have any idea what time it is here?" He complained without preamble as he glanced at the clock on his night stand.

Three fifty-five a.m.

"Of course" was the reply, followed by a smug, "Three fifty-five in the morning."

Adrian groaned. "What have I ever done to you to deserve this? If this is payback for that time I stole your clothes while you were bathing and forced you to return to the room naked – "

"That was _you?"_

_Oops. _"Shit, Dimitri!" Wide awake now, Adrian faked static noises while squeezing incoherent words in between. "I… think… that my… connection is… failing…"

"Nice try," Dimitri snorted. "We are all using satellite phones, retard."

"Oh, right." Adrian cursed the administration for their high tech gadgets that just obliterated his getaway plan. "It seemed better than the alternative."

"What's that?"

"This," With that, Adrian hung up.

Only to be disturbed a second later.

"What now?" Adrian growled, no longer in such a jolly good mood. He got cranky whenever he didn't have enough sleep.

An exasperated sigh from the other end. "Adrian, this is important. I need you to fly over to San Francisco tomorrow morning to join me and Christian at the training camp."

Now, this was interesting. "Why?" Christian and Dimitri had always been able to handle the recruits by themselves all along and never called for assistance.

Until now.

"This batch of recruits are… quite a handful." The understatement of the century. And it wasn't every single one of them, but only some.

Two of them, to be exact.

The rich sound of Adrian's laughter. "Finally met your match?"

"You can say that," Dimitri said grudgingly. "I've already booked your flight at seven a.m. tomorrow, your timing. It's at the – "

"What?" Adrian cut in, sounding flabbergasted. "Did you just say seven?"

"Yes," Dimitri answered, frustrated. "And you have to get to the airport by six to check in – "

"What the fuck, Dimitri? No sane person gets up before twelve!"

"Quite the contrary, Adrian," Dimitri sighed, used to such conversations with the other Guardian who had the personality of a twelve year old. Similar to Christian, he mused. "Most sane people get up before twelve."

"You're insane." The other Guardian muttered.

"I rest my case," Dimitri chuckled. "Oh, and I've got the Organisation to ring you so you don't oversleep and miss your flight. If everything goes well, you'll be here with us at camp by Wednesday morning." The Organisation is the center in charge of managing flights for Guardians across countries.

"Morning again?" Adrian moaned, rubbing his forehead. "You do like to torture me, don't you?"

"Guilty as charged." A pause, a shout in the background. "Look, got to go. They're taking their first shot at the obstacle course."

Adrian grinned, remembering _their _first try at it. "Any high hopes for them?"

"No. If they get through it without any casualties, I'm happy enough." Dimitri mumbled, before uttering a quick farewell and ending the connection.

Adrian placed the phone back onto the nightstand and crawled back under the sheets, closing his eyes blissfully shut.

A second later, the phone call from The Organisation came in. "You have to get up now if you want to catch your flight!" The bright and cheerful feminine voice said gleefully as his phone answered the call automatically as it was programmed to.

Adrian threw a pillow over his phone and went back to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>REVIEEEWWWW! :D<strong>


	8. Chapter 7 : Groups!

**So! Christmas is around the corner (I have to work on that day :c) and I'm hoping you guys are having fun with the preparations! We don't really celebrate it in Singapore, at least not with as much hype as other countries, but here's to a very merry christmas!**

**Onto the story then!**

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><p>Christian had no idea who Dimitri was talking to in hushed tones, but he did catch a few words that ascertained his guess of him calling in 'reinforcements'. There was one thing that Christian was sure of though, and that was that most of the Guardians that he and Dimitri knew were already occupied with protecting the Morois they were put in charge of, leaving only a few for Dimitri's selection.<p>

Shrugging away his musings about the mysterious Guardian that might soon be joining their ranks as an instructor, Christian faced the chattering recruits, turning his neck slowly to lessen the stinging pain that accompanied such a minor movement. "Here in my hand is the list of your groupings," He began, and was awarded with the recruits' undivided attention almost instantly, each of them staring at him (and the piece of crumbled paper in his hand) warily. "Come on guys, you all look as if this is your funeral."

"Not far from the truth." A blond boy muttered, to the agreement of his group of friends sitting around him.

"Working with people you don't know isn't _all _that bad." Christian reasoned, looking from one recruit to the next before landing on Lissa, who refused to meet his gaze. Rather, she was staring off into the distance somewhere behind him, as if trying to ignore him, but not quite succeeding in her endeavor neither.

He expected to feel some anger, some sort of resentment towards the girl that had insulted him, but all he felt was. . . something akin to pride for Lissa.

All his years in his career as a Guardian, Christian had to protect and defend countless females of varying ages, and almost all of them would cry over the smallest scratch or bruise due to their sheltered childhood. To be perfectly honest, he never did like those vulnerable and easily breakable women.

For one thing, he had to be _extremely _careful with them during sex in fear of hurting them. Moreover, they tended to be clingy and hard to shake off, and Christian preferred a no-string-attached sort of relationship.

A particular experience with one girl, Alexis, had sealed the deal for him to never date such girls again. It was fun – satisfying – at the start to know that she always relied on him for security and needed him like a man needed air, but soon it got way too irritating. And when he had tried to break it off with her, her bottom quivered and she cried.

Fucking _cried._

The next day, Christian found himself facing a lawsuit for 'emotional damage'.

Frowning at that memory, he interlaced his fingers together behind his back. "In fact, you might make more friends and realize that you people have more in common than you think." Christian lifted up the piece of paper, smoothening it out on his palm and glanced at the groupings while murmurs of dissent broke out among the recruits.

Dimitri was responsible for grouping the recruits; he has a notorious reputation for being a heartless bastard and putting the recruits who have a grudge against each other in the same team. Christian winced when he noted that Lissa and Rose were in different teams.

He didn't want to be the one announcing that fact.

Resigning himself to the inevitable violent objections from the devil pair, Christian took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, steeling himself. "There are a total of four groups, with six members in each one." The murmurs died down, twenty-four pair of eyes swiveling to face him. "Patrick, Seth, Gale, Richard, Sam and Rachel, you guys are in group one."

The boys stood up, and Christian noticed a few of them exchanging glares. Rachel, the sole girl in the group, made a mournful expression and turned to complain to her friends, who gave her sympathetic smiles. Lips threatening to curve at the tension already within the first grouping, Christian pretended to cough into his fist. "Next group…"

He managed the next grouping without any incident.

The problem only arose at the third grouping, which Rose was in. "Frank, Nate, Elton, Rose and Ronnie, you're in group thr – "

"What!" Rose vaulted to her feet, her lips thinned with displeasure even before Christian finished his sentence. Her face livid, she jabbed a finger at a blonde, whom he recognized as Ronnie from her picture. "I refuse to be grouped with that," She struggled to find the appropriate word, then gave a small grunt of frustration when it eluded her. "bimbo!"

Ronnie, obviously thinking that Rose had just somehow complimented her, grinned stupidly.

Christian sighed, expecting as much. "I'm sorry, but – "

"No you're not." Lissa cut in, getting up to her feet as well. Dressed in a loose T-shirt that bagged on her with a pair of shorts and her blonde hair tied into a ponytail, she still looked as stunning as ever.

"Excuse me?" Christian frowned at how much he wanted to run his fingers through Lissa's hair and find out if it felt as silky as it looked.

Lissa narrowed her eyes. "You're not sorry. You separated Rose and I to get back at me for insulting you."

Christian raised an eyebrow at how she looked at him like some sort of bacteria under a microscope. "No, I did not play any part in deciding the groups. Dimitri's responsible for that."

"Prove it!" Lissa huffed out, looking absolutely adorable when she did that.

Unable to stop himself from smiling, Christian found himself walking forward towards her. Rose jumped in front of Lissa instantly, assuming a defensive stance, legs apart with hands at the ready. "Get back," She snapped, her eyes blazing with protectiveness. "You won't lay a finger on Lissa."

"It's okay, Rose." Lissa muttered, patting her friend's shoulder assuringly, all the while staring at Christian with an assessing edge. "I can handle him."

Christian's mind immediately provided him with images of exactly how she might handle him – in bed. Suppressing a groan at the image of Lissa's blonde hair splayed over the pillow, her eyes closed in perpetual bliss as he slid in and out of her –

_Now is hardly the time, Christian! _The reasonable side of him reprimanded.

_But anytime is a good time! _His cock would have protested, and Christian almost rolled his eyes at the comical exchange, except for the fact that he had lived by that motto for the better half of his life.

"Instructor Christian?" Lissa's mockingly sweet voice dragged him out of the sensual state his mind was in. "You were saying?"

Taking a moment to orientate himself, Christian covered the final stretch of distance between them until he was mere inches away from Lissa, who faced him with no signs of fear whatsoever. He saw Rose tense next to Lissa, as if ready to assault him if he so much as attempted to hurt her. Feeling strangely comforted by the fact that Lissa would never be injured with a friend like Rose constantly around her, Christian said, "You said you wanted proof that I'm not involved." The words came out husky.

He saw Lissa gulp – in apprehension? – before nodding slowly, uncertainly. "Yes," she whispered, as if suddenly losing her bravery and courage.

"If that is so," Christian murmured, submitting to the urge to caress her rosy cheeks, a startling contrast to the creamy white of her skin. Lissa stiffened at the first contact, then leaned forward into his touch for a moment before pulling away with an inscrutable expression. "I'll show it to you."

"When?" Her words were now clipped, curt as she took a step backwards.

Mourning the loss of her smooth, flawless and soft skin under his fingertips, Christian fisted his hands by his side to stop himself from reaching out for her. It disconcerted him, the burning compulsion to touch her, to claim her. He had never felt such a strong attraction for any girl before, much less one he had known for hardly a few hours. And it's not as if Lissa will return the affection; she had made it very clear that she had no such intentions when it came to him. "My cabin."

Rose's hand curled into a fist at Christian's suggestive answer. "Fuck off."

Lissa, however, shot her a glance that conveyed more information words ever could, and Rose nodded, backing off. She then turned to Christian, wariness in every groove of concentration on her face. "This sounds suspiciously like a plot to bring me into your lair."

Christian smiled at the bluntness in her statement. "It just might be," Wanting to test her further, he leaned forward, intruding into her space and had the satisfaction of hearing her breathing hitch. "Are you scared?"

* * *

><p>A flash of indignation drained away her fear at Christian's provocation, and Lissa found herself poking a finger at his chest, a solid wall of muscle that radiated masculine heat that made her shiver. Quite absurd, she knew, but that was the only word that made sense. Because what Christian made her feel. . . she rather not contemplate. "No!"<p>

Amusement had his lips curving into a grin that turned him from handsome to devastating. Her traitorous heart fluttered in the face of such male beauty, and she cursed herself for her reaction. Because no way was she going to allow herself to even think about having a one-night stand with Christian, and with him, that was definitely all she was going to get.

Burying the bitterness that threatened to surface at the direction of her thoughts, she sniffed. "I'm not scared of a bully like you."

"Oh?" Christian's eyes darkened with intense emotion, one that made her nipples tighten.

"You should be."


	9. Chapter 8 : Rose, Confused?

**It's Christmas Eve! Happy X'mas Eve, guys! I, for one, did not enjoy the day :/ I was stuck in my new house the entire day unloading my stuff and stuffing them into my wardrobes. What a way to spend the eve of Christmas! And I still have work tomorrow morning to afternoon :( Oh well... Hope you guys had a meaningful eve anyway! **

**Oh yeah, regarding a review about changing the rating from T to M, I've really considered it. But seriously, this is nowhere near the 'M' rating that I have in mind. So a little bit of spoilers here, there is going to be some... steamy hot sex scenes. I'm not kidding. But these parts will be put into a different story with a M rating. I haven't reached that part of this story yet, so this will only be in the near future. When the time comes, I will post a chapter in this story, with a link to the _other _story for people that are interested (and within the age limit) to read. **

**Ironically, I don't fall into the age limit. -cough-**

**ANYWAY, moving on to the story...**

**Concerning another point brought up in a review, I'm sorry for the short chapters, but I really can't summon enough patience to sit on my bed and type anything longer than 2k words in one chapter. I know, I know, I'm lazy. But hey, I'll make up for it with a long-ass chapter... one day. (don't hold your breath!)**

**Enjoy this chapter for now! **

**And don't forget to review! :)**

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><p>Dimitri felt like sighing in exasperation at the sight that met his eyes when he started back towards the crowd, the phone call to Adrian for help settled. Christian was hunched over, leaning towards a defiant-looking Lissa with a devilish grin on his face while the rest of the recruits listened curiously, some casting each other amused, knowing looks at their conversation.<p>

Could he not leave Christian alone for a moment without him flirting with a girl?

And why the hell is he flirting with the girl that had bruised his ego so badly? Jesus, does he ever learn?

Clearing his throat loudly, Dimitri said, "Sorry to break the party, guys, but we have a tight schedule to adhere to. Christian, get the fuck back here."

Christian lifted his head in astonishment at his voice, gave his surroundings a quick scan before discovering Dimitri, then shot him a sheepish grin. "I was telling them their groupings." Lissa, partially obscured by Christian's body, tilted her head out to cast him a glance.

"You did a pretty good job, I see." Dimitri replied dryly, noting the slight flush of Lissa's cheeks with surprise.

"No need for the compliment! I was just doing my job." Christian said modestly, deliberately ignoring his sarcasm tinted words as he waltzed over.

Paying the moron that was Christian no attention, Dimitri snatched the piece of paper with the groupings over from him and continued reading from where Christian had left off. "Frank, Nate, Elton" – A short pause as Dimitri peeped over the piece of paper to where Rose stood with her arms crossed, her lips compressed with anger – "Troy, Rose and. . . Lissa. You are all in group 3."

"Wait! I object – " Rose shouted immediately, then frowned as Dimitri's words sank in slowly. Surely she had heard wrongly? "Did you just say that Lissa and I are in the same group?" She gave Nate, the wiry guy in her group a death stare when he snickered and he blanched, miming zipping his lips shut and throwing away the imaginary key.

She thought she saw Dimitri's gorgeous dark eyes light up briefly with amusement when she turned to face him again, but it was doused out so quickly that she must have imagined it. "Yes, I think you did."

"But Christian said. . ." Rose muttered, pointing a finger at the other instructor, then pursed her lips when she realized she was only succeeding in making a bigger fool of herself.

"We all know Christian is an idiot." Dimitri shrugged, remaining perfectly emotionless despite the gesture. "He probably read it wrong."

Rose saw Christian give his friend a glance – not a venomous one at the insult, but more of an. . . evaluating glance, as if he was seeing him in a new light. Was it true, then? Rose found herself thinking. Did Christian misread the groupings, or had Dimitri done some 'last-minute' modifications to perhaps. . . appease her?

_No. _The answer provided by herself was spontaneous and firm; Dimitri, cold and heartless as he had proven himself to be, will not give a damn about her feelings – or Lissa's, for that matter. In fact, he probably would draw pleasure from tormenting her. But didn't Christian mention that Dimitri was in charge of doing up the groupings? Then why would he put Lissa and her together in the same group in the first place? Why –

_Ergh! _Hating how much Dimitri baffled and disoriented her in the most confounding ways, Rose nodded. "I have nothing against the groupings then."

Once again, Rose thought she saw his lips twitch at her remark, but it was gone a split second later. "That's what I thought."

Gritting her teeth at the patronizing air of his answer, Rose pulled the rein in on her temper. It won't do her any good to shout at Dimitri right now, after he had put Lissa and her together in the same group.

No, he just might change his mind.

But of course, she had to find an outlet for all the anger building inside her from the encounters with the frustratingly distant Dimitri…

Even then, a plan hatched in Rose's mind. A grin threatening to break out across her face, she turned and tapped Lissa on her shoulder. "Hey, Liss?"

Lissa, still looking a little skeptical about being in the same group with her, cocked her head at her. "Yeah?" Rose was dimly aware of Dimitri calling out the names of the recruits in the fourth and final group, too caught up was she in the brilliant plan she had just forged.

"Let's make another bet…"

* * *

><p>"What's that?" Lissa, wary of the gleam in Rose's eyes, asked.<p>

Rose smiled. "I'm going to give making Dimitri explode with anger another shot. Give me one week."

Lissa scowled. "You're trying to worm your way out of me buying clothes for you!"

Rose, with a face so innocent that Lissa knew it was pure bullshit, said, "Now, why would I do that?"

Frustrated, but still mildly amused by her friend, Lissa shook her head even as her lips curved. "If you lose this bet, the penalty will be quadrupled."

Rose's eyes widened, her jaws going slack. "You've got to be kidding me."

"No, I'm not." Lissa's eyes twinkled with merriment as she reveled in her friend's horror. "It's only fair since if you win the bet" – Lissa gave a wag of her finger to indicate how that would never happen – "you're off the hook."

"Just for that," Rose answered with an air of confidence as she tied her hair into a ponytail, "I'll make sure that I win to prove to you that nothing's impossible with me." She paused then, a steely glint entering her eyes as she glanced at the instructor she had to try her very best to drive crazy by the end of the week to avoid being assaulted and buried under a mountain of expensive clothing.

"Not even Dimitri Belikov."

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><p>"I wasn't aware of any last minute alterations to the groupings." Christian said in a conversational tone as he gazed at the first team tackling the obstacle course, or, putting it in a more accurate way, the obstacle course tackling the first team. "And I'm pretty damned sure that I read it out correctly the first time."<p>

Dimitri, standing as still as a statue next to him, took so long to reply that Christian thought he wasn't going to reply at all. But when he did, his response was short, his tone even. "I changed my mind."

Realizing that he wasn't going to get anything else from Dimitri when he was determined not to reveal anything, Christian changed the subject. "They're doing pretty badly." He observed, wincing when one recruit fell off the balancing log to land face-first into the pit of sand. Maybe 'pretty badly' was an understatement.

Dimitri didn't give too much of a reaction to that statement either. "I've seen worst."

Already accustomed to his icy cold replies at times, Christian was not the least bothered. "Something crawled up your ass? Wait, let me guess. It's female in gender, short and curvy, and her name starts with R."

No response, but Christian felt his friend stiffen. Hiding his grin, Christian continued. "Need some advice on seducing a girl?"

"Nobody sane gets advice from you." Dimitri answered.

"Hey! A six-word reply! Keep that up and you just might form a complete sentence in a few more tries."

Dimitri growled in warning. "Don't push me Christian; I'm not in the best of moods right now."

"I never would have guessed." Christian muttered wryly, then spotting the murderous glare in his direction, stopped in case Dimitri decided that wringing his neck would shut him up – again. "So, tell me, you planning on taking a vacation this Christmas break?" Christmas was just around the corner in about two weeks, and Christian was still contemplating whether or not to go for a trip to relieve some stress. Preferably in some place that had beautiful and hot women.

Or just women in general, he wasn't really picky about appearances. After all, a few drinks or two can easily solve that problem. And if the woman still looked ugly after the third drink. . . well, there's always plenty of fish left in the sea. "I'm sure that Headquarters won't object to that. You need some time to unwind too. You're getting real. . . uptight these few days." _More so than normal_, Christian wanted to add, but decided against it when his neck gave a pointed, painful reminder.

"Hmm" was Dimitri's sole indication that he had even heard his words. After another long pause where Christian witnessed a recruit from team one failing to grasp the next monkey bar and crumbling into the mud pool below, Dimitri said, "I just might."

"Any particular place in mind?"

Dimitri slanted him a suspicious glance. "What's it to you?"

Christian shrugged. "If your destination sounds appealing enough to me, I might tag along."

"What do you consider unappealing, then?"

"I don't know," A pause as Christian thought the question over. "Maybe Tokyo? Way too crowded for my liking."

"Tokyo it is." Dimitri said instantly, smugly.

"Great!" Already anticipating the reason for Dimitri's question, Christian clapped his hands together in approval. "I was thinking of going there too. How ever did you know?"

A moment passed in stunned silence as Dimitri slowly realized that he had been played.

Then he growled.

* * *

><p>Rose was practically skipping to and fro with the balls of her heels, adrenaline surging through her veins at the prospect of a challenge.<p>

Lissa, however, did not seem to share her enthusiasm. "Really? Crawling through the mud?" She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Oh, come on, Lissa. It's going to be fun!"

"Your definition of fun definitely does not align with mine." But she must admit, Rose's enthusiasm was a contagious disease; she was already feeling pumped up herself.

Ten minutes had already passed, and only two out of six members of team one had managed to make it through the obstacle course. The other four were still struggling, none of them displaying any teamwork by helping each other.

It was almost painful to watch the four remaining stragglers flailing and yelling in frustration when they failed a particular part of the course and had to return to the start.

Fifteen minutes in, Dimitri marched forward and bellowed for them to stop. "Pitiful." There was no sympathy, only that blunt remark as he stared each and every single one of the recruits until they dropped their heads in shame. "Teamwork – does that word exist in your vocabulary? If it does not, it's about high time to learn it." With hands clasped behind his back, he patrolled in front of the members of team one as he gave a dreadfully long lecture about the importance of working together. Afterwards, he dismissed them off to the showers to wash off the filth.

Lissa frowned when she couldn't spot Christian anywhere during Dimiti's boring speech. Not that she was looking out for him, of course. No, it was pure coincidence that she had noticed such an insignificant detail.

Yeah.

Pure coincidence.

After hearing the scalding chastisement from Dimitri for the lack of teamwork in team one, team two did not repeat the same mistake. Working together, they sped through the course and finished it in under seven minutes, much to the approval of Dimitri.

Dismissing team two with a few compliments and a warning for them not to get complacent, Dimitri faced the remaining two teams. "See what they did there? Now, prove that you guys are as competent as them by not screwing it up."

Admittedly, Lissa's attention had been elsewhere throughout the entire of team two's splendid run. Her mind had wandered off, wondering where Christian could have gone. Nothing wrong with that, she rationalized, he was her instructor after all. It was perfectly fine for her to worry about his safety.

That was no cause for alarm.

No cause at all.

* * *

><p><strong>Could it be? Is Lissa developing feelings for the playboy Christian? <strong>

**Uh oh.**


	10. Chapter 9 : Tackling It!

**Hello once again! How was YOUR Christmas? Mine sucked balls. **

**Anyway, another update for you! (Wow, I'm actually coming up with them quite fast o_o) I promise that lemons are coming soon! And Sydney is going to be introduced in probably the next chapter, or the subsequent one. Oh, oh! The next update will be an introduction, with summaries and excerpts for each couple. So if you see an update in the following days, make sure you read the FIRST chapter, okay? :D **

**Maybe then, you'll see exactly how 'M' rated things are going to get soon... ;)**

**Edit : Fuck, I realized I made so many mistakes while typing. Shouldn't have rushed through it -.- Anyway, fixed most if not all of them. Do tell me if you spot glaring mistakes!  
><strong>

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><p>Christian fumbled blindly in the dark, stale-smelling and ridiculously small excuse-for-a-cabin as he searched for the pair of keys Dimitri had thrown in – along with his sorry ass – all just because he had <em>played <em>him.

That man had no sense of humor.

Not one that he can discern, anyway.

Turning the air blue with curses when he bumped his head against something hard, Christian finally touched the edges of the object he was looking for, much to his relief. Clasping the key tightly within his palm as if it was his sole lifeline in a torrential storm – which, he mused, was actually an apt description of his current situation – the Guardian inserted the key into the hole, where a tiny bit of sunlight streamed through the small gap.

The lock clicked and turned with the key, and Christian suppressed his shout of triumph in case Dimitri was around to stuff him back inside.

Putting Dimitri's current (unstable) mental state into consideration, that particular scenario was very possible.

So Christian gingerly closed back the wooden door of the cabin, which was hidden away from sight by a line of towering oaks and shuffled back to the location where he had last seen the recruits, along with his grumpy and temperamental friend.

It didn't take very long for him to walk back to the site; the remaining recruits at the obstacle course were making a hell of a racket – enough to wake the dead, he reckoned with a wary glance around at the dirt-packed ground, half expecting zombies to pop up and strangle him with their bony hands.

Okay, maybe it's time to lay off the horror movies.

And do a different type of laying.

Lips quirking at that thought, Christian strode till he was standing next to Dimitri once again.

Dimitri didn't even look at him. "Back for seconds?" His gaze remained on the team currently on the obstacle course. Squinting, Christian determined that it was team three, which means that Lissa was in it. Partially distracted by that thought, it took him a while to formulate a reply while he sought the blonde girl that heated his blood.

"I wasn't hungry in the first place." He told Dimitri in a low murmur, his eyes settling on the familiar platinum blonde that glinted flashily under the afternoon sun. His breath caught at the way Lissa moved with such fluidity and grace. He had definitely not expected that; Lissa originated from a richer-than-Midas family, and was widely known to be a spoiled princess that didn't give a fuck about anybody else except for herself.

When he finally managed to tear his gaze away from the entrancing sight of Lissa working her way through the obstacle course, it was to find Dimitri looking at him with amusement. "Careful, Christian. You're walking into unknown territory."

"I don't know what you're talking about." A lie.

Dimitri raised an eyebrow, but pursued the matter no longer.

And Christian couldn't help but wonder if he _was _already treading on unknown territory.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Lissa!" Rose's encouraged, jumping up and down with her hands outstretched. "You're almost there!"<p>

Lissa just gave a stiff nod in reply instead of mouthing out her thoughts, deciding to save every little bit of energy to reach the end of the monkey bars. Swinging her legs forward, she let the momentum she generated pull her back, continuing in that motion for a few more oscillations before she took a deep breath and let go of the bar she was holding to, pushing herself forward to the next bar.

Suspended in the air for a brief second, she let loose her breath in a shocked gurgle when her flailing hands grasped the next bar, the shockwaves of the impact shaking her entire body.

"You're doing it!" Rose shouted to Lissa. The rest of their team were still stuck at the balancing log, and Rose wanted to roll her eyes when Troy, a burly boy, gave a bellow of dismay as he fell off the log, crashing noisily into the water below. The log had hardly proven a challenge to her.

Lethargy seeping into her muscles, Lissa clenched her teeth at the painful blisters forming on her hands. It hurt like hell, but no way was she giving up. Guardians-in-training had always been in the spotlight, and she bet that there were already a horde of nosy reporters outside the gates, waiting impatiently for an update on their progress. She also knew that the reporters were particularly interested in getting information about how _she _was managing in the reputed to be harsh training camp of . And she wanted to show her parents that she could take everything thrown at her – and still stand strong.

Biting down on her tongue hard enough to draw blood, Lissa forced her weary body on mercilessly, and when she finally reached the elevated platform at the end of the monkey bars, she collapsed onto the cushioned floor with a sigh of exhaustion. "That. . ." Quick pants as she sucked in the air that her lungs burned for. "Wasn't so bad."

Rose gave her a grin. "I knew you'll pull through, Liss!"

Hearing the pride in her friend's tone, she smiled too. "Yeah, I guess I did."

A curse from behind them; a splash.

"Shouldn't we help them?" Lissa glanced backwards at their supposed teammates who were now all soaking wet with their faces flushed with frustration at their inability to cross the log.

"We could," Rose drawled, nodding her head slowly as if thinking it over before shaking her head vigorously with mischief. "But no. Let those blithering idiots suffer. Let's move on!"

Staggering to her feet, Lissa trailed behind the energetic Rose as they descended the ladder to ground level and approached the low-lying barbed wire where they had to crawl under it through a layer of mud to reach the other side.

Rose grimaced, her enthusiasm dulling. "This is going to be tough."

Lissa looked up, surprised. "Why? It looks relatively simple."

Rose gave a pointed glance at her ample chest.

"Oh." Comprehension dawned, and Lissa gave a sheepish grin. "As long as you don't mind getting a little dirty…"

Rose laughed at her friend's shy comment. "When had getting my hands dirty ever bothered me?"

"Well," Lissa muttered, uncomfortable with the topic. "it's not exactly your hands that are going to get dirty." No, not when the majority of Rose's body in contact with the mud will be her chest.

Rose nodded in agreement. "True. But still, I've never backed down from a challenge, and I'm not going to start now." She sank to her knees, poking her head under the wires and tilted her head to face Lissa. "You ready?"

Lissa nodded as she mirrored Rose's movements, sinking to the muddy ground with a slight cringe as the thick, stinking liquid seeped into the soft fabric of her blouse. "As ready as I can ever be."

"Then let's go."

* * *

><p>Dimitri hoped to hell that Christian had not taken a look at his crotch for the past minute.<p>

Because he was sporting a fucking hard-on from watching Rose crawling through the mud with that adorable, determined expression on her face. But of course, his attention wasn't exactly on her face, partially splattered with blotches of mud.

No.

His attention was held by something somewhere lower than her face, and somewhere above her thin waist.

The object – or objects – in question was also undoubtedly the reason for his erection.

Blowing out his breath slowly, Dimitri risked a glance at his friend standing next to him who's gaze had remained riveted to a particular blonde from the moment he arrived. Thankfully, that meant that Christian had no idea about his erection.

Angling his body the subtlest bit to hide the somewhat obvious bulge in his jeans from the prying eyes of Christian, Dimitri forced his eyes away from the incredibly sexy sight of Rose dragging her body through the slushing mud in hopes of his blood flowing back North. "So," He murmured to Christian, intending on starting a conversation, more as a distraction for himself rather than for entertainment. "Lissa and Rose are doing a pretty good job."

"Really?" Christian snorted. "Is that the best compliment you can give? I think they're doing a superb job."

"Fair enough." Dimitri tucked his hands under his shirt when a chilly breeze blew across the terrain. "But they aren't helping their teammates." Only one out of the four recruits had managed to progress to the monkey bars. The other three were swearing obnoxiously loud whenever they slipped off the log, now wet from their repeated falls into the pool below.

"Did you?" Christian asked enigmatically, and when Dimitri shot him a quizzical look, he gave a little sigh and elaborated. "Help your teammates back then."

"What does this has to do with them?" Dimitri inclined his head towards the two girls still slugging through the mud.

"Nothing." Christian told him. "Just my curiosity speaking."

Dimitri weighed the odds of Christian lying and having a hidden motive, and decided that it wouldn't hurt to reveal that little bit about his journey to becoming a Guardian. They were both trained at separate camps; they knew little to nothing about each other's achievements and past at the training camps. "No, I didn't." He raised a quelling hand when Christian opened him mouth to torment him about his admission, and Christian lifted an eyebrow, but otherwise kept quiet. "That was under totally different circumstances."

"Oh?" A skeptical remark. "What sort of circumstances forced you to desert them, then?"

Dimitri closed his eyes at the memory of his first run through the exact same obstacle course. "It was every man for himself."

A pause ensued as Christian took time to digest the information. Then he turned back to look at Dimitri, an inscrutable expression on his face. "You don't want to talk about it?"

Dimitri gave a nod of affirmation, glad about how perceptive his friend could be – when he wanted to be, that is.

Christian returned the nod, his brow creased from concentration. Speculating? Well, he wouldn't go far trying to figure out what really happened.

They watched Rose and Lissa emerge from the other side of the barbed wire, looking triumphant and victorious despite their dirty and wet clothes. And hell if Rose didn't look more sexy in that clingy wet T-shirt that hugged her shapely body, leaving little to imagination. Then, Rose raised her arms up over her shoulders and stretched backwards, puffing her breasts out while doing so.

Dimitri's mouth dried up at that enticing and erotic sight. Left dizzy from the rush of blood southwards again, he averted his eyes and looked at Christian instead. He, too, was looking at Rose, though he didn't seem all that interested. Nevertheless, Dimitri felt the sudden urge to punch his face in for just _looking _at her.

Damn, he was definitely going insane.

If there was one thing that he would never allow himself to do, it was to actually harbor desires for someone under his charge.

And Rose was tempting him to actually break that rule.

Shoving a hand through his hair, Dimitri saw that the sun was setting, blanketing the land in the dying rays of light. "I'm going back to the cabins to make sure that everything's alright." An excuse to stay away from Rose, an excuse to regain his sanity before he stripped Rose right there and then and took her in the most ruthless ways. When Christian didn't give a reply, Dimitri instructed, "De-brief them after they finish and send them to bathe. Tell them to get ready for dinner by six."

Finally getting a small nod of his head from Christian, Dimitri took one last lingering look at Rose, who was wasting no time in getting started on the trickiest part of the course, the Trap Run. Cursing himself for his inability to keep his eyes off her, he turned and strode towards the setting sun.


	11. Chapter 10 : An Unexpected Visitor

**A short chapter this time, sorry guys! Going to bed now, 12am here! Still have work tomorrow. Gooooood nighttt! **

**Oh, and I've finally reached the 100 review mark! Thank you everybody for taking time to review my story! :)**

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><p>With nightfall approaching steadily, the slanted rays of sunlight casted long, forbidding shadows on the ground from the trees that grew in abundance around the grass patch. This not only made it harder to distinguish the well-laid traps in the last part of the course, their range of vision was dropping rapidly along with the setting sun.<p>

"We have to finish this fast." Rose told Lissa.

Lissa glanced at her. "Got it. I'll follow your lead."

With that settled, Rose took the first step onto the overgrown grass, eyes peeled for the slightest signs of any disturbance to the originally tranquil state of the greenery. Spotting nothing out of the ordinary, she ventured forward again cautiously, and repeated this for the first minute, where the traversed half the course without setting off any traps, though Rose did spot some tell-tale signs of some : trampled grass, large gashes on the bark of the trees along with small barren circles of overturned dirt.

Way too obvious and simple.

Rose had expected a _challenge, _but clearly –

"Rose! Stop!" Lissa's hand latched onto her shoulder, yanking her back, breaking her out of the premature victory dance – and sniffling at the insult to her abilities. "You almost stepped on that…" With a shaky finger, she pointed at what appeared to be…

Rose gaped, her pulse suddenly jumping into double time at the small, beeping sensor only partially visible through the long blades of grass that she had almost stepped on. "A fucking landmine?"

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><p>Christian frowned when he saw the two girls he had been assessing intently halt in their tracks. He also frowned when he saw Rose throw in his way a furious scowl, along with frantic, jerky motions at an object on the ground.<p>

But what really caught his attention was the way Lissa was shivering, her bottom lip quivering in a manner that could only mean that she was scared shitless.

"What's going on?" Marching over, he called out over the howling wind, its chill already seeping through his thin T-shirt. The Trap Run was barricaded by a wooden fence, but there was a gate at all four corners to allow Instructors to rush in to aid the recruits.

"What. . . Hell . . . This?" Rose's words were barely audible in the strong gale, and Christian sighed, realizing that there was no other choice but to walk into the arena. Signaling for them to hold on, he swung himself over the short fence and jogged over to them, wondering what could possibly have happened.

Lissa was almost hyperventilating by the time Christian reached them, and only then did she release the breath she didn't even know she was holding in a shuddering sigh. She had half expected the ground beneath him to explode whenever he took another step, and that thought would have made any human being cringe, but she had also feared for his safety, and that –

No, she wasn't going to decipher what that meant right now.

"What's going on?" Christian repeated, looking sternly down at them, no humor in his tone at all. In fact, he looked so formal and business-like that Lissa suddenly felt the urge to tousle his hair and loosen him up.

Absurd.

Rose, still standing stiffly in place, poked an accusing finger into his chest. "Explain," with her other free hand, she gestured at the beeping device in the ground. "this."

Christian's lips – full and plush, Lissa noted unnecessarily – curved downwards slightly as he kneeled down, parting the grass with both of his hands and stared at the device.

"Well?" Rose prompted impatiently, tapping her worn out sport shoes against the dirt restlessly.

"It's a trap." He answered simply when he looked up, his eyebrows lifted.

"We know that!" Indignation made Lissa's voice unusually shrill, exasperation making it louder than normal. "But what _sort _of trap is it?"

Christian stared at her for a long moment until she fidgeted uncomfortably at his perusal. Finally, his lips tipped into a small smile. "How about we find out?"

He straightened to his full height after that sentence, still holding her gaze as Lissa struggled to understand what he was implying with that sentence. "What did you mea – "

And then Christian stepped onto the trap.

Lissa screamed.

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><p>Dimitri stepped into the shower stall, stripping off each article of clothing and tossing them aside, desperate to cool himself down. It had been a long time since he had been this in need of a ice cool shower, and an even longer time since he had actually enjoyed a woman's warmth.<p>

That, he reasoned, was the only reason why he found himself so susceptible to Rose's charms. Once he found a willing woman to lose himself in, that would no longer be a problem.

Nodding at his rationalization, he turned the nozzle on full force, shivering as the freezing water cascaded down his body. Thankfully, it did the trick and when it was over, he no longer felt so much on edge and much more capable of proper thinking. Rubbing himself dry with a towel, he pulled on another plain black T-shirt and jeans and walked to the kitchen to prepare a warm cup of coffee to sooth his nerves.

Clasping the cup in the palms of both his hands to let the warmth of it revitalize his numb limbs, he set it down on the table just as his phone rang. Cursing the caller silently for disturbing his rare moment of peace and serenity, he fished it out of his pocket and was pleasantly surprised.

Viktoria.

He pressed the button to answer the call, and before he could say a single word, his sister started blabbering. "Oh my gosh! You finally decided to pick up my call? Do you know how many times I've tried to call you this hour alone? Twenty. Seven. Times. Twenty-seven, Dimitri! Hey, isn't that how old you are now? Oh wait, you're twenty-four. Shit, that reminds me, I have yet to buy you your twenty-fourth birthday gift. Wait… I think I missed your twenty-third birthday too – "

Dimitri couldn't help but laugh. "Hello Viktoria."

A pause, then a sigh. "Hi, Dimitri. I'm sorry, it's just that I have not talked to you for so long that I don't know what to talk about first."

A slight pang in his heart at the reminder. "I should have called," he murmured guiltily, admitting that it was his fault too. "it's just that it's been almost two years since I've last seen you guys – " It was his turn to pause to hold back the dam threatening to crumble.

The truth was, well, he missed his family dearly. He had always been making and finding excuses to not go back to Siberia to visit them because after all these years, he didn't want to reawaken the nightmares of his past. But that wasn't a good reason to avoid his family members, especially his younger sister he loved with all his heart.

"Oh, it no longer matters." Viktoria said, and there was a happiness to it that Dimitri was instantly wary of. Because whatever made her happy normally made him very, very depressed. "I'm coming to visit you about. . . right now."

There was a knock on the door.


	12. Chapter 11 : Opportunity?

**READ READ READ READ READ IMPORTANT: IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE NEW CHAPTER AND CAN'T FIND IT SINCE THE EMAIL BRINGS YOU TO THIS CHAPTER, SCROLL THROUGH ALL THE CHAPTERS AND GO TO THE INTRODUCTION ONE. AS PROMISED, THERE'S A SUMMARY AND EXCERPT FOR YOU GUYS THERE.**

**Edit: Sorry for the wrong notice about the update of chapter 13, messed around a little with the sequence of chapters and submitted a story by mistake :/  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Happy New Year, guys! Here's another update for you people, (thanks for the great reviews!) and you should probably be happy to know that the next chapter will have a lemon between Christian and Lissa :) Weird, since I didn't plan for them to have the first lemon, but hey, the characters are guiding me now. And they demand that Christian and Lissa get closer first, so who am I to complain? <strong>

**Anyway, with the introduction of Viktoria, I realize that I can't leave her out of all the love! So I've already decided on the person for her, and I'm sure you all know him very well :) **

**The next update will be four short summaries of these four couples, (Rose and Dimitri, Christian and Lissa, Sydney and Adrian, Viktoria and The-Mysterious-One) as well as a short excerpt for each couple! So be on the look out! **

**Alright, no more long-ass, boring author notes that you guys hate reading (or don't even bother to read).**

**TL;DR : LEMON IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

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><p>Dimitri dragged himself to the door, praying to God that his sister wasn't the one ringing the bell – incessantly, he might add. For one thing, he had not prepared any room for her to sleep in, and knowing Viktoria, she would definitely insist on staying over just to make his life more 'interesting'.<p>

Or as he prefers to put it, miserable.

Unfortunately, God was either on holiday, or he just didn't feel like answering to his prayers.

For when Dimitri opened the door, Viktoria's bright and cheerful face peered right back at him, her brown eyes – the exact replica of his – glittering with what he can only describe as _adoration _and _unbridled delight. _

It hurt to think that his sister had missed him so much that she was willing to make the trip literally halfway around the world just to celebrate Christmas with him.

It also humbled him.

"Viktoria." He nodded his head in greeting, not very sure exactly how to welcome her after years apart.

Viktoria, however, had no inhibitions and launched herself into him, arms wrapping around his middle with a forceful yet tender squeeze. "Dimitri, do you know how much I missed you?" When she looked up, her eyes were brimming with unshed tears, and she sniffed as she buried her head back in his chest.

Dimitri's heart clenched at the sight of his sister crying. "I'm sorry," he cooed softly, pushing her shoulders back and lifting her head up gently with one finger so she can see the sincerity in his eyes, "for whatever it is worth, I missed you too."

He saw Viktoria make a visible effort to hold back her tears and put up a brave front, but the laugh she attempted to release ended up sounding more like a sob. "This isn't exactly how I planned the meeting." A rueful smile. "A little bit of scratching and slapping you for not answering my calls, yes, but no tears." Her pretty face scrunched up in concentration. "On second thought, if you were the one to shed the tears, I won't mind."

Dimitri couldn't help it; he laughed loudly. "It's good to see have you around again, Viktoria."

His sister grinned at him. "Don't you forget it. Now," she peeped around him into the cabin pointedly, "are you going to invite me in or do I have to force you to?"

Shoulders still shaking from mirth, Dimitri led her into the interior of the cabin, then cast her a sorrowful look. "I don't have any extra rooms for you to stay in here."

Viktoria waved a dismissive hand while she discarded her belongings aside in a fluid motion. "I'm only staying for a few days, it won't matter." Her baggage – awfully bulky and heavy, Dimitri noticed with a wince, for only a 'few days' stay – was then shoved to the corner of the living room with a sharp nudge from her feet.

"Then where do you intend to sleep?" Dimitri scrubbed a weary hand down the side of his face, feeling the sharp bristles of a day's worth of shave stabbing at his knuckles.

"Your bed sounds comfortable enough."

Taking a moment to fully comprehend Viktoria's words, Dimitri blew out a breath slowly. "So I'm relegated to the coach once again?"

Viktoria, in the middle of her self-tour of the cabin, shot him an amused glance. "Thank you so much for being so considerate!"

"Remind me never to invite you over again." He groused, collapsing onto the sofa which gave a sharp groan of protest.

"I'll just pop over unannounced." Viktoria told him gleefully. "It's more fun anyway; the look on your face is priceless too."

Dimitri looked at to the sky for guidance – something that he did frequently with his sister around – except that the heavens were blocked by the ceiling, so he made do with it. How could someone related to him be such a pain in the ass? "How's mom, anyway?"

Reaching the glass display with all of Christian's and Dimitri's past medals and plaques, Viktoria slid the glass panel open. "She's good. In fact, she's coming over too."

Dimitri froze. "She is?"

"Yep," Viktoria confirmed, grabbing hold of one trophy and pulling it out to inspect it. "So is grandma."

Dimitri slapped a hand over his forehead. "_Yeva?" _His grandmother was shunned by some – mainly due to her belligerent outward manner – but also adored by people who knew her. Dimitri, himself, loved her, but sometimes, his grandmother's cryptic and enigmatic answers left him reeling and wondering what the hell she's actually talking about.

Suffice to say, he never ever went to her for advice.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Dimitri could almost imagine Viktoria rolling her eyes as she said that while she turned the trophy – Christian's one, Dimitri realized, for outstanding performance in the final Guardian test – over for a more detailed look in her hands in a brusque way that had him cringing.

"Be careful with that." Getting up, Dimitri walked over to his sister to prevent her from potentially dropping and leaving a dent on one of Christian's most prized possession. "It's Christian's."

"Oh," Viktoria's mouth formed a small 'o' shape, then she darted away nimbly when Dimitri tried to snatch it away from her. "Where _is _Christian anyway?"

Suddenly remembering how he had left Christian alone to deal with teams three and four, Dimitri grimaced. "Shit, I have to get back and help him." Extending his hand, palm upwards, he said, "Now, hand that back before you destroy his property."

"No," Grinning cheekily, she hid it behind her back. "He won't mind."

"Well, I do." Dimitri frowned when Viktoria once again sidestepped his attempt to latch onto her shoulder. "Come on, Viktoria, I don't have time to play games!"

"Sure you do!" She waved the trophy in the air mockingly, her arms flapping like that of a bird ready to take flight. "Come and get it!"

And then she took off, laughing.

Dimitri wasn't laughing when he gave chase.

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><p>Rose acted on instinct the moment she saw Christian step onto the mine, shoving Lissa aside to at least allow her to get out of the radius of the explosion. As Lissa tumbled backwards, mouth open in a scream that she couldn't hear due to the roar of her blood in her head, Rose twisted her body and threw herself to the ground, closing her eyes as she prayed that there would be enough pieces of her left to fit into the coffin after the detonation.<p>

Long seconds ticked by in silence, only to be broken by a masculine chuckle. "Jeez, I would give you an A for your performance purely for how quickly and efficiently you reacted, Rose."

Dizzy and still a little stunned, Rose craned her neck and lifted her head only to see Christian grinning at her. "What the hell?" She spluttered, her eyes darting from the instructor to the device on the ground several times in disbelief before she narrowed her eyes at him. "I demand an explanation."

"So do I," Lissa huffed out, pushing herself slowly to her feet.

Christian's aqua eyes glittered with amusement. "This," he bent down and dug out the device and had to suppress a bubble of laughter when he saw Rose flinch as he did so, "is, as Rose had correctly identified, a landmine. But we have already removed the charges, and it now acts as a sensor, like the rest of the traps in this area. If the recruits step on a trap, we would receive a signal from the device, and we just have to count the number of times we receive the signals to determine how many points you score. What? Did you think that we are willing to put your safety – and lives, in this case – at risk?"

Rose fingers curled into a fist as her anger threatened to take control. "You could have _told _us." She gritted out.

"Yes, we should have." Christian agreed, surprising her. Then he gave her an intent look. "But we never expected anybody to have managed to spot it in the first place. This is after all, hidden very damn well."

"I wasn't the one to spot it." Rose didn't want to take the credit for herself; Lissa was the one who had seen it. "Lissa did."

Turning around, only then did she realize that Lissa was cradling her ankle in one hand, wincing. "Lissa?" She rushed over to her friend, kneeling down in front of her. "What happened?"

"My ankle," A wave of pain crashed over Lissa as she tried to move the joint. "I think I sprained it when you pushed me."

"Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit." Rose garbled the words so fast they jumbled together and sounded like a single word. "I'm so sorry, Lissa. I didn't know – "

"It's alright," Lissa forced a smile through the pulsing pain as she patted her friend's shoulder with her other hand. "I know you didn't do it on purpose."

Suddenly, strong and warm hands landed on both her shoulders, sending a shiver through her that had nothing to do with the chill in the air. "Don't move your leg." A husky whisper near her ear from Christian as he kneaded the tense muscles of her shoulders gently to relax her.

Lissa had to press her lips together to contain her moan.

"Rose," Christian said, trying to keep his expression neutral when all he wanted to do was grin stupidly at how Lissa had responded to his touch, "go and get Dimitri here. Ask him to bring the first aid kit too. The doctor on duty is away on vacation till tomorrow, so we have to bandage Lissa's ankle ourselves."

Too concerned about Lissa's health to show any defiance, Rose nodded hurriedly and sprinted towards the gate where she had seen Christian come in from.

Leaving Christian alone with Lissa.

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><p><strong>Oh goody! <strong>


	13. Chapter 12 : Hurting

**Sorry guys! A short update this time. I promise that the next one will be muuuuuch longer, alright? About 3k words? :) And yes, the next one will definitely have the lemon that's supposed to be in this chapter. **

**Okay, here's a little test to see who actually reads all the author notes... ;)**

**Answer this question to prove that you read all my notes! (You'll get a cookie!) : Which couple do you like? **

**Rose and Dimitri or Christian and Lissa? (In the context of this story)**

**I'll ask again after a few chapters, where they would grow closer and have more encounters with each other! And yes, the little excerpt before was a sneak peek at what you'll get from me in the near future! **

**Oh, another thing. This is actually a combination of FOUR different stories, one for each couple. I'll upload the next summary and excerpt for Christian and Lissa over the next few days. The story between them will have a different title, and the name of the overall series is... well, The Sweetest Series! Okay, okay, a little lame, yeah, but that's all I could come up with in such short notice.**

**Enjoy this short chapter!**

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><p>Rose had no idea where she was going.<p>

There was a high chance that Dimitri could be at the cabin reserved for instructors, which is somewhere to the North of their own cabins. But in her panic, she must have had taken a wrong turn.

And now she was helplessly lost.

Not exactly the best way to help Lissa, she thought wryly as she took stock of the unfamiliar landscape around her. The land had a sparse population of oaks and another species of trees that Rose had never come upon before in her life, and she took that as a bad sign. There were several large boulders scattered around, with several tufts of wild grass flourishing.

Deciding that retracing her steps was the only possible way to get back on track, she turned around and started back where she had come from, worried about Lissa's injury. It had not seen t_hat _bad when she had left to find Dimitri, but her ankle had already started to show signs of swelling. Definitely not life-threatening, but it must hurt like a son of a bitch.

And it was all Christian's fault.

Well, she allowed grudgingly, she had to shoulder part of the responsibility as well, since she was the one who had shoved her aside –

A bubble of feminine laughter sounded in the distance, followed by what sounded like a gruff curse.

Looking up sharply and shielding her eyes from the rays of the sun, Rose squinted at the direction of the sounds, hoping to find someone from the camp to guide her back to it.

A few seconds passed.

Nothing.

Her hope deflated like a punctured balloon. Kicking a stray pebble on the ground as she tried to refrain herself from tearing her hair out of her scalp from pure frustration, Rose sulked on.

Then the delighted laughter came again, louder and much more breathless this time.

Jerking to attention because she now knew she wasn't hallucinating, Rose dashed off, following the fading laughter. Swerving through the trees with a speed and agility that only a Dhampir could manage, she emerged into a clearing where shadows from the towering trees weaved a hypnotic dance as they swayed in the wind.

Concentrating on sharpening her vision, Rose took another moment to accustom herself to the gloomy darkness due to the thick interlocking canopies of the trees that blocked out the light – not that there was much sunlight left, anyway.

"Viktoria!" An all-too-familiar gravelly voice called out, exasperation in every word. "Get back here!"

Another giggle, almost overshadowed by the crunching of dried leaves on the forest floor. "Make me!"

Rose narrowed her eyes as her superior Dhampir senses identified that they were just around the corner, about to burst into the clearing at any moment –

A shapely brunette shot out of the foliage, something golden grasped tightly in her right hand as she maneuvered expertly around the obstacles in her path, all the while glancing backwards with a grin. "Getting old, Dimka?" She teased, her laughter like a tingling bell in the wind.

Rose's jaw clenched at the way the brunette had addressed Dimitri – with affection and a nickname that could only mean that they had a history together.

Rose saw red, a haze of jealousy settling over her as she grinded her molars, forcing herself to stay in place rather than to charge forward and do something she might regret. She hid behind a thick tree truck, her nails digging into the bark while she watched.

Dimitri, in close pursuit, emerged a mere second later, and Rose was momentarily stunned by the expression on his face.

He was grinning.

If Rose thought he was gorgeous before, when he smiled, he was _devastating._

Then she stiffened, remembering that it was Viktoria who had made him happy like that.

Not her.

Never her.

All she could do was make people angry and irritated.

"Hardly," Dimitri snorted, not sounding the least breathless, his body a work of art as he chased after Viktoria, all sinew and muscle shifting under skin. "I just don't want to make you look bad by catching you in a second."

"Big talk!" Viktoria shot back, her face lit up by amusement, and Rose gritted her teeth when she saw exactly how beautiful she was. "I don't think you can live up to them, however!"

"You're on!" Putting on a sudden burst of speed, Dimitri overtook her and dove forward, putting both hands on Viktoria's hips and they both flew towards the ground, Viktoria shrieking like a mouse caught by a cat. At the last moment, Dimitri twisted his body so that his back took the brunt of the impact instead of Viktoria's front.

Rose would have preferred it if Viktoria had gotten scarred – permanently.

The two of them lay like that on the ground, Dimitri's chest heaving up and down, pushing Viktoria's supple body upwards with every inhalation and back down with each exhalation.

Rose found herself contemplating murder.

"I'll take that." Dimitri said as he plucked the gold plated item Rose had spotted earlier from Viktoria's hand, ignoring her breathless protests.

"Jerk." She huffed out, but there was no heat behind her words. She rolled off Dimitri – Rose decided that she didn't have to die by her hands after all – and swatted at her blouse and jeans with her hands to get rid of what might have gotten a little too attached to the fabric during her run. "Yeva will hear of this."

_Yeva? Who the fuck is Yeva? Another one of his girlfriends? _

Dimitri actually _paled. _"Don't tell her, Viktoria. She'll skin me alive."

With the confirmation that Yeva was indeed female, Rose's anger ratcheted up a notch and the bark she was gripping snapped into two in her palms. It was irrational – her jealousy and possessiveness of this man she hardly knew, but she couldn't help it. It was like something she didn't have any control over, like an instinct within her that insisted he belonged to her.

Hooking a tendril of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear, Viktoria smiled sweetly. "Then go and cook me a nice dinner as compensation."

Dimitri gaped at her. "You're kidding."

Viktoria's smile turned into a grin and she strutted up to Dimitri, looking at his face from under the frame of her midnight eyelashes. "I missed your cooking."

Unable to swallow anymore of the drama that was causing an aching pang in her chest, Rose turned around, her jaw set and took a careful step away from the nauseating couple. Then she stopped, remembering that she had to get help from Dimitri for Lissa. _Damn. _

Behind her, she heard Dimitri answer, "Well, I don't."

She closed her eyes briefly, inhaling slowly to regulate her agitated breathing and ordered herself to stay calm. She could do this – ask for assistance from Dimitri without scratching the eyes out of Viktoria.

"Well, I do." A pout in Viktoria's voice.

Rose took a final gulp of air and turned around, striding into the clearing, her head held high with as much dignity as she could summon.


	14. Chapter 13 : Tongue Tied

**A/N : Okay, forget it. I'll never make any promises about writing within (or more than) a certain word limit. The length of the story depends on how everything goes, and sometimes, I can't get the conversation running for more than about a thousand words. So yeah, sorry to my readers who are looking forward to a longer chapter :/ **

**And to the people who are asking about where the short excerpt has went to, it is now at Chapter 1, as I had meant for it to be an introduction from the start. So, if you want to read it again (for whatever reason), you can go to chapter 1! **

**Okay, another question this time. (Yes, I now know who are the people who don't read my author notes! : ) **

**Im starting on another fanfic, which is an all human one, between Rose and Dimitri. Any ideas? And PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE SUGGEST SOME IDEAS THAT ARE NOT CLICHE. Ground rules : No school romance. I'm not kidding. I wrote so many of that it's a nightmare to write now. **

**Or you guys can vote... Contemporary romance, Historical romance or some Paranormal romance? (No, it's not going to be vampires, but a more... mythological one!) **

**Okay, that's about it. Back to Christian and Lissa!**

**Warning : Might have just a teensy, little bit of M-rated stuff. Just a little bit, swear to God.**

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><p>Lissa had tried her best to not make a single sound for the past minute while Christian worked her sore shoulder muscles with a strength and confidence that made her want to melt onto the floor in a puddle. She had also wanted to order him to stop, but her aching muscles had different ideas. His magical fingers seemed to know exactly where to apply just the right amount of pressure to incite only pleasure, and Lissa found herself wondering if he could do that too – only at a far more intimate place.<p>

Her face heated.

Forcing herself from entertaining those thoughts which she _did not _find appealing, she blurted out the first question that came to her mind. "Team four can see what you're doing." Not that she was exactly too concerned about that, but she didn't want them to suspect that something was blooming between the two of them – especially because it _wasn't._

She didn't want to be labeled as 'easy' as well.

"They've left." He whispered beside her ear, even as his fingers continued on their mission to make her lose her mind. "You're the last team to try out the obstacle course today."

Then one of his fingers exerted a small force on the flesh between her two shoulder blades and she couldn't help but let loose a small moan.

Christian's fingers froze entirely.

"Don't stop," she murmured, ignoring the warning bells going off inside her head as she reached behind her head with her hand to pat his thicker and stronger one. "Please."

There was a pause. "Then you have to stop doing that." His voice sounded a little hoarse, a little throaty.

"Doing what?" She closed her eyes in bliss when his hands resumed its kneading motions, her head drooping forward as her body relaxed entirely.

"Making those breathy noises," Christian said, sounding strangely as if he was being manually strangulated.

Indignation flared. "Excuse me," she attempted to turn around to glare at him, but Christian held her head in place by gently cupping her nape with his palm, resisting the movement of her head by applying equal force on his callused fingers on her cheeks with a grunt of disapproval. "I'm not the one _causing _me to make that noise."

Christian did not answer.

Frustrated when he still did not allow her to glance backwards, Lissa swiveled her upper body around using her hip.

And sucked in a breath when she saw how Christian's face was bracketed with lines of tension fanning out from his eyes, his mouth a mere thin line, as if he was in pain.

"What's going on, Christian?" Suddenly concerned that he was having some sort of heart attack, she held two fingers to his pulse at his throat. "You alright?" It sounded steady enough, if not a bit erratic.

"I'm fine," He gritted out through clenched teeth, his hands dropping to his side, and Lissa noticed how his hands were fisted.

"You sure?" She frowned, confused when he nodded curtly and pushed himself to his feet from the kneeling position he was in. "Where are you going?" A sudden stab of panic.

"I'm not going anywhere," He replied, turning his back to her with that pained expression still on his face. "Just. . . give me a moment. I'll go check on your teammates."

"You're leaving me?" The sentence came out sounding shocked, disbelieving… and hurt. Lissa mentally kicked herself.

"It would seem that way," Christian answered dryly, shooting Lissa a forced smile over his back. When she just gave a huff to acknowledge his response, he almost smiled genuinely, but the pain his straining erection against the zipper of his jeans was giving him overrode any amusement he might have found in her reaction.

However, he did feel a little guilty leaving Lissa behind, along with another. . . sort of ache at the thought of her alone, just sitting there, waiting for his return. Shaking his head at the ridiculousness of that, he took a step. Then glanced back again, to see Lissa twirling a strand of hair idly around her index finger.

He blew out a breath. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

Lissa looked at him, seeming a little irritated. "Take as long as you need. It's not as if I like your company or anything."

Christian grinned then. "Don't miss me."

Lissa gave him her middle finger as a farewell.

With that settled, he took another small step. Wincing, he hoped Lissa did not notice how jerkily he was walking as he stumbled behind a relatively large tree that could shield his entire body from her view. Once he was sure that the trunk was hiding him totally, he gave a sigh of resignation and unbuttoned his jeans before reaching to close his hand over his dick.

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><p>Dimitri really wanted to strangle her sister, who stood smiling up at him sweetly, her head cocked just the slightest to make her look even more adorable.<p>

"Fine, I'll cook," He relented, sighing softly – something he did very often in the presence of his sister. "but let me warn you, I have had two years to forget everything I know about making a good dish."

Something akin to wickedness glittered in Viktoria's eyes. "Who said anything about you making me a _dish?"_

Just as Dimitri was about to question what she meant exactly by that, he picked up on the slightest, muffled sound of a footstep on the soggy, forest undergrowth. With training ingrained into him so deeply that it was as much a part of him as his limbs, Dimitri reached for his stake with a lightning fast reflexes, moving in front of Viktoria with equal speed. "Who's there?" He shouted out into the clearing, aware of how little light was filtering through the thick foliage. "Show yourself!"

Viktoria poked him in his back.

"Stop that, Viktoria," he hissed to his sister. "keep quiet."

Another poke, this one seemingly more exasperated. "Do you realize," she stated calmly, loudly, "that you're squashing me?"

Dimitri decided that he had to teach his sister the meaning of 'keeping quiet'.

Then, Rose stepped out from behind a tree.

And he almost flinched from how her face bore no trace of emotion, starkly cold and beautiful as a sculpture carved out of ice.

"Dimitri," she said in what sounded to him like a bored tone, but his years of experience interrogating Strigois had him detecting the subtle undercurrents of withheld anger beneath it, "Lissa sprained her ankle and Christian sent me to find you for help."

His duty of taking care of the recruits under his charge had him pushing aside his musings about what had gotten Rose into such a bad mood. "Where is she? How bad is it?"

Rose lifted one of her shoulders in a shrug. "Last I seen her, she was at the last part of the obstacle course with Christian. And it's not that bad, it's just a little swollen."

Viktoria watched their conversation from aside where she had sidestepped to mid-convo, her eyes darting between them with undisguised interest.

Rose cleared her throat a second after he hazarded a glance at his sister to try to determine what she was thinking. "If that's all," another thread of anger that Dimitri instantly picked up on, "I'll leave you two alone." The last word was spat out.

When Dimitri said nothing – he was still wondering what the hell was wrong with her – Rose nodded tersely and pivoted on her heels, preparing to walk off.

"Wait," Dimitri called out instinctively, then wanted to curse himself for doing so. What the fuck was he going to say? "Eh, can you follow me? I. . ." _Think, Dimitri! You have a brain for a fucking reason! _"need someone to help carry the first-aid kit." _Great, Dimitri, just great. You're an absolute, fucking genius._

Viktoria snorted beside him.

He shot her a quelling glare.

She pursed her lips.

Rose's gaze flittered momentarily to Viktoria, and her eyes narrowed by the smallest of margins before she looked back at him. And agreed. "Yeah, sure. I bet the first-aid kit is _really _heavy."

Dimitri felt like banging his head against the wall. But since the only thing around here that was sturdy enough to collide his head against was the rough tree trunks, he rather not end his life earlier with cerebral hemorrhage. "Yeah, it sure is," He muttered lamely, and he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Viktoria cover her mouth as she giggled.

Dimitri wondered if he could buy bed bugs.


	15. Chapter 14 : Building Ties

**A/N : I have a confession to make.**

**- Start of confession -**

**I never knew that lemons were M-rated scenes. **

**- End of confession - **

**REALLY? WHY DON'T WE CALL THEM ORANGES? WHY LEMONS? -COMPLAINS AND RANTS- **

**Okay, so I thought lemons were heartwarming scenes. Like the one below, where we see how Christian and Lissa's relationship gradually improves to a more romantic one. (Though there would definitely be more conflicts in the future. Who am I kidding, that's all the fun in writing about their relationship!)**

**Anyway... I'm looking for a Beta reader. Never had one, and would like to find out what it's like to have one. Any volunteers? I don't know where to get one... (sorry if I'm making you guys sound like pets :/) so if someone can enlighten me on that, it will be greatly appreciated!**

**Oh and from now on, I'll answer you people's reviews in the Author Notes so I don't have to PM all of you guys, especially with the anonymous reviews! I'll start next chapter since I'm lazy now and want to catch up on some Z's. **

**Reviews are welcome! :D**

**Edit : Oh yes, yes, remember to check out my new all human story, featuring Rose and Dimitri! It's called Dangerous Deceptions, and if you like stories with action and romance, you'll love it.**

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><p>Lissa rubbed idly with her palm at her ankle, which was swelling at a pretty fast rate. Her feet felt slightly numb, and without Christian's company – which she <em>loathed<em>, she reminded herself – she had plenty of time to think about what might happen if Rose didn't get Dimitri here fast enough.

For one thing, she might have to get her feet amputated due to lack of blood flow –

Flinching at the direction of her thoughts, Lissa realized she was starting to hyperventilate. When taking a deep breath didn't help, she panicked further – which did nothing to improve her current condition.

"Stay calm, Lissa," she murmured to herself, but her body just refused to cooperate. She hadn't noticed how much her ankle was hurting when Christian was here, distracting her with his presence and touch. But now that he was gone. . .

The silence was deafening; and a rumble of thunder in the distance had her darkest memories threatening to pull her under again. Pulling her knees to her chest, she hugged herself and lowered her head into a fetal position.

It all came back to her in a shuddering gasp: her always being left alone in her spacious bedroom with nobody to talk to. How she only had the company of her lifeless toys and never her parents; how when a storm raged outside and she was shivering, hiding under the covers by her lonesome self from the loud claps of thunder that terrified her so. The nightmare came upon her in a flash, grabbing Lissa in its unyielding grasp, pulling her back into the dark abyss that had plagued her for so many years. . .

She did the first thing that came to her mind – she screamed for Christian.

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><p>Having relieved himself, Christian winced as he washed his hands clean in the small creek. He had no idea how long it has been since he last resorted to masturbation as means of ejaculation, but one thing he knew for sure – he didn't want to do it again.<p>

Not when he could have almost any woman he wanted.

Christian never had any problems with persuading a woman into his bed before, not when a grin and a wink literally sent his targets to their knees.

Just that now, his mind seemed to be slightly more picky and choosy, more focused on only one particular girl. . .

Throwing some cold water onto his face, Christian scrubbed down his face with both hands as he got to his feet. It might take slightly more effort to woo Lissa, but it would be worth it. She was beautiful – and really, damn feisty – and that's the perfect recipe for an interesting time in bed together.

Then Christian heard Lissa's scream his name.

Something in her tone made his heart clench in dread.

His head jerking backwards so fast it left him dizzy, he took off in a sprint, recklessly diving through the trees and bushes in his way, sometimes just leaping over the shrubs in his race to get to Lissa. His fear for her safety overpowering, he set an even more punishing pace when the second shout resounded, this one more like a wrecked sob.

_Oh God, please let her be okay. _

With another bound that had his calf muscles screaming in protest, he flung himself out of the small stretch of overgrown jungle, onto the vast plains he last left Lissa. The small, hunched figure in the rapidly growing darkness had him putting on yet another burst of speed, his heart feeling as if it was about to pop right out of his chest from the exertion.

"Lissa!" He shouted breathlessly when he approached, and crouched next to her trembling form. "Lissa," He repeated more gently when she didn't give any indication to his arrival, but just continued to rock herself back and forth. "I'm here now."

When that still didn't get any reaction from Lissa, Christian had to rely on his training to keep himself calm. It won't do any good to give in to panic; he had to stay rational. Yanking her against his chest, he scissored his legs open and settled her in the middle. If she had went into shock, a little bit of warmth will help.

"Christian?" A quiet, uncertain question that caused him to flinch from the vulnerability in that single word.

"I'm here," He echoed his previous statement soothingly, wrapping his arms around her middle, pulling her even more impossibly closer, and relaxed slightly when her shaking dropped a notch. "Everything is fine. Everything is fine now." Not knowing what exactly urged him to do it, he nuzzled at her neck with his nose before kissing her nape tenderly. "Come back to me, Lissa."

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><p>A sob tore free from her throat. "Don't leave me alone again." Lissa pleaded, not caring that she sounded needy and weak - because she was, at that moment. Basking in the blanket of warmth that Christian emanated, it surrounding her and gave her the sense of security she had always longed for. She let loose a small sigh of content as she reveled in the way Christian held her, as if she was the most precious thing in the world, as if she was something worth protecting.<p>

Christian's hands stroked up and down the length of her arms with his strong, reassuring touch. "I won't," He promised softly, his chin resting on her shoulder, the weight of it a constant and welcome reminder that she wasn't alone out here in the cruel world.

It was that same sense of security that had fatigue fusing heavily into her bones, making her eyelids heavy with lethargy. "Stay with me," she murmured the order through her lips, even as sleep claimed her in its gentle embrace.

Lissa didn't know if she imagined it, but she thought she heard Christian saying, "always" as she drifted off into a tranquil and dreamless sleep that had always eluded her. . . until now.


	16. Chapter 15 : Ice Cold

**A/N: Okay, it's really late and I have work tomorrow, so I'll make it short and sweet. Thank you all for the great reviews, people! Really appreciate it, and I know this chapter's a little short as I hurried through it, so my apologies if you think it's a little incomplete. **

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><p>Dimitri, for once in his life, wasn't enjoying the silence.<p>

No, he was despising it.

The silence hung over him and Rose, oppressive in its intensity. Awkward didn't go far enough to describe how he felt as he purposely slowed down his pace to match Rose's slower gait, all the while keeping his gaze forward and telling himself not to glance at the girl next to him who's clothes were still clinging to her shapely body – no matter that mud covered her almost from head to toe.

The storm brewing overhead brought a strong gale along with it; the evening breeze before morphing into strong gusts of wind that whipped and lashed at every inch of their exposed skin. Dimitri's home country was in Siberia – and the harsh, wintery climate of his hometown made him practically impervious to the cold bite of the wind.

But, he thought, Rose wasn't.

As if on cue, Rose sneezed, then rubbed her nose and sniffed before continuing on as if nothing happened.

Dimitri stopped, and she overtook him. "Rose, stop." He said, and sighed when she ignored him. Taking a few quick steps, he caught up with her and gripped her forearm, pulling her back.

Rose resisted, but her strength was no match for his. "What?" She snapped, finally looking up at him, eyes blazing.

"You're cold."

She rolled her eyes, wrenching her hand from his grasp. He let her. "You're very observant," she commented sarcastically, then swiveled around and resumed walking.

Dimitri gnashed his teeth in frustration, yet again finding himself left behind. "At least let me walk in front so you won't freeze your" – He figured that complimenting her at that moment would not have accomplished much, so he left out 'pretty' – "ass off." Damn, the way she swayed her hips when she walked. . .

Rose paused mid-step, then turned around with her brow puckered with confusion. "How's you walking ahead of me going to solve the problem of me being cold?"

Dimitri, partially mourning the loss of the sight of her ass once he took the lead, moved in front to demonstrate. Ascertaining the direction of the wind with his keen senses, he tried his best to shield Rose from it with his body. "Feeling less chilly?" He asked, glancing back at Rose who had her arms around her middle, hugging her body in a way that told Dimitri she was freezing like no words can.

At that moment, all Dimitri wanted to do was to take her into an embrace – fuck getting dirty – and warm her up.

Something inside Rose seemed to melt once she realized what Dimitri had just done for her – he basically made himself a meat shield. And indeed, because of how tall and big Dimitri is, he was successful in his attempt and Rose felt warmer already. Or maybe it was just his concern for her well-being that had her heating up from the inside. . . Or was she making the gesture out to be more than it actually was?

It didn't matter, she was still really, damn pissed with Dimitri for having a relationship with another girl – for whatever reason she still could not imagine – Rose was in no mood to thank him.

In fact, she felt like slapping some sense into him.

"No," she lied, rubbing her forearms up and down with her hands in an exaggerated action. "I'm still freezing."

"Oh?" A patronizing lift of his eyebrows as he pivoted on his heel. "Are you?" His eyes – a wondrous shade of hazel that Rose absolutely adored – focused on her with unnerving intensity.

Rose quivered, but this time, it wasn't because of the cold. She had never felt so exposed before; so vulnerable, as if she was stripped naked, but under the probing gaze of Dimitri's eyes, she felt exactly that. "Yes," she insisted, her voice quavering a little as she met his gaze head on, her chin jutting out in a show of defiance.

A moment passed in silence, then two, as neither of them refused to back down.

"You never know when to back down, do you?" Quiet, cool words from Dimitri.

Caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, Rose took a few seconds to answer. "I do," she argued, thinking of Lissa, "but only to people I think worthy of my surrender."

Dimitri didn't so much as blink at her intended insult. Instead, he seemed to be contemplating it, thinking it over. "What," he asked silently, "makes a person worthy, then?"

Rose gritted her teeth as the fresh images of the man in front of him tangling with another girl; playing and teasing her in a way that spoke of a bond that ran very deep. "If I'm able to give him or her my heart, and it won't be torn apart." She responded truthfully, then regretted almost instantly when the little sparkle in Dimitri's eyes dimmed and died out totally.

_Stupid, stupid! _Rose had no idea what possessed her to say such bold, foolish things only a lovesick fool could possibly come up with. She wasn't in love; no, that's ridiculous. She was just _mildly_ attracted to her gorgeous instructor, and just the _teensiest _proprietary of him because of the attraction.

And from the heat she could occasionally spot in Dimitri's eyes as he glanced at her when he thought she wasn't aware, the attraction went both ways.

So why the hell was he with another girl?

"We should get going," Dimitri announced, and the total lack of emotion in his frosty tone made Rose wince. "Lissa's waiting for our help."

"Yes, of course." Rose agreed dumbly, feeling a little prickle at the back of her eyes as she followed him.

She blamed it on the wind.

It wasn't tears.


	17. Chapter 16 : Deep Freeze!

**A/N : For once, I might have time to actually answer the reviews! So yes, I'm going to get right on it.**

WhqtAmISupposedToWriteHere: Okay l really like this story but I think it's going way to slow. What I mean is that you've written over 15 chapters and your still on the first day they arrived at the camp. And they're supposed to be there for three months!

**I know, I know. I really, really, really suck at planning out my timelines. But there's no need to worry about the number of months, to be perfectly honest. I'm going to skip a couple of days in between, and only write the IMPORTANT happenings, like when I think the interactions between the characters are integral in the progress of the story. So really, it should be fine. In fact, you should be happy if the story is longer. . . right?**

**That's about all the reviews that need me to reply to, so yeah. **

**Oh, and a shout out to everybody who reviewed! Thank you so much, and I would like to thank a special few for making me smile with your reviews. **

**QuantumKhaos, your reviews really made me grin - in PUBLIC. Kudos to you!**

**Lacey Cordelle, thank you for being my beta reader and giving me long-ass reviews that really keeps me going! **

**rupertrawk, conversations with you are really enlightening! I have a better idea now as to what goes on in Australia, and for that I thank you. Oh, and your long reviews as well!**

**And many, many more that I'm too lazy to type out right now. **

**So yes, no more irritating, annoying author notes. Let's go to the story :P**

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><p>Christian gazed down at the sleeping girl in his arms, a sort of calm settling over him despite the gathering of ominous dark clouds overhead. Lissa's facial features were relaxed, her breaths even and slow, her head resting against his chest.<p>

It was hard to explain the pang in his chest – a constant ache with each beat of his heart – as he gently hooked an awry tendril of Lissa's hair behind her ear. He had no idea what it meant, or what it entailed for him. All he knew was that he felt an overwhelming sense of tenderness towards Lissa, and it puzzled him in the most befuddling of ways. Lust, he could understand, since he dealt with it on a daily – or weekly – basis whenever he went to town to get a little action going on.

But this emotion; this soothing and overpowering feeling all at once confounded him, leaving him dumbfounded. It not only escaped his usual area of expertise, Christian doubted he ever felt it before. Not even with his parents, though that didn't mean anything, for he never loved –

Love?

No, that's just bullshit. He wasn't sure when he took the pledge never to fall in love, but Christian remembered why he did so very clearly.

However, with Lissa so at peace, he was rather reluctant to go back to the painful past, when everything felt so tranquil and perfect. Closing his eyes, he savored the moment of just being _there_ with Lissa, of just being a man with a girl cuddled up in his lap, asleep.

But of course, even that moment could not last.

A rumble of thunder overhead interrupted his thoughts, reminding him of his damnable duties as an Instructor. With the storm approaching, he was supposed to tell the rest of Lissa and Rose's team to journey back to their bunks and wash off the filth before heading to dinner, and then get a good night's rest.

His sense of duty warred with an inexplicable longing to stay with Lissa, but in the end, the former won. Besides, it was exactly the former – his role as Lissa's Instructor – that had him staying with her.

It wasn't him being absurdly protective.

Shaking his head firmly to clear his head of unwanted speculation, Christian gingerly shifted backwards with zig-zag motions from his hip, careful not to wake her up, at the same time using his hands to lower Lissa's head onto the ground.

Lissa made a small, incoherent protest in her sleep and gripped onto his calf with both of her arms, using it like one would a bolster, effectively holding him in place.

Christian froze, not wanting to risk disturbing her from her sleep.

_Maybe, _he allowed as he gazed wistfully at Lissa's sleeping form, _they already went back to their bunks and I don't need to tell them to._

Or maybe he was just looking for an excuse to stay longer with Lissa and just didn't want to acknowledge it.

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><p>It took Dimitri and Rose roughly ten minutes to get to the Instructor's cabin to get the First-Aid kit, and another ten minutes to walk back to the obstacle course. The sun had long set, and the moon was slowly making its ascent up to its rightful place in the velvet night sky.<p>

All along the way, Dimitri wondered what Rose actually meant by that bold statement.

_If I'm able to give him or her my heart, and it won't be torn apart._

He mentally cursed his reaction – or a pointed lack of it towards Rose. She probably hadn't even meant it _that _way – and even if she had, it most definitely wasn't directed at him. Then, why had he taken it _that _way, as if she was interested in him?

Dimitri decided that he hated psychological studies there and then.

He understood the way the mind works, and he knew without a doubt that even if he was jumping to conclusions, he could only have come to such a conclusion if he actually _wanted _Rose to be interested in him – even if he wasn't consciously aware of it. That was the way the mind worked – and he knew it all too well to deny it and deceive himself.

He rubbed at his temples, sighing in weariness. He was going nowhere with this analysis of his feelings.

He was only giving himself a headache.

"About time you got here," Christian's voice called out as they stepped onto the grassy terrain, though he sounded anything but impatient. He sounded. . . oddly happy. "I thought we were going to be left here to rot."

When Christian and Lissa came into view, he arched an eyebrow at the sight that greeted him. Lissa was curled around Christian's leg like a koala clinging to a branch, and from how she was still unmoving, Dimitri realized she was asleep. Christian had a hand on the small of her back, and he was stroking along up and down her spine.

Dimitri felt Rose stiffen beside him. "What the hell have you done to her?" She advanced forward, her fists clenched tightly, her small frame shaking with withheld fury, "I swear to God, if you did anything to her – "

"Cool down, Rose," Christian lifted his head, his eyes sparkling with an emotion Dimitri had never witnessed him projecting before. "She was tired, and she fell asleep. It's a good thing too – she can't feel the pain now."

Rose still stood as rigid as ever, and her eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Want to explain why she's asleep in _that _position?"

Christian shrugged. "Coincidence?"

"Bullshit!" Rose snapped, but didn't interrogate Christian further as Lissa stirred with a moan. "Lissa, you alright?" She dashed forward, then kneeled beside her friend and touched the back of her to her forehead tentatively. "You're burning up!"

Lissa blinked a few times to orientate herself, then gave a weak smile. "I'm fine, Rose." Her voice was strained – evidence that she wasn't.

Rose sort of went into a panic, looking around wildly. "How long will it take for an ambulance to get here?" She cried.

Dimitri decided it was time for him to step in before Rose went into a frenzy. "Let's take a look at that ankle, Lissa, then we'll send you to the sick bay. The doctor should be back here tonight, or tomorrow morning."

Lissa nodded slowly, looking a bit dazed.

Bending down, Dimitri was about to touch her ankle to assess the severity of the sprain when Christian halted him. "Don't." Christian's normally jovial tone sounded darker; more feral in a way that had Dimitri looking at him with surprise. "Let me do it." He gestured at Dimitri to pass him the First Aid kit, not quite meeting his eyes.

After a few moments of hesitation, Dimitri nodded and handed the kit over. "Come on, Rose, Christian can handle the situation. You have to go back and bathe anyway." He said with a glance at Rose, who's pretty face was still scrunched up with worry for Lissa.

Rose looked at him, shaking her head in disagreement. "No, I'm staying – "

"Rose," he admonished, trying for a gentler tone since he knew that she did not take to orders well, "it's better if you just give Lissa some air. Crowding her in like that won't help her at all."

Rose looked as if she was about to argue, but then she swallowed and nodded meekly. "Fine," her voice was small, barely audible.

It was only then that Dimitri noticed how she was quaking almost uncontrollably from the cold.

"Shit, Rose, you're going to get hypothermia at this rate." He murmured, then walked over to Christian and tugged at the jacket he was wearing. "Take it off, Christian."

Christian gave an annoyed grunt as Dimitri was intruding on his administration, but he acquiesced and shrugged out of his jacket, then got straight back to work on Lissa's ankle. Dimitri then draped the newly acquired jacket over Rose's shoulders, wondering why something seemed to be gnawing at his insides whenever she shivered. "Let's get you to your cabin." He told Rose, noting her blue lips with trepidation. "Fast."

Rose just nodded jerkily and took a slow step forward.

Dimitri made the decision easily.

He swept Rose off her feet, one arm supporting her neck while the other supported her below her thighs, and he clutched her body close to his own, hoping that the warmth from his body would provide her some relief from the relentless chill. "Just hold on, Rose." He murmured, glancing at her.

She looked back at him, determination in her eyes, still with that defiant tilt to her chin. "I. . . could have managed it b-back." She insisted, her teeth chattering. "I-I don't need y-your h-help."

"Of course, Roza." He looked down at the stubborn girl in his arms, and allowed himself a small smile.

Maybe it's good to be stubborn sometimes, after all.


	18. Chapter 17 : Understanding Adrian

**A/N : **

**Okay, very, very short chapter this time. Sorry about that, but I just wanted to develop Adrian's character more for future coupling with Sydney (whom I'll introduce soon, as well! Can you guess what's her occupation? *Hint : I've mentioned her twice already*) But yes, I think I have time to address a few reviews... If I can find them. **

QuantumKhaos : Roza eh..? *waggles eyebrows* I wonder how Dimitri's going to warm up Rose..*second eyebrow waggle* This was such a cute chapter! Awww! Quote: ( I'm gonna get this wrong so this is a dodgy approximate) ' Love? Nah, that's just bullshit' *eyebrows too tired to waggle* :D FIGHT THE POWER CHRISTIAN! :D Please UD soon! Thanks for the shout out :) (hmm should I write my reviews as PM's? Because everyone else writes sensible reviews.. :/)

**No, no, no, no, no! I think I love your reviews - they really brighten up my day after I read them. Just leave them as reviews please, It'll be easier for me to check on them through my phone's email :P (So I can do so during work) **

**This one is from the previous chapter, but I think I should answer it as well,**

lily: such a cute chapter yet soooooooooooooooooooooo short :( why? Why? Why? i know i know im not appreciative enough of your skill but oh well. its just that your story's so good that i get super riled up. anyways great chapter yet i somehow wish it was more intimate, kinda like the previous 2 Lissa/Christian chapters. Can't wait for the next chapter, update soon :)

**First off, I'm really sorry that my chapters are so damn short :/ I see other authors updating like a minimum of 2k words per chapter and I feel guilty about having such short updates, but I have a really short attention span. See, I'll write a few sentences then jump up and do some exercise and get back for another few sentences before going downstairs for a jog. So... yeah. It takes literally hours for me to finish just one chapter of about one thousand words. And thank you for the compliment! I think you show your appreciation enough by taking the time to review, anyway! So no worries, I'll try to get myself to write longer chapters. **

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><p>Adrian despised planes.<p>

He hated flying from country to country – which as a Guardian, he did very often – because of the jet lag he would most definitely experience. Granted, jet lag was pretty similar to a very bad hangover, and he almost _always_ – okay, always – has them, but that didn't quite change his mindset of planes being the scourge of humanity.

It didn't matter that he was flying first class – a luxury that only the best Guardians were provided with – with spacious seating space and even a decadent bed for him to sprawl on and take a nap.

He still hated planes and could come up with another million reasons to explain why that is so.

The only up-side to being on board a plane he could think of was the beautiful stewardesses that were at his beck and call.

Adrian sighed and reclined back on his seat with comfortable red velvet upholstery and tipped his glass of wine in farewell to Los Angeles as the aircraft sped across the runway before taking off smoothly. He had spent a good half of his vacation of a year in the City of Angels doing a good job of doing absolutely nothing but gambling, fucking and drinking, and after such a long time of inactivity in the field, he was a little reluctant to return to it; to his old lifestyle of sleeping early and waking up even earlier.

Who the hell made it compulsory for Guardians to wake up at such an ungodly hour, anyway?

As he ruminated about the ways he would torture the person in question for his or her misguidance that resulted in the bane of his existence, one of the stewardesses strutted over, her nametag indicating that she was called 'Veronica'.

She smiled in blatant invitation at Adrian, her glossy lips glinting attractively. "Welcome aboard the Guardian Lines, Mister Ivashkov," she all but purred, leaning towards him as she replenished the wine in his glass, causing her breasts to strain at the tight confines of her uniform. "We hope that you will have an enjoyable ride to Montana, and if you have any questions or in need of any help, do not hesitate to give us a ring by pressing this button." She squatted down, her skirt bunching up to expose her thighs, and pointed at a small, white button under the table in front of Adrian.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll enjoy the ride, no question about that," Adrian grinned in response, almost instinctive after the six months of flirting with women. So used to the routine, he almost found it. . . boring. Still, if he played his cards right now, he could definitely mark something off his list-of-things-to-do-before-death – having sex on a plane in the toilet cubicle. "And if you'll let me take the driver seat," he fixed Veronica with a smoldering gaze that he was confident he had perfected, as evident by how she squeezed her thighs together, " I ensure you that you'll enjoy the ride as well."

She blushed furiously, stumbling to her feet unsteadily. "Umm," she stammered, smoothening the kinks of her skirt with a few hard strokes of her hand, "if that's all, I'll get going – "

Adrian just nodded, arching an eyebrow. "Wait for my call," he said in a husky whisper, and Veronica's face turned beetroot red. She gave a polite bow and clutching the tray to her stomach, she left the room hurriedly, almost tripping over her heels twice in her haste.

Adrian gave a satisfied chuckle, taking another sip of the superb wine the plane served.

Maybe there's one more advantage to being on a plane after all, he thought with a sardonic grin as he swirled the blood red liquid with circular motions of his wrist – the wine.


	19. Chapter 18 : Here Comes Sydney!

**A/N : HEY, sorry for taking such a long time to update. Had been playing too much DotA and out visiting during CNY :P **

**Okay, I have lots of reviews to answer to this time. So buckle up, and hang on!**

QuantumKhaos: Ah Adrian,*tsk,tsk* Always the naughty one...Don't worry about the short chapters, when i try to write,it looks like it's been written by a 2 year old..*cries* :( I wonder what Veronica is going to do...?:D *RANDOM TIME* - Who do you think Adrian should be played by in the movie/film? (Honestly, aren't they the same?:/)...? CHACE CRAWFORD ALL THE WAY!:D:D

**Hey, at least you write reviews like a mature person! (i'm not really good at comforting people online :P) I'm not really big on finding actors for Vampire Academy, so I won't know. Actually, I only know a handful of models/actors. Yeah, I know, I really suck at keeping up with all those stuff. Oh, I'm really looking forward to the Hunger Games movie though! The trailer looks FUCKING AWESOME HELL YEAH.**

lily: shout out! *happy dance* *assumes serious expression* *can't control herself and smiled hugely*. i know i know you're thinking why the hell is she so excited? well im super happy cuz the author of the story that i anxiously wait for to be updated read MY comment! anyways back to this chapter...i love how you portrayed adrian as a womaniser and i especially love the last line. just when you were expecting women you see he was talking about the wine :P. can't wait for more so UD soon, or as soon as you can please.

**This made me laugh :) Haha, I had to make Adrian a womaniser so he'll meet his match when he encounters Sydney. I don't want to spoil you, but she's going to be pretty 'cold' to him :P And don't worry about the rambling part! I think it's adorable LOL**

JoJo110465: Great! Update again soon.

Will you be updating Fixing the Broken soon as well?

Jo

**I'm not really sure, to be honest. I MIGHT finish it off in the future, but I don't see it happening in the near future. Sort of lost motivation for it :/**

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><p><strong>Okay! So that's about it. <strong>

**ANDANDAND, another big thank you to Lacey Cordelle for pointing out all the mistakes that I miss when I'm speed typing the story through, and for being such a great beta reader :D**

**Oh and Majic91, for your reviews! About your review for Dangerous Deceptions... you do know that I'm a guy, right? LOL.**

**Edit: Okay, since everybody assumed I was a _girl... _I think it's in my best interest to write my gender in my profile. BRB  
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><p>Rose woke up sometime in the middle of the night with no recollection whatsoever of what happened after she lost consciousness from the numbing cold, finding herself wrapped up in a blanket like a caterpillar in a cocoon, feeling about as warm as one. Craning her head slightly, she peered around at her surroundings, and suppressed a wild rush of panic when recognition did not strike immediately.<p>

In fact, she was totally clueless as to where she was.

The cabin she was in appeared well-furnished, with a cozy and homey feeling to it that she attributed to the lazy dancing of shadows cast by the flickering flames at the fireplace across the darkened surfaces of the ligneous furniture. However, despite the ominous shifting of the shadows that formed creepy figures along the walls, Rose felt strangely safe, as if she knew subconsciously that she would never be hurt as long as she stayed there.

Weird.

Submitting to the urge to explore the mysterious place she was in, Rose wriggled her way out of the blanket, grimacing when her sore muscles gave squeals of protest at even the tiniest bit of movement. Discarding the fabric to the side, she pushed her body with her hands to the edge of the bed, her feet dangling from the side.

The window to her left gave her a view of the outside world – entirely shrouded in darkness – and it didn't take a genius to figure out that night had long fallen.

Frowning when she spotted how high off the ground the bed actually was, Rose eased herself on tip-toes onto the parquet flooring, shivering when her feet came in contact with the cooler floor. She padded silently towards the fireplace, already feeling a little chilly without the company of the blanket.

Plopping herself down onto the thick carpet in front of the fireplace, she basked in the warmth the flames emanated; deciding then that the exploration could wait.

"You should be in bed," A deep, rumbly, _familiar_ voice spoke up, jolting Rose to attention. Her gaze swinging wildly around in a somewhat fruitless effort to discern the source of the sound, she jumped to her feet.

Then relaxed when Dimitri emerged from the cover of the shadows, his face still partially obscured by the darkness. One corner of his lips was pulled down in a disapproving frown. "Go to bed, Rose. You need your rest after that little episode."

Rose shook her head, her hands suddenly clammy. "I feel fine." Truth, though her body seemed a little less responsive, less alert and her brain was working at a snail's pace. She did, however, manage to comprehend in some part of her mind that she was in Dimitri's cabin, and that thought sent a rush of tingling sensations through her body.

Dimitri stepped totally out of the darkness into the dimly lit room, gesturing at the bed with his thumb, along with a slight incline of his head for emphasis – as if he thought that that additional action would make her more compliant. "Sleep," he ordered.

Incensed – and partially amused – by how Dimitri assumed that she will follow his orders, Rose sat back down onto the comfortable carpet, her back to him. "I'm not tired," She told him.

"Doesn't matter" was his reply, followed by, "You still have training tomorrow, and you need to be well-rested."

Exasperated, Rose spun around at her hip. "Maybe you didn't notice, but I have been _out _the whole entire fucking time from evening till now! I don't feel the _least _bit tired!"

She watched as Dimitri shoved a hand through his hair, then blew out a breath of frustration. "I'm not here to argue with you, Rose," he muttered slowly, his hand out in a placating gesture as he took a step back into the shadows. "Do whatever you want, then. I, on the other hand," a rueful twitch of his lips, "need my sleep." He turned around, took a step out of the room, paused. "Training begins at eight, by the way. Breakfast is at seven," he said without looking at her, and with that, he strode out.

Rose faced the flames again, angrily reaching for a piece of firewood to feed the fire. Wielding the thick wood like one would a sword, she poked furiously at the burning logs, unleashing her temper in the most childish manner – the only way she had ever known. It took a long minute for her anger to simmer down, and then she retracted her legs, hugged her knees and stared at the weaving flames until the black sky lit up with beautiful hues of orange, red and gold.

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><p>Christian sighed, mentally reprimanding himself for not paying much attention during the medical courses that all Guardians had to undergo in their four years of primary training. He raised his hand with every intention to plow through his hair again, but thought better of it when he recalled how many times he had done so in the past minute alone.<p>

Instead, he slapped his own cheeks.

Then, deciding that it wasn't punishment enough, he punched the concrete wall to his side – _hard._

Knuckles throbbing, he sighed yet again, feeling awfully helpless as Lissa slumbered on the bed at the doctor's quarters, her injured ankle propped up with a badly done loop hanging from the ceiling. Her face was slightly pale, and she had bitten lightly on her bottom lip a few times during her sleep, no doubt from the pain that still plagued her.

Pain that Christian should had been able to alleviate, if he _had _the fucking knowledge how to!

A glance at the clock confirmed that it was already midnight, and that damned doctor that he had telephoned for better be on his way or he would –

There were three, light raps against the door before it was pushed open with utmost care, as if the person opening it was afraid of hurting the material that composed it. A woman, probably in her early twenties from her youthful appearance, stood in the doorway somewhat awkwardly, a duffel bag in one hand, a suitcase in another.

"Yes?" Christian inquired, a little impatiently. He had not received any information beforehand that there would be someone new joining the camp; he was also in no mood to settle the necessary paperwork. "If you're a new recruit, the bunk's over – "

"No," the woman shook her head, her platinum blonde hair – almost identical to Lissa's, but Christian found that her's dulled in comparison to Lissa's – glinting in the light. "I'm the stand-in doctor." Rigidly, she placed both bulky bags onto the floor by the door, then closed the door with equal gentleness to how she had opened it.

"You're an alchemist?" Christian didn't bother to disguise his shock.

The woman slanted him a glance, a flash of irritation in her eyes that vanished in an instant. "Yes," she confirmed, already walking over to Lissa with a proficiency that took Christian aback. That was then that he noticed the golden lily tattooed on her left, lower cheek.

". . . this?" The doctor was asking.

Christian looked sheepishly at her. "Excuse me?"

Another glint of irritation in those remarkable, brown eyes with golden flecks that intrigued him. "I was asking, who did up these bandages?"

Christian walked over beside her. "I did."

She glanced at him, finishing up her assessment of Lissa's condition. "You did a pretty good job. The swelling has already gone down, but she might require a few days to recuperate fully. I recommend that even after she's discharged to keep her away from any rigorous activities."

Christian just gaped, having lost her after the doctor said that he did a good job. "_I _did a good job of bandaging her ankle?" He asked, baffled.

She regarded him with something akin to wry amusement, but Christian wasn't quite sure – her face could have been carved out of stone for all the emotion it conveyed. "It may seem so, yes."

Finally at ease since Lissa wasn't in any sort of risk, Christian grinned. "I _knew _I was a genius."

The woman gave him a chiding look that made him feel as if he was a toddler who had just committed an offense that required spanking, before returning her attention to Lissa.

"What's your name?" He asked, finally giving his legs a brief respite after pacing around the room for over four hours by sitting down.

"Sydney," she answered, a little reluctantly, after a pause.

"You live in Australia?" Christian joked, forcing himself to his feet again when he realized how thirsty he was, and walked over to the little fridge at the corner of the room.

"No," she said, sounding genuinely puzzled and vexed at his line of questioning. "I'm from Utah." (Thanks to Mo127 and others for providing me with the information!)

Christian looked at Sydney, astonished. "It was a _joke_, Sydney."

Surprise flittered over her pretty features at the sound of her name, as if she was not accustomed to being called that. Then she schooled her expression and turned back to attending to Lissa with precise, expert movements of her hands. "I see. Am I supposed to laugh?"

Christian choked on the water he was drinking. He took a few seconds to cough out the contents that had entered his windpipe. "Jesus, Sydney, don't you have a sense of humor?" He asked pleasantly, expecting a retort that he could answer cheerfully to.

Sydney cocked her head for a long moment, as if really considering the question. Then she met his gaze, her eyes haunted.

"No."


	20. Chapter 19 : A Chat

**A/N: Hi.**

**Warning : Very, very long A/N coming that is probably longer than the story.**

majic91: LOLOLOL omgosh I am so sorry hahaha. I honestly had no idea. I swear I looked at your bio before but I don't think there was any indictators of what gender you are :/ so I really do apologize! Plus I think you're the first male FF writer I've stumbled across... kudos to you since your work is probably the best I've seen on here so far. (and no I'm not just complimenting you because I called you a girl lmao)

And I just finished reading Bloodlines and I swear Sydney is from like Salt Lake City or something like that? But I'm not certain cause I read the book in like 3 days so I wasn't paying too much attention to detail!

**Really now, the first? So like, all the stories for VA. . . none of them are written by guys? ...**

**Give me a moment to digest that.**

**. . . Wow. Honestly, I don't get it. I read almost all genres of books, so I eventually stumbled on romance books. I was hesitant to read it at first (yeah, really, but I'm glad that I did, because it opened a WHOLE new world to me) because it ... sounded _gay, _but I got over it when I realized how good it was. You might have read in my profile that the first book I picked up in the romance genre was Perfect Chemistry, and that book really made me fall in love with it. (ahahaha, PUN) Ever since, I started to read them. So... yeah.**

XoxBlueRavenxoX: fabulous! i swear this update saved my day. all day, i have been looking for something to read but no one updated and there weren't any good stories, i'm half way through my next chapter but i can't concentrate and keep getting distracted, so you have no idea how glad i was to see "[FF New Chapter] Ch. 19 of story, The Sweetest Surrender, by Complicated Days" in my emails, LOL. thank you! UD soon! xo

**Glad that you enjoyed it! Haha, and no problem. **

lily: yay sydney :)! At first i was like where the hell is sydney? it says he name in the title...and then i got to the end. ohhh i wonder how adrian and sydney are going to meet up, or maybe you've already mentioned it and i just wasn't paying enough attention (as usual. anyways great chapter, though somehow i wish that dmitri had chosen to sit down and sleep next to rose. anyways i see that my resolution to write shorter and more meaningful reviews has already failed so sorry...WAIT WAIT WAIT! i just looked at the authors notes...you're a guy? what? *extremely confused face* omg this just totally changes my perception of you as the author. i'm just really lost right now... -.-

**No, I haven't mentioned how they're going to meet up, but I assure you that it's in the most hilarious way possible. And about that Dimitri and Rose part - don't worry, they'll have their lemon soon. Well, not SO soon, but soon. Like... 20 chapters later. Okay, okay. Yes, I'm a guy. One question though, how does that change your perception of me? Trust me, I'm 100% straight - if that's what you mean, and I do have a girlfriend. (She doesn't know I like to write though. I bet she thinks that my english is absolutely horrible because I type to her liek dis)**

vamp-lover: I just start reading your story and u gotta say that your author notes are longer than the story and it's suppose to be about dimitri and rose but mire like christian and Lisa and I dont like how Rose still feel the need to put Lisa's life ahead of hers

**Vamp-lover, I'm going to try to sound as diplomatic as possible, even though all I feel like doing is raging. It's not that I can't take any criticism, but you're telling me that I have to change the style or the way my story is going to make you happy? Seriously? Yes, I know that I have started to write longer A/N towards the present, but I'm pretty damn sure that my author notes are in no way longer than my story. At most, they accumulate to about 5000 words, maybe about 6000 due to this long one. In the end, does it really matter? AND, I mentioned in chapter 1 that this story consists of not only R&D, but C&L as well. Sure, my summary may beg to differ, but if you took the time to read through the A/Ns, you would have realized that it isn't all R&D. You don't like how Rose feels the need to put Lissa's life ahead of hers? Well, then, am I supposed to re-write the whole entire story just because you don't like it that way? Or did you mean that as an off-handed comment? I guess I still ended up sounding as if I'm raging, so forget it.  
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><p><strong>Okay, that's about all the reviews I need to respond to. Oh, and someone asked me how I actually found out about Vampire Academy. I first saw it when I was at my girlfriend's house, and she sort of forced me to read it when I told her I was bored -.- I still remember that it was frostbite, and I loved how everything was going. After that, I basically went around the whole of Singapore to borrow the books from the libraries :P I have, however, not read bloodlines yet. Planning to do so soon, though.<br>**

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><p>Sleep eluded Dimitri like the most frustrating prey, so much so that when he woke up – or just got off his bed, since he didn't sleep at all – he was extremely grouchy and equally, if not more, tired when he had went to bed – or the couch, which he had been forced to sleep in by Viktoria.<p>

Not wanting to determine or analyze the reason for his insomnia, he headed straight for the bathroom to freshen up. After completing his morning ritual which included washing his face, brushing his teeth and shaving, he felt a _little _bit better. Rubbing his cleanly-shaven jaw, he stole a glance at the mirror and agreed that he looked, at the very least, presentable.

Walking out of the bathroom – the only place he had refused to give up to his sister – he had only just stepped into the corridor when a fragrant, uncannily familiar aroma greeted him. A wave of nostalgia crashed over him, and he closed his eyes at the memories of his old home back in Baia : waking up in the morning to his mother's wonderful cooking; running around in the spacious yard at the back of the house with Viktoria and how their laughter would reverberate around the house –

He shook his head firmly to stop himself from thinking about the past; from thinking about his childhood and how that incident that gave him the motivation to leave home was just a time-bomb waiting to happen.

His stomach grumbled, probably rebelling against how little he had fed himself the previous day. In his defense, he didn't have the time _or _mood to eat anything. He was busy making sure that the recruits were settling in before Lissa's accident, and after that, he was tied up ensuring that Rose was fine.

Admittedly, he might have stayed a _little _longer than necessary by Rose's side, but that was just his concern as an instructor that coerced him to do so.

His mind snorted at his rationalization, but Dimitri ignored it and followed the smell to the kitchen, where Viktoria was standing next to the stove, her back to him.

"Morning!" she greeted him enthusiastically without turning, at the same time stabbing at the eggs in the pan she was holding with a spatula. "Hungry?"

"Starving," he admitted, pulling out a chair before plunking into it.

"Well then," Viktoria laughed, lifting the pan and carrying it towards the table where she scraped the eggs off the pan onto the plate in front of him. "Eat all you can!"

Dimitri nodded his thanks, then dug into his eggs with gusto as his sister used a pair of tongs to lay a few bacon strips beside the yellow heap of goodness. "What about you?" He managed to ask between spoonfuls, mindful of how little Viktoria tended to eat and how he it was his responsibility to rectify that – now that she was living with him.

She made a face, turning back to the stove. "I'm not hungry."

"The hell you are," Dimitri muttered, setting aside his fork at the expected reply from her, intending to drag her to the dining table for breakfast. "You have to _eat, _Viktoria."

"I will!" she defended herself, throwing the pan with a jerk of her wrist into the water-filled sink in a way that screamed 'temper!' "Just not now."

Dimitri shook his head, mystified, and resumed eating. One thing he knew for sure - when Viktoria sets her mind on something, she never changes it, so there was no use trying to get her to eat against her will. She'll probably just dump her whole meal on his head.

Quite like Rose, he mused, then cursed himself for thinking about the cause for his lack of sleep.

Back to the situation at hand. . .

He never understood why Viktoria always put off eating till the last moment – like it was the worst thing on Earth she could possibly do. She had never been that way until puberty hit. Then, all she did was pick at her food and stuff a few pieces into her mouth before proclaiming that she was full. "Viktoria – "

"Forget it, Dimitri." One hand on her hip, the other one brandishing the spatula, she pointed it threateningly in his direction. "I'll eat when I feel hungry, and not anytime sooner."

Dimitri sighed; mimed waving a flag in the air. "I give up. Have it your way then, but of course, I'll be the one to be scolded for not taking proper care of you."

She smirked, then pointed with her weapon of choice at his plate of food. "Now, _eat."_

Dimitri obeyed, adoring her sister too much to feel irritated at her order, shoveling a spoon of eggs into his mouth.

Viktoria took about a minute to wash the pans she had used to cook the breakfast, then decided it was time to torment her brother a little more. Watching Dimitri squirm had been her favorite past-time since she discovered how easily she could accomplish it, and she was craving a little entertainment.

She folded herself into the seat opposite Dimitri, her plate of food sitting in front of her.

Dimitri arched an eyebrow at her, then looked pointedly at the untouched plate of food. "You're hungry now." A statement, not a question.

Viktoria giggled at her brother's stubbornness, then humored him by swallowing a small piece of egg.

Dimitri sighed.

"Anyway," she ventured, weaving her fork in the air in the distinct shape of a circle, "tell me about Rose."

Dimitri choked on the bacon he was chewing on.

Averting his gaze from Viktoria's knowing and amused one, he took a gulp of water from the glass to down the contents that might still be stuck in his throat. "Excuse me?" he croaked, aiming for nonchalance but failing terribly since he coughed right after he talked. "Fuck," he swore, then coughed again.

"Relax, Dimitri," Viktoria practically sang, her mouth curving. "I know for a fact that she's just another one of the recruits," she pretended to pause and re-evaluate her statement, then covered her mouth as she gasped in mock horror and surprise, "or is she?"

"Mind your own business, Viktoria," Dimitri muttered, then recalling how he had gotten Rose to stay over, sleeping in Christian's room because he was camping at the doctor's quarters for the night with Lissa, he asked, "Did you see her in the morning?"

She smiled slyly as she hooked a finger around the ear of her cup of coffee and slowly lifted it in what seemed to be a mocking salute. "Maybe."

"Viktoria - "

She looked at him over the rim of her cup, her eyes sparkling. "Don't you think you should introduce me to her?"

Dimitri, deliberately ignoring her question, sighed, his appetite dulling in the face of Viktoria's interrogations. "Has she left?"

Viktoria nodded, then grinned. "Not before we made the respective introductions, of course."

Dimitri slapped a hand over his forehead, then pinched the bridge of his nose. "What did you say to her?"

"Not much," she replied vaguely, putting down the cup back onto its saucer before reaching for the sugar.

"Stay away from her, Viktoria," he warned, not comfortable with the thought of his ever-knowing - and incredibly irritating - sister around Rose.

Viktoria wagged her finger back and forth. "Give me one good reason why."

Racking his brain for a reasonable and believable answer, Dimitri answered lamely, "she has a fever; its highly contagious."

She snorted. "Nice try, Dimitri. Next time, try to come up with a better lie." She stirred the coffee after the addition of a teaspoon of sugar, then took a sip. Apparently satisfied with its taste, she placed it back down on the table, forgoing the saucer. Leaning forward, she said in a conspiratorial whisper, "you know I won't stop asking about it until you tell me everything, don't you?"

Warily, Dimitri nodded in resignation. "All too well."

"Well then!" Clapping her hands in approval, Viktoria got to her feet cheerfully. "Now that we've gotten everything straight, I believe that it's time for you to go meet up with Christian."

"Viktoria - "

"Go on," she said with a flicking motion of her wrist at the door. "Shoo."

Frustrated, Dimitri growled. "This isn't over, Viktoria." Nevertheless, he strode over to the door, mindful that he was already late.

"Oh," Viktoria said brightly as he stepped out of the cabin, "it definitely isn't."


	21. Chapter 20 : Arrival, Part 1

**A/N: okay, so i was halfway through responding to the reviews when i accidentally pressed backspace and my page went back, losing EVERY SINGLE FUCKING THING THAT I HAD TYPED.**

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**-.- -_- -.- -_- -.- -_- ... sorry, but i'm too lazy to retype everything that I've written. so i'll just skip the review answering for this chapter, and continue in the next chapter. fml. **

**Edit : Nvm, i'll TRY to write it all out again...**

lily:ok so i'm gonna warn you in advance. this is going to be a super long review. Firstly vamp-lover. WTF is wrong with you bitch. Rose wanting to put lissa in front of herself is what makes rose, ROSE. His A/N are NOT that long. you should be glad that he's taking the time to answer you reviews. Secondly (is that even a word) how has my perception of you changed you ask. well before i knew you were a guy i thought you were a girl (obviously)... but most importantly i had this image of you in my head, you were like a cute girl with overlarge glasses who wrote in her bedroom after a long day to please her fans, for some reason (i know it sounds weird). Now that i know that you're a guy, and one that had written one of the best stories i've EVER read on FF your image in my head has changed to one of a very hot guy. Thirdly "(She doesn't know I like to write though. I bet she thinks that my english is absolutely horrible because I type to her liek dis)" this just made my fucking day. LMFAO. Oh your poor GF she doesn't know what she's missing (is that a good thing). Plus for some reason i never doubted that you were straight... Moving on. Fourthly about this chapter (finally) it was so good. love how annoying and nosy viktoria is, just like a real sibling (i should know i have three of them). NOOOOOOO rose left before they could have a scene together? oh well i guess it's for the good of the story. I know that this review is fragmented and doesn't make sense in places but that's how i think so i apologize for the inconvenience (since i'm to lazy to go back and fix it). Lastly and most importantly...*drumroll* UPDATE SOON! :)

**YES, EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN. ROSE WON'T BE ROSE IF SHE DIDN'T PUT LISSA'S WELL-BEING IN FRONT OF HER OWN. you deserve a medal for typing out what i didn't manage to :D and this is pretty funny, but your image of me as a girl is pretty similar to me as a boy. i wear over-larged glasses that are all-the-rage now in singapore, and i type in my bedroom after a long day (which unfortunately makes it longer because i normally write the story till around 1am or 2am to finish it :/) previously, i had typed a very long chunk of text about how singaporeans appear to be very illiterate to the rest of the people on the internet, but since i'm lazy, i won't. but you must agree, that most people think that singaporeans are 'trolls' just because we type in terrible grammar and english, and always insert words like 'la', 'leh', 'deh', 'lor' behind our sentences. **

**and i HAD to make rose leave before anything happened. i still think its WAY too early for a lemon. i'll only write the lemon when both dimitri and rose are at their wits' ends and are contemplating suicide to solve the sexual hunger between them. now THAT makes the lemon MUCH more interesting to write ;)**

majic91: I am still new-ish to FF, probably have only been on this site for about a month or so. And most stories have author's have usernames such as MrsBelikov or AdriansGurl or something like that so I would just make the assumption that they are female haha. I mean maybe I have read other guys' work, and thought they were a girl, but you were the first to my knowledge that is actually a guy.

And to answer a question you asked in reply to someone else's review- No, it does not change my perspective of you at all! If anything, I think higher of you. I don't really know any guys in general who read, but to be a guy and actually admit you like these kinds of books is pretty ballsy in my opinion. Besides, you are an EXCELLENT writer so in the end it doesn't really matter what gender you are.

**i think what i was writing about was that only about 2 of my friends out of literally hundreds read, and even then, they read fantasy. ?_? i think fantasy is fucking boring. too long, and too little things to spice it up. sure, there's action, like in Eragon, but it gets boring. i only read the first two books, and the first part of bisingr before putting it down. and i just LOVE reading. yeah, there's no stronger word that i can use. especially at night, where it's windy and dark outside. then i'll just sit on my bed, lean against the wall and read. and read. and read. and listen to my playlist of music (mostly calming ones, from boy bands and of the country genre) now, THAT is enjoying life to the fullest. but, to each his own, I guess. **

dpower: Ok well first I havent even read the ch yet cuz I read the AN and had to say something. I dont care what gender you r I like your story just the way it is. Sure you could improve the length of your ch and maybe even be more discriptive in some things but all and all you have a good story going.

I must admit I get confused a little because you jump back and forth so your transition from one place to another could be a little smoother but hey its a learning process. So good job kido!

And as to you being a guy, well, great finally a guys opinion! A straight guy none the less! I would love a guys opinion on my stories. I think thats very cool, even if your girlfiend doesnt know you like to write. But I bet once she read your story she would be like DAMN NO SHIT! thats cool. HAHA

So keep up the good work and I will be reading this story cuz I like it not b/c you r a guy. And if you need any help with the M scene when the time comes I seem to be getting quite the rep for those so I would be happy to help if you like.

Good job! Plz post soon! and now I get to read your story! Yey!

**yeah, i know the length of my stories are pathetically short (guilty face) and i suck at description. that's why my stories seem so fast-paced, because i don't know how to describe their surroundings like other authors who take the time to do so, slowing down the pace of their stories so its more enjoyable. i guess my vocab isn't THAT good enough, and i don't know how to put it into words. :/ **

**and i think the jumping back and forth doesn't really matter, since it's all in the third POV. i just do it to show how each person is feeling. **

**i haven't started writing M scenes yet, so i won't know if i need help. but when the time comes, i'll let you know :)**

**PHEW, FINALLY GOT THROUGH IT. *fucking backspace that made me retype everything* **

**EDIT: WHY DOESN'T THE NEW CHAPTER APPEAR ON MY STORY EVEN THOUGH ITS ALREADY ON THE FRONTPAGE? WAI?  
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><p>"You look like shit, man," Christian commented unhelpfully and annoyingly cheerfully as Dimitri slid himself into the seat on the bench next to him. "Tough night?" Mischief sparked in his eyes.<p>

"You don't look so hot yourself," Dimitri grumbled in reply, resting his chin on his hand propped up by his elbow glumly, eyeing the recruits chatting animatedly with one another over their hearty breakfast. If there was one thing good about the boot camp, it was the food – all the Instructors shared the same belief that good food's a necessity for the recruits to perform at their fullest potential.

Christian sighed, ruffled his hair up – still slightly wet from his morning shower – and took a big bite of his sandwich. "My back's aching like a bitch," he complained, wincing when he slouched a little as if to prove his point, "and I think I only managed to get an hour's sleep due to Sydney stomping all around the place to take stock of the medical equipment and medicine we have at hand."

Dimitri turned to face Christian, frowning. "Sydney?"

"The new doctor," Christian told him, another chunk of the sandwich vanishing into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully, then added, "she has issues."

"Is she good?" That was all Dimitri cared about – how professional their doctor-at-site was.

Christian gave that some serious thought – evident from how his brow furrowed in concentration. "I guess," he said finally, finishing up his breakfast with another bite. "She seems to take her work pretty damn seriously."

"Then that's good enough for me." Dimitri paused, then gave Christian an accusing stare. "And for heaven's sakes, Christian, don't fuck her. If she's as good as you deem, I want her to stick around here long enough to treat at least one injury before she leaves from a broken heart."

Christian had the atrocity to act as if he was _offended _by his words. "How was I supposed to know that Cindy was such a fragile creature?"

Dimitri closed his eyes, blowing out his breath slowly. "Just promise me, Christian, that you won't take Sydney to bed. Is that so hard?"

"Fine," Christian said easily, crushing the sandwich's plastic wrapper in his palm and proceeding to toss it into the rubbish bin a few feet away. "I promise. You don't have to worry about that, actually. I don't think she even knows the definition of _humor, _much less _pleasure."_

"What do you mean?" Dimitri asked, his sluggish, sleep-deprived brain not aiding him in understanding what Christian was implying.

Christian shook his head. "I'm telling you, Dimitri, that woman has _no _emotions. She's like a robot, programmed only to perform its specific duties, and nothing more. Shit, it's fucking creepy. Just last night, I tried to strike up a conversation with her and she only responded when the question prompted for one. If not, she'll just look at you as if you're wasting her time."

"Maybe you should try to be more like her. I'll definitely appreciate your company more then."

"I'm _serious!" _Now he sounded exasperated.

"You're exaggerating, Christian."

"No, I'm not," Christian protested, gesticulating wildly with his hands to get his point across more strongly. "I'm not kidding, Dimitri, I swear it on my cock - and you know how important it is to me. She's like a fucking block of ice – why the hell would I want to screw her? My balls would probably freeze and drop off after that."

"That never stopped you before," Dimitri muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Forget it." Dimitri waved off the remark and stood up, the headache becoming quite hard to ignore. "You think you can manage today's training without my help?"

Christian arched an eyebrow. "You think I can't?"

"Yes." Dimitri answered truthfully.

"Well," Christian said brightly, not paying much heed to the insult, "don't worry. I can manage pretty damn well on my own."

"That isn't the least bit reassuring, but I'll take your word for it," Dimitri said, plucking out his phone to check the details of Adrian's flight. Assuming that Adrian was even on it and not still sprawled out on his bed in Los Angeles, his chosen place for vacation for the past half year. "I'll go catch up on some sleep in the meantime then go to the airport to bring Adrian here."

"Adrian?" Christian's eyes lit up immediately at the mention of their friend. "Adrian Ivashkov?"

Dimitri gave a weary sigh. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me that he's the Guardian who's coming?" Christian asked happily, already on his feet and pumping his hand in the air in delight. "I would have made plans for us to go to town and have some fun – "

"Christian," Dimitri reminded him sternly, "he's here to help. Not to fuck the entire town." Adrian was almost as bad an incorrigible playboy as Christian was, and needless to say, they got along like the best of buddies. The only difference between the two of them was that Adrian had loads of fetishes while Christian didn't really care about such things.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Christian didn't seem all that concerned – or attentive, for that matter – about what Dimitri was saying. "Just bring him to meet me the moment he gets here, alright? Jesus, I don't know how long it's been since the three of us were together! Best Christmas gift ever!" He rubbed his hands together in glee, looking very much like a kid up to no good.

"Alright then. I'll be back at the cabin if you need me." Dimitri told Christian, who just gave him a dismissive nod in return.

Already imagining how comfortable his bed would feel – Viktoria definitely wouldn't object to him sleeping in his bed since she's up and running – Dimitri quickened his steps. If everything went according to schedule, Adrian's plane would land about a quarter before noon. That allowed him about three hours to get some rest.

God knows he needed it.


	22. Chapter 20 : Arrival, Part 2

**A/N: okay, so i'm tired as hell, and won't write an author note this chapter. so... just read and enjoy. **

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><p>He was, Christian thought with a grimace, in <em>way <em>over his head when he had told Dimitri that he could handle the training session on his own.

Now, while Dimitri was probably waltzing around – won't that be a sight! – in an endless field of roses in full bloom in his dream, _he _was suffering. Or maybe he was already on his way to the airport to meet up with Adrian, but that still meant that he was in the comfort of a car – with an air-conditioner that he would pay a limb for.

Christian decided that he needed a break too, and that the recruits would appreciate one as well. Maybe a half day was in order. . .

The four teams, having had taken their respective turns at the obstacle course, gathered around him, waiting impatiently to be debriefed for their long overdue lunch.

"Alright, alright, quiet down." It took a few tries for him to shush his irritated audience, but he finally got everybody to shut up. "I know you're all hungry, so I'll skip all the bullshit talk about your lack of teamwork and how you guys have to rectify it before we skin you all alive." A chorus of cheers met his announcement, and he grinned. "That, however, doesn't mean that Instructor Belikov won't lay the dirt on you guys the moment he's back." The cheers died down, replaced by groans and complaints.

Christian, with his keen eyesight, noticed how Rose jerked upright at the mention of Dimitri's name, and how her eyes narrowed when he all but revealed that he was away from camp. She then gave a great huff, crossed her arms and went back to sulking – something she had been doing for the entire duration of the morning due to Lissa's absence.

_Lissa. _Just the mere mention of her name made Christian fret for her once again. In the wee hours of the morning when he had made his way out of the doctor's – or Sydney's, since she had officially taken over that position – quarters, she had begun to burn up. Her cheeks, once pink with vitality, were dull and hollow, her forehead scrunching up from time to time as if she was in pain. Her entire face was almost chalk white, and that scared him half to death. Sydney had assured him that it was the after-effects of taking the medicine she had administered to her that night, but Christian was still anxious and worried, constantly fighting the urge to return to Lissa's side and ensure that she was fine.

Gritting his teeth, Christian warded off the thoughts that only distracted him. His inexplicable concern for her also only served to confuse him – he had never been so attentive to anybody before. "I only have a few words to say before you all can go and eat your fill. First off, I think you all did quite well for your first and second day in such a new environment, though Instructor Belikov doesn't exactly share my sentiments." One of the guys in the crowd booed and a few others followed suit when Christian didn't reprimand him. Grinning, he leaned in and whispered, soft enough for it to seem as if he was letting them in on a secret but loud enough for everybody to hear, "don't tell him I said that." He winked, drawing giggles out of the girls sitting in the front row who were openly gawking at him. "Anyway, as I was saying, don't expect the training to get any easier. A word of caution: its all uphill from here. The training regime would get tougher – exponentially. All of you will be expected to be able to withstand and endure through whatever shit we throw at you, and still emerge strong."

A few of the recruits blanched, but the rest didn't seem the least bit intimidated.

"Good." Christian nodded his approval when nobody backed down. "That's all for today, then. You all are free for the rest of the day. Just remember that lights out today is at eleven, and not a minute later."

Whoops of delight saturated the air as the recruits dispersed, mostly in small groups, most of them already having formed their cliques. Slowly and steadily, the area cleared until only Christian was standing in the sweltering heat.

Oh, and a very pissed looking Rose.

"You have a question?" He asked her wearily. He wasn't even sure he could handle the feisty Rose when he was at his best. And when he was feeling so tired?

No damned way.

"No," she snapped, "I have a _request. _And if you want to have your balls intact when you wake up tomorrow, you'll grant it."

Christian smiled weakly. "What is it, then?" Might as well get it over with.

Probably surprised at his easy acceptance, Rose took a moment to state what she wanted. "I want to see Lissa."

"Fine with me." Christian understood how much she cared about Lissa, and wasn't about to be an asshole by depriving her of a visit to check up on her best friend – even though Sydney might not like it and glare at them during the entire time, then berate him about it later when they were alone.

Rose, taken aback a second time, nodded awkwardly. "Thank you," she muttered, somewhat reluctantly.

"Don't worry about it," Christian said airily, because it was the truth. He was intending to go and visit Lissa anyway, so it wasn't much of an inconvenience. _Just doing my job, _he assured himself. It had nothing to do with how he harbored a certain _longing _to be there for Lissa. Na, that was absolutely ridiculous.

He was only doing it because it was in his line of duty, and he always did what he had to.

"I assume you know where Lissa is housed at?" He asked, satisfied that he had figured out what was going on in his mind.

Rose gave a stiff nod.

"Meet me there in thirty minutes. I'm going to go grab a bite first. You should get something to eat too."

"I'll pass." Rose shook her head. "I don't have an appetite anyway. I just want to see Lissa." She sounded so forlorn that Christian felt himself softening.

"Sheesh, alright. I'll take you there first, then have my lunch." Sighing, he beckoned for Rose to follow him. "Come on."

They walked in silence to Sydney's cabin.

Christian knocked twice on the door and Sydney opened it a moment later, looking annoyed at the unexpected intrusion. Still, she took a step to the side and gestured for them to come in. Once both of them stepped inside, she eased the door shut and immediately went back to work on whatever she was initially doing at her desk that was littered with piles of papers.

"Where's Lissa?" Rose demanded, bypassing all the bullshit and getting straight to the heart of the matter. "I want to see her!"

Sydney, not even looking up from the pristine page of a notebook she was scrawling on, jerked a finger in the direction of Lissa's ward.

Without another word, Rose sprinted into the room.

Christian ran a hand through his hair, contemplating whether to follow Rose or to go and eat his lunch. He was hungry – ravenously so. But if he left now and came back later, Rose would most probably be gone, and he would have to face Lissa alone if he wanted to check on her condition.

He had a hunch that _that_ would be pretty awkward.

Making up his mind with a resigned sigh, he gave his empty stomach a rueful pat before following Rose into Lissa's room.


	23. Chapter 20 : Arrival, Part 3

**A/N: Nothing much to comment on, just that this chapter is 2000 words long! (oh joy) and I deserve a cookie. **

**COOKIE PLEASE? :(**

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><p>"Son of a bitch, Dimitri!" Adrian gave Dimitri a hearty slap on the back – a customary greeting in their circle of friends – as he grinned, looking well-rested and exultant despite the pretty long flight he had been on. "How long has it been? Oh, and you look like shit."<p>

"Great observation," Dimitri muttered dryly, shaking his head in bafflement as the all-too-energetic Adrian threw his head back and laughed again. Adrian was in way too good of a mood for someone who should be suffering from jet lag, and considering that Adrian _abhorred _flying in planes, he should be sullen and snappish. "Why the sudden cheerfulness?"

Adrian clucked his tongue, wagging his finger back and forth in disapproval. "My, my, is that how you welcome visitors? Not very hospitable, are you, Dimitri?" He chuckled – it appeared that Adrian was all-smiles that day, literally – before cupping Dimitri's ears and leaning in to whisper, "regarding my 'sudden cheerfulness', as you so kindly put it, it's due to some great sex in the air. Nothing like a little fucking to brighten up your day, don't you reckon?"

"Another one of your fetishes?" Dimitri asked dully, wondering whatever had possessed him to fetch Adrian personally. He could have gotten Christian to do it – God knows he would leap at the chance to reconcile with Adrian. He started walking ahead, leaving Adrian to fumble with his luggage he had settled on the floor during the conversation and scurry forward to keep up with him.

When Adrian had regained a modicum of his dignity after almost tripping over twice in his haste to catch up with Dimitri, he straightened his coat and brushed off an imaginary piece of lint on his shoulder. "As I was saying before I was so _rudely" _– a pointed look at Dimitri – "interrupted by your abrupt departure, _yes." _Carrying his leather briefcase in one hand and his luggage in another, and with the addition of his tailored coat that fit his broad shoulders perfectly, Adrian looked as if he had just stepped off the cover of a Vogue magazine with his stylishly gelled hair and ruggedly handsome features.

It came without surprise to Dimitri that the both of them were the subject of scrutiny by almost all the women in the airport, and some of them even favored them with smiles in blatant invitation.

Adrian returned all of them with his signature lopsided grin that most women found irresistible.

Dimitri, despite having told himself that he needed to find a willing bed partner, couldn't work up enough energy to bring the corner of his lips up in a smile. Instead, he just looked straight forward and tried to act as if he didn't care for all the female attention.

Adrian nudged him in his ribs, casting him a concerned look. "Hey, what's wrong with you? Unless you're blind, you would have realized that there are _gorgeous _women who seem to be interested in you."

Dimitri shrugged. "I'm not interested."

Adrian's jaw dropped. "What the fuck, Dimitri? Have you decided to change your sexual orientation in the few short months I've been away?"

"No."

There was a sigh of relief from next to him. "Fooled me for a while there." Nevertheless, Adrian's expression was pensive as they made their way to Dimitri's car – a black Ford.

"Are you in love with someone?" Adrian executed his assault the moment he had stowed his bulky luggage away in the trunk of the car and squeezed his tall frame into the passenger seat, his gaze intent as he stared at Dimitri.

Dimitri dropped the key he was about to insert into ignition.

"I knew it!" Adrian's voice was triumphant. "Only _love_," Adrian quivered when he said the word, pronouncing it like one would pronounce the vilest thing possible on Earth, "is capable of doing something like that to a person."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Adrian." Dimitri said wearily, retrieving the key and turning the ignition on. "You don't even _know _what's love."

**Okay, HANG ON GUYS. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT. WHEN I ENDED THE SENTENCE ABOVE ^, MY WORD COUNT WAS AT 669. DOES THAT MEAN SOMETHING? ;) **

"And I'd prefer it to stay that way, thank you very much." Adrian reached into his pocket and produced a pack of cigarettes, from which he plucked one out. He lifted it to his mouth, then froze, and after a long moment of what appeared to be conflicting thoughts, he released a mournful sigh and slotted it back into the box. "Fuck."

Dimitri arched an eyebrow disbelievingly at what he had just seen. "You are giving up smoking?" Skepticism laced his words.

"Believe it or not, yes." Adrian gave the pack of cigarettes in his hand a rueful look before depositing it in his pocket.

"Why the sudden decision?" Dimitri asked, glad for the change in topic as he reversed the car out of the parking lot. "It's not like you give a shit about what others say."

Adrian shrugged, looking uneasy at his line of questioning. "It's not important."

Dimitri snorted, but didn't pursue the matter, keeping his eyes on the road.

The rest of the drive was made in companionable silence.

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><p>Lissa didn't know what to make of the ache in her chest when she had woken up to find herself alone. All she could remember was how she had fallen asleep in Christian's arms as he had carefully and gingerly laid her down on the bed, how comfortable and warm she felt in his embrace.<p>

Now, she felt oddly bereft as she gazed up at the plain ceiling, wondering how it would have felt to have woken up still in Christian's tender hold. Time crawled past slowly, and despite the doctor, Sydney, regularly turning up to check her temperature – apparently, her fever had subsided marginally – she was bored out of her mind. Inevitably, her mind kept reliving the memories of being held by Christian and how she. . . had liked it.

Enjoyed it, even.

No matter how much she tried to bury the images, it refused to be shoved aside and continued to buzz incessantly in her mind like an irritating bug that never strayed far and always returned to bother her again.

Safe to say, when Rose entered her ward, looking very concerned, Lissa was furious with herself for her inability to let go of something so trivial – and it _was _trivial, because she refused to think of it as anything bigger. It was a perfectly justifiable reaction after she had not experienced a man's touch for so long.

"Liss, how are you feeling?" Rose fretted, placing the back of her hand on her forehead when she saw how pale she was. "You're having a fever!" From the horror in Rose's voice, you would have thought she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer rather than a (probably) harmless fever.

"Relax, Rose," Lissa croaked, only then aware of how dry her throat was. She had not drank anything since she had woken up and her throat thought that it was just the right time to start complaining. "Water." she gestured weakly at the beaker of pure, inviting water on her side table when her voice failed her, and Rose frowned, clearly not comprehending.

Exasperated, she jabbed her finger repeatedly in the direction of the water, mouthing out 'Wa – Ter' with her mouth.

Rose still wasn't getting it.

Lissa felt like crying out in frustration, but even that wasn't possible. When she was about to use all her remaining strength – screw her ankle being propped up – and attempt to pour herself a cup of water, a bottle of the life-saving liquid materialized in front of her face, condensation still forming around it. "Here you go." Her benefactor drawled.

Giving him a grateful look, she snatched it from Christian's –

_Christian._

She stilled in the process of opening the lid, and just stared at Christian as his dark eyebrow lifted in silent amusement. Her heart involuntarily sped up when his lips curved. "Go on, drink. Won't want you dying of dehydration now, would we?" He teased, his eyes twinkling as he tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

She gave a shaky nod before taking a long dreg and made a little contented sigh at the back of her throat as the liquid soothed her burning throat, making her feel infinitely better. She drained the whole bottle in a matter of seconds, then wiped her mouth, feeling silly as she handed over the empty bottle back to Christian. What a sight she must have looked, bedraggled and gulping greedily.

If Christian thought anything about it, he didn't give any indication. Setting aside the bottle, he folded himself into a chair and leaned forward towards her, frowning slightly. "Feeling better now?"

Something inside Lissa melted at the concern in his tone, and she felt herself softening yet again towards this side of Christian. When he wasn't an arrogant and fury-inducing flirt, he was kind and gentle, and it disarmed her in the most alarming of ways that got warning bells ringing in her brain. "Yes." Her voice emerged husky, raw.

"Good." Christian's smile didn't quite reach his eyes this time, and he sounded as if he had forced the word past his teeth. He stood up in a quick motion, sending the chair skidding backwards slightly and he caught it nimbly, with a somewhat sheepish grin, before placing it firmly on the ground.

A flutter of panic had Lissa almost jerking upright. "Where are you going?" The question came out before she had time to even think it over, and she colored. "Not that I'm – " She pursed her lips, not wanting to make a complete fool of herself – or more than she already had.

At the other side of her bed, Rose looked on with open amusement.

Christian cast her a glance backwards, though he didn't quite meet her eyes. "I'm going to get myself some lunch; I'm starving." He took a few more steps forward, paused, and added on, albeit a little awkwardly, "I'll be back tomorrow." Then he ducked out of the room.

Lissa felt Christian's absence sorely the moment he left, as if he had taken all the sunlight out of the room with him. She bit her lower lip absently.

Rose cleared her throat loudly.

Lissa jolted to full awareness, then glared at Rose. "What?"

Rose smiled mysteriously. "Nothing. Just don't get yourself burned again, alright? I've had enough with the Joel nonsense, and don't wish to see you get hurt again."

Lissa's cheeks burned. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she lied. Oh, she did. And she should be worried when the prospect of having a relationship with Christian sent a little thrill through her. After all, being with a playboy like him was a recipe for disaster, just a time-bomb waiting in the shadows for the right time to detonate.

"Whatever you say." Rose laughed, then assumed a serious expression. "You really fine, Lissa?"

"Yes, yes." Lissa couldn't keep the annoyance out of her voice. All she really wanted to do right then was to rest. Hopefully, sleep could provide her with the blissful oblivion she needed and save her from analyzing her huge mess of emotions. "Can you just leave me alone?"

Rose looked hurt, and she nodded hurriedly, getting up from her chair immediately. "Yes, of course," she muttered rapidly, already making for the door.

"I'm not angry with you, Rose," Lissa said, guilty for taking her anger out on her best friend who only wished the best for her. "It's just that. . . I really want to be alone right now." She wrung her hands, pleading with Rose with her gaze to understand. "I'm sorry, and I think you should know that I never blamed you for my injury."

Rose smiled, comprehension in her eyes. "One of those days?" She teased, standing at the door.

Lissa agreed ruefully, sighing.

"One of those days."


	24. Chapter 21 : Untitled, Part 1

**A/N: Sorry guys, you'll have to make do with a shorter chapter :/ valentine's tomorrow, and i need to get some sleep for a day out tomorrow :P **

Lybie: you better believe it! haha, i just build up the sexual tension so the lemons at the end would be pretty damn explosive. it really is quite tough to write all of that, to be honest... don't know whether im going overboard sometimes, and if that's the case, it will end up in a total disaster. thankfully, i havent made too much mistakes for this story :P Adrian is going to be paired with Sydney, and no, i don't think there's Mia, though I MIGHT bring in Eddie for Viktoria. not very sure about that pairing yet, but that's much later in the story, so i'm not going to be too worried about it.

Tiny 1.0: yeah :/ i really can't write longer chapters, since i always try to write finish one chapter in a day (or more accurately, an hour...) so... yeah...

majic91: im not really good with cookies since, like you said, i dont think we have such a big assortment as you guys have in the U.S. i mostly get cookies from subway, and there isnt that much choices, so... what kind of cookies do you have there, anyway? like, anything awesome? i tried white chip macedonia (thats definitely not how you spell it) and chocolate chip, and thats pretty much it :(

**anyway, thanks for all the reviews guys! i'm sorry if i didn't take your suggestion to the story, but thanks for the input nevertheless :)**

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><p>Christian woke up to the somewhat muted sound of a door closing. It was pitch black and the only light was coming through the little space between the door and the ground. He heard Viktoria's exclamation, followed by what sounded like an animated conversation from the excited voices and laughs.<p>

Groggily, he patted the table next to his bed for his phone to check the time.

**7.28p.m.**

Stifling a yawn, he blinked a few times to clear the cobwebs of sleep that still lingered in his mind before kicking off his sheets and throwing it to the side in a crumpled pile. There was a raucous chuckle that stopped him entirely in his tracks as he was making his way to the door. It sounded very. . . familiar.

He pushed open the door, the light from the living area immediately filling in the darkness of his room and he shielded his sensitive eyes. A few seconds passed; the chatter died down. When Christian was sure that his eyes had adjusted, he looked up.

And broke into a grin. "Fucking hell, Adrian!"

Adrian mirrored his grin, lifting a hand in greeting from Dimitri's side where he had been talking with Viktoria. "Good to see you again, Christian," he laughed, shrugging out of his coat. "I see that you've decided to embrace your primitive side?"

Christian experienced a moment of confusion at Adrian's words, and Adrian just raised an eyebrow, his eyes darting to his face. Christian touched his chin, encountered quite a bit of stubble and winced. "That bad?" He had forgotten to shave in the morning – he blamed his lack of sleep.

"A day more and you'll fit right in with the monkeys." Adrian confirmed cheerfully, throwing his coat over to Viktoria who almost fell backward gathering it into her arms as she was caught by surprise.

"What did you give me this for?" She spluttered, looking adorably small in comparison to the gigantic coat she was holding to her chest.

Dimitri gave a sigh.

Christian snickered.

Viktoria glared at all of them, then back at Adrian who had his arms folded across his chest and amusement scribbled all over his handsome face. "Well?" she demanded, holding out the coat as if she was about to drop it.

"You're closer to the coat rack," Adrian said.

Viktoria's face scrunched up in puzzlement. "But we don't have a coat rack."

"Then I guess you'll have to do."

Viktoria took a moment to get what he was implying. Then she bristled, flinging the coat back at Adrian who chuckled. "You haven't changed one bit!"

"And you," he reached down to pat her head with a sugary tolerance that had her blood boiling, "are still one feisty little girl."

"Here we go again," Dimitri muttered to Christian warily just as Viktoria kicked Adrian between the legs.

Rose laid stiffly on her bed, trying to will her mind to sleep – but failing terribly.

She had finished her evening jog just an hour ago, and had indulged in a longer than necessary bath to scrub herself clean. After that, she had tried to avoid going straight back to the loneliness of the cabin – the rest of the recruits were at some sort of campfire and she didn't have the mood to attend it, not without Lissa – by going out for some night air and hopefully some solace from the glittering stars in the beautiful night sky.

However, even _that _couldn't last forever, and she was back in her cabin all too soon by herself. The instant she was, the thoughts she'd been pushing aside all day crashed down on her with the violence of a thunderstorm.

She had spoken to Viktoria earlier that day in the morning when she was leaving Dimitri's cabin. After a bit of placidity acquired by ruminating in front of the fireplace, she had been in a calm state of mind – until she had seen Viktoria standing in the kitchen with an oversized T-shirt that bagged on her, covering her all the way to the knees.

It was the uniform of a woman who had just made sweet love with a man.

She had no more doubts that Viktoria was Dimitri's lover.

Her hands fisted the sheets so tightly that her knuckles bleached of color. She had no idea why that thought made her so nauseous, like she was going to throw up. Neither did she have any idea why it made her so savagely angry.

She had no claim to Dimitri, and he had no claim on her.

So why did that idea make her feel so cold?

Deliberately releasing her grip on the blanket, she pulled it tighter around herself in a futile attempt to warm herself up.

It would have been so much easier if Viktoria had been a bitch that made snide remarks about her presence there. That way, she could despise her and hate her.

But that wasn't the case.

The conversation between the two of them had revealed that Viktoria was kind and understanding, and a delightful sense of humor. She was also beautiful and adept at cooking – evident by how she could maintain the conversation and still bustle around the kitchen preparing breakfast – and even though Rose loathed to admit it, she and Dimitri probably made the perfect couple.

Rose had not stayed long to chat – she couldn't bear to. Turning down Viktoria's offer to stay for breakfast, she had fled, not wanting to see the adoration and love in Dimitri's eyes when he looked at Viktoria.

Still, there was no denying her raging jealousy; for, it seemed, whenever it came to Dimitri, she was a sucker for punishment. Her mind conjured up images of Dimitri and Viktoria tussling about in bed, groans of pleasure saturating the air –

Biting off a curse, Rose burrowed under the covers as if it would provide her some respite from the torment, and squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

Tomorrow would be better, she promised herself as sleep claimed her in its soundless embrace, dragging her into sweet oblivion.


	25. Chapter 21 : Untitled, Part 2

**A/N: i hate the escape key. or backspace key. whatever that i pressed that made me go back a page and lose whatever progress i had in replying to the reviews... oh my fuck... i was like ONE word away from pressing save and then BOOM, back to square one. oahajdfjnagfasmfamsf**

majic91: thank you for the thought; i appreciate it regardless :P and yeah, i love white nut, it tastes great. i mean, chocolate chip is great and all, but white macedenoaiasia (thats not how you spell it but i cant be bothered to check right now :P) nut just tastes better!

kittenxxkisses: i put quite a bit of emphasis on my description of emotions because i think it plays a big part in developing a character. thank you for all the praises, of course :P and nope, im not a published author or else ill probably be writing away in secret and not uploading anything. (i think my writing is a bit too amateurish anyway :/) im a singaporean, and im 17 this year. i normally hang out at dhoby ghaut, or at Orchard road because of the cinemas and people there :)

QuantumKhaos: welcome back! i really missed your crazy long-assed reviews that never fail to make me laugh :D haha. my gf went pms on me on valentines, and we broke up a day after that -.- but hey, it was bound to happen so better now then later. and ill guess that you're a girl, mainly because no guy would go through so much trouble to type out all that *actions* and stuff :P

CakeBook: you dont know how much i enjoy hearing people laughing at my stories. it gives me a big sense of achievement :) so yes, thank you! i think i wrote something else previously before the delete, but i cant remember it anymore :/

Ayumi Sakuragi: complicated name there! thanks again, and i was intending to write sydney and adrian's first meeting in this chapter, then thought better of it since im too tired. anyway, its going to be pretty tough to write because adrian's gonna really piss sydney off, and of course, there's that little spark between them the moment they meet ;) ill leave that for the next chapter.

**OKAY THATS IT. Thank god i didnt press backspace this time...**

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><p>Lissa couldn't sleep.<p>

She had tried to for the past hour, but only succeeded in tossing and turning in bed, kicking off the covers every few minutes because it felt too uncomfortable, then pulling it back over her body when a cold draught whipped in from the open window. She almost wished that her leg was still elevated and bounded – at least that meant that she couldn't keep squirming around.

Another half hour ticked by before frustration got the better of her. Propping up her pillow against the headboard of her bed angrily, Lissa settled against it, careful not to aggravate her healing ankle. According to Sydney, she would be up and running by Thursday, but that was only if she got sufficient rest to promote and accelerate her recovery.

And her little bout of insomnia wasn't exactly aiding matters.

A loud knock on the door followed by some blurred shouting snapped Lissa out of her thoughts, and she frowned. It was almost midnight; who would be seeking out the doctor at this time? Shifting her body slightly, she leaned sideways and peered through the doorway to the entrance of the building just in time to see Christian dragging what appeared to be a limp body into the cabin.

"What happened to him?" Lissa heard Sydney ask the moment Christian stopped grunting from exertion, and her voice was not without a pointed lack of concern or anxiety for her patient's health.

Christian heaved out an exasperated sigh and nudged the motionless man with his foot. "Get up, Adrian. Stop pretending that you're dead. Nobody dies from a blow to the balls."

The man – Adrian? – grumbled something unintelligible.

Appeasing her overwhelming curiosity, she carefully lowered herself off the bed and onto her good foot, gingerly putting a little bit of weight onto her injured ankle. When it held strong and only gave a slight squeak of protest, she padded over slowly and silently to the doorway and peeked at what was going on.

"Get up, Adrian!" Christian hissed, prodding at Adrian's shoulder with his toe ruthlessly until it caused Adrian to roll over with an 'umph'. "You're an Instructor, for God's sakes! Stop spoiling our damn image by lying around like a boneless baboon!"

"At least a boneless baboon has his testicles intact!"

An Instructor? Lissa frowned. Adrian was an Instructor? Now, that explained why he appeared older, though not much more sensible then a twelve-year old, if his actions right then were any indication about his mental age.

A twang of pain shot up her ankle when Lissa absently placed more weight on it, and she almost cried out from the agony. Pressing her lips together, she leaned against the wall and sank slowly to the ground, cursing her lack of vigilance.

"… fucking dramatic son of a bitch," Christian was saying with a resigned shake of his head, pointing to Adrian who was making a big show out of crawling onto the chair Sydney had set aside for him. "He's fine, really. There's nothing wrong with him." The last two sentences were addressed at Sydney, who just nodded emotionlessly – not looking the least bit frantic or dumbfounded – as if such a happening was not out of the ordinary.

"I beg to differ," Adrian croaked with a wag of his finger from his perch on the chair, drawing Lissa's attention back to him. "This is my manhood we're talking about! Who knows what the repercussions might be? Better to be on the safe side by getting it checked."

Christian slumped into a chair of his own on the other side of the room. "Have it your way then," he mumbled, "but I don't think Sydney would agree to it anyway."

This was met by a questioning lift of Adrian's eyebrow, the change of his mood so spontaneous that it startled Lissa. "Are you sure? Most women actually enjoy doing that." His expression turned silently pensive before he shrugged. "Actually, make that _all _women."

Adrian's amendment had Lissa poking her head out again, despite the ache in her ankle she was futilely trying to assuage by rubbing circles over it with her palm. Adrian sported the same physique as the other Instructors; his body lean and packed with muscle. His long, disheveled brown hair was badly in need of a trim, but it gave his otherwise hard and sharp facial features an almost boyish quality that no doubt most women found endearing. Lissa suddenly had a sniggering suspicion that one of the requirements of making the position of Instructor is to be incredibly handsome – as evidence by the three Instructors in charge in camp.

Lissa found him attractive – she would be worried if she didn't, because Adrian is undeniably gorgeous as well – but not in a way that had her breath catching and causing her to lose her ability of speech like Chris –

_Not going to think about him, remember?_

Her eyes swung to Sydney, who was studiously ignoring the other two people in the room as if she was trying really hard to imagine that they didn't exist. She had her back to the duo that was still arguing, and was arranging the medical equipment into neat rows.

However, there was something to her movements that struck Lissa as odd. Squinting, she stretched her head out even further around the doorframe –

"Lissa?"

The sound of her name had Lissa jerking in surprise, and her hand that was supporting her awkward pose gave way, causing her to fall haphazardly sideways onto the floor.

"Lissa!" Christian appeared in front of her moments later, lines of tension branching out from his eyes. "You alright?"

She nodded hurriedly, averting his gaze as she felt her cheeks heat up in mortification. What a way to be discovered!

Large, warm hands cupped her cheeks and urged her to look at him. Reluctantly, she did, meeting Christian's gaze and feeling something infinitely tender swirl inside of her when she saw the concern and fear in his eyes. "Are you alright, Lissa?" He repeated, this time softer and more tentatively as he helped her up.

"Yes, I am – Ouch!" She winced when her ankle started to throb in earnest the moment she was on her feet. If Christian's hands weren't around her shoulders and supporting her, she would probably have collapsed to the floor in a tangled heap.

"Oh, fuck." Understanding dawned, and Christian glanced at her leg, blowing out a breath slowly. "Sydney?" He called out, never taking his eyes off her injury. "We have a problem here."

Sydney floated over, seemingly an apparition in her white doctor robes and how silently she moved over the parquet flooring. She took in everything in a split second and gestured for Christian to place Lissa back down on her bed.

"Hey, what about me?" Adrian complained from outside, a pout to his voice.

Everybody ignored him.

Without hesitation, Christian scooped Lissa up effortlessly, and if Lissa had harbored doubts about his strength before, it was cleared in that instant. He carried her over to the bed and laid her down with a gentleness that gave rise to even more tumultuous emotions within her.

Sydney's cool, light touch against her skin made her flinch. When Sydney applied just a little pressure on her ankle, however, she buried her face in the pillow to smother her scream. It hurt even more now than it did when she was initially injured – probably because then, she was sinking in and out of consciousness.

"The swelling's back," Sydney said, her tone slightly chiding. "I told you to rest, Lissa. Now your ankle is going to take even longer to heal. All that process you previously made? All gone." She shook her head. "You might take days to recover, now – "

"That's enough, Sydney." Christian intervened firmly, as if sensing Lissa's growing distress in the face of the doctor's admonishment. "I'll see to Lissa. Can you go talk to Adrian now?"

Sydney's expression didn't alter a bit, though Lissa spotted a muscle near her eye bunching up. "Yes, I think I'll do that," she agreed tonelessly before walking out, her white coat fluttering behind her from the wind generated by the motion of her pivoting on her heels.

"I didn't mean to – " Lissa began the instant Sydney left, feeling the need to explain to Christian the reason for doing what she did. It was born out of habit; she had always done so whenever her parents lectured her for her misbehavior – trying to explain herself. Of course, her parents had also punished her for doing that, as they viewed it as a kind of 'disrespect'.

Her mouth clamped shut on its own accord. This reaction, however, was ingrained into her through fear.

Christian waited patiently by her side, and when it became obvious that she wasn't about to continue, he just smiled and poured her a cup of water, unaware of how close she was to tears. "Drink," he said, handing it to her.

Not meeting his eyes for fear that he might see the naked emotions swimming in her eyes, she accepted the cup and drank slowly out of it, wishing that he would just leave her alone so she wouldn't feel so vulnerable, so… readable.

He didn't, and after another tense minute, an odd sense of peace settled over Lissa.

Handing the empty cup back to Christian, she nestled herself more comfortably between the covers, suddenly feeling sleepy. Stifling a yawn, she felt her eyelids droop shut. She could feel Christian's presence next to her, and it calmed her, comforted her like nothing or nobody else ever had.

He made her feel safe and untouchable.

That should have alarmed her, but she was too tired.

In seconds, she was sound asleep.


	26. Chapter 22 : Explanations, Part 1

**A/N: I think this might be a new record :P 2270 words. **

kittenxxkisses: :) you just have to look harder for them! erm nope, i'm technically still 16, because my birthday is in april. i still have 3 years of poly education ahead of me, so i'll be 19 when i go into NS. Plaza singapura? LOL. i used to hang out there alot too, but my friends sort of shifted to orchard road cathay. both are great places imo :p

majic91: my first language is english, as is for all singaporeans. we have mother tongue though, which for me, is chinese. our main language is still english :P

**and to all you people who are begging (or threatening) for some dimitri and rose, i had to deliberately CUT OFF some adrian and sydney scenes to write some R&D this chapter because you guys are so damn impatient! D: now, to get back at you guys, i'm purposely made it so that the conversation is going to last two chapters c:**

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><p>"Hurry up!" Dimitri shouted as he brought up the stragglers of the recruits in the middle of their morning jog. "Push yourselves! We've only covered two miles; we have another three to go!"<p>

Most of the girls and boys moaned in despair, but Dimitri was heartened when Rose didn't complain one bit. She kept on going, her long hair tied back in a tight ponytail that swerved side to side with each one of her long strides, looking so goddamned beautiful he had a hard time forcing his gaze away.

Christian was in charge of the front, setting the pace that was meant to only be a warm-up, but already it was killing a large majority of the recruits. To say that it was disappointing was an understatement; Dimitri had hoped fervently that this new batch can produce at least a few Guardians of high calibre to replenish the dwindling numbers. At present, however, that seemed like a distant and almost impossible vision.

"Come on," he encouraged, patting one girl – Carol, was it? – on the back, causing her to put on a spur of speed.

They continued on in silence, only the barely audible sound of their footsteps on the soft, yielding grass filling their ears. This trail was what Dimitri always took during his nightly jogs, and he was positive that it was safe.

He couldn't say the same for the other, less explored and remote trails.

Adrian fell into step beside him a minute later, matching his pace effortlessly, though beads of sweat dotted his forehead – the only proof of any sort of strain. Having declined to jog as a group in favor of being on his own to explore the unfamiliar grounds, his arrival no doubt meant that he had finished his sweep of the environment. And if his dramatic sigh was any indication, he found it lacking.

"No clubs nearby here? Seriously, Dimitri, how am I going to get some action here that way?" Adrian groused.

"You're not."

"Are you kidding me? That's the sole reason I came here!"

"I didn't tell you over the phone that there would be a club here." Dimitri pointed out.

"I thought that was a given!"

"You thought wrong."

Adrian shoved a hand through his hair irritably, messing it up further. Dimitri noticed that since Adrian had reached the camp, he no longer styled his hair like he used to. "How the hell am I going to drink, then? You have to give me that at least."

"We have plenty of water."

Adrian swore, clearly reaching the end of his patience. "That's not what I fucking meant, and you know it!"

Dimitri shook his head, slightly taken aback by his friend's temper. Adrian rarely got angry, he was always jolly and downright cheerful, so much so that it got annoying. "You have to stay sober, Adrian. We never know when we might be attacked, and we'll have to be alert around the clock. Not having you lucid is going to really hamper our defensive capabilities."

"Training camps like this have never been attacked in the last century! Strigois know better than to come with guns blazing in such areas." Still, Adrian sounded slightly mollified.

"We're in the wilderness." Dimitri said, "an hour away from the nearest town. We may have barricaded off the area, but a breach is still very possible. And we never know what the Strigois are up to, especially since there's so fucking many of them at the moment, and their numbers might be increasing as we speak."

Adrian's face turned pensive. "I've scoured the outer reaches of the campus, and it looks very secure to me. No way a Strigoi would be able to get though the stakes without setting off the alarms."

"It pays to be more careful."

Realizing that they had slowed down due to their conversation and were lagging behind, the duo put on a burst of speed to catch up with the rest.

"Alright," Adrian relented with a sigh, looking downright miserable, "I'll lay off the alcohol. But all bets are off during the weekends – "

"You can drink yourself into a stupor then and I won't give as much as a damn."

Adrian smiled faintly. "We have ourselves a deal then."

A few minutes later, they emerged back where they had started from to find Christian dismissing the recruits for a water break. As the recruits scattered wearily, Christian strode over. "Two more days," he said when he approached, "till the weekends, Adrian. Then we can go to town and do what we do best." Dimitri observed a significant lack of enthusiasm in Christian's tone.

"Seems like an eternity away," Adrian said, shaking his head ruefully as he tipped the contents of a bottle of water down his throat.

Sensing the dampening mood, Dimitri changed the topic. "What happened with Sydney yesterday, Adrian? I think that that was the first time I ever saw you so depressed."

Adrian scowled, sitting down on a rotting log after checking that it wasn't infested with any sort of insects. "That woman's worse than the fucking arctic. Jesus, I think she only has one facial expression. She doesn't smile, she doesn't laugh. She just stares at you. Even her eyes are bleak." He shivered. "She's an alchemist, isn't she?"

"Yeah." Christian nodded, shooting a triumphant look at Dimitri. "I told you so."

Dimitri shrugged. "I'm sure that it doesn't matter. She does her job well, and that's what I care about."

Adrian interlaced his fingers, glancing up at the others. "Got to admit though, there's something sexy as hell about the way she carries herself."

Christian chortled. "You just like her pair of legs."

"That, too." Adrian pushed himself to his feet. "I wonder whether I can get through to her. You know, discover the real woman inside of her." He looked thoughtful.

"Good luck with that," Christian laughed dismissively. "I think you'll have better chances trying to seduce Viktoria."

Dimitri jerked to attention immediately at the mention of his sister name, growling low and menacingly. "Lay a hand on my sister, and I swear to God I'll have your head."

Adrian rolled his eyes. "If you keep doing that to every single guy that shows any interest in her, she'll die a virgin."

"Does that mean you're interested in her?" Dimitri narrowed his eyes.

"Jesus, no." Adrian's hands were up in surrender. "She's way too young for me."

Christian chuckled. "That never stopped you before."

"Look who's talking," Adrian sniped back, eyebrow lifted.

Christian shut his mouth, looking sheepish.

Dimitri's gaze darted from Adrian to Christian, than back to Adrian. "Is there something I'm missing here?"

"It's nothing," Christian asserted unconvincingly, casting a pointed glare at Adrian. "I'm going to go assemble the recruits for some sparring." He took off like the devil was on his heels.

Dimitri turned to Adrian. "Care to explain?"

Adrian just smiled and shook his head before walking off, his hands behind his head, whistling.

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><p>It had been two days.<p>

Two fucking days since Dimitri had seen Rose.

Sure, he always saw her during training sessions, but that didn't count as it was compulsory for her to attend. Outside of training, she seemed to be doing her best to avoid him, changing course the moment she saw him walking towards her, stopping whatever she's doing and just leaving when she spots him coming.

It irritated him to say the least, and he didn't have the foggiest idea why.

He also intended to find out the reason for her shunning him like a plague.

Catching up with Adrian who was looking incredibly elated now that the weekend was just around the corner at the assembly area, he asked, "Have you seen Rose?"

Adrian frowned, his brow puckering. "Rose?" he echoed dumbly, then realization struck and he nodded. "The gorgeous brunette?"

Dimitri experienced a wave of anger at the way Adrian described Rose, and his hands fisted. "Yes," he ground out, fighting the urge to warn Adrian that Rose wasn't up for grabs. Because she was. He wasn't going to woo her or anything – it was against the damn rules. "The gorgeous brunette."

Adrian gave him a weird look, but pointed in the direction of the gym – another place that was always updated with the newest equipment and machines. "She was heading there. Said something about nothing to do since Lissa wasn't around." He gave a shrug, as if to signify who was he to understand woman.

Thanking Adrian curtly, Dimitri walked briskly over and was relieved to find that Rose was indeed there, running on the treadmill. The gym was otherwise thankfully empty. Dimitri didn't want an audience. He snuck over to the entrance, careful to make sure that Rose didn't see him approaching. There was only one entrance, and since it also served as the exit, Rose won't be able to get away this time.

They were going to have a nice, long talk.

Rose stiffened when she heard the glass door of the gym ease open silently, the back of her neck prickling in awareness and warning. She didn't need to turn around to know without a doubt it was Dimitri and on another occasion, that would have made no sense to her, but with Dimitri in the same room as her then, her brain seemed to cease operating at maximum potential.

The familiar wave of resentment resurfaced, threatening to smother her in bitterness. She had tried her best to see as little of Dimitri as she could the past few days because whenever she did, she died a little more inside. It scared her; how much power he seemed to have over her emotions even if she didn't understand why. Rose hated feeling weak, hated feeling like she couldn't fend for herself. That in itself was more than enough a reason to justify staying away from Dimitri.

Pretending that she didn't care for his presence, she continued running at the breakneck pace she had set for herself on the treadmill.

Dimitri silently stepped onto the treadmill next to hers and powered it up, setting it to high.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rose snapped at him, unable to control her volatile anger any longer. He already had a fucking lover - and she still hated him for it - and now he was intruding on her rare moment of privacy?

"Running," Dimitri replied coolly, looking her in the eye.

"Have fun. I'm out of here." Not wanting to argue with Dimitri – or be in close proximity with him – Rose jabbed at the power off button and hopped off the treadmill, making straight for the door, half wishing that he would give chase, half wishing he won't.

That only strengthened her resolve to keep away from Dimitri - she had never been so contradictory before.

Dimitri was in front of her a moment later, blocking her way. "Rose, listen to me."

"Get out of my way!" Rose tried to sidestep him, but he mirrored her. "I don't have time for this, Dimitri!" Frustration grew within her when he still didn't allow her past him.

"Rose, I just want to talk – "

"Well, I don't want to!" Rose retorted, shoving at his chest with all her might but failing to even move him by an inch. "I'm warning you! If you don't get out of my way now, I'll make sure you regret it!"

Dimitri stood his ground with an inscrutable expression.

That did it.

Rose lashed out with her leg in an arc, aiming for his head. Dimitri responded with lightning fast reflexes, grabbing her feet in midair, effectively stopping her attack. Beyond livid, she swung her other leg upwards too, using her feet that Dimitri was holding as the pivot, trusting that Dimitri won't let go of her feet because he didn't want her to fall head first to the ground. A dirty trick, she knew, but she was no longer playing fair.

He didn't.

Her feet collided with the back of his neck and Dimitri swore loudly, stumbling to the side as released Rose. Momentarily disoriented by her fall to the ground, Rose took a precious second to get back on her feet before she sprinted dazedly to the door, praying that she didn't hit Dimitri too hard. She knew that he had a reputation of being an iron wall, taking hits without even blinking, but. . .

Reaching the door, she glanced back to check on Dimitri.

Only to find that he was gone.

Rose only had a moment to register that fact before strong arms clamped around her waist, yanking her back against a hard chest. "Goddamn it, Rose, I just wanted to talk." Dimitri grunted next to her ear breathlessly, holding her effortlessly as she flailed.

"Let. Go. Of. Me!" Rose shouted furiously, struggling as if her life depended on it. She felt triumphant when the back of her sports shoes hit something hard – probably his ankle – and Dimitri swore. After what felt like an eternity, Rose sagged against him, utterly depleted and tired from the exertion.

"You okay now?" Dimitri muttered, his hot breath against her temple an almost tangible caress.

"No! Let me go!"

Dimitri sighed against her hair, releasing her. "Look, Rose, I just wanted to ask you – "

Rose whirled around, poking her finger into his chest, scowling. "You had no right to do that."

"I know." Dimitri shook his head, thrusting a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry."

Rose blinked in surprise. Did she just hear an apology? "You're what?"

"I'm sorry."

Placated just the slightest bit by the sincerity in his words, Rose felt some of her animosity towards him drain away. "You said you wanted to talk," she said, taking a step back and folding her arms across her chest, "so talk."

Taking a moment to compose himself, Dimitri took a deep breath. Fixing his eyes on her, he asked softly, "Why are you avoiding me?"


	27. Chapter 22 : Explanations, Part 2

**A/N: 2.4K WORDS. i almost died writing this, so you all better be grateful! its 1.40 right now, and im fucking tired. hadn't got a good night's sleep for a few days now, and i dunno whats wrong with me. might be insomnia, but i sure hope not... **

xoxblueravenxox(cant be bothered to capitalise, too tired sorry): im decent at chinese, but im no expert. fuck, its a lot more complicated than english, so i never really liked learning it :/ my teacher was good though, so i managed to pick up things here and there.

lilyparker: oh please, in this chapter, i was intending to end it BEFORE the kiss, so i should get a brownie point there. i actually wrote out the WHOLE damn thing and you can't believe how much it cost me to do this. for one thing, its in the middle of the night, and im really jumpy right now : i feel like going for a run, but its fucking 2am and i dont want to be mugged or something. i agree with you on that; i still prefer CxL over DxR. sorry guys, but its just me. CxL is way more romantic than RxD, at least imo. expect some AxS next chapter though. or maybe the next, NEXT chapter. i still havent figured out what to write yet.

kittenxxkisses: AGREED. i think you should take THAT out on the impatient people *glares at people who have been bugging me for RxD* but everybody have their preferences, and im trying hard to please everyone. NS? na, not really scared of it. i'm quite fit, so i won't have much trouble inside there. then again, it's 3 years away, and i might grow fat and unfit during that time... oh, okay. but be warned: i have a VERY short attention span, which means i might only read all your updated chapters then stop reading entirely because im just too lazy. i do that even if the story is good :P

notadreamyetnotanightmare (wow, what a name): thank you!

majic91: SPANISH? OMG I WANNA LEARN SPANISH. nope, most of the time, the words are from my personal dictionary (my brain) but there are times where i think ive used a word a bit too much, and i use thesaurus to find an alternative for it. sure, my nickname's kenny, so you can call me by that :P

**ok im going to TRY to get to sleep now, so goodnight :D OH, and again, im here to advertise for my new story, which is titled 'behind closed doors'. its going to be the story where i'm going to post ALL the lemons, so you might want to go check out my one-shot, which is a lemon between RxD (so stop complaining i dont have enough RxD please!)**

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><p>Dimitri's degree in psychology indirectly also meant that he was an expert on all kinds of body language. It might amaze people how much a slight movement of any part of the body could tell what a person is feeling or thinking and since it is mostly done unconsciously, it was no wonder that it was, and still is, considered the best method of discerning nervousness or anxiety that might otherwise be overlooked.<p>

However, he didn't need any of his prior knowledge or expertise to know what Rose was feeling. She wouldn't meet his gaze, and even if she did, it was for a fleeting moment before she started looking everywhere else except at him. Not having a clue about what he was supposed to do to make her feel at ease, Dimitri just backed off a little and tried to give her as much space as possible. That normally got people to open up – they didn't like feeling as if they were caged in.

"I'm not avoiding you," she finally said lamely, flattening something on the ground with the tip of one of her sport shoe, her eyes fixed on that mysterious, ethereal object she was trying to drill into oblivion that Dimitri couldn't see. "Must be some sort of coincidence."

"Coincidence?" Dimitri laughed, shaking his head and Rose glared at him when she detected a patronizing age to it.

"Believe what you want." Rose took another step back and glanced at the door, giving away her intentions. "I have something important to attend to so – "

"Is this about what Viktoria said?"

Rose froze in the midst of pushing open the door, her spine stiffening and Dimitri had his sniggering suspicions confirmed. So it _was_ his sister's fault that Rose was angry with him. He made a mental note to kill her when he got back to the cabin.

At least he was getting somewhere with the conversation – if he would even call the brief exchange that. Now that he knew what was causing the tension between them, he could easily dissipate it.

_If _he knew what Viktoria had said.

Which he didn't.

Swallowing down his frustration, he asked, "What did Viktoria say to you?"

Rose didn't want to talk to Dimitri. It felt as if her nerves were raw; her emotions battered and she didn't want him to see that. She was strong and confident, for fuck's sakes, and she wanted Dimitri to think of her that way too. But she didn't like running, and this confrontation was inevitable. Squaring her shoulders, she spun around to face Dimitri, training her gaze on his face. "It's not what Viktoria said," Rose said, recalling how she had actually enjoyed her company. Viktoria just seemed to radiate. . . cheerfulness and kindness. "She's an amazing girl and I wish you two the best. I just don't – "

Dimitri made a choking sound. "Wait, wait." He held out his hand with a perplexed expression, stopping her mid-sentence. "Did you just wish us the best? What the hell for?"

A prickle of irritation had Rose scowling. Did she have to elaborate how they were in a relationship and probably warming each other's bed at night? "Because you two are a couple?"

Dimitri looked stunned at her exclamation at first, as if he had no idea what she was talking about. Then his lips slowly tilted down into a disbelieving frown. "A couple?" he repeated incredulously, making it sound like it was the most absurd thing he had ever heard in his life.

Confusion dulled her sharp blade of anger, and Rose nodded uncertainly, wondering if Dimitri had gone crazy. "Yes, a couple. You and Viktoria. . ." she trailed off, staring at how he was pressing his lips together now as if trying to stop himself from laughing. "What's so funny?" She demanded.

"Where did you hear that from?" He asked, visibly composing himself by taking in a lungful of air.

Rose pursed her lips. "I saw you two in the forest and just assumed – "

"Assumed that we're a couple?"

Rose nodded.

"Jesus, you have an overactive imagination, don't you?" Dimitri arched an eyebrow. "She's my _sister, _Rose."

The rush of relief that Rose felt at his words was almost silly. It was so overwhelming that she felt her knees buckle and only managed to stay upright by a sheer miracle and her stubborn will. Suddenly, everything seemed to be brighter, from the sunlight streaming in through the glass windows to the amused expression on Dimitri's face.

Viktoria was his _sister. _Not his lover.

Feeling ridiculously elated all of a sudden, she grinned up at Dimitri, overcome by an urge to throw her arms around him.

"Why does it matter to you so much, anyway?" He proceeded to ask, tilting his head to the side with a genuine curious expression.

That poured a bucket of cold water over her celebrations. Why, indeed, did it matter so much to her that Viktoria wasn't Dimitri's lover or anything along that line? Okay, so she was attracted to him, that much she could admit. But that didn't explain her possessiveness. Maybe she just needed to get him out of her system. Sometimes, lust could screw with the head and make someone act out of character.

Like now.

"I don't know," she said honestly, "I just don't like the idea of you with another woman."

Immediately, his eyes became guarded, and an icy coldness settled over his features. Blank and without a trace of emotion. Just like last time, he had closed himself off.

But this time, Rose wasn't about to be daunted by it. No matter how he reacted, she knew he was equally attracted to her. She didn't care much about how she looked – at least not as much as other girls her age normally do – but she was aware that she was pretty. Beautiful, even. She also knew that she inspired lusty thoughts in men with her body, as Lissa had so kindly pointed out whenever men gaped at her openly with heat in their eyes.

If spending a night with Dimitri would dispel her possessiveness, she would do it. She didn't like feeling that way about another man, especially since she hated feeling vulnerable. Just the thought of him with another woman had felt like a knife twisting in her heart. Anyway, sleeping with Dimitri was not to her disadvantage or anything; that man was hot. There was just a tiny problem.

She was still a virgin.

Telling herself that she would deal with that later, she stepped forward and took in Dimitri's rigid posture, the wariness in his eyes. "I have a proposition for you."

Wariness was replaced momentarily by interest – and dare she hope? Desire – before the familiar darkness snuffed it out. "What is it?" He asked after a moment, as if reluctant.

Not letting that demotivate her, she grabbed his hand, feeling his muscles tense at the contact and smiled up at him, hoping it was every bit seductive as she meant it to be. Judging from how his nostrils flared, it was. "Let's spend a night together." Her heart pounded in her chest while she said that, and she realized this was her first time trying to seduce a man. It was. . . exciting.

Dimitri swore he stopped breathing when he heard what Rose said. Initially, he thought he had misheard her, but she was sending some hotly explicit signals with her body that made no room for doubts about what she meant. "That isn't a good idea, Rose," he croaked, his blood already rushing South at the mere thought of having her, of sliding into her womanly warmth.

Despite his words, he didn't pull away, and Rose took that as an encouragement. "I don't see what the problem is. We're both willing participants, and if our attraction is any indication, the sex is going to be incredible." What the hell was she talking about? She had no idea; she knew as much about sex as she did about video games – which for the record, was nil.

"There are rules about this, Rose." Dimitri's voice was pained. "I would know that. I was the one who wrote them up."

"Make an exception for us, just this time," Rose whispered to him, hoping her voice sounded sultry. Shit, she was a greenhorn at this seduction thing. Maybe she should just strip off her clothes to get the message across more strongly. She glanced out through the transparent glass windows of the gym.

Okay, maybe not.

Dimitri looked like a man in a dilemma, apparent from the way he was practically grounding his teeth in frustration and plowing his hand through his hair. He glanced at Rose, then swore under his breath. "Fuck."

A grin tugged at Rose's lips as she suddenly felt wholly feminine to evoke such a strong reaction from a man like Dimitri. She watched as he paced up and down, then seemed to have made up his mind because he stopped, his jaw clenched.

He shook his head at Rose.

Oh hell no.

Rose wasn't about to let him off the hook yet. If there was something she had learnt from her childhood, it was that being stubborn and always on the offensive was the only way to get something you wanted. "Just imagine it, Dimitri," she purred, walking up to him and tracing a path down his chest with one finger, and his eyes watched her finger as if entranced. "We could be in your bed right now, getting rid of these _bothersome _clothes."

Dimitri stilled totally, eyes turning to a shade of midnight black as he gazed into her eyes.

Rose shivered at the intensity of his gaze. Her goal had been to get him blind with desire, but she was getting more and more aroused herself just by touching his body. Her finger dipped lower, now sensually drawing circles over his rock hard abdomen. "Then when we're finally naked, I'll touch you here" – a caress over his abdomen – "and here" – her shaking finger trailed even lower, skimming his navel, delighted to feel him trembling beneath her touch – "and – "

The next thing Rose knew, she was lifted and shoved up against something hard – her addled brain might have reported it as something called a 'wall' and the hard thing she was sitting on as something called a 'locker' but she couldn't be sure – and Dimitri's lips was meshed against hers a second later.

A moan bubbled up her throat and Dimitri swallowed the sound, sweeping into her mouth that was wide open in invitation. Their tongues met in the middle, beginning a slow, erotic dance as Rose ran her hands up and down his shoulder, trying to pull him even more impossibly closer. Her legs hugged his waist, squeezing him so tightly he was sure that there would be bruises tomorrow, but he didn't care.

It meant that she was lost in the passion as well.

A dam had seemed to burst within Dimitri at Rose's tentative touches, and he had given in to his impulses for the second time in his life. He would show him exactly what he was capable of when he lost control, and a part of him hoped that that might scare her off, so she won't make the mistake of tangling with him again.

Another part of him hoped that she could withstand it.

Rose's hands were restless, shifting from his shoulders to his waist, then up to cup the back of his neck, holding him in place as she drank Dimitri in. He tasted of wild summers, of uninhibited passion and it thrilled her, ratcheting her need up another level. Unabashedly, she grinded her hips against him and smiled against his mouth when he groaned in reply. She could feel his erection prodding against her stomach, a hot, hard brand that got her even more aroused than she ever thought possible.

An irritating buzzing noise cut through the haze of pleasure, and Rose swiped the air around her in annoyance. What the hell was that infernal noise? When Dimitri made to withdraw by pulling back, she whimpered and clung even tighter to him, not willing to end the kiss.

"Rose," Dimitri muttered against her mouth, "it's my phone."

With that words, he extracted himself from her reluctant grasp and dug out his phone, not looking at Rose as he answered the call. "Belikov," he said, his tone already calm and measured as he walked off to the other end of the gym and looked out the window.

Her pulse still racing away, Rose tried to take a deep breath to calm herself down. Her limbs were all tingling, and she pressed her legs together in a futile attempt to assuage the ache between her thighs. It was all too much and too little at once, and Rose found herself craving more. She was right about their chemistry being combustible, but that kiss was. . . indescribable.

All she knew was that she wanted more.

She blinked, realizing that Dimitri was standing in front of her again. His expression was inscrutable but regret was written all over his face.

Oh no, he better not be regretting that kiss –

"That was a mistake," Dimitri mumbled, confirming her fears and Rose's stomach plummeted. Didn't he feel _it? _Didn't he want _her? _"And I'm not making it again."

"But – "

"No buts, Rose." He looked tired. "I have to go, some recruits got into a fight and I'm needed to resolve it." And then he left hurriedly. Without a backward glance.

Rose stared blankly out of the gym at Dimitri's receding figure until he disappeared from sight. Only then did her anger kick into full gear.

She wanted to scream in frustration.

She wanted to strangle Dimitri.

She wanted to shout obscenities at him until he came back and kissed her again.

Instead, she schooled her features, took a deep breath and left the gym, trying to act as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

As if she hadn't been kissed within an inch of her life.

As if she hadn't just offered to sleep with a man, and had gotten turned down.

She failed.


	28. Chapter 23 : In Knots

**A/N: ! 1.8k words! immensely proud of myself :P **

ElizaRoza: yes, i know what you mean. even i know that my story isn't flowing well :p if i had my way, i would only be on the second day, but since some of my readers are really concerned about how time is passing really 'slowly', i sped up and skipped through quite a lot of things i would otherwise have added, like some little bits of conversations between characters to build their relationship gradually. and yes, you're absolutely right about the rose part being quite... unexpected. but i'll TRY to rationalize it in the next few chapters where i can write in rose's POV because i REALLY need to put some sexual tension between R&D to lead up to their (very, very soon) lemon. keep in mind that rose and dimitri was supposed to have a few more run-ins before this, but since everybody is so impatient (!#!JASFNA) i just had to shorten it.

kittenxxkisses: i have no objections towards R&D going ALL the way right in the gym, but im pretty sure its still a bit too early, so i'll draw it out further :) okay, you're right about the rosemitri coupling, though i'll say not as passionate as chrissa, which is going to be REALLY, REALLY passionate (hint on the lemon) and romantic. okay, you might have realized this, but because adrian is also portrayed as a playboy into 'fetishes', sydrian is going to be as wild as rosemitri, if not more ;) shit, i can't sit still for more than an hour. im jumpy most of the time, so... really? i swim quite often, and each time i go (since i have to pay...) i make sure i swim at least 20 laps to make it worth it :p okay, im pretty sure THAT is an exaggeration... how can you not be able to run 100m? dancing? like, hip hop dancing, ballet, or what? o_o and you really shouldn't have said that. i'm sorry, but flexible just reminds me of. . . things :/ hey, i actually assume that people read ALL my replies, regardless whether its back to them or to another person :P yeah, i think i slept well THAT night... probably.

majic91: what does that mean? too lazy to use google translate...

notadreamyetnotanightmare: yes! finally, someone else who appreciates C&L! :p i think that they're just the most adorable couple, and i enjoy writing their interactions, though it gets FUCKING tough sometimes to describe their emotion because i have to go pretty deep with the descriptions and their 'awkward' reactions to each other since they're new to this love thing. glad you like the story!

**thank you for all the reviews, guys! really appreciate it :) if you're a little concerned about how rose is a bit too flirty, well... i am too :/ but don't worry, ill TRY to rationalize it so it actually makes sense about what she's doing. anyway, not much action this time round, just a bit of building up the suspense and stuff. oh, the next chapter is definitely SYDRIAN, and maybe some CHRISSA as well. **

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><p>Lissa glared at the large pebble that was the first, but definitely not the last, victim of her current pissy mood. It had the misfortune of being in her direct path, and had paid for it by taking a kick to its ass, sending it flying into the air before crash landing into a clump of grass, which in her opinion, was too soft a landing.<p>

Stomping over, she kicked it again.

And again.

And again.

When she finally lost sight of the poor pebble from a particularly powerful kick, her toes were aching and she was panting, her T-shirt drenched with sweat. Her anger quelled just the slightest – but in no way mollified – Lissa was seeking out her next victim when she heard the unmistakable crunching of gravel from behind her.

She spun around, careful to lean more heavily on her good ankle as she squinted against the light rays of the setting sun, trying to discern the identity of the intruder.

"Sydney told me I'll find you here." Christian's voice was quiet, as if sensing how her anger was in the red zone.

And in an instant, all of Lissa's resentment returned full force. She suddenly regretted kicking away the pebble – she would much rather kick it at Christian's face.

She had spent the last two days in bed, bored out of her goddamned mind, with only the company of an infuriatingly silent Sydney who managed to actually make her contemplate talking to her bedside lamp in hopes of hearing someone's voice.

Even if it was her own.

And during the two most monotonous days of her existence, she had thought constantly about Christian. How she yearned for his warm touch, how she wanted to hear the deep baritone of his voice. How she just wanted to _see _him.

It got so bad that sometimes, at night, she couldn't sleep since she had somehow grown accustomed to Christian always being by her side for the past few nights.

She had never depended so much on another person before – with the exception of Rose – and it scared the hell out of her. And considering that that particular person was Christian, with a hardly stellar track record of leaving broken hearts in his wake, it was a cause for alarm.

Still, somewhere deep within her, she had taken his promise to heart; his promise to return and check on her the _next _fucking day, which he had _not _fucking delivered.

For two fucking days.

She knew that she shouldn't feel so insulted, that she shouldn't feel as if that he had somehow _betrayed _her, but she couldn't help it. Having had so much time on her hands, she had relived every single moment they had had together, and every time she did that, she became more and more positive that they shared. . . _something. _Some sort of connection.

It was all wishful thinking on her part.

Lissa guessed that she should be thankful; she would have only fallen deeper into infatuation – and it was infatuation, she would never believe that it was love – with the too-good-to-be-true-side of Christian if not for the rude awakening his inability to keep a promise provided. She could almost imagine him promising the women – notice the _plural – _that he would be back but was never seen again.

Now, she shot him a belligerent glare, telling him that he wasn't welcome. "What are you doing here?"

If Christian was surprised by her lack of graciousness, he didn't show it. "Sydney told me to check up on you to make sure you won't overstrain your ankle," he said good-naturedly, his features backlit by the sunlight, making him look inhumanely handsome.

So, even his presence here was instructed by someone else. He hadn't _wanted_ to come for her on his own accord. Tamping down a sudden surge of bitterness, Lissa turned her back on him and walked deeper down the path. "As you can see, I'm fine." Her ankle was just a little sore, but it was nothing to worry about. She hoped. "So you can go back to wherever you came from. Oh, and if you see Rose, can you tell her that I'm released?"

"Lissa – "

"I don't want to talk to you now, Christian. So please just go away."

Christian sighed, shaking his head. He had never understood women before, and he sure as hell wasn't about to be suddenly enlightened about their bewildering ways just because, for once, he wanted to know what was going on inside Lissa's head. He did know one thing though; and it was that she looked as if she was on the road to self-destruction, which would just throw her straight back into the clinic she had made no secret in despising. "I won't speak. I'll just follow you to make sure that you won't do anything stupid – not that you would, but I want to be on the safe side. I swear you won't even notice that I'm here."

Lissa stopped abruptly, turned, and her small frame was trembling with rage. "You don't fucking get it, do you, Christian?" she screamed, and whoa, that caught his attention. He had _never _heard Lissa curse or scream before. "I _don't _want you here! I want to be _alone. _Do you know what that means, Christian? It means that I want to be on my _own. _Without anybody else around me, especially a jerk by the name of Christian Ozera!" She spat out his name with so much ire that Christian winced, and her eyes widened for a split second as if realizing what she had just said before she shook her head roughly and stomped off, leaving behind a wounded – and very much mystified – Christian to absorb the full impact of her words.

"Adrian."

"Adrian, it's Dimitri," Dimitri said hurriedly, already full out sprinting to the location of the brawl. Even at his speed, he'll take at least two more minutes to get there and once again, he cursed the vastness of the training compound.

"No shit, man," Adrian replied cheerfully, his words too soft for Dimitri's liking against a background of noisy chatter. "Hey, can you hold a sec?" Dimitri heard Adrian saying something muffled, but whatever it was, it was a huge hit with his audience because he heard a resounding round of laughter. There was a bit of a scuffle and Adrian was back on the line. "What's up?"

"Where the fuck are you?"

"Wow, what's got your panties in a twist now? It's _Friday, _Dimitri, hours away from the _weekends, _baby! Learn to let loose a little and enjoy life!"

Dimitri ignored his idiotic comment, getting straight down to business. "There's a fight approximately two hundred metres South of the boys' cabin. Sydney called me to inform me about it." Dimitri paused to take a deep breath. "She says that it's escalating and we need to get one Instructor over there ASAP. I'm heading there right now, ETA one and a half minutes. Is there by any chance you can get there before me?"

"Shit. Yeah, I'm on my way right now. I'll definitely reach there before you – I was at the canteen."

"Great. Meet you there."

Christian hesitated for a long moment about his next course of action, still reeling both physically and mentally from Lissa's outburst and it showed as he was standing on the ground like he was rooted to the spot, and his brain was processing everything at a snail's pace.

He really should just heed her words – seeing how she was almost literally on the edge of losing her mind – and go back, leaving her to simmer off by herself. Who knows, maybe it was just _that_ time of the month and she was feeling exceptionally murderous.

With that thought cemented into his brain, he turned around and started back to his cabin. He should probably get ready for the trip back to civilization anyway.

Still, Christian couldn't shake the gut feeling that Lissa was furious with _him. _Well yeah, duh, even a mentally retarded person would have figured that out, since she hadn't exactly been too subtle with her name calling and her body language. And if that was the case, he was the only person to be able to calm her down, too.

Or maybe, just maybe, he wanted to be the one to comfort her.

Where Lissa was concerned, Christian found himself in knots. He didn't know what his agenda was in getting close to her, because even though having sex with her was definitely on his mind almost _all _the damn time, those thoughts weren't the only thing he entertained when he was with her. What that was getting him all stressed out was that he actually enjoyed just being next to her, just seeing her curl up contentedly beside him, just watching her as she drifted off to sleep.

It was all too complicated for his usually one-track mind to assimilate.

Sighing, Christian dragged a hand through his hair, noticing that only half of the sun still peeked out from above the horizon. Darkness was quickly falling, and with the onset of night, there will not be enough light to see two feet in front of oneself, much less navigate through the forest. Christian suddenly realized with startling clarity that the situation wasn't what he thought to be just moments ago.

He couldn't let Lissa wander around in the forest because there was only one marked trail. If she somehow strayed off the trail due to the lack of light. . .

He didn't even want to contemplate it.

It was no longer a question whether or not to follow Lissa.

It was a question whether or not he could _find_ her before nightfall when visibility turns to shit because only God knows where she could have stormed to in her blinding anger.

And Christian was, in no way, God.

Cursing a blue streak, Christian glanced at his phone and it was only then did he catch a glimpse of its dying battery.

_Great. Fucking great. _Not only did Lissa have a ten minutes headstart, his phone which was probably his only source of illumination in the dark and his only contact with the rest of the world was minutes away from expiring from a flat battery.

Switching off his phone in an effort to conserve its precious battery, Christian tucked it into his jeans pocket and sprinted back up the path, conscious that he was on a race against time that was ticking away, slowly but steadily.

He had to find Lissa.


	29. Chapter 24 : Filling The Gaps, Part 1

**A/N: so, this chapter is an effort of mine to get you guys caught up to speed with the happenings in between the chapters that I conveniently left out because of several 'complains' to hurry up with the storyline. the next chapter would be the same, probably with one more between rose and dimitri and the continuation of adrian and sydney, which is the second short story in this chapter. **

notadreamyetnotanightmare: wow. that's... pretty inspiring. thank you for all of that :P

.g-baby : i'll get to their age soon :p i havent decided it yet, but rose and lissa would probably be around 18 or 19, with christian and dimitri at 24.

majic91: haha, thank you!

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><p><em>Thursday<em>

_8.09 p.m._

Christian glanced at the doctor's quarters for the fifth time in ten minutes, feeling something tug lightly at his heart. The curtains were pulled over the windows – Sydney seemed averse to sunlight for some unfathomable reason – as it had been since the morning, but the thin fabric of it didn't do much to hide the soft glow of the light inside. It seemed to beckon to him like moths to a flame, but unlike the moths that were drawn to a flame because of the brilliance, Christian knew that his compulsion to enter had everything to do with a girl recuperating inside.

A girl he had no business in caring about, because not only was she too fucking young for him – god _damn _it – she was also too delicate and fragile with her flowery and ethereal beauty. She was wrong for him in every way, but his ignorant libido didn't give so much as a damn because God help him, he lusted for her so badly that he was having trouble falling asleep at night.

"Damn it, Christian. Are you even listening?"

Christian blinked, rubbing the spot between his eyebrows where a headache was brewing as he swung his gaze back to an irritated Dimitri. "No, sorry. I, urm, sort of. . . drifted off."

Dimitri eyed him steadily for a second, and his probing gaze had Christian turning away before he could get a good read on him. "I've known you for a long time, Christian," Dimitri said quietly, turning to look up at the beautiful velvet night sky adorned with luminous stars that sparkled and danced. "And not once have I seen you like this before. Distracted and. . . I don't know. Lackluster?" Dimitri's gaze was back on him again. "I know I probably – okay, _certainly – _don't have the right to ask you this, but are you sure that you should be getting yourself involved with her?"

Christian didn't bother with denial; he was too much of a mess inside. "I don't know, Dimitri." Sighing heavily, he fiddled with his half empty bottle of water – huh, and he always thought himself as an optimist – needing a sort of distraction while he tackled this unwelcome topic. "You know that expression about being wrapped around a little finger?" Christian glanced at Dimitri in time to see his nod. "I think that describes me pretty well right now. Chances are that if Lissa asks me to do something for her, I'll do it without hesitation. I've only seen her smile once, and it was from a distance when she was chatting with Rose." Christian closed his eyes, thinking back to the first day when he had caught a glimpse of Lissa's smile. "I don't think I've seen anything prettier. God, I might even jump off a building if it means that I get to see that smile of her's again."

Dimitri was silent, not offering his opinion as of yet.

"I never believed in love at first sight, y'know? I always thought it was a load of bullshit. Heck, about a week ago, love was about as coherent to me as physics." Christian chuckled wryly at his comparison before melancholy settled over him once again. "I'm not saying that what I'm feeling is love since I have no fucking idea what it's even like, but. . . it scares the shit out of me, man. It's like I _need _to see her or I'll fret about her, and now that she's still injured. . ." He heaved out a frustrated breath, shaking his head.

A minute passed in pensive silence before Dimitri spoke up. "I'm in no position to be giving you any advice because I'm about as clueless as you when it comes to love, but here's what I think. Don't be too rash. You've always hated being tied down, and that sort of fear is hard to shed so take it slow with her, that is _if _you're going to court her. If not, just leave her alone. Lissa may seem tough on the outside, but it's pretty obvious she's breakable on the inside. That's why Rose is so protective of her." A pause. "This isn't fun and games, Christian. Lissa knows that you're a player, and she would be reluctant to let down her guard with you, so you need to coax her through it gently by showing her that you're truly into her and want to get into a relationship with her. It's going to take a lot of time, so if you're doing this just for a quick shag, I suggest you back off now."

Christian looked offended. "I'm not doing this for sex, Dimitri." Then his lips tilted into a sheepish smile. "Okay, let me rephrase that. I'm not doing this _purely _for sex, because goddamn, I'm so fucking hard for her it hurts."

Dimitri nodded, satisfied. "Made up your mind, then?"

"Yeah. At least I think so." Christian interlaced his fingers, looking down at the ground from his perch on the bench.

"You gonna go visit her now?"

Christian looked up at the cabin again, for the sixth time now, and shrugged. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'll give her some space first, maybe for a few days, while I clear up my mind. Won't do me any good if I'm so overwhelmed by lust that I can't think straight."

A dark stare from Dimitri. "Scratching an itch?"

"What else can I do?"

"That's fucked up, Christian." Dimitri shook his head. "If you really feel something for Lissa, you won't even want to have sex with any other girls."

Christian expelled a sigh of exasperation, laying his hands on the table, palms up. "You're right, it doesn't seem that appealing anymore. But I'm running out of options. I don't want to scare her off, Dimitri. Do you think that she would be charmed by me if I come off as a sex craving maniac? I don't _want _to do it, Dimitri. I _need _to. There's a difference."

"You can just try to explain to Lissa – "

"What, and risk scaring her off? '_Hey, look, I'm really into you and I think I'm half in love with you, but whenever I'm around you, I have this fucking bad erection and I need to get laid soon or I'm going to go crazy and I really wish that the person who I'm going to make love to is you rather than other girls.' _Yeah, that's definitely going to work wonders, Dimitri."

Dimitri stood up wearily. "It's your choice, Christian. I don't have a say in it. Just. . . don't screw up, okay? I'm going to turn a blind eye to your courting and pretend I have no idea what you're doing."

"Right." Christian nodded thankfully. "The rule. Thanks man."

Dimitri returned the gesture with a terse nod of his own, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans and walked off. Without turning back, he said, "I sure hope you know what you're doing."

Christian stared at his now empty bottle as Dimitri faded into the darkness, his mind whirling. "Me too," he murmured to nobody in particular, "me too."

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><p><em>Wednesday<em>

_1.54 a.m._

"Are you positive?"

Sydney fought the urge to pick up one of her surgical instruments and stab the infuriating man in front of her with it – preferably one that wasn't even remotely sharp, so she could bludgeon him slowly to death. "Yes," she gritted out, keeping her anger in check. "I'm absolutely positive that there's nothing wrong with you, and that you're still perfectly capable of siring children in the future."

"Sweet!" Adrian slid off the chair with a lopsided grin at the confirmation, a lock of his tousled brown hair falling over his eyes as he did so. "Thanks, doc."

Sydney swirled around and strode to the sink without another word, not wanting to prolong contact with Adrian. When she reached out to turn on the tap, she noticed that her hands were trembling. Taking a deep breath, she stilled her hands and chanted to herself to calm down, to stop acting like an amateur. She was a professional, for God's sakes. She was also a perfect Alchemist, and that meant that she was never ruffled.

Never.

So why did a few minutes spent with Adrian in the same room make her so. . . irrational? She had treated thousands of patients and sometimes, and when the situation called for it, had touched them in intimate places, but she did all of that with a certain detachedness to it, like she was just a spectator and not actually performing the actions herself. It was what Alchemists were trained to do from young – being unaffected by _everything. _

Maybe trained wasn't the right word. _Conditioned _suited the context better. Ever since Alchemists were discovered to be very adept at healing and curing wounds, they were tracked down and gathered by the Pharmacy as the Guardians' personal doctors. With their exceptional abilities at rejuvenation magic, they were able to quickly knit up wounds and restore injured Guardians to their former condition in matter of seconds.

It was a win-win situation for both parties; Guardians no longer require long recovery periods that would put them off active duty, and Alchemists were paid very well for their services.

It all changed when an Alchemist went berserk. The contract between the Pharmacy and the Organisation was still being negotiated when the incident happened, and the deranged Alchemist – a man in his mid-thirties who had been showing signs of instability during the past few days – went on a rampage, wielding his magic as a weapon and ripping innocent bystanders to shreds. He was finally apprehended, but by that time, he was a total mess, his brain leaking out of his ears as he blabbered incoherently.

The Organisation withdrew from the negotiations immediately after that, refusing to work with the Pharmacy until the reason for the rapid deterioration of the man's mental health was ascertained, in case there was a repeat.

A detailed autopsy was carried out on the Alchemist's body at the Organisation's insistence, and the results astounded the world. It was discovered that the frequent usage of their healing abilities would take a toll on their mental health, gradually wearing the brain out until it shut down in an effort to hang on to sanity, which ironically, led to insanity.

In a frantic attempt to secure the contract worth billions of dollars with the Organisation who was on the verge of pulling out, the scientists at the Pharmacy delved deeper into their research on the human mind and came up with another mind-blowing – pun intended – revelation.

They implemented it instantly as a last ditch effort, and the results were staggering.

After that, Alchemists were no longer at risk of going crazy, simple because a large part of the brain's functions were 'caged up'. The brain is much like a CPU, and if there was too much to process, it would just shut down. By removing some of its processes – those that are not vital for survival – the problem was solved. The Pharmacy got the contract signed, and everybody lived happily ever after.

Except for the Alchemists.

Because the part of their brain that was locked away in the darkest of abysses?

It was the part of them that felt and registered emotion.


	30. Chapter 24 : Filling The Gaps, Part 2

**a/n: actually intended to hold back this update, but since im already finished with it... THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS. **

****adreamyetnotanightmare: hey, i should be the one thanking you. i hardly receive long, absolutely brilliant(:p) reviews, and yours just brighten my day whenever i read it :) yeah, i kinda prefer this christian as well. (does that sound weird? i created him after all...) the old christian in VA was a little too snarky for my taste. i think that sort of attitude is more... appropriate for rose because she sorta just... radiate it.

foreverwinter: pretty fucked up, actually... rose was evading dimitri because she thought that him and viktoria was in a relationship, but dimitri finds her and confronts her, revealing how viktoria is actually his sister. rose tries to seduce dimitri (yeah, fuck, that's pretty damn abrupt, but... oh well) because she wants to stop obsessing over him and she thinks that sex with him would accomplish that for her. they kiss, but then dimitri pulls away and flees, making rose angry as hell. so that's where they stand now. oh, and their lemon is rapidly approaching the corner!

**okaaaaay. this is, i should point out, a continuation from the previous chapter's Sydney and Adrian scene.**

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><p>"Hey, Sydney, you alright?"<p>

Sydney blinked rapidly at the voice sounding too close for comfort, dragging herself out of her reverie of the Alchemists' furtive past and back to the present. She was starting to drift off more and more often now, and she knew that it wasn't a good sign. Swallowing down the lump of dread in her throat, she turned off the faucet – the water was freezing cold now – and dried off her hands on the hanging towel with a few, quick strokes.

"Whoa, you're scared me there. It doesn't help that you're the only certified doctor and if you faint or sink into a coma, I won't know what to do." Adrian squinted at her when she turned around, looking. . . _concerned _about her well-being.

Sydney had never been on the receiving end of concern before.

She had lived a solitary life since her birth, only having met her parents briefly, and even that memory was vague because she had been so young. No more than four, and no younger than two. The appearances of her biological parents were a mere haze in her mind now, insubstantial as smoke. It mattered little to her though, because all she felt towards them was a bitter resentment. For selling her out for money, claiming that it was all for her own good; for not caring enough about her to even try to contact her when she was a prisoner in the Pharmacy, learning the ways of the Alchemist.

_Feeling _in general was dangerous to her kind, plainly because it was theorized to be the catalyst towards the mental breakdown that was, however, in the bitter end, inadvertent and unavoidable. The Pharmacy had come up with a better term for it, to better appease the concerned public, and it was 'retirement'. Every year, thousands of Alchemists succumb to the mental disease eating away at them and they are quietly buried, away from the media's attention.

They were then proclaimed to have 'retired' from their profession.

It seemed that the government had a pretty good idea what was really going on behind the sugar-coated words, but they had not taken any actions against the Pharmacy. Sydney suspected that it was more out of concern for their reputation than lack of influence. In allowing such an operation to run right under their noses, when revealed to the public, the government would no doubt lose favor among the masses and since they are reluctant to relinquish the power they wield, they rather paste a fake smile on their faces and pretend everything is peachy rather than acknowledge the cold, hard truth.

It was disgusting.

"Sydney?" Adrian waved his hand in front of Sydney's glassy eyes, frowning. What was going on inside her pretty mind? "I'm losing you again. Do you need a doctor? Oh fuck, right. You _are _the doctor."

The distant look left her eyes, and she pressed a hand to her forehead with a sigh. "I'm sorry," she muttered, looking flustered as she scoured the counter for a few moments before picking up a small bottle of prescribed pills. "I'm fine. I just need to take some medication and go to sleep."

Adrian knew that that was the cue for him to leave, but for some reason, he didn't _want _to. Something about Sydney piqued his interest and he wanted – no, _needed – _to find out everything about her. It was something that he never could quite understand; this urge within him to try to make sense of everything going on around him. That's why he adhered to the three-date-rule whenever it came to woman he wanted to have a sexual relationship with. On the first date, if a woman catches his eyes and he leaves her after a single night with her, he'll feel as if he was left hanging. On the second date, he'll pick up subtle things about the woman here and there, and his curiosity would dull with the discoveries. On the third date, he'll be left feeling bored and, therefore, be able to break off all ties with the woman without the dangling sensation that would otherwise hound him ceaselessly.

He blamed it on the scientist inside of him that never had the chance to bloom because of his raging testosterones that prevailed out of the two, but was still as much a part of him as his hands and legs.

Adrian stood his ground, leaning against the granite counter while he entertained himself by watching Sydney walk about. Damn, she had some pretty shapely legs. It was a pity that the oversized coat she wore covered her almost to the fricking thighs – he wanted an unobstructed view of her entire body.

Sydney cleared her throat and his gaze shifted to her face. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but that was the only indication that she might be mildly embarrassed. Her expression was as composed as ever. "It's almost twelve," she said meaningfully.

Adrian tilted his entire head back to look at the clock behind him before nodding. "Yep, that's about right."

Sydney looked at him expectantly.

Adrian arched an eyebrow back at her, seating himself on top of the counter.

"Do I have to show you to the door?"

Instead of answering the question, Adrian cocked his head towards the neglected coffee pot sitting at the corner of the counter. "Can I have a cup of coffee?"

Her eyes shone with belligerence. "Do I really have to answer that question?"

"If the answer is no, don't bother."

"No."

"No, what?"

"No, you can't have a cup of coffee," Sydney reiterated, enunciating every word slowly as if speaking to a baby.

Adrian's lips twitched. Man, who would have thought that teasing Sydney would be this fun? "I'll settle for warm water, then."

"The only beverage I'm going to offer you is arsenic or bleach," she hissed at him, anchoring her hands on her hips. A second later, shock suffused her expression and she dropped her hands, exhaling a heavy breath, her expression carefully blank again.

Whoa, what the hell was that? If that was her forcing her anger down, Dimitri might just have met his match in self-control – though he was starting to lose it nowadays. Adrian had a hunch that it might be because of a girl named Rose. . .

Sydney turned her back on him, her posture rigid. "Just show yourself out, please. Your cabin isn't very far away from here. You can get your cup of water there."

"Oh?" Adrian smiled, noticing an opening that he went for immediately. "How, may I ask, do you know where I live? Unless you've been asking around about me?"

Sydney didn't so much as spare him a glance, bringing the pills up to her mouth. "I'm not gracing that question with an answer."

"Come on, Sydney. If you're interested in me, you can just tell me. It's no biggie."

Sydney didn't respond, drowning the pills down with a gulp of water.

"Most women are, ya know. Interested in me, I mean. Besides for the lesbians." Adrian drummed his fingers against the counter thoughtfully. "Actually, they invite me for threesomes sometimes. Does that make them lesbians? I mean – "

Sydney pointed at the door, the clipped words betraying her neutral expression. "Out. Now."

"But it's _dark _outside!" Adrian went for the cute and irresistible card, seeing how small take wasn't about to cut it, making puppy eyes at her. He doubted that he would manage to wiggle his way into Sydney's bed tonight, but he sure as hell can try. "There are monsters in the dark and I'm scared of them! I'll much prefer to stay inside this warm and cosy house."

"Tough luck." Sydney pulled him off the counter, stumbling momentarily from his weight before righting herself. "I only allow people who are injured to stay the night."

Adrian let her usher him to the door without resistance. "Is that the catch to sleep with you? If that's the case, can I borrow one of your knives? I'll just knick myself."

Sydney pulled open the door, letting a cool draft in. "Go home, Adrian."

Adrian sighed, stepping onto the soggy soil from an afternoon of rain. "Why don't we compromise? You let me stay one night here, and I'll pay you back in sexual favors?"

"No, Adrian." Sydney deadpanned, inching back from the entrance and reaching for the door.

Adrian held out his hands. "Okay, okay. Just one hour? That'll be more than enough, I swear it – "

"Goodnight Adrian," she said tonelessly and shut the door right in his face.

So much for his not-being-rejected streak. Wincing, Adrian rubbed his eyes, gave himself a self-deprecating pat on his back for trying – and failing – and trudged back to his cabin. To say his ego was bruised was an understatement. Sydney had resisted his charms like she was _immune _to it.

The most unbelievable part?

She didn't seem to _like _him the slightest bit.

Jesus Christ.

That was inconceivable to him. All he needed to do most of the time was grin at a woman he wanted and she would be by her side a second later, offering herself to him on a silver platter.

Sydney, on the other hand. . .

That woman was a mystery, all right. But now, she was _his _mystery. Adrian intended to unravel her, piece by little piece, till she was fully exposed to him.

In more ways than one.

Just that thought made him hard. Shit. He never realized he had a thing for cold, seemingly heartless women.

Oh well, there was always a first for everything.

Grinning, Adrian started whistling.

Sydney won't know what hit her.


	31. Chapter 25 : Closer

**A/N: okay, im probably going to just fall asleep immediately after this because im dead tired, but i have to get a few things straight. **

**i cannot simply just write about RxD because you guys ask for it. I'm sorry, that's not how i roll. okay, now that just sounds stupid, but you get my point. this is a STORY, which means that it has to have its own pace, its own storyline. if you want purely R&D, you can go and read my other story, seduction and deceptions instead. this story revolves around all the characters, which means that everybody would be written about. everybody would have their own moment, and sad to say, this chapter isn't for rose and dimitri. if you've been paying attention to the timeline, that would be obvious because they just had a fall out about... a few hours before this chapter? if i get them to reconcile straight away, that won't be a story now, would it? so please, UNDERSTAND my plight. everything has to go according to my speed so i can keep track of how things are going. **

elizaroza: im sorry, but if you think this story is moving too slowly... i can't do anything about it. this is the speed that im going at. any faster, and it would be too rush, with gaping holes in between, and for people who are actually reading for how the couples are progressing, it isn't going to work for them. sure, i can definitely write those scenes, but what's the use if its just a meaningless fight/make up scene? i might as well write a one-shot if that's what im looking for. im not saying that what you're asking is wrong, but see it from my point of view. this is how a story should be written, not with action in every single page. you have to have your climaxes, followed by a bit of dip in action before getting your readers excited again.

.g-baby: yeah, she got a little bit out of control there :p see the effect adrian has on her already? uh oh. urm, yes and no. i don't set my eyes on girls that play hard to get, so i won't know, but i prefer it if girls actually use a bit of body language to show whether they're interested or not. so if a girl is playing hard to get, its really hard for us to determine whether she's actually acting that way to get you closer or to push you further away. since we're not too big on getting rejected in our faces, we'll probably not make a move so it would eventually backfire on the girl. then again, some guys prefer a bit of a 'chase', so girls that play hard to get might get lucky once in awhile. me? i prefer it simple, with one or two outings before breaking the question and getting in a relationship. no complications that way.

notadreamyetnotanightmare: i sure hope that this chapter satisfied your craving for a bit of CxL. i swear that their coupling is just awesome to write. sugary sweet, with just a pinch of fire to keep it interesting ;) yeah, not much action between them though, but their lemon would come. in time. enough to drive christian crazy.

vampymusik: im sure that can be arranged, but not a 'fling' as much as a bit of banter between them. they can become friends, and that would royally piss off dimitri, but im sure that he'll manage his jealousy :) somehow... like in bed. :P

**okay, im off to bed. cya**

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><p>Sydney hated being around Adrian.<p>

No, let her rephrase herself. She didn't _like_ Adrian's company, since hate is a word used to describe a strong kind of emotion, and as an Alchemist, she didn't feel any. And she would keep telling herself that until she believed it because she didn't believe that her conditioning was starting to fracture; it had held strong for the past twenty one years of her life, and it would hold for a long time more. It wouldn't fracture.

It _couldn't._

It was the only barrier between her and permanent insanity.

"I hate it when you space out."

Sydney said nothing, deigning that what Adrian said did not require an answer of any sort. She had figured that it was the only way to prevent herself from conversing too much with him: only replying when absolutely necessary. She busied herself by swiping the medical equipment she needed to tend to the boy's injuries off the counter, trying hard not to notice how close he was and the heat he seemed to radiate in waves.

"You're ignoring me again," Adrian said, and there was a touch of amusement in his voice. "Did I come on too strong last time? If that is the case, I sincerely apologize for my misbehavior."

Sydney turned and elbowed her way roughly past him to the waiting room, items in hand.

"Oh, come on, Sydney!" He whined, trailing behind her, his tone begging her to look at him. "You already have my apology. What else do you want?"

She marched on forward, telling herself to focus solely on moving her feet.

Adrian fell into pace next to her, his exasperation showing from his ragged sigh and Sydney trained her gaze forward even though she felt compelled to look at the ravishingly handsome man. That compulsion had been the first warning spark in her mind – Alchemists weren't supposed to feel any attraction to the opposite sex, anybody or anything in general. The moment Adrian had walked – been dragged – into her life, she had been struck dumb by his good looks. From his sun-kissed skin to his vividly entrancing green eyes to his messy brown hair, it was apparent that he had taken a dip in the deepest end of the gene pool.

Also for the first time in her life, Sydney had felt the need to touch another living being. A raw, visceral _want _that clawed and demanded and had taken all of her willpower to tamp it down before she did something she would surely regret. Alchemists weren't tactile creatures.

And they never would be.

So why the hell was she being assaulted, flanked and ambushed by all the feelings she had once assumed to be long buried? It didn't make sense.

Nothing did.

"A penny for your thoughts."

Sydney jerked to the side forcefully when she realized that Adrian's head was mere inches from hers, her hand instantly finding her chest to rest over her palpitating heart, a scream at the edge of her tongue. The reaction seemed so. . . natural to her that it took her a few seconds to register what she had done – or was on the verge of doing.

Acting on instinct. That was one of the initial signs.

Sydney swallowed the sudden lump in her throat.

When she looked up, Adrian was regarding her with his head cocked to the side, speculation shimmering in his entrancing eyes. "Why are you so jumpy around me? I'm not going to eat you up, you know."

Sydney didn't trust herself to speak, so she didn't.

Adrian squinted at her, and she looked away.

Praying that the fear crashing over her in waves – another damn emotion she wasn't supposed to feel – didn't show on her face, Sydney bent over to retrieve the items strewn all over the ground she dropped. Adrian joined in a moment later, speeding up the process. "Thanks," Sydney murmured, straightening her coat when she stood up.

"So is that how I get you to talk?" Adrian smiled, shaking his head when she extended her hand for the items. "By helping you out?"

Sydney looked at the cloth and alcohol rub in his hands, ignoring the pointless question. "Give them back."

Adrian arched an eyebrow at her before resuming walking down the corridor. "I think I'll hold on to these. Won't want you to drop them again, do we? It's a miracle this glass bottle" – Adrian lifted the alcohol rub between two fingers – "even survived the impact. You can thank your lucky stars for that."

Sydney didn't bother arguing – that would mean more talking. She had enough common sense to know that that's exactly what she _shouldn't _be doing with Adrian because that would mean establishing a connection between them, which would only spell more trouble for her. What she needed to do is put as much distance between them as possible; that way, Adrian couldn't drive her insane.

Literally.

"I would say that you're awfully quiet today, but I think we both know that."

Sydney increased her pace to a brisk walk.

Adrian was honest-to-God confused.

Not to mention depressed, discouraged and with an even more bruised ego which had yet to heal from his previous encounter with the confounding creature that was Sydney. She was impossible to understand, but it might be due to how little effort he was putting in to try to understand her. It wasn't his fault; most of the time, sex came to him without him even finding out the woman's name before she was moaning on top or beneath him.

It meant that seducing Sydney was entirely out of his comfort zone.

It also meant that he was in for a challenge.

Still, he had been without a woman for almost two months and he would have preferred it much more if Sydney was. . . more forthright. But good things always come at a price, and if those mile-long legs were any indication, Sydney was a hell of a package.

She was also a package just waiting to be unwrapped by him.

He could hardly wait.

* * *

><p>Christian swore repeatedly, batting away furiously at the twigs that were stabbing at the skin of his forearms he was using to protect his eyes. The sun had long set, the entire forest cloaked in a suffocating darkness that he could barely see by, even with his more acute eyesight. He was scouting half blind here, shouting periodically for Lissa and his dread grew with each passing minute when he didn't get a reply.<p>

This stretch of forest covered several acres. Lissa could be _anywhere. _

Christian didn't let that demoralize him though; he had found Lissa's hairband approximately two hundred meters back which meant that he was definitely on the right course.

He just wasn't sure whether it was good or bad news that her hairband had been left on the ground. There were no obvious signs of a struggle so he wasn't too overly worried that she was injured. If Lissa had been ambushed by some of the predators on the prowl, she would have put up a fight, leaving behind tussle marks in the dense undergrowth.

"Lissa!" Christian shouted for the umpteenth time, paying no heed to his throbbing throat. His discomfort was inconsequential to him right now. Not with Lissa still at large, vulnerable to attacks from the forest's malicious night detizens.

A faint sound caused him to freeze entirely. Could it be –

"Lissa?"

A short pause, during which he swore his heart almost stop beating. Then, "Christian?" A breathless, painfully uncertain reply to the South of where he was.

Holy fuck. Relief almost felled him to his knees the moment he heard Lissa's voice. He swore he never heard anything sweeter. "Yes, it's me. Where are you, sweetheart?" He shouted, breaking into a run in the general direction of her voice. Ducking under a short, thick branch, he strained to hear her reply.

"Under a tree." Her voice sounded closer, so he kept on going. But now that her voice was louder, he could also detect the underlying tension in it. Goddamnit, was she hurt?

_Son of a bitch!_

"You'll have to do better than that, Lissa!"

No reply.

"Lissa?"

That did it. "Just stay put! I'm coming!" His arms shielding his face, Christian forced his way through the thick foliage, uncaring about the thorns and branches digging into his skin. At one point in time, his shin rammed against a rock and he almost heaved from the searing pain, but he forced himself to continue. He had no idea what condition Lissa was in, and if she was critically injured. . .

He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her.

She was his charge, for the love of God.

And sometime during the past week, she had moved up on his list of importance.

Having her safe and sound back in his arm again was suddenly a very personal matter.

"Here, Christian," Lissa waved weakly at the trampling silhouette, her voice wavering. Her ankle hurt like a bitch – why hadn't she listened to Christian? – and she was pretty sure her fall in the dark hadn't helped out much. Now, she had a skinned knee _and _a sprained – was it sprained again? Ouch, okay, yes – ankle. "I'm here."

"Thank God." Christian spotted her, and he moved stealthily towards her now that he had her in his sight. Then he _really _saw her when he crouched down next to her, and he let loose a stream of curses. "Fuck, Lissa."

"I know," she whispered ruefully, trying not to flinch at Christian's dark and stormy expression. "I fell, and then I thought I heard a wolf so I just started running and then I couldn't run anymore because it hurt too much so I found a bit of a shelter and sat down and – " She took a deep breath, aware of how the words were just flying out of her mouth without much order.

Christian stared at her with an inscrutable expression.

"I'm so sorry, Christian," she said quietly, lowering her eyes. "I was just so mad. I wasn't thinking. Now, we're both in this mess, and it's all my fault."

His eyes softened, and he sighed wistfully as he carefully lowered himself onto the ground next to her, resting his back against the tree stump. "I shouldn't have hedged either, Lissa. I should have made you see reason and forced you back to camp, even if it meant that you'll be angry at me."

They sank into silence, the only sounds for a few, long minutes the swaying of the leaves in the chilly night gale and the occasional howl from canines on the hunt.

Christian took the time to take stock of Lissa's leg, and it wasn't as bad as he had thought. The skinned knee was a superficial injury which would heal within a day. Her ankle, however, with repeated provocation, was going to require a much longer time.

"This time, Lissa," Christian muttered to her after his inspection, patting her legs he had set on his lap lightly, "you're going to stay in the cabin until you're fully recovered. This is non-negotiable."

Lissa flushed guiltily, and she nodded slightly. "Yes, I know. I'm not objecting to that anymore."

"And you're not going to follow everything Sydney says."

Lissa nodded again, her head ducked. "Uh huh."

Looking at her like that, so vulnerable and small, Christian felt his heart swell with dangerous emotion. "Damn it, Lissa," He whispered, and she gazed up at him, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears and unsaid words. "Don't ever scare me like that again." He pulled her closer to his chest, wanting to reassure himself that she was here with him, and not alone in the wilderness. Lissa allowed it without complaint, needing his comfort as much as he needed hers.

They huddled together and a warmth slowly blossomed from Lissa's chest to her limbs. She nuzzled closer against Christian, loving the feel of his arms encasing her. "I won't," she whispered back, her voice muffled against the fabric of his shirt. "Never again. I'm really sorry, Christian."

His arms tightened around her when she hiccupped a sob. "There's no need to apologize again," he said soothingly, tucking a stray tendril of her hair behind her ear with a tenderness that almost undid her. "I know I did something wrong to make you angry." He rested his chin on top of her head, his voice so calming that it was almost like the most effective lullaby to her. "Are you going to tell me what that is?"

Lissa sniffed, not wanting to ruin the moment with her insecurities. "Not now."

Christian gently cupped her chin then, urging her to look at him. His eyes were liquid and luminous, and Lissa found herself enraptured by his gaze. "When we get back?" he asked, his voice husky, and the way his eyes sparkled told Lissa that there was more to the question than meets the eye.

Lissa gave a nod in breathless agreement without thought, suddenly wanting it more than anything in the world. Maybe she would regret it later, maybe not. But how would she know if she didn't give it a try? "Yes." A whisper, a promise and an acceptance all in one. "When we get back."

Christian's smile lit up her world. "Good." He glanced around at their surroundings, and his smile slid off his face, and he was alert and on guard again. Lissa resented their situation more than before for disturbing the perfect moment they were sharing. "We'll have to wait till sunrise to get out of here. It's going to be useless trying to navigate in the dark." His gaze returned to her. "Sleep, Lissa." He muttered, stroking her hair lovingly. "Sleep."

And so she did.

With a smile on her face.


	32. Chapter 26 : Chatter

**A/N: ... yeah. erm... wow. the last part was a little emotional to write, even though it was so short. i actually could empathize with what adrian was going through, and he's a FICTIONAL character. geez. okay, for those craving for more RxD, it's their moment the next chapter. and yeah, i think its going to be a lemon the next chapter. or maybe its the lead up to a lemon. ill see how it goes. **

**OH, and sorry to those who are waiting for an update for Seduction and Deceptions, because I've decided to focus on updating solely for this story until I'm finished with this. It's getting really tiresome to keep switching updates between stories and its screwing with my productivity (not that im very productive with one story, but you get my point... its just a sort of excuse i guess :P) **

cakebook: yes, this is the first week. they arrived on monday, and its now saturday of that week. moving a little slowly, i know, and ive always sucked at timelines. just imagine it in a timeframe of your own if you don't feel comfortable with mine that ive set up :/

melanie: i think i'm subconsciously doing that :P not paying as much attention to RxD, i mean. why? idk, because i think their characters are the least entertaining to write, even though its probably more fun to read. i enjoy writing CxL the most, because it's more of a real life scenario, with the slow build up of a relationship. (its definitely easier to relate to than AxS or RxD) AxS comes in second for me, and RxD at third because these two are just SO DAMN 6#$!#!*$!( HARD TO WRITE.

**yeah, so you guys might be able to guess something's up with adrian's past from the last part. . . kudos to you if you can guess what it is! **

**oh yes, thank you for all the delightful reviews :) **

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><p>Sydney frowned down at the girl at her doorstep.<p>

"I'm here to see Lissa," Rose stated the moment she opened the door, trying to peer around Sydney's body at the room where the person in question was recuperating in. "Is she okay? I heard that she got herself injured again."

She was about to let Rose in when she remembered the protocol. "Do you have permission?"

"Yeah."

"Who from?"

Rose waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Oh, you know."

Sydney shook her head. "That isn't going to work with me."

"It's just a brief visit."

"My answer still stands."

"The rules are bullshit! I shouldn't need permission to visit my friend. It's not like I'm going to burn down this place or something!"

"Don't ask me why they come up with these rules; I just follow them."

Rose was silent for a second and Sydney could almost envision the gears turning in her brain as Rose mentally readied herself for round two of mission-persuade-Sydney-into-breaking-the-rules. With her stubborn attitude, Sydney was positive that Rose would keep it up until she relented.

"Sydney, you know – "

Sydney sighed, signaled for her to save her breath and took a few steps back, allowing Rose space to walk in.

"I knew you'll see the light. Thanks!" Rose shot her a thousand-watt grin before heading towards Lissa's room.

Sydney felt another headache brewing as she sat down at her pristine desk.

* * *

><p>"Guess who?"<p>

Lissa perked up when Rose waltzed in through the door, looking as radiant as usual. It was a Saturday, so she hadn't been expecting visitors – not that she had many; her guest list only comprised of two people – and had already braced herself for another lonesome day in bed flipping through old, worn magazines she had long memorized.

"Hey!" She smiled at Rose and gestured for her to sit down next to her bed. "I thought you went out to town."

"And go with those sorry-excuses-for-humans?" Rose made a face. "I'd rather burn in hell."

Lissa laughed, grateful for Rose's company. "Or spend time with me."

"Or spend time with you," She agreed, then seemed to ponder over her words. "Wait, did I just insult you?"

Lissa laughed again at her perplexed expression. "Don't worry about it, Rosie. Oh, and that reminds me." She pinned Rose with an accusing stare. "What about the bet?"

Rose's expression flittered to pure panic momentarily before she blanked her face and it was so comical Lissa laughed yet again. Her cheeks were starting to hurt. "What bet?" Rose asked innocently, playing the part of the clueless girl perfectly.

"Don't play dumb with me," Lissa chided Rose, but she was still smiling slightly so it didn't have the admonishing effect she was aiming for. "You only have to the end of this week and today's already the second last day. So far, I haven't heard anything going down that seems to be of your doing."

Rose gave her a chagrined smile. "Um, well. . . I was actually hoping to re-negotiate the terms with you – "

"Uh-uh." Lissa wagged her finger in refusal. "No more second chances."

Rose pouted.

"I'm not budging this time, Rose. Admit it. Admit that there's no way you're going to win the bet."

Rose pursed her lips, puffing out her cheeks and shook her head furiously.

Lissa sighed. "You took on more than you could chew this time, Rose. I thought it was obvious from the start that you were going to lose. I mean, come on! It's _Dimitri _we're talking about here. The Guardian with the legendary control?"

Rose contemplated whether or not to tell Lissa that Dimitri's control wasn't as formidable as the media may make it seem. After all, he had given in to his primal urges and kissed her – and despite it being a day, she could still remember the sensation of his lips pressing against hers, her body melting against her his. Even now, just the thought of it had her warming up from the inside, her skin suddenly seeming to be too tight.

"Rose?" Lissa prompted, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Yeah?" Rose rasped, then cleared her throat. "Sorry. Was thinking of. . . something else."

Lissa drew herself up into a sitting position, the sheets bunching at her waist. "I can see that. Oh, and Rose? You're blushing."

Rose, seeing no way to deny her bodily reactions, held out her hands, palms out. "Don't ask."

Lissa cocked her head at her quizzically. "Did something happen between you and Dimitri?"

Rose said quickly, "No."

Perhaps a bit too quickly, because Lissa smiled knowingly. "Ahhhhh."

Rose glared at her. "It was just a kiss – nothing more."

A smirk. "So _that's _what happened."

Rose realized that she was getting played to give up more information and smartly decided to shut her mouth.

"Rose, Rose." Lissa _tsk_ed, looking triumphant at her successful extraction. "You have to tell me how it was. You _must_."

"Will that win me the bet?"

"No."

"Then my answer is no." An implacable statement.

Lissa groaned. "You're not playing fair, Rose."

"Life isn't fair," Rose smiled, happy at how she was now holding the power. "So how about it? The details in return for calling off the bet."

"How about we compromise?"

Rose shook her head. "All or nothing."

Lissa picked up her pillow and threw it at her, scowling. "Give me an inch here, Rose!"

Rose ducked, the pillow sailing over her head to land unceremoniously on the ground a few feet away from the door. "Fine. Speak your mind."

"I'll only buy you lingerie."

Rose's jaw dropped. "What?"

Lissa winked at her meaningfully. "In case you and Dimitri ever want to get it on, you might want to be wearing something more. . . appropriate for the occasion."

Rose snorted. "As if that would ever happen." Even though Dimitri had kissed her, he still had the willpower to pull away in the midst of the stormy passion. If that didn't do justice to his self-control, nothing would. Rose suspected that it would take more than a few pieces of scanty lingerie to seduce him into bed, and there also came the problem of how he was going to _see _the lingerie in the first place.

"It pays to be cautious."

"Literally?" Rose folded her arms across her chest and stared at Lissa.

"And figuratively." Lissa grinned.

Rose gave it a bit of thought, then decided to hell with it. If Lissa wanted to throw a bit of money over her, she'll let her do as she pleases. That would finally – hopefully – get Lissa off her back and give her some breathing room. As for the lingerie. . . She could have had it worse, so she'll just suffer in silence. "We have a deal."

Lissa's eyes shimmered with excitement and she flicked her wrist at her. "Great! Now, about that kiss. . ."

Rose stood up, poked her head out of the door to check whether Sydney was listening in on their conversation, closed it and sat back down on the chair. Then, she took a deep breath and launched into story telling mode.

* * *

><p>"You have to be kidding me" were the first words that left Adrian's mouth when Christian dropped the bomb.<p>

"How could you do this to me?" He grabbed a hold of Christian's shoulders and tried to shake some sense into him. "We made _plans. _We were going to spend the first day watching that new movie that came out – what's the title again? – and then we were going to get drunk and then get laid and then – "

Christian shrugged Adrian's hands off, looking slightly contrite as he took a few steps back. "Look, Adrian," he said, sticking his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "I'm really sorry, but I can't go. I promised someone that I'll stay here this weekend, and I plan to make good on that promise."

"_Who?" _Adrian inquired, nonplussed.

Christian fidgeted uneasily, his sneakers shifting among the gravel they were standing on.

"Oh, _fuck!" _Adrian scrubbed a hand down his face as comprehension dawned. "It's that blonde, isn't it?"

Christian scowled at how Adrian addressed Lissa, a not-too-surprising protectiveness jumping to life within him. "That _blonde _has a fucking name, dickhead."

Adrian just looked at him disbelievingly for a few, long seconds. Then he turned and marched to a tree and rested his forehead against the bark. "God, please tell me that I'm dreaming. Please tell me that Christian had not just ditched me in favor of hanging around with a girl. A girl that he had not slept with yet, if his irritation these few days is any indication. And God, please tell me that he's not in love with her, because that would really put a damp on my plans for the rest of the year to do every single available – and unavailable, if the opportunity ever arises – girl in town."

Christian rolled his eyes.

Adrian glanced at him over his shoulder, saw his expression and started lamenting again. "Oh, God, please have mercy on Christian because he's still young and naïve and does not realize that he's not ready to get into a serious relationship yet – "

"Enough, Adrian." Christian was getting seriously annoyed. "What I do with my love life is strictly my business."

Adrian's eyes widened at the subtle confirmation of his worst fears. "God fucking damn it, Christian, are you out of your fucking mind? You _hate _being tied down, for fuck's sakes. _Think _it over before you act!"

Christian gritted his teeth, fighting a surge of red-hot anger. "You don't know what you're talking about, Adrian. You don't know how I feel – "

"You're right," Adrian interrupted, shaking his head. "I don't have a fucking, shittiest clue as to how you feel. And you know what? If I have it my way, I don't ever want to. I like my life the way it is."

"What, with the endless line of women parading in and out of your bedroom?" Christian sneered, "Don't you ever feel just a little bit tired of that lifestyle? Of all the meaningless sex?"

Adrian gaped at him. "What the fuck, man? Did I miss your canonization into a fucking saint or something? Because you're talking in riddles I don't understand."

"You know what, Adrian?" Christian backed away slowly, reminding himself repeatedly over and over in his mind that Adrian was his friend and he really didn't want to clobber him to death, "forget it. I'm not wasting my breath explaining all of this to you."

Adrian watched him go, his expression unreadable in the gathering darkness of night.

"Tell me one thing, Christian," Adrian said quietly when Christian turned his back to walk away, "how are you so sure that it's even love?"

Christian stopped, squared his shoulders. "I don't," he replied gruffly, with an honesty that he figured he owed Adrian from their friendship. "But if you don't give it a shot, how would you ever know?"

He spun around and fixed his gaze on Adrian. "I'm not going to lie to you, man. I'm scared as hell. I suck at relationships, and Lissa's just so. . ." he tried to grasp for the right word, "delicate. But we've come to an understanding, or at least something like that. You can't even begin to imagine how important her safety is to me." He closed his eyes briefly, remembering the overwhelming apprehension that was gripping his throat like a vise when he was out in the forest searching for Lissa. "It's like a part of me is dead and gone when she's in even the slightest bit of danger." He looked at Adrian who had his back propped against a tree, his arms folded, his face cloaked in shadows. "That has to mean something, Adrian. It has to."

Adrian didn't move so much as an inch.

"Maybe you'll know what I'm talking about someday," Christian said softly and watched Adrian for any reaction for another minute before sighing and walking off.

* * *

><p>Adrian waited until he was positive Christian was gone before he allowed himself to move. His limbs were stiff; his legs uncooperative. His hands were trembling so badly he shoved them into his pockets. Slinking into the cover of the trees, he stumbled on for about a minute before crumbling to the ground, one of his hands seeking out the pendant he always kept with him.<p>

Emotion stung his eyes as he pulled it out from under his shirt, the heavy weight of it in his hands a cold reminder that this was all he had left of her. Slowly and reverently, he unclasped it from around his neck and closed his hands around the cool object, lowering it to his lap as he squeezed his eyelids shut.

And then for the second time in his life since Tracy's death, he cried.


	33. Chapter 27 : Burning Up

**A/N: OKAY, PLEASE READ THIS. THIS IS IMPORTANT.**

**Once you've started reading this chapter, you'll realize that a huge chunk of it is from the introduction, which is an excerpt of this story. DON'T skip it. I've made some minor changes to the dialogue to make everything smoother and more in context with the previous chapters that I haven't thought of when writing the excerpt, so please read through the entire thing again. **

**Oh, of course, how could I forget? **

**THE NEXT CHAPTER IS THE LONG AWAITED LEMON BETWEEN DIMITRI AND ROSE.**

**THE LEMON WOULD NOT, I REPEAT, NOT, BE UPLOADED ONTO THIS STORY. IT WILL BE UPLOADED TO 'BEHIND CLOSED DOORS', WHICH YOU CAN FIND BY CLICKING ON MY PROFILE AND SURFING TO MY STORIES. I'LL GET IT UP IN ABOUT TWO DAYS. Hopefully. **

**it's not necessary to read the lemon to continue reading the rest of this story, so if you're not of the legal age (FUCK WHO CARES? SERIOUSLY? IM NOT EVEN OF THE LEGAL AGE YET AND IM WRITING IT FFS (BUT if you're like 14 and still as innocent as a white rabbit, please do not read it because i do not want to be the reason for your coming over to the dark side) (oh look, brackets within brackets))) and you don't want to read it, it will not affect your reading experience, though you might not get future references towards their pillow talk. and yes, there'll be a lot of pillow talk... because that's what makes it interesting :)**

**Okay, that's all the important news. You can now skip the rest of the bullshit I'm about to type in response to the reviews to the story :D (yay!)**

nbjbrownie: thank you so much!

notadreamyetnotanightmare: i think i'm going to start a word count on how many times you use 'brilliant' to describe my story ;) thank you again!

melanie: hopefully, i can change your mind about RxD with their lemon ;P i'm planning on at least two lemons for each couple, but i might cut it down because i dont want to exhaust all my ideas in a single story. after all, i have S&D waiting to be finished and i have many ideas for future stories, so. . .

vampymusik: YES! HAHAHAHA. i have converted another person into a CxL fan!

**thanks for all the reviews again, guys! remember to stay tuned for the lemon... which is going to be hell to write -.-**

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><p>The cold bite of the chilly December nights made Dimitri feel alive.<p>

It was only natural, he supposed, since his childhood and adolescence was spent in relatively cool temperatures back in his hometown. He luxuriated in the feel of his sweat cooling almost immediately against his skin as he focused on putting one foot in front of the other, his breath coming out in short pants.

Leaves rustled in the wind, an owl hooted in the distance. Going on a run was one of Dimitri's method of lowering his stress levels – which, for the past week, was at an all-time high – but most physical activities suited him just fine.

Honestly, he would have preferred a rigorous round of sex – or maybe a few – in favor of sprinting in the dead of the night to work off his excess energy, but that was out of the question since there was no viable candidate – he silenced his mind's instant cry of 'Rose!'. For reasons he couldn't begin to fathom, both Christian and Adrian had declined his offer for them to go into town for the weekend. Normally, he would hop at the rare opportunity to garner some relaxation time for himself, but he didn't want to leave his friends to run the camp during the weekends alone.

Okay, maybe he was suspicious that they were up to something nefarious like organizing an orgy right in the premises, but his fears were unwarranted because nothing that outrageous occurred – or at least to his knowledge.

That got him worrying about his friends' sanity levels. Christian was always slinking off somewhere, and Adrian just sort of disappeared off the face of the Earth. It was so unlike them that he actually contemplated giving them a vacation, thinking that they were at their wits' end. But he was short-handed even with the assistance from them, and to send them off would be to dig his own grave.

It wasn't the appropriate time to try to make sense of it all, so Dimitri cleared his mind. It was already nearing midnight, and he wanted to finish his run so he

could get to sleep. The last turn in his sight already, he went all out and sprinted.

* * *

><p><strong>NEXT CHAPTER IS A LEMON. FIRST REMINDER.<strong>

* * *

><p>Everything was ready.<p>

Rose crouched in wait behind the prickly bush, the path in front of her partially illuminated by the soft moonlight, her pulse racing. If everything went according to plan, Dimitri would be coming back from his nightly jog right about now. According to Christian who had happily divulged the information to her – or more exactly, to Lissa – Dimitri never strayed far from his schedule and made it a point to always go outside for a run every night. It was –

_There he is!_

Dimitri's shoes crunched against the gravel, his footsteps light, his pace quick as he negotiated the turn, approaching her ingenious trap rapidly. Rose's breath hitched at the glorious sight of her instructor's bared forearms and long, toned legs covered in a thin sheen of sweat that gleamed under the gentle glow of the light provided by the streetlamp. The muscles of his biceps rippled in sync with the movement of his arms, and Rose practically drooled.

It took all of her willpower to drag her gaze away, and to focus on what she had to do.

_Three more steps…_

The chittering of the crickets increased in volume.

_Two more steps…_

An owl hooted in the distance as Dimitri neared, the exact design of his sport shoes coming clearly into view.

_One more…_

The chitter of the insects reached a crescendo in its melody, becoming all Rose could hear.

_Now! _

Rose pressed the button on the device and held her breath.

All hell broke loose.

* * *

><p><strong>NEXT CHAPTER IS A LEMON. SECOND REMINDER.<strong>

* * *

><p>Dimitri had had that sense of foreboding the moment he turned onto the last stretch, his limbs all tingling and the beginning of a headache at the back of his head. He should have known better than to press on, thinking that it was nothing but fatigue catching on with him.<p>

His sixth sense had never been wrong before.

It wasn't wrong this time either.

Sadly, he found out too late.

Ice cold water erupted around his feet, blasting little bits of gravel into the air, drenching and soaking him to the bone. Using his hands to shield his face from the sharp stinging pain of the jets of water, Dimitri dove and rolled to the side, scraping his arms on the sharp pieces of stones on the pathway.

Vaulting to his feet an instant later, he assumed a defensive stance, blinking away the droplets of water that fogged his vision as he scanned his immediate vicinity for any adversaries, reaching for the stake that he always kept by his side regardless of where he went.

A second passed in silence besides for the roar of the water, then two. The waterworks died down, leaving a muddy slosh on the ground where the trap had sprung him. Still not relaxing his guard, Dimitri listened intently for any sounds that might indicate that someone was around. The strong gale assaulted him, the chill seeping through the little protection his T-shirt could solicit for him.

He shivered.

Then heard a giggle coming from behind a bush.

Rose couldn't help it; she giggled. And then she laughed. Then cackled and had to hold her stomach when it started to hurt.

So when the laughter finally subsided, she opened her eyes to find herself looking directly at a fuming Dimitri, a few tendrils of his brown hair plastered to his forehead. His normally brown eyes were almost fully black from rage, his nostrils flared and jaw set tightly. The black T-shirt he was wearing stuck to his body like a second skin, revealing his whole physique for Rose's hungry eyes to devour.

And the only thought that Rose had was that he looked even better when he was wet.

"Rose," Her name on his lips made Rose tremble – in anticipation? Or dread? "What the _fuck _was that?"

Rose tilted her chin upwards, glaring back at him, still angry with him over that incident with Viktoria – even after he had already explained that she was only his sister. Oh, and she hadn't gotten over how he had just left her after that soul-shattering kiss either. "Revenge."

A muscle ticked under his eye, and in a movement so fast that Rose only managed to blink an eye, he was towering over her seated form. "What, may I ask," He said in a dangerously quiet voice that had Rose using her hands and legs to push herself backwards to put more space between her and the six feet seven inches of bristling male muscle, "had I done to you?"

Rose thought it was a miracle that she could still manage to speak. Or squeak. "You made me angry."

"When?" Dimitri crowded into her space again by taking another intimidating step forward, making a loud, startling crunching noise as he crushed the dried leaves below his feet that cut through the eerie silence like hot knife through butter. Rose was dimly aware that the crickets had stopped chirping altogether, as if sensing something was about to go down.

Something big.

"Something wrong with your memory, big boy?" Rose found her voice in a spike of anger, and she gave him the best hostile look she could muster. "You kissed me like your life depended on it, and right after that, you left like the devil was on your heels."

Dimitri's jaw clenched. "It was for the best."

"For you, maybe," Rose shot back at him, "but not for me. Is that what you always do, Dimitri? Turn someone on and leave?"

Her question was followed by a few moments of stunned silence. Then, Dimitri tilted his head towards her, a mop of his wet hair flopping over his forehead and covering his eyes. "You were aroused?" An undertone of sexual amusement beneath those husky, gravelly words.

Whoops. Maybe she shouldn't have said that.

"Answer the question." An implacable demand.

"I'm not telling you anything," she said.

"Don't make me angry, Rose," He warned, his eyes narrowed on her with unnerving intensity.

"More than you already are?" She retorted automatically.

"I have every damn right to be angry," Dimitri growled, peeling the hem of his soaked shirt from his skin and wringing it. "Seeing how I'm fucking wet all because of _you."_

Rose didn't know what made her say it. Her hormones? Maybe. Her intense craving for Dimitri? Maybe. "Then I should be angry at you too, don't you fucking think?" (KUDOS TO YOU IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE'S TALKING ABOUT HERE!)

An intense emotion flashed in Dimitri's eyes when comprehension struck him, something so dark and primal that Rose panicked and scampered backwards, her legs suddenly feeling weak and unstable as she got to her feet. God, she had to start processing the words before she let them out of her damned mouth!

Dimitri watched her all the while, the burning heat of his gaze scorching her all over and causing desire to pool low in her belly, her hands to start shaking uncontrollably by her side as she continued to backpedal. Her instincts screamed for her to run, but for some unfathomable reason, she couldn't get herself to.

Not when she was so close to breaking through the barrier that Dimitri had around himself.

Her back collided with the rough bark of a tree, and Rose bit her lip to hold back the squeal that almost escaped. Feeling awfully like a trapped bird, she was about to fuck everything and take off when Dimitri did it again, moving towards her at an inhuman speed and caging her in by putting both hands by the side of her head on the tree trunk, his large body surrounding her smaller one. Being so close to him, Rose could feel the heat he radiated; heat that enfolded her in its embrace and made her feel safe and secure.

His breath, hot and decadent, caressed the tip of her ear as he leaned down. "Do you even know what you do to me, Roza?" A husky question, the stubble of his cheek grazing the edges of her ear, eliciting a delicious shiver that ran through her, awakening her feminine core.

"No?" It came out more like a question.

A warm chuckle. "You make me crazy with lust, you test my control beyond boundaries I've never thought possible." A small nip at her earlobe that had Rose moaning. "I don't think you should try to make me lose control."

Fighting to find her train of thought in the rush of sensation, she wrapped her arms around his torso to pull him closer, savoring the warmth that he emanated, almost gasping when the hard line of his erection prodded at his stomach. "Why? I think I like this side of you."

Dimitri stilled in the middle of planting a heated kiss at the sensitive spot of her neck that led to her shoulder. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, yes I do." Rose argued, one of her hands snaking around his neck to tug him back to her neck, a silent plea to continue what he was doing.

Dimitri resisted, pulling back with an unreadable expression. "We have to stop."

Rose wanted to scream out in frustration, her sexual need already reaching burning point. How could he tease her, played with her – no matter how little – and just leave her? _A second fucking time?_ "Stop that! I know you want me" – A pointed look at the bulge in his shorts – "so why do you keep doing this?"

"Roza," He held out a hand as if to reach for her, then shook his head and ran that hand through his hair instead. "this is not appropriate at all."

_Argh! _"Forget it!" Rose yelled, stamping her feet loudly and turned to stalk off. "I'm sick of waiting!" She would just have to take matters into her own hands – with a special friend she had just purchased yesterday, unbeknownst to Lissa.

A special friend that vibrates.

She had merely taken a step before she was swept off her feet by strong hands, and shoved against the same tree. She gave a squeal of protest when a chip of bark dug into her skin through her blouse, but shut up the moment she saw the way Dimitri was staring at her.

With so much desire her legs turned to jelly, and would have folded beneath her if he wasn't holding her up. "Don't," he said softly, "walk away from me."

Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

* * *

><p><strong>NEXT CHAPTER IS A LEMON. FINAL REMINDER. <strong>

* * *

><p><strong>I kid. THIS IS THE FINAL REMINDER.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>ROSE AND DIMITRI'S LEMON.<strong>

**COMING SOON TO A FANFICTION NEAR YOU. **

too dramatic? i think so too. oh well :p


	34. Chapter 28 : In Arms, Part 2

**A/N: as you can see from this chapter, i got lazy again. **

**in my defense, i'm tired as hell from a long-as-fuck day, and i didn't want to drag the update any longer (i think it had been 5 days since my last update?) so i just sort of typed this out in a hurry when i got home (which was at 11.30pm goddamnit!) if there are any mistakes i overlooked, i apologize because im half blind right now. **

**IF YOU HAVEN'T READ CHAPTER 33, PLEASE DO SO RIGHT AWAY. IT'S UPLOADED ON 'BEHIND CLOSED DOORS', CHAPTER TWO. THIS IS THE HAPPENINGS AFTER THE PROCEEDINGS *snicker* IN THAT CHAPTER. OH, AND PLEASE DO REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!**

**... so, yeah. if you guys didn't know, i got a little depressed when i didn't get many comments on the lemon. it is, after all, my second attempt at writing a scene like that, so i would appreciate ANY comment or feedback or opinions. even three words like 'i like it' or 'i fuckinghate it' will do, so i at least know what do people think about it. so, PLEASE tell me what you think! **

**okay, i have a fuckload of reviews to answer to for the previous chapter, so here goes nothing...**

daughtermidnight: here we go again. for starters, thank you for the compliments! :) but if you didn't know yet, i'm a GUY. NOT A GIRL. ... yeah. that's about it.

notadreamyetnotanightmare: i think its cute how you always say 'thank you for writing this!' :P i never thought of being actually being grateful for me updating my stories...

callmeanna: so tell me, how was the lemon? i know for a fact that it definitely wasn't too 'graphical' (by that, did you mean dirty? LOL) but i wanna know how you think. yeah, you're right, unfortunately :/ i sped things up a lot, missing out several 'small' scenes to develop the characters further because so many people were impatient and wanted things to progress faster. oh well. if i had it my way, the lemon between rxd would probably be updated in the next century, so it's probably a good thing :p

vnsjvhgs: thank you so much for taking the time to review! :)

meantforeachotherRD: i know what you mean :P you might think that i took awhile to think of what dimitri was supposed to stay when rose wanted to walk away, but it just sort of came to me. like... i didn't even had to think. i knew exactly what he was going to say, and it was that. and it just sort of fit dimitri's personality, doesn't it? wow, im just sort of praising myself now :P but yeah, now you know what went on in my mind when i was writing that. oh, im pretty sure i know what you _would _do, but since this is T-rated... ;P

rozadimka: how can you not be in the mood? that is IMPOSSIBLE.

vampymusik: no worries! there'll be more CxL in a couple of chapters, and if all is well, their lemon too :)

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><p>Rose gave a contented sigh, Dimitri a warm, heavy weight on top of her as they both struggled to catch their breath after their love making. Her bones were all heavy, her limbs still tingling from the small, periodic pulses of pleasure. God, she had never imagined sex to be <em>so <em>damn good. After all, Lissa had relayed to Rose her first experience and she had made it sound less than stellar. Still, Rose suspected that sex would not be that great if she hadn't done it with Dimitri, but she really didn't want to mull over that right now when she was bathing in the peaceful afterglow.

"You awake?"

Rose opened her eyes and smiled up at Dimitri, who was peering down at her, having had lifted his weight off of her to brace on his elbows. "Yeah."

Dimitri laughed. "There goes my hope of not having any awkward conversation after the sex."

Rose pushed at his chest playfully, grinning. She found that she loved this side of Dimitri, the teasing and grinning one, so at odds with his other personality. "Does this feel even remotely awkward to you?"

"Na," Dimitri said, easing himself down next to her on the bed, "but sooner or later, the endorphins will run out and we'll be back at each other's throats."

Rose flipped onto her side to face him. "Then we should make the most of this time, shouldn't we?"

"What do you mean?"

"I have a question."

A wary light lit up in Dimitri's eyes, but he nodded a second later. "Go on, then."

Rose asked the question that had been bugging at her from the first day. "Why do you keep calling me Roza?"

Dimitri, in the middle of tracing the flare of her hip, looked up, the wariness in his eyes replaced with amusement. "It means Rose in Russian."

"Oh." Rose still recalled the first time she had heard it. She was in Dimitri's arms, on the verge of unconsciousness from the bitter cold, but just the sound of her name on his lips had warmed her up somewhat. "I like it."

"Good." Dimitri dipped his index finger into her navel and did a little swirl, making her giggle. "I have no intention to stop calling you that."

She batted his hand away when he started tickling her belly. "You know, that was probably the first time I saw you out of breath."

Dimitri's eyebrow quirked. "That's hardly my fault, is it? Some other person was responsible for making me so out of breath, and will you believe me if I told you that she's right beside me?"

Rose laughed. God, if sex was what it took for this side of Dimitri to emerge, she won't mind doing it everyday. Not that sex with Dimitri was torturous or anything – it was on the other extreme side of that particular spectrum – but she won't mind making that teensy, little sacrifice. Wow, Rose couldn't believe how generous she was becoming. "I'm now hundred percent positive that I prefer this side of you."

Dimitri kissed the hollow of her neck in lieu of an answer, and desire ignited every one of her nerve endings again. "Unless you intend to have another round, I suggest you stop doing that," she muttered, trying to find enough willpower to move her hand and stop his advances but coming up empty. He made her feel so damn good.

"Bossy." He squeezed her breast, making her gasp.

"_Dimitri!"_

He chuckled, pulling his hand back. "Okay, okay."

It took an entire minute for her body to realize that nothing interesting was going to happen and she could almost envision its mournful sigh. If Dimitri wanted seconds, she definitely wouldn't have objected, but her eyelids were already closing. "I'm tired," she said drowsily.

Dimitri's smile was filled with affection, and Rose felt something tighten in her chest. "I would be surprised if you weren't." He shifted himself slightly so he could cradle her head against his chest. "Sleep. We'll figure things out tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>OH FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!#ashfags2131!$!)*$!)*$ASDJASFHAKSD <strong>

**I JUST REALIZED THAT I FORGOT TO MAKE DIMITRI USE A FUCKING CONDOM OH MY FUCKING GOD FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK**

**...  
><strong>

**alright, you know what? fuck it. **

**:yaoming:**

* * *

><p>The steady thrum of his heart in her ears, his body warmth enveloping her deliciously, Rose wrapped her arms around him tightly and let herself go. The last fleeting thought Rose had before she drifted off to sleep was that their bodies fitted together like pieces of a puzzle.<p> 


	35. Chapter 29 : Eddie

**A/N: So. Kindly allow me a minute to rage my ass off.**

**FUCKING HELL WHAT THE FUCK I PUT MY LAPTOP TO SLEEP YESTERDAY AND I DIDNT SAVE MY PROGRESS ON THE CHAPTER BECAUSE I THOUGHT NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN TO IT BUT WHAT THE FUCK MY LAPTOP'S BATTERY DIED AND I LOST ALL MY PROGRESS AND I HAD TO FUCKING WRITE THE WHOLE CHAPTER FROM SCRAP AGAIN AND FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKFUCFKCUFKCFUCFKCFUCFK!**

**... yeah. that's why i didn't update yesterday. **

****lynzee44: thank you :)

notadreamyetnotanightmare: i swear you never fail to brighten my day with your reviews :) thank you.

vampymusik: yep, that's exactly what i'm doing ;) i won't be going the cliche route of rose getting pregnant, so for people worried about that, don't be!

preggos: yeah, you're right. but i'm trying to get across a certain message of 'always use condoms' here in my lemons :P

storm81: thank you!

Lady Hathaway: my bad, sorry. was too sleepy to notice that mistake. the previous chapter was supposed to be chapter 27, part two. fixed it!

kittenxxkisses: im sure that chrissa's lemon will be the next in line, but i still have no idea when is it going to be :/ because im working on making their pairing a very romantic one, sex can't exactly be rushed in their case, but i'll try my best. perhaps ten more chapters? :p oh, and sydrian's lemon is very, very far oofffff...

C : she indeed is ;D

melanie: don't worry, even if Rose somehow gets pregnant (which she won't, since I'M in charge of the story... ;D) ill make her get an abortion...

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><p>Dimitri realized two things when he woke up from his sex-induced coma.<p>

First and foremost, Rose had slipped out of the cabin while he was still asleep. Her body, soft and pliant, was no longer in his embrace and he told himself that he wasn't disappointed. It was a good thing, really, since he no longer had to deal with the awkward conversation they would otherwise definitely have about the little stolen night they had shared. And that was all it was – a night of mistakes that could never be repeated again. After all, everybody made mistakes. Nobody was perfect. But making it a second time when you already had a fair warning?

Plain stupidity.

Or just thinking with his dick, because right now, that particular appendage was protesting and rebelling against never being able to have sex with Rose again. Her beautiful body had come to life in his arms, so responsive and breathtaking that Dimitri wondered how he managed to resist her for so long. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Still, that didn't mean that he could just dump aside his responsibility. He had to set things straight with Rose and tell her point blank that nothing had changed after that night, even if the sex had been mind-blowing. It was a one-time sort of thing. Or was it? Dimitri had always made sure that he left immediately after the sex with the few lovers he had taken over the years, because staying for the night after the physical activity spoke of commitment and emotions which he spurned. He had always led a solitary life, and wanted it to stay that way. Not because he was scared of commitment, but commitment normally led to an engagement, and an engagement led to marriage. And he knew firsthand how ugly a marriage could get.

His parents had shown that to him.

Admittedly, not all marriages ended up that way, but it had scarred him – perhaps irrevocably. He couldn't see himself getting married, at least not in the near future.

The second realization he had was much more alarming, and he shot straight out of bed when he recalled that he had forgotten to use any protection. "_Fuck_!" Goddamnit, Rose had made him act like an inexperienced seventeen year old having sex for the first time. He _never _forgot to use protection. Except for that one time. Now he had to go to town and buy some of those pills -

"No need to announce to the whole world what you were doing last night, Dimitri," Viktoria said wryly, leaning against the doorframe in a relaxed posture which managed to simultaneously irritate him in only a way a younger sister could pull off.

Dimitri hurriedly snatched the sheets off the bed and secured it in a knot around his waist to cover his nakedness. "Learn to fucking knock, Viktoria!"

"The door was open," she replied, looking amused at how flustered he was. "Probably left open by Rose when she left?"

Dimitri walked to the bathroom, trying to keep his expression neutral. How the fuck could she had known? "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't." Viktoria rolled her eyes. "I'm your sister, Dimitri, if you hadn't noticed. I can spot these things from a mile away."

Dimitri closed the bathroom door, shrugging off the sheets. "You're jumping to conclusions," he told her.

An exasperated sigh from the other side of the door. "Still sticking to the ruse, big brother?"

Dimitri threw on a T-shirt and decided against his jeans due to the heat of the day and pulled on a pair of Bermuda shorts instead. "Mind your own business, Viktoria," he called out.

"Ah, that's where you're wrong. It _is _my business to be nosy about the happenings in your life. That's all the entertainment I have here, anyway."

"Don't you have better things to do?" Dimitri lathered his toothbrush with a generous amount of toothpaste and got to brushing his teeth.

"Nothing! I don't even have anyone to talk to," Viktoria lamented, her voice muffled by the layer of wood. "Can this place even be found on a map? The closest town isn't even a town! Is a petrol kiosk and a convenient store considered a 'town'? I don't think so, Dimitri! And this – " A brief pause. Then, "You're trying to change the subject, aren't you?"

Dimitri rinsed out his mouth and reached for the razor. "No."

Viktoria pushed open the door loudly, hands on her hips. "You _are," _she accused. "And I'm not going to be sidetracked again. Either you admit to me that something went on between you and Rose last night, or I'm going to force it out of you."

"For the last time, Viktoria, nothing happened."

"Fine, you forced me to this." Something in her tone made Dimitri lift his head warily and watch Viktoria. She moved out of his line of sight from the mirror and reappeared moments later with a very, _very _familiar looking black lace panties dangling delicately from the end of her index finger. She raised it up further until it was at her eye level. "Explain _this."_

Dimitri nicked himself and cursed. "Goddamn it, Viktoria. Can we have this conversation later?"

"No," she said smugly, dropping the discriminating evidence down on the ground and nudging it aside gently with her feet. "Just tell me that you had sex with Rose and I'll leave you alone."

Dimitri sighed, placing down his razor gingerly onto its pad. "What do you gain from torturing me like this, anyway?"

"A laugh," Viktoria answered matter-of-factly, smiling. "Oh, and something to tease you about for the rest of your life."

Splashing water on his face and toweling the droplets remaining off, Dimitri strode past Viktoria to his bedside table and checked his phone. Shit. Three missed calls from Christian.

"Uh, I'm _waiting_."

"Hold on a sec." Dimitri held up a finger and pressed redial.

"_What?" _Viktoria's voice went up an octave. "No, I'm not going to hold on a damn second until you tell me – "

Christian answered on the third ring. "Sleeping in, Dimitri?" He asked without preamble, a knowing edge to his voice that Dimitri didn't like.

"Shut up, Christian. What's wrong?"

"Excuse me!" Viktoria sidled up to him and reached for his phone, but Dimitri leaned back out of reach and shushed her with his finger to his mouth.

"You're in a bad mood. Funny, I thought that you'll be in a better mood after that workout last night. Not vigorous enough for you, huh?"

"Christian." A warning growl.

"You did _not_ just shush me." Viktoria narrowed her eyes and stared at him, her cheeks flushed with anger. "You better not have just shushed me."

Dimitri blew out a breath slowly and bringing the phone away from his ear, he told Viktoria, "I'm talking with Christian. Can we talk later?"

Viktoria scowled at him and mimed slitting his throat with her hand. "I sure hope you like your eggs runny and your eggs burnt, because that's exactly what you're going to eat for breakfast!" With that last statement, she stormed out of the room noisily.

What a great start to a day. Dimitri brought the phone back to his ear. "Get to the fucking point, Christian."

To his dismay, Christian was in one of his chatty moods. "Was that Rose? She's still there with you? Hot damn, Dimitri, you're really in deep – "

"Christian, for the last fucking time. . ."

"Okay, okay." A chuckle, followed by a deep inhale of breath. "Are you expecting any visitors today? Someone high up the corporate ladder, perhaps? This guy is making pretty big bucks, judging by his limo."

Dimitri frowned, thinking back. It was the week before Christmas, and since the parents of the recruits were only allowed to visit once a month, all of them had confirmed that their visit would be during the week of Christmas. "Not that I know of. Who's that guy you're talking about?"

"I don't know. He's coming out of the limo now though. Whoa, whoa. He has bodyguards too – four Dhampirs, by the looks of it. Hang on a sec, alright? I'm going to talk to him."

"Sure." Dimitri took the meantime to flip through his records on visits, and came up – correctly – empty. That whole week was void of visitors of any kind, with the sole exception of the food and medical supplies that were coming in. The next week, however, was booked solid for the festive season.

There were some scratching noises and Christian was back on the line. "You still there?"

"Yeah. I checked the records – nothing."

"Don't worry about it. He's already coming in through the gate."

"What? Who is he?"

"Eddie Castile. You know, the bad boy of country music? The one who made the news a year back for inappropriate behavior – yes, it's what you think it is – in the lift of a world class hotel."

Dimitri rubbed his eyebrow. "Doesn't ring a bell."

Christian grunted. "Of course you won't remember him – you were living in a box your whole life."

Ignoring the jab – because it was partially true – Dimitri asked, "What's his purpose of visiting then?"

"Here's the funny part. He says he's here for a retreat."

"A _retreat?" _Dimitri parroted in disbelief.

"Yeah. And that's not the weirdest part." A dramatic pause. "He says that he's also here to visit your sister."

* * *

><p>Sydney peered down at Lissa's ankle, satisfied with the rate it was healing at now that she was dutifully resting in bed. If she had known that all it would take was a little cajoling and sweet talking from Christian to accomplish a feat she once thought impossible, she would have requested him to do it a long time ago and saved her breath. However, she suspected that it went deeper than just plain persuasion. For one thing, Christian was practically staying over here now, spending every spare minute of his time talking and laughing with Lissa. And only a blind person would miss the way they were looking at each other – with so much affection and adoration that Sydney felt as if she was intruding just by being under the same roof as them.<p>

"How is it?" Lissa asked hopefully, her hands clasped together tightly as she waited for her verdict.

"It's much better now. You'll make a full recovery in about two days' time, provided that you don't do anything silly again."

Lissa gave a delighted laugh, her entire face brightening. "Great! I promise I'll be good, Sydney!"

Sydney nodded and left the room hurriedly, not wanting to think about the rising bitterness in her chest that was making it hard for her to breathe. She shouldn't be envying Lissa because she could freely express her emotions without any inhibitions because, well, she was an Alchemist. By right, she should feel _nothing._ What she was currently feeling was a far cry from nothing though. It was time for her to stop tip-toeing around the truth and acknowledge it – there was something wrong with this was a sign that she should increase her doses of the medication the Pharmacy had mailed her. Maybe she should consider going back in for therapy.

Or maybe it was time she came to terms with the fact that it might be time for her to report in on an early retirement. She stepped past the threshold of her office and halted.

"What are you doing here?" Sydney asked when she spied a familiar figure pouring himself a cup of coffee at the kitchen counter. "Adrian, I don't recall letting you in."

"I let myself in." He set down the steaming mug on the table and ripped open a pack of sugar, pouring it into the coffee.

Sydney strode over and snatched the mug away from him. "You can't do that! At least show me a modicum of respect by asking for my permission before entering – " Her breath escaped her in a rush when Adrian tilted up his head to look at her and a rush of concern overshadowed her initial irritation. "Oh my God, Adrian. Are you ill?"

He casted the coffee one last longing glance before running a hand through his already messy beyond belief hair that appeared as if it had been plowed through numerous times. His eyes were bloodshot, and lines of tension bracketed his face as he supported himself by leaning against the granite counter. "I'm not sick." He removed Sydney's hand when she placed it on his forehead to check for a fever and tried to maneuver around her to get to the coffee.

"Stop moving," Sydney scolded, holding him firmly in place with her hand on his forearm. "I need to check to make sure that you're fine."

"For the love of God, Sydney, don't treat me like a damn patient. I'm _fine." _Adrian jerked his hand away and had only taken a few steps before a wave of dizziness had him swaying unsteadily on his feet. _Goddamnit. _He shouldn't have starved himself. And if he was currently at thinking about things he shouldn't have done, he should not have drunk so much on an empty stomach. But the past was catching up with him, and the only solution he had ever known was to drink all his woes away.

He had never been known for making wise decisions.

"Adrian," Sydney caught his hand again, looking slightly distraught this time as she veered him towards one of the empty wards. "Stop being so stubborn. I can see that you're not well – "

Adrian was much stronger, and he easily broke out of her grip again. "I am well," Adrian insisted dully, even though his words were slurred and his vision was blurring. Was it just him or was the corridor winding? "Just let me get back to my cabin. . ." He turned and staggered towards the door, ignoring another round of dizziness and the darkening spots around his vision.

"Adrian!" Sydney cried out, and he felt the vague sensation of her soft hands pulling him back by his shoulders.

Just a few more steps.

He thought he heard Lissa's voice as well, but it was drowned out by the buzzing in his mind.

He reached out to twist the door knob. . .

Another jolt of searing pain to his skull and his trembling legs finally gave way, his world fading to black.


	36. Chapter 30 : Truths, Part 1

**A/N: ok im going to keep this short and sweet because i want to go to bed :)**

emeraldhearts: i just updated a chapter for it, so go and check it out if you have not :)

xoxo: i like seeing how some people get so riled up over my imaginary characters :P and thank you for the compliment c: oh, its a given that dimitri will talk to rose about what happened, but the real question is _what _he would say... ;D

Vampymusik: you're in for a treat then, this and the next chapter will have a lot of C&L, though this chapter might not be THAT cute :/

lilyparker: seeing how i used to play pokemon, i know for a fact that you spelled it correctly :) i'm STILL thinking of inserting jesse somewhere here, but... idk. THAT'S what an author is supposed to do - cutting off in the worst parts ever to make sure you guys are going to die wanting to read the next chapter :D its something that i made sure i mastered before starting to write on FF and seeing from the complaints, im doing a pretty good job of that! :D i think it might be longer than 10 chapters though, but i'm not sure because i haven't planned that far ahead. we'll just have to see how things go, won't we...?

mina81: im sorry, i didn't understand much of that :/

lupeters: i like dimitri fine, but i prefer christian over him because im a bit like christian. erm... yeah. i'm actually a bit of every character in this story, and ill just leave it at that. christian just seems to resemble my attitude a bit more, and that's why i'm giving him an _easier _time than the other characters, but not by much :P

notadreamyetnotanightmare: again, you never cease to brighten my day with your reviews. ill continue to update as long as you continue to brighten my days :P

**oh, oh, one more thing! i've updated for S&D, (seduction and deceptions) my other story, and due to some technical errors, some of you guys might have missed it because you were unable to view it. it's now working fine and you can go and read it if you haven't. that's all! happy reading :)**

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><p>Eddie let loose a whistle when he saw his lodgings for the next couple of weeks. It was a simple affair; a middle-sized log cabin that looked as if it belonged on a magazine advertising camping in the woods with its rustic feel and how it blended in flawlessly with its surroundings. Located in the outermost ringlets of the circular training facility, it provided him with privacy and anonymity – as long as he didn't announce his presence. A creek flowed down from the vast mountains towering in the distant horizon, just a few steps away from the doorstep of what would be his humble housing, the water luminescent as it caught the afternoon sunlight, glinting invitingly. The fresh smell of pines wafted around him, and he closed his eyes as he savored the incredible sensation of being in the embrace of Mother Nature again, and not in the middle of a busy and noisy city.<p>

"Mr. Castile." One of the four Guardians sent along with him for his protection – which he had allowed only to humor his agent, who was deeply concerned about his safety in this 'barbaric' land – approached him, motioning with his hand to what he assumed was his luggage in the boot of the car. "Where would you like us to place your belongings?"

Eddie waved his hand dismissively, his gaze never leaving the startling beauty of the snow-capped mountains. "I'll take care of that myself."

The Guardian hesitated. "Are you sure? We can – "

"I'm sure," Eddie interjected firmly, the tone of finality in his voice making the Guardian give him a stiff nod instantly. "Oh, and tell the rest that you are all dismissed. I'll be fine on my own, so just come back three weeks from now to collect me."

He didn't bother to question Eddie anymore about his orders – the Guardian nodded once again and strode off back to his comrades, who were leaning leisurely against the side of the limousine and inspecting their surroundings with a nonchalance that said they were used to such environments. A hushed exchange later, they took off.

Sighing in relief – he had never felt so unrestrained before, what with his constant unwanted company of Guardians – Eddie trooped into his cabin to take a look at his living quarters. It was homey, with the cackle of the already lit fire in the middle of the spacious living area. His gaze sought out the sofa that dominated a large part of the space was beige colored; a two-seater that reminded him the main reason for his stay here.

Viktoria.

It had been over six years since he had last seen her. He had tried to call her up numerous times ever since their separation – if you would even call it that – but she had never graced him by answering. It always went to her voicemail, and despite leaving multiple messages of earnest apologies, they were never returned. He suspected that she deleted them without even hearing them over.

He knew that they had parted on less than amicable terms, but Viktoria had never came off to him as a person to hold a grudge for so long. Sure, he might have hurt her when he had left to pursue his dream career as a singer, considering that he broke their engagement for it, but. . .

God, he had been such a damn fool.

He just hoped that it wasn't too late to make amendments.

* * *

><p>"Adrian's out of commission for a while."<p>

Dimitri looked up from the pile of paperwork he was drowning in, glad for the reprieve – no matter how grim it might sound. "What do you mean by that?"

Christian was ostensibly concerned. "He was shit-faced drunk when he came back here – God, I don't even want to think about how he managed to do that in that condition – and he's currently at Sydney's, resting. Apparently, he headed straight there when he got back and fainted like minutes after Sydney found him."

Dimitri rubbed the back of his neck, soothing out the soreness. "Is he injured? Sick? Anything serious?"

"Not from what I've heard," Christian replied, bending over curiously on his desk and flipping through a thick book which contained records of the health conditions of every single recruit. "Wow, I sure am glad I wasn't assigned to sort out all these shit."

"Don't mess that up," Dimitri warned. "I'll have your hide if you do. It took me fucking ages to arrange it all by alphabetical order."

Christian quirked an eyebrow, as if daring him to act on his words, but closed the book anyway. "So." There was a gleam in his eyes now.

Dimitri knew Christian well enough to know where this was going. "Go away, Christian."

"Not going to happen." He shifted a large pile of books down from a seat and patted it down to get rid of the accumulation of dust.

Dimitri sighed.

Christian smirked as he sat down on the empty seat. The slanted rays of light from the sole window to the side of the seat lent him a devilish look. "I won't beat about the bush – how was the sex?"

He was about to take the same approach as he did with Viktoria – feigning confusion – when Christian shook his head wryly. "If you're wondering how I found out about it, I was just leaving Sydney's cabin when I saw Rose walk out of yours. And she had that look of silly satiation on her face. Trust me; I know these things."

Dimitri couldn't help himself from swelling with pride. Rose was _satisfied. _By him. It must have showed on his face though, because Christian laughed. "Like knowing that you've satisfied your woman?"

_His _woman. He liked the sound of that. His Rose, his Roza – _Wait. _What in the world was he thinking? Rose wasn't _his. _Will never be _his, _because he will never allow it. "What about you? You're spending a lot of your time with Lissa."

Christian stared him down. "This isn't about me."

Dimitri shrugged. "It is now."

Christian gave him a look that said 'this isn't over' before nodding. "Yeah, I am. So what?"

"You told her anything yet?"

"No," Christian muttered. "I haven't. I just know I enjoy spending time with her – that doesn't necessarily equate to love, does it? I mean. . ." he expelled a frustrated breath. "You know what I mean."

Dimitri's lip twitched at how at a loss his friend seemed. "You're afraid," he guessed.

Christian stood up and looked out the window, his eyes unfocused. "I think you're right," he agreed a long minute later, his hands in the pocket of his jeans. "I'm afraid. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, what I'm expected to do. This being in a relationship thing. . . It's new to me, y'know? I just want to treat Lissa right, and I'm sure that means not rushing into things, but _fucking_ hell, Dimitri." Christian shoved a hand through his hair. "I don't think I've ever gone so long without sex. And it's driving me crazy, especially when I'm with Lissa."

"I think we've gone over this before," Dimitri answered patiently, used to Christian coming to him for advice though he thought that, this time, he wasn't the right person to consult. "And the only way I can see is for you to discuss that with Lissa."

"I don't think she will understand," Christian said, finally meeting his gaze. "She'll just think that I'm sweet talking her into bed with me, and to a certain extent, that's exactly what I'm doing."

"If she's just going to turn you down flat without hearing you out. . ." Dimitri lifted his shoulders in a helpless gesture. "Then you might be barking up the wrong tree."

"But she has every right to deny me of it." Christian's voice was low. "Our relationship is still a fragile thing, Dimitri. Just add a little bit of tension, it'll snap. And I'll never get a second change at it again."

"If she really likes you back, Christian," Dimitri told him, setting down the pen he was twirling with his fingers, "she'll find a way to compromise. Just give it a shot – you never know until you try. It might go better than you'll ever expect it to."

Christian pulled open the door, pausing with one feet over the threshold. "Or," he said quietly, without turning his back, "it might backfire on me."

The door slammed shut behind him.

* * *

><p>Lissa was working up a good anger.<p>

She knew it was childish of her to act that way, but she was about as unreasonable as a testy little child with its beloved toy as she was with Christian. He had left her about an hour ago to see who was buzzing up the gates of the facility with a promise to return ASAP, but he had yet to make an appearance.

And it wasn't as if there was nothing to keep her preoccupied – Adrian had been causing an uproar just half an hour ago with his drunken slurs and shouts of protests, only to stop when he fainted. Lissa had tried to offer a helping hand to drag the unconscious Instructor into one of the cots, but the glare that Sydney had sent her way stopped her in her tracks.

After that, when the action and drama died down, her thoughts went back to where the hell Christian was, and it was all downhill from there. She was trying to get herself to mull over what she was going to accomplish during the weekends because she was going to be – finally! – released in just a matter of days when the person responsible for her simmering anger walked into her room with small, measured steps.

Lissa didn't know what was it about Christian that always made her breath hitch, always made her heart beat faster whenever he was around her. It couldn't be just his looks – even though he was undeniably handsome – because she had always been immune to just pretty faces. There was something else, something much deeper to it. Maybe it was the way he looked at her, as if she was the only girl in the world. Nobody had ever looked at her that way.

Not even her parents.

And then Christian smiled at her – a tat ruefully, she noticed – and her stomach was once again filled with little, fluttering butterflies. He walked over to her bedside and sat down, his hand instinctively reaching to seek hers out. A shiver of delight went through her body at that small yet unexplainably huge contact.

"Sydney told me that you can be discharged on Wednesday." He was still smiling, but it looked strained to her.

She tried to ignore the flitter of uneasiness through her bones. "Yes," she mustered as much enthusiasm as she could into that single word, smiling broadly back at him. "I can hardly wait."

"Good." Christian's smile dropped, and the warm façade slipped off entirely. He removed his hand, and Lissa suddenly felt unaccountably cold. He wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Is something wrong, Christian?" she asked quietly, the unease building into nervousness and an underlying sense of dread that he was about to drop a bomb on her. He was going to break up with her. No, that can't be – they weren't even in a relationship. Well, not officially, but. . . She swallowed down a bout of hysteria.

"Yes. I mean, no. No. Nothing's wrong." He laughed mildly, shaking his head. "God, I haven't felt this tongue-tied since Middle School, when I first asked a girl out. She was – " He stopped talking, briefly closed his eyes, and sighed.

"What is it?" Lissa prompted with a diminishing voice a short, uncomfortable silence later, a lump forming in her throat. "There must be something you want to tell me. . ." She rather get it over with fast, then to draw out the awkwardness and hold in the tears that will certainly come with his announcement that they were over for too long a period of time.

She saw him visibly brace himself by taking a deep breath. His electric blue eyes landed squarely on hers, and she shrank back from that visual caress that she usually longed for. It felt too intimate now, too piercing, as if he saw through her to her roiling emotions within. "Yes," he murmured, the hurt in his voice apparent when he saw how she reacted. "I do have something to tell you."

Lissa closed her eyes and prayed for strength. "Then let's get it over with."


	37. Chapter 31 : Truths, Part 2

**A/N: pure CxL goodness for the fans out there! :D **

notadreamyetnotanightmare: yes, it definitely DID brighten my day again :) thank you!

my sexy russian: i like to see when people get so engrossed with my story that they start ranting about how they feel, but don't worry too much about it :P i know how everything is going to go, so chill, alright? i think you're getting a bit too uptight o_o i mean, dimitri did seem like a bit of an asshole in the previous chapters, but his actions in the next few chapters is going to change your mind (hopefully).

mina81: yeah, i just recalled that. don't worry, either way, im not letting rose get pregnant.

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><p>Christian took another deep breath, this time to steel himself against Lissa's reactions. She was pale, and looked as if she wanted to dive under the blankets for cover – against him, which made his heart clench in sorrow – and he felt his determination deserting him rapidly. He had not even said a single word yet, but she was already acting as if he was a murderer of some sort out to kill her. "Are you sure?" he asked gently, "I can always come back another time, since you're not looking too good – "<p>

"No, Christian," Lissa swung her head from side to side vigorously, her French braid preventing her normally long hair from moving along. "I'm fine. Just. . . say it."

He hesitated, not understanding why she was making it sound as if he was declaring her death parole or something along that line. Did she really detest sex _that _much? No, that couldn't be, he thought, since she didn't even know for certain what he was about to discuss with her, but whatever optimism he had managed to scrounge up that Lissa would agree to his terms flew out of the proverbial open window.

He cleared his throat and forced his mouth into motion. "I've never been in a relationship before, Lissa. At least not a serious one, because I'm afraid of being tied down. I don't like being the pillar of support; being the one that someone always comes to for solace or comfort. I dread taking on responsibilities. It's just. . . me."

Lissa was looking at him with those magnificent green eyes of hers, but they were wide and somber and there was sadness lurking in its depths. She nodded slightly, blinking furiously. Was she crying? God, Christian ached to wrap his arms around her, to kiss her tears away and feel her cuddling into his side, but he gritted his teeth and kept himself in check.

Trying for a weak smile, Christian continued. "But I'm willing to try it with you, Lissa. I don't know what I'm feeling for you right now, but I have never felt anything as intense as this before, and it both scares the shit outta me and makes me want to make the giant leap into the unknown." His smile widened a little when Lissa tilted her head at him questioningly, as if not truly comprehending what he was saying.

Her eyelashes fluttered once, then twice, as if in confusion. A few short seconds later, she asked. Very quietly. "Are you. . . asking me to be your girlfriend?" The gradually growing speckle of hope in her eloquent eyes almost undid him.

Christian submitted to the urge to reach for her hand, giving her a light squeeze. "Yes." His voice came out hoarse, and he grinned when pure delight spread across Lissa's face at his confirmation.

She all but threw herself at him with what sounded like a choked cry, her head buried in the crook of his neck, her arms around his neck. Her tears came out in earnest now, and her little body convulsed with each ragged inhalation.

Christian patted her back lightly, his heart clenching with such powerful emotion that it felt as if it was expanding to accommodate it. He didn't know why she was crying, but he waited patiently and silently as she sobbed on and on, because he had a hunch that the moment her tears subsided enough for her to speak coherently, she would explain.

And she did.

"Oh, C-Christian," Lissa sobbed, bunching up the material of his T-shirt with her palms, "I thought y-you were going t-to tell me that we weren't going to work out, and – and that – " She sniffed a few times in succession, cutting off her words halfway and Christian wordlessly handed over some pieces of tissue paper which she accepted with a slightly embarrassed smile. After blowing her nose delicately, she peered over the side of her bed to where the rubbish bin was, as if calculating her chances of managing to nail it from where she was seated.

"I'll throw it away," Christian offered.

Lissa bit down on her lower lip, glancing back and forth between the wadded ball of tissue in her hands to Christian, who was looking amused. She knew it was ridiculous, but she didn't want Christian to see the imperfect side of her, much less touch it. "It's fine," she said haltingly, looking away, struck by a bout of shyness. "I need a little bit of exercise to loosen my legs anyway – "

A wistful sigh. "Lissa, do you honestly think that I'm going to be revolted by a small thing like that?" Christian stretched out his hand towards her, palm upwards. "If we're going to be in a relationship, Lissa, we have to be more open with each other." His expression softened and he lowered his voice. "I signed on for the whole package, and not just for the flawless side of you."

And if Lissa wasn't so sure that she was already in love with Christian, she would have fallen for him right that instant.

Tears sprang to her eyes again at his sentimental words, and Christian smiled kindly, replacing the soiled tissue with a new one, which she used to dab at her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered to him, knowing fully well that those two words couldn't even begin to describe how grateful she was.

"Are we still at that stage of pleasantries?" Christian teased affably after disposing of the tissue, seeing that she was close to losing it totally. "I thought we were way over that point by now."

Lissa's lips tilted up on one side, but in a rueful manner. "I guess I'm still in shock," she admitted, interlacing her fingers together in front of her stomach. "I never expected this to happen, though I was definitely hoping for it. . ."

Christian laughed, folding himself back onto the chair, and they lapsed into a companionable silence as they both just stared into each other's eyes. God, he could easily get lost in her beautiful, expressive eyes. . .

Lissa smiled then, and it was so contagious that Christian did too. "As much as I like all this silent communication," she said, her eyes sparkling, "is there something else you would like to talk about?"

Christian thought it over, then nodded. "Yeah, I think you didn't explain to me why you were so upset just now. Not entirely, at least."

Lissa laughed, swatted at his shoulder with her hand playfully. "Like hearing how I'll be as lost as a boat drifting in the vast ocean without you, huh?"

An unrepentant grin. "You can put it that way."

"Jerk." Lissa's smile faded off her lips, and she reclined back against her propped pillow, folding her arms. "What I was trying to say before. . . I was afraid that you were about to tell me that we would be better off not seeing each other anymore. You looked very nervous and unsettled when you walked in, so I just thought that. . . I guess I was jumping to conclusions, because I _really _enjoy spending time with you, Christian, and I don't want to lose you. And, and, and – " she gulped, feeling tears burning at the back of her eyes – _again. _Why was she suddenly so emotional?

"Hush, Lissa," Christian whispered, cupping her chin gently and urging her to look up at him. She complied, unable to deny this wonderful man – her man, her mind crowed in triumph – of anything. "I'm not leaving you, not now, and hopefully, not ever." His fingers traced the outline of her cheeks, down to the side of her mouth where he wiped away the drying path of her previously shed tears with the pad of his callused thumb with a tenderness that made it hard for her to breath.

Their gazes found each other and locked, the negligible distance between them pulsing with awareness. "I'm going to kiss you now, Lissa," he murmured, staring at her lips. "If you don't want me to do so, tell me now or. . ."

Lissa didn't trust herself to speak, so she just nodded her permission. Anticipation built and crested within her as Christian drew nearer, giving her plenty of time to back away if she wanted to, but she had no such intentions. She wanted to taste the man that had stolen her heart, the man that drove her crazy with need.

And finally, mercifully, their lips met and Lissa closed her eyes, reveling in the tiny fireworks flowering in her mind, the soft lushness of Christian's lips against hers and the undiluted sweetness of the kiss. He was being infinitely gentle, giving her time, showing her the ropes as he nibbled on her upper lip and sucked on her lower lip as if he guessed – correctly – that she didn't have much experience and needed some encouragement.

Warmth burst into life in her chest, and she hardly registered that she had dove her hands into his hair until she felt his scalp beneath her fingertips. Lissa kissed him back with a fervor that surprised her as her boldness grew with the intoxicating effects of her rising desire, and Christian muttered words of admiration against her lips. By tacit agreement, they broke apart long enough for them to catch a breather and for Christian to shift himself onto the edge of her bed, the only barrier being the bed frame preventing them from full-out contact now removed.

A part of Christian's acknowledged that they were playing with fire and that he should take the initiative by pulling back – he wanted to take it slow with Lissa, didn't he? – but he was too touch-hungry to give a damn any longer.

His lips traversed down her jawline, leaving a trail of fire behind with his teasing kisses. Lissa threw her head back in abandon, her back arching. "Christian," Lissa gasped, and her breathless voice was the sweetest of entreaties, driving him wild, spurring him on further.

"The things you do to me, Lissa. . ." he groaned, running his moist lips over her collarbone as she tried to squirm free and get closer at the same time.

"No," she whispered back, "what _you _do to me."

He lifted his head and kissed her again, a slow and sexy and sensual kiss that promised a night of wicked and passionate loving. Lissa's was still reeling from the wantonness of her reactions, her heart pounding crazily when Christian pushed himself off her bed, his hair mussed up by her hands. There was a rueful edge to his smile when he saw her look of protest. "As much as I would like for that to continue, I want to take it slow. I want to do you right, Lissa."

"I'm sure you can do me right," she complained without thought, then felt heat creep up her face when she realized how naughty it sounded. "Th-That's not what I meant – " Flustered and mortified, she smothered her face with her pillow in hopes of disappearing into a wisp of smoke.

"I know." There was a smile in his voice. A moment later, his strong fingers pried the pillow free from her hands and he was grinning down at her. "There's no need to be shy with me, sweetheart."

"I can't help it," Lissa said, snatching back the pillow that rightfully belonged to hers, "this is all new to me, and it will take me awhile to adjust to all of this."

"Take all the time you need," Christian said, and he looked almost sorry about what he said. "But don't take too long." He added a second later.

Lissa blinked, trying to figure out his contradicting words when Christian's phone started ringing, and he casted her an apologetic look before picking it up.

"Yeah, Dimitri?" Glancing at Lissa, he put some distance between them and lowered his voice so that she couldn't hear what he was saying. Lissa didn't try to eavesdrop – being in a relationship with him meant that she had to trust him, and she believed that Christian won't keep anything important from her.

A minute later, he walked back to her bedside, his conversation over the phone almost done. "Alright, sure thing. I'll take charge of the training today. Yeah, just make it quick, okay?" Christian hung up. "I have to go now, lessons begin in fifteen minutes."

Lissa felt a twinge of jealousy for his job, then told herself that it was ridiculous. Christian couldn't possibly spend all his time with her, and she just had to deal with it. "Okay," she said, but the disappointment was clear in her voice.

Christian bent down and kissed her. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised, and with another kiss, he left the room.

Lissa listened intently for the sound of the front door shutting which told her that Christian was well and truly gone. Then, she pulled and hugged her legs together and started counting down the minutes till she could be with him again.

That told her more than anything else that she had fallen deeply and most probably, permanently in love with Christian.

Inevitably, that also got her wondering how much it would hurt if he left her. She had not felt anything even remotely similar for Joel that she did for Christian, and despite that, when Joel had dumped her without an explanation, she had taken years to get over it.

If Christian did that, she had no idea whether she would ever get over him, whether she would have the strength to carry on with life.

And that scared her more than anything else.


	38. Apologies and Tidbits : Author's Note

**A/N: This is an important note, so please spend a little bit of your precious time to read this. If you don't want to read my boring author note, skip to the second and third part because those parts are relevant to the story. **

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><p>…<p>

Okay.

So, here goes nothing.

-takes a deep breath-

Hi guys.

I'm pretty sure that you guys can already sense the solemn mood as I'm typing this. Oh, and how I've not updated for about a week now, which is very unlike me because I'm a pretty frequent updater. Uh huh, I think you know where this is leading, so. . . To further dramatize this whole thing, let me go a step further to suggest a little background music. . .

**|NOW PLAYING|**

**Celine Dion – My Heart Will Go On**

A bit _too _dramatic? Maybe.

Anyway, if you haven't figured what this is about yet, I'm about to lay it on you right now.

**I'm taking a short (hopefully) break from writing. **

You might ask me why, and I'm sorry, but I can't give you a direct answer. For one thing, the heavens are unleashing on me torrents of laziness that is keeping me bound to my bed for long, extended periods of time as I mull over why my life has went down the drain.

. . .

I kid, I kid. (Hah, props to the person who has gotten me to start using this! You know who you are, if you're reading this :P)

But the laziness part is true, and it's getting hard as hell for me to move my ass onto the bed, settle down for an hour or two and type out a chapter. It's partially because my free time is drastically lessened with my school starting (For fellow Singaporeans, Poly!) and what with me juggling between studies and socializing. And a fair warning: this is just the _beginning _of my school term, which means that if I find it hard to update now, my school life is only going to get more hectic and I'm going to be even more hard-pressed to type out my stories.

Another factor is my reluctance to get on my laptop now. It's not a matter of motivation, I think I'm just losing interest in writing as a whole. When I started writing my stories, I was really enthusiastic about it, but over time, it has faded away. Now it's becoming a bit of a chore, and I'm hoping that staying away from writing for a bit is going to restore that urge to write again.

Lastly, this is going to sound really dumb and stupid, but a bit chunk of my time is currently being spent on chatting online with friends. By friends, I mean girls. By chatting, I mean flirting. So. . . I don't have to go on, do I? And if I do get into a relationship again, even more time is going to be eaten up and. . .

Yeah.

I'm going to make a promise to you guys, though, and that is that I'll try to squeeze in as much time as possible every day to write a few paragraphs. Tens of words to a couple of hundreds, and it'll accumulate over time and if I keep it up, I might be able to update a chapter of an acceptable length once every week!

It might range from a week to a month, though, so don't hold your breath :/

That's about all I'm going to say about my current situation, so I hope you guys understand. I'll take an initial break of two weeks first, then I'll slowly, painfully push out updates. When my break comes, I'll up my game and start updating faster.

And that's it.

* * *

><p>Moving on to a more lively topic. . .<p>

I think that it's safe to say that you guys have read the C&L scene in the previous chapter. Do me a favor now by envisioning it, by reading through it again and imagining how it plays out. From the tender touches to the emotional laden words, to the blazing eye contact to the kiss goodbye.

Now, while you're doing so, listen to this song.

**Lady Antebellum – Just A Kiss**

I suggest that you do this at night, in the dark, and I swear you'll have goosebumps. Does it not describe their coupling perfectly? I was listening to that song one night on the bus, and the lyrics struck me as perfect for Christian and Lissa. I never truly understood what the lyrics meant before, but now I do.

And it's beautiful.

I think it captures the essence of their building relationship, their struggles to stay together. Sure, I know that it seems a bit too early for all that, but I promise you, you'll see what I mean in the next few chapters as they stumble upon another obstacle that's going to cause some. . . undesirable things to happen between them. I'm not going to spoil you guys, but I have a pretty good idea already on what I'm going to write about.

Let's just say that their official lemon is not going to be anytime soon.

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><p>I'm going to end off this chapter with a lighter note, and it's going to be the estimated length of The Sweetest Series. (Yes, I'm going to change the name of this story again. You'll see why in a moment)<p>

I can confidently say that the story is going over 150k words. I'm not sure whether it can hit the 200k mark because the lemons that are quite long are not uploaded to this story, but it's pretty possible because I haven't even _started _on Viktoria and Eddie, which, for the record, is going to be a chaotic couple with fights and clashing personalities from two people that are basically polar opposites. We'll just have to see how they overcome their differences to find true love, won't we? :)

Now, for the most important part.

Why is this story called The Sweetest Series now?

Simple. I've decided to give a title to each couple, and it is as follows.

**The Sweetest Surrender - Dimitri and Rose. **

**Dimitri refuses to yield to Rose's sensual and infuriating teasing, but when he finally succumbs to temptation, he discovers that it's the sweetest surrender ever. . .**

**The Sweetest Sentiment - Christian and Lissa.**

**A playboy. A very breakable girl. When sparks fly between them, Christian finds himself wishing for something he never thought possible with Lissa. But even as they begin a slow, passionate dance in the hottest of flames, will they be able to overcome the many obstacles in their path to a future brighter than even the sun? Or will they both find themselves burned and irrevocably scarred. . .**

**The Sweetest Seduction - Adrian and Sydney**

**Emotionless. That's what Sydney was supposed to be, until the handsome stranger saunters into her life and turns it upside down. In mere weeks, she's battling for her sanity, her life, and something new and foreign to her - desire so overwhelming that it leaves her breathless and tingling. Adrian's wicked touch and sensual caresses fills up the empty void inside of Sydney, and she's left wanting more. But tangling with Adrian was dangerous, and Sydney soon finds out that her impending insanity is not the only thing she has to worry about. . .**

**The Sweetest Symphony - Eddie and Viktoria  
><strong>

**Eddie never managed to forget Viktoria, his high school crush. He had left her in a rush to pursue a career in the music industry, and now, armed with bundles of cash and fans from all around the world, he's back to woo her, to pull her back into his arms. But nobody ever said that love was easy, and Eddie was about to understand exactly why that is so. . . in the hardest way possible.  
><strong>

That's it! All four couples with their own titles. What do you think?

Okay, I'm going to go to sleep now because I still have school tomorrow. Goodnight guys, and once again, I'm sorry.


	39. Chapter 32 : Afterpills

**A/N: ... So, wow.**

**It's been two months, give or take a few days. Two months since my school has started, and two months since I took a self declared 'vacation' off of writing. I guess you can call it a well-deserved rest because I certainly think so :P but yeah, im back. Or at least for a little bit, since it's a short term break now for two weeks. **

**Okay, I have lots that I wanna say to you guys (actually I don't, because I'm too lazy to go back and refresh my memory on the wonderful reviews you guys have left for me, and I'm dog tired right now so im going to pass on the replying to reviews thingy until the next chapter) but i just wanna say - thank you for all the support. Yeah. That's about it.**

**What? What do you expect me to say? im a guy and i suck at writing all these sappy shit... but seriously though, thanks so much. this is a short chapter because i rushed to get it out, but yeah, i think its pretty funny. **

**proceed to laugh your ass off. **

**please?**

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><p>Drug stores, Dimitri decided with a black scowl as he shielded his eyes from the piercing rays of the glaring afternoon sun, should be readily available for patronization around every street corner.<p>

He had spent his entire morning, along with a big part of his mid-afternoon roaming the streets of the small but rustic town of Anchorville which was located a couple of miles South of the training camp, searching without respite and fruitation for one. That, coupled with the humid and scorching pavements, wasn't exactly putting him in too jolly a mood.

"Are you _fucking _sure that there's one in this _fucking _junk of a town?" Dimitri growled into his cellphone at Christian on the other end of the line, his temper on a slow simmer. "This place looks as if it came right out of an old Western flick fucking hundreds of years ago!" He stared in disbelief as something bounced across the dusty streets at the edge of the town. "Was that a fucking _tumbleweed_?"

"Firstly," Christian's voice was calm, irritatingly so, "Western flicks weren't made hundreds of years ago. It's about a hundred, give or take a few decades."

"That's not the fucking point!"

"It's quite a pity you're such a dickwad," Christian chuckled, "because those Western flicks? If you give watching them a chance, you'll realize that they're

actually pretty good – "

* * *

><p><strong>CAUTION<br>**

**PLEASE READ THIS.**

**The information in this chapter about the after-morning pill is incorrect, but I'm going to leave this be because for Dimitri's and Rose relationship to proceed, I need Dimitri to be the one picking up the pill. So just bear with me for this one chapter, okay?  
><strong>

**ENDOFCAUTION  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Dimitri gripped his phone so tight, it was a miracle it didn't spontaneously implode into a million pieces. "Heads are about to roll, Christian, if you don't give me the information I'm calling you for right fucking now."<p>

Christian let out a melodramatic sigh. "You're no fun at all." A brief pause. "I don't know if what this website's telling me is outdated or not, but Anchorville only has one drug store, which is at the outskirts of town."

How convenient. Dimitri was pretty sure that he had wandered until he was somewhere in the center of this cowboy playground. "Can you track my phone signal and tell me where I have to turn to get there?"

"Already on it. Call you back in a few."

Thanking God for how efficient Christian could be when he was serious, Dimitri took off the fanciful cowboy hat – his latest purchase, courtesy of the sweltering heat – and sat down on a large, misshaped boulder, careful to check if there were any other God-only-knows-what-critters that had already made it their home.

Ignoring the curious and speculative glances of the denizens of the town – they must not get visitors very often, considering its remote location – Dimitri fished out a bottle of water and drained it in a matter of seconds, soothing his parched throat while surveying the relatively barren landscape around Anchorville purely out of habit. Nothing of interest caught his attention, so he once again set his eyes on the old, seemingly rundown but surprisingly sturdy houses that lined the dusty streets of the town. Admittedly, Dimitri had exaggerated slightly – only slightly, mind you – when he had labeled the town as a scene out of a Western flick, because, well, like Christian had mentioned, he had never watched one before.

There was a large building that appeared to be the center of activity, what with the number of people milling in and out of it in the past few minutes alone. 'Roadhouse' was painted – or smeared, depending on how you looked at it, and since Dimitri was downright sully then, smeared it is – in broad capital letters _directly _on the woodwork above its grand double swinging doors that was the trademark of almost all the architectures here. With a flashy but not overdone blend of red and white, it looked… well, almost inviting.

Almost.

Dimitri blinked when his phone rang and took a moment to collect his thoughts as he fumbled for it in his pocket. _Damn. _What was it about the town that made it so ridiculously easy for him to be distracted? It normally took an earthquake to divert his attention. It took him three seconds of cursing and wriggling before he finally retrieved it. "Shoot."

"If you didn't do that in the first place, you won't be in such a predicament." Amusement laced in Christian's tone.

Dimitri sighed, letting that unhelpful comment slide, partly because he was at the end of his fuse, but mainly because Christian _was _speaking the truth. "Just tell me where the damn shop is," he grumbled.

He could hear the smile in Christian's voice. "You're right – you are in the middle of the town. Just walk forward towards the Roadhouse and take a – wait, you do know where the Roadhouse is, right?"

Dimitri slanted the building a glance before giving a disgusted snort. "Like I could miss it."

"Jesus, that place serves the _best _steaks. I was there a few weeks back because my truck was running out of gas and I was starving, so I grabbed a bite there and holy crap, that – " Christian paused, as if sensing how close Dimitri was to blowing his top. "Right, sorry." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, go right at the first chance you get and walk straight all the way till you see the sheriff's office. It's on the same lane, so you should be able to find it from there."

With a curt word of thanks, Dimitri hung up and followed Christian's set of instructions. In less than a minute, he found himself standing in front of an incredibly cramped, grimy-windowed and poorly air-conditioned store with the unmistakable words 'DRUG STORE' painted – huge surprise there – on a gigantic billboard mounted on top of the store that paled in comparison to its sign's monstrous size.

Still, it was a drug store.

So Dimitri ducked inside it and quickly purchased what he required, paid for it and left to the irritatingly knowing grin of the balding shopkeeper inside. With his trophy clutched securely in one hand, he stomped back to his car, highly aware of how the sun was now directly above his head.

Noon.

The pills he held in his hand was not called after-afternoon pills for a reason, but just to make sure that his fairy Godmother – not that Dimitri was sure he had one, because if he did, she would definitely have reminded him to use a fucking condom – hadn't suddenly bestowed upon him an incredible stroke of luck, he snuck a glance at it.

Nope, the pills he had bought were definitely after-morning pills. It was almost comical how his hopes took a nose dive.

Dimitri expelled a frustrated breath.

He had to find Rose.


	40. Untitled

This little rant towards a review is removed. One thing is for sure though, I still do NOT regret putting the person responsible for posting that review in his or her place because I can put up with constructive criticism, but NOT insults.

Peace.


	41. Chapter 33 : V&E

**hi.**

**ive been extra busy these few weeks, so i wasn't able to put much time into writing, but im finally done with this chapter. and 2k words too! however, its really late, so i wont use too much time to write about my life. instead, ill go ahead and tackle the reviews...**

****pheobs: **I don't mean to be rude, but rina's right. she knows her facts and believe it or not, she was probably just trying to help. Also, posting an a/n about it is so no needed. It's like you're just attention seeking and maybe some people are falling intoo your sympathy ploy, but i'm not. And after posting such a public attack at her, you really should apologize. Again, i don't mean to be rude so im sorry if what i've said offends you in any way. **

maybe she's right, maybe she's not. and yes, i've admitted that i was **entirely **wrong with my information. my bad on not researching on it, but i just don't have the time any longer. either way, if she was trying to help, she could have phrased it such that it wasn't so offensive. and no, i wasn't attention seeking, i was just expressing myself. i don't have a short fuse, but when i get angry... let's just say i need an outlet for all that anger before i do something stupid. and that was how i vented my anger - by writing that. and no, im not about to apologize to her when she was the one who started it. if she didn't post anonymously but with an actual account, i would have taken it to private messages.

Dimkasbabe 3:** Uhm, don't you think it's a lil melodramatic? i mean, flames are a part of writing. No need to crack it, sweetheart.**

yeah, i guess. it was just a 'spur of the moment' thing, you know? when you're angry as fk and just have to do something.

jaz: **cheer up mate, don't make mountains outta molehills. she was just stating her , is this ff named after the nineties song 'sweetest surrender'? i heard it at work and it kinda hit me. anyway, loosen up brahh**

idk why man, but your review really cheered me up o_o you australian by any chance? and nope, never even heard of that song before :/

sierra: **I know this is probably irrelevant but wasn't there a chapter where it went into detail about dimitri bringing rose back to the cabin because I was re-reading your wonderful story and was missing that part**

yeah, im pretty sure there is. it's to the front though, when lissa sprained her ankle. during the obstacle course, if i remember correctly.

loveforforever: **I love this story! Are you going to write more? I love how Christian is a ladys man because I always thought he was really attractive (but not as attractive as Demitri).**

**Thanks for writing such a great story!**

yep, im going to do my best to try to finish this story :)

annony: **wow. just wow. your rant's a little harsh don't you think. Your an author, you'll get some con. crit. no need to be so petty. okay, she was slightly harsh but seriously? wow.**

let me start off first with this: there's a clear, distinct line between what is constructive criticism and what is an insult. she just passed it, not only with the choice of words, but with her pointed 'god, stupid people piss me off'. i don't mind constructive criticism, even though in all honesty, i don't LOVE them, but i definitely listen to what other people think and i try to change where appropriate. my point is, try being in my shoes for a moment. ive did plenty of research for my stories, especially for seduction & deceptions, and if i post a sloppy chapter every now and then, i think its excusable, no? i'm not perfect; nobody is.

itsybitsyspidarx: **HEY BITCHES (cough cough rina). It's not cool to get all up on his case for getting some info wrong, he's like... cool and stuff. So yeah. And besides it's legal in all 50 states for a male or female or even a dog... (maybe) to get some morning after pills as long as you can prove your of the legal age and your thinga ding can still ringa ding. o.e rotfl, i kid, i kid. No but seriously, jump off his case. He's a dude from like Asia or some shit, he's not stupid. _**

oh, trust me, im dumb as fk... not all asians are ridiculously smart :P

fuzzy-vamp-bunnay: **1) dude all of your stories are totally and epically beast! 2)Okay so just call it a hunch but... Did any one else notice that before and after rinas last coment there where coments supporting her that where unsigned AND in the exact same time frame? i think it was her just desprate for suport.**

**(if true) WOW just wow**

thanks :) yeah, i noticed that too. the three reviews were written in a span of what, 2 minutes? but forget it, im not going to give a fk anymore.

**to all the others who reviewed - thank you and sorry if i didn't reply to them. **

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><p>The mechanical whirl of the overhead fan filled the room where Sydney was seated, willing herself to concentrate. Her cup of tea – long turned cold – sat neglected to one side as she stared down at the pristine form in front of her, pen in hand. It was her responsibility to fill in her patient's particulars, and since there was a new arrival early this morning, she found herself having to fill in yet another form in the short two weeks she had been at the training camp.<p>

It was a simple enough procedure – all she had to do was copy wholesale from Adrian's personal particulars, which she pulled up on her laptop right then. Being the sole doctor in the camp, she had access to everybody's particulars, no questions asked. It had always seemed daunting to her to have such information ready at her fingertips. The first time she had logged onto the database to search for Lissa's particulars, she had been like a cat on high alert, afraid to accidentally click on someone else's profile. She had no wish to intrude on anybody's life, compromise their rights to privacy.

But she had to admit that one profile in particular had snagged her attention, had tempted her to break her sacred rule.

And that was none other than the profile she was reading through now. She didn't bother to deny the rush of excitement she got, the incredible _thrill _of it, as if she was doing something forbidden – and she was _enjoying _it. Her eyes fell on the photo of Adrian – his broad smile, piercing green eyes and gorgeous tousled brown hair – and she allowed her gaze to linger for a brief moment more before commanding herself to get to work. She shouldn't waste time on such mindless admiration.

She couldn't.

She was just human enough to be impressed by how well put together Adrian was, nothing more.

And how she was checking up on him a slight bit more than necessary? It was just to ensure that he was still in good condition – no matter that it was practically unheard of in medical history for someone's health to deteriorate in fifteen short minutes, especially when the person's _perfectly fine. _It was all part and parcel of her job. It had nothing to do with how she wanted to find an excuse to touch his forehead, to feel the warmth of his skin.

Really.

Absently biting her lower lip, Sydney lifted her pen and with a glance at the screen, started scribbling.

* * *

><p>It was a hot and humid afternoon, one that normally encouraged most people to seek refuge in their houses and take a long, rejuvenating nap with the AC cranked up high. Or in Eddie's case, recline on a relaxer on the porch of his cabin while stringing a few chords together in hopes of creating a melody for a new song.

He was only halfway through his next debut album, which was scheduled for release to the public in a mere four months, fifteen days and twenty one hours. With his recording company breathing down his neck for him to come up with the sorely missing six or so songs – fucking dimwits, he wasn't a fucking magician capable of just conjuring up lyrics and an accompanying tune in a snap of his fucking fingers – he had decided that it was time to just kick back and relax and get away from it all. And perhaps, during his little unapproved break, he might find the inspiration he needed to come up with a few more hits.

As if he was lacking any of _that._

With twenty two hits and counting under his belt since his abrupt and unexpected penetration into the music industry, Eddie was without a doubt one – if not the most – recognized country singer in the world.

What he was lacking, however, was a sex life. Don't get him wrong, he had received plenty of offers, with some of them thrown at his face – literally. Red, pink, black – you name it, he probably got it somewhere, perhaps on a bush or the cobblestone of the driveway or just lying on the grass of his perfectly manicured lawn, all courtesy of his admiring female fans.

He was flattered, but honestly? He was tired of waking up in the morning, sleepy and bleary-eyed, to find another pile of panties waiting for him just beyond the gate.

It probably didn't help matters when his ass of a manager decided that his sales was dropping at a point in time – it was just 0.3%, hardly anything to worry about, especially since it was during the fucking recession for the love of God – and it was time to do something drastic to shift Eddie into the spotlight once more.

His bright idea?

Labeling Eddie as the playboy of the century.

Whoopie doo.

Album sales going off the charts? Check.

Popularity skyrocketing? Check.

Mountain of panties that would make Mt. Everest look like a fucking molehill in comparison? Check, check and fucking _check._

Sighing, Eddie switched from strumming to plucking one of his favorite tunes – his first ever hit, titled freefall – his fingers moving effortlessly over the well-worn strings of his beloved acoustic guitar. Just hearing it again took him back to the early days of his career, when he was just a wannabe musician struggling to secure a contract, a performance – anything that might give him the boost he needed to get noticed.

To think that he had managed to get thus far. . .

"Working on a new song?" A familiar sounding drawl.

Eddie looked up to see the Guardian – Christian, his mind supplied – who had allowed him into the camp earlier in the morning walking towards him, his eyes on the guitar in his hands. "I wish," he grumbled, and the frustration he was feeling showed in his tone of voice. "I don't even have anything to work on. I'm drawing a blank here – no melody, no lyrics, no nothing."

"That must suck." Shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun with back of his hand, Christian gestured with his other hand. "Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not."

After making himself comfortable in the offered chair, Christian took a cursory glance at the landscape around Eddie's house. He had only been in this part of the camp during his nightly patrols and he made a mental note to memorize down the fastest routes here in case of an emergency. In a few short seconds, he had taken note of all the landmarks and confident that he would be able to find his way here even in the dark, Christian started talking. "I'm going to get straight to the point about why I'm here. It's not that I don't trust you or anything, but this is just standard procedure." He turned to look at Eddie who was gazing out at the thick clump of trees. "What are your reasons for being here?"

Eddie took his time to reply, fiddling with his pick as he alternated between plucking a few string and strumming a chord that he made look deceptively easy. "I don't honestly know," he admitted with a lift of his shoulders, his voice with an odd edge of wistfulness. "What I told you is the truth though; I came here so I could escape from the city life. It was getting too. . . tiring for me."

"And the part about Viktoria?"

Eddie smiled at the doubt that was loud and clear in Christian's voice. "You think I was lying about that?"

Christian shot him an apologetic look. "Can't trust everything you hear."

"I understand," Eddie said quietly, his smile becoming a little bit strained before it just slipped off his face. His gaze returned to the greenery and he sank into another pensive silence before speaking up. "Let's just say that Viktoria and I. . . had a history."

The look of pure surprise and bafflement that Christian sent him almost made Eddie laugh, if not for how the memories that the sentence evoked were making him feel suddenly very somber. He strummed down on a G chord, and it rang out in a seemingly pitiful wail – or maybe it was just him.

Christian cleared his throat. "I'm. . . sorry. That was highly unprofessional of me. It's just that you caught me off guard and I never imagined that Viktoria might have been in a relationship before, since she's so. . . I don't know what's the word to use – belligerent? It's like she just hates men in general; she keeps to herself a lot. I initially thought that she was just a loner, you know? But then when I got to know her better, I realized that she was just. . ." he stopped, muttered a long string of curses. "You know what? I'll just shut up and let you talk."

And it was then that Eddie actually looked Christian over, struck by the intense jealousy that was as strong as a punch in the gut. Christian was good looking, that went without saying. He had the type of face that women would fawn over, and that was before taking his well-body into count. It was frighteningly easy to imagine Viktoria with Christian, their bodies joined in the most intimate way – now wasn't _that _a merry thought. "You dated her?" Eddie grounded out.

"God, no!" Christian sounded horrified, and a second later, looked horrified too. "Oh shit, I just made the prospect of dating her sound like the most revolting of ideas, didn't I?" He gave a tired sigh, shoved a hand through his hair. "I suck so bad at this. I didn't mean it like that, honestly. She's fucking hot and everything, but I like my balls where they are, thank you very much."

Eddie closed his eyes, blowing out his breath slowly to calm himself down. He had always known that he wasn't entirely sane whenever it came to Viktoria, but the viciousness of his reaction was pushing it. He was definitely strung up too tight from all the stress and pressure. "I'm sorry," he muttered, setting his guitar gently aside, taking a moment to ensure that it wasn't about to topple over. "I didn't mean to sound so hostile."

Christian laughed it off with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it, I get it. Still not over her yet, huh?"

"You can say that." Eddie pushed himself off the relaxer and approached the wooden railings, no longer able to stay in one place. "I'm the one at fault though, not her." And just like that, he was transported back to the past, back to the night when he had left Viktoria.

He had climbed silently out of bed, leaving Viktoria – flushed and drained from their earlier lovemaking – without a word. Despite of how they had been together for almost a year, despite of all the promises that he had made to her, of all the vows of love. He had not been able to bear to say goodbye to her personally because he was afraid of her reaction, of the hatred that might be the last thing he saw in her eyes before he left her. So like the coward that he was, he left her a note – awfully short and dreadfully insincere – and hopped onto the bus to Hollywood, leaving a piece of his heart behind.

He never heard from her since.

Until now.

"One last question before I head off, Mr. Castile." Christian's voice was soft, jarring him back to the reality – where he still did not have Viktoria in his arms. Smart, beautiful and incredible Viktoria who still held a piece of his heart – and always will.

"Ask away," Eddie said tiredly, his voice a bare rumble. God, all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and go to sleep.

"Are you going to do anything about it?"

Eddie didn't bother to ask what Christian was talking about – he knew. Lifting his head slowly and looking Christian straight in the eyes, he nodded. "I want her back."


	42. Chapter 34 : A&S

**A/N: sorry guys, too lazy to think of a title for this chapter, so i might just name all chapters following according to the couple featured in the chapter. **

**18amyrocks: Please read!**

**I know I've wrote to you like a thousand times but please make Christian more devilish and cocky. I love CXL together but Lissa has it in her to date a guy like that. Like when she said why are you such a damn flirt, I loved that part it's like he finally met his match. I just don't like them being all soft and mushy. I know Lissa kinda is but christian definetly isn't. His cockiness is what I loved about him please make him more cocky and devilish charm. Lissa could handle I guy like that. You could make him so that he has a heart of gold but cocky exterior, like he would never leave Lissa or hurt her but being cocky is just his personality. Please, please, please consider!**

**-Amy(:  
><strong>

****whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa there cowgirl, take a moment to catch your breath xD i know what you're saying, and trust me when i say this: i miss writing the old side of Christian too. but *hinthint* that side of him is going to have a comeback soon, just wait!

**jaz: heyo dude! what gave me away? was it the 'mate' part? lol i am australian, but indian/chinese born ausralian :)hahah anyway good to see you're over the rina thing maaaaaan.**

**anyway, go listen to the song ! hahaha**

**x**

****yep, it definitely was :D but your writing style too, sorta upbeat and stuff, y'know? and right, i will right now :p

**notadreamyetnotaightmare: here's somemore A&S for you, though there's not much action :( ill make up for it in following chapters! **

**OHHHHHH, the next chapter is R&D btw. and yes, something big is about to go down...  
><strong>

**im out!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>His head was pounding.<p>

That was the first realization that struck Adrian as he slowly regained consciousness. And holy hell, did it _strike _him. God, that alone made him want to sink under again, and that was before he took into account the dull ache in his shoulders and muscle cramps almost everywhere else. No stranger to that killer sensation of elephants prancing about in his brain, he kept his eyes closed and groped for the painkillers he always left on his bedside table for an occasion like such – which happened far too often – to numb the headache so he could be at least partially operational.

His swinging hand encountered air.

Frowning, sure that he was disoriented, Adrian opened his eyes and –

Big mistake.

Sunlight was streaming in through the oddly situated open window, no doubt to facilitate air circulation in the room. It was probably a good intention on the part of the person who had allowed Adrian to crash at his or her house, but right then, the rays of light were proving to be a major pain in the ass, hurting his sensitive eyes.

"Fucking hell," Adrian cursed, flipping himself over so that his face was smothered against the ridiculously pleasant-scented pillow, away from the light, much to the protest of his muscles and the elephants having a disco in his head. Now he was sure that he wasn't in his room – the sole window in his room was _not _placed in such a strategic manner that the sun rays would hit him in the face at any fucking time of the day.

That, of course, meant that he had another question.

Where _was _he?

His memory was hazy – understandable as he recalled with a groan the number of shots of vodka he had poured down his throat in his misery. After drinking himself into a stupor, the bartender had hailed him a cab back to the camp. Craig – that was the bartender's name – had probably been more than happy to get rid of him despite their growing friendship over the years. Adrian knew that he was quite a handful when he was drunk, what with how loud and obnoxious he could get.

It was all a blank after that though.

A moment passed in silence, then another. Adrian thought he heard a flurry of footsteps, but he couldn't be sure. At least until. . .

"You're up."

Sydney's buttery smooth voice washed over him, jolting him to full awareness. It was silly, really, how he was able to immediately identify the person standing next to his latent form as Sydney. He didn't know how to explain it – he just _did. _

"Believe me, I'm not glad that I am," Adrian groused, turning his head to the left to look at Sydney. It was times like this that made him consider never drinking alcohol again. "Do me a favor will you, honey? Pull the curtains shut before my brain explodes. I'll hate to dirty the sheets."

"You're exaggerating." Sydney said in an accusatory tone with what looked suspiciously like an eye roll, but she did so anyway, for which he was incredibly grateful for. With a _swoosh, _the glare of the light was gone and it became bearable for Adrian to open his eyes fully.

Wincing, he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Hardly. It feels as if my head is about to crack in two." Holding his head with both hands as if doing that would stop the pain, he asked, "do you by any chance have a couple of aspirins or painkillers right now? God knows I need them."

There was a pause, a lapse in the conversation, and Adrian glanced behind him at Sydney. And sucked in a breath.

She was frowning down at something on the floor, most probably one of his socks that he had somehow managed to kick off in his sleep. However, for all he knew, she could be devising a way to defy gravity in her pretty little head with that look of intense concentration. Lord, but she was beautiful with the muted sunlight from the covered window at her back, accentuating her trim figure, her blonde hair forming a glowing halo around her delicate, heart-shaped face.

Then she looked up, as if realizing that she had spaced out.

Their gazes collided instantly.

The appreciation must have showed on his face for panic flittered across her facial features, but only for the briefest of moments. Still, she beat a hasty retreat, giving the bed a wide berth as she walked past it, as if expecting Adrian to jump her bones if she wasn't at least a few feet away from him. "Aspirins right?" she said hurriedly, almost tripping over her own feet in her rush to get out of the room. "I'm pretty sure I have some in my office, I'll just go get them. . ."

And she was out the door.

* * *

><p>Adrian stared at the empty corridor, wondering what the hell had he done wrong. Most women actually <em>liked <em>being looked at that way, with masculine appreciation and a tiny flare of desire. It made them feel. . . well, desirable. And beautiful. Of course, he was already starting to learn that Sydney was full of contradictions, some of which – if her overly skittish reaction was any indication – bound to leave him dumbfounded.

But damn if that didn't make things more interesting.

Still, he was in no state to deliberate over his next course of action – and trust him, he wasn't about to give up so readily. Sighing, shoving a hand through his already bedridden hair, Adrian pushed himself to his feet and staggered over to the bathroom, careful not to jar his head too much. It took him a little over ten minutes to go through his daily motion – a whopping eight minutes longer than normal – and when he ducked back into his room, he found a small bottle of aspirins along with a cup of water waiting for him on the nightstand.

Sydney was nowhere to be seen. She must have snuck in while the water was running, otherwise he would certainly have heard her. Nothing escaped a Dhampir's detection, even if the person in question was fighting the mother of hangovers.

She must be going out of her way to avoid him.

Popping three pills at once into his mouth and washing it all down with a healthy mouthful of water, Adrian laid himself back down and closed his eyes.

First things first. And getting rid of his ass of a hangover topped his to-do-list.

Figuring out how to get through Sydney's defense could wait – after all, she wasn't going anywhere.


	43. Chapter 35 : Heartbreak

**A/N: ... wow. this actually was kinda hard to write. it was preeeetty heartbreaking. now, honestly, this wasn't how i was expecting their confrontation to go, but one thing led to another... and this happened. i don't know how i'm going to solve this little (okay, gigantic) problem between them now, but let's see what the future brings, shall we not? :p (yes, i am serious. my stories and chapters do NOT go according to plan. sure, i have a bit of a 'plot', but its so general things can go either way and it wills till be within the plot. so... lets hope that in the next R&D chapter, my brain won't lead me to write them having another fight... because then, i'm pretty sure its beyond redeemable)  
><strong>

**Guest: crapest shit ever. Slow moving, alternate storylines. Seriously, what a bore.  
><strong>

****ill keep that in mind :)

**the other Guest: **thank you :)

**LexiSoulSister: **thanks. never read that FF before though, i just might xD

**NotADreamYetNotANightmare: **:D well, ill hardly consider this chapter a 'warm and fuzzy' one, but... i hope you enjoy it nevertheless.

**so there we go! **

* * *

><p>Rose had the entire cabin to herself.<p>

She had given training a miss, her reasons self-explanatory. Not only was she aching – in a delicious manner, however – in certain places, she wasn't ready to dive into a few strenuous hours of brutal physical exercise.

No, all she wanted to do was to luxuriate in the moment, try to hold on to the faint threads of the recent past. . . and clutch it to her chest like a petulant child refusing to give up a treasured toy.

God, she felt like a fool_._

Still, at least she was a _well-pleasured_ one.

Oh, and Dear God, the pleasure. . . she had nearly drowned under it all. Never in her wildest dreams had she even imagined such intense carnal pleasure was possible, but Dimitri had sure proven her wrong with his wicked touch, his drugging kisses and dark loving. The way he moved inside her, the way he caressed her. . .

_Enough. _Anymore and she was going to have to dig Dom – yes, she had named her little vibrating friend, and how it faintly resembled Dimitri's name was _pure _coincidence – out of her bottom drawer and try it out. Lifting her gaze, she gave the cabin a casual sweep, trying to find something to preoccupy her mind with rather than the promiscuous thoughts that kept slipping in through her shields against her will.

It was strange to see the usually lively cabin so devoid of noise and chatter she had grown accustomed to blocking out during the nights. The other girls were so very talkative, the topics they could come up with seemingly endless. It was unnerving too, what with the unearthly glow from the midday sun coming in through the gilded window, giving the entire place a sort of peaceful and serene –unnaturally so – atmosphere, quite akin to something she'll see on a painting or an expertly taken photograph.

The bed creaked when Rose shifted her weight a little to get more comfortable on the lumpy mattress. And again, that sound involuntarily evoked pictures of heavy tangled limbs, sweat slicked bodies moving in beat with each other, pleasured cries and . . .

"Rose."

Startled, Rose snapped to attention at that darkly sensual voice that had gotten under her skin. . . in more ways than one. "Dimitri." His name slipped out on a breath of air before she even registered it. What was he doing here? Rose didn't know what to make of his presence, but something burst to life inside of her at his arrival. "What are you doing here?"

Dimitri was standing at the door to the cabin, looking slightly overwhelmed as he glanced around at the interior, no doubt wondering how he was going to navigate down the narrow corridor between the beds to get to her without stepping on the minefields of feminine belongings streaking all over the floor. He frowned when he saw that she was at the other extreme end of the cabin. "I should be asking you the same question," he said, making no move to advance into the room, his gaze lifting to land on her. "Shouldn't you be at training?"

A burst of indignation, fueled by her irritation that the first words out of his mouth weren't an inquiry of how she was feeling, but of what she had done wrong. "Are you here just to chide me on skipping it?" Rose snapped, all of the previous contentment she had gathered from reveling in bliss dissipating in a molten rush of anger. "Because if you are, just fuck off. I'm not going to take any shit from you!"

Dimitri's response was pragmatic and distant . . . and that pissed her off all the more. "I'm still your instructor, Rose." Tight, clipped words from an equally unyielding mouth. A mouth that she had nibbled on, bit and kissed just the night before . . . A night that suddenly seemed so long ago. "It is my duty to make sure that you attend every single training session unless you have a valid excuse."

"You," Rose retorted hotly, feeling heat gush up her cheeks, "of all people, should know very _damn _well what's the excuse I have, considering that you were the cause of it!" Goddamn it, that wasn't hurt swelling up in her chest, making her heart clench strongly with emotion. She had nothing to feel upset over; all she wanted was just a tumble in bed with her preposterously sexy instructor.

And she had gotten just that, hadn't she? Furthermore, she had also managed to secure a promise from Dimitri that there was going to be a _next _time.

So why did she still feel so hollow?

Dimitri's eyes darkened till it seemed as if his pupil was bleeding into his irises, only the purest of midnight left behind. "Did I hurt you?" his voice was raspy, strained in a way that made him sound as if he was being strangled, and before Rose even so much as blinked, he was at her bedside, touching her forearms with a tenderness that she wouldn't have believed possible if she had not been at the receiving end of exactly that before. "God, Rose, I had no idea – "

* * *

><p>Rose pulled her arm away immediately as if burnt by fire and Dimitri felt her reaction like a knee to his stomach. "Don't fucking <em>touch <em>me," she snarled, beyond belligerent, her body tense and coiled to strike like a cobra.

Regret churned in his stomach, guilt a sharp painful lance piercing through him. "We shouldn't have. . ." he whispered, backing away and he saw Rose stiffen at his words. "No," he shook his head, correcting himself, "_I _shouldn't have. I'm older; I should have been able to resist you, to rebuke your offer. This is all my damn fault! If I had better self-control – "

"You didn't fucking hurt me, Dimitri!" Rose's sharp words cut through his guilt-laden babbling and he stopped short, temporarily silenced by surprise. "I'm not a brittle porcelain doll that'll break if you handle me a little roughly, for crying out loud!"

A long moment passed in silence as Rose glared at him, her cheeks flushed and panting heavily from the intensity of her anger and shouting so loudly.

When he found his voice, it was to ask softly, "then why did you. . .?"

Rose looked away, her hands clenching tightly by her side.

"Roza, please, I need to know if I did something wrong." He approached her cautiously, regaining the distance between them, but on the mental plane, it was as if she was moving further and further away. His hand was trembling slightly when he placed it tentatively over her smaller palm, dwarfing it. "Look at me, Roza," he pleaded, knowing very well that the boundaries of instructor and student – as well as lovers? – between them were blurring. . . perhaps irreversibly, but he couldn't not offer comfort.

Not when it looked as if Rose was close to crying.

To drive such a strong woman like her to tears. . . he must have done something terrible. Was she. . . Oh God, was she _regretting _how they had made love? The pain that struck him was indescribable and spontaneous, a million daggers puncturing his heart at the same instant. "Roza. . ." Throat raw with emotion, he cupped her cheeks gently, feeling the moistness of her tears against the pad of his finger. . . and wanted to scream in anguish. "Oh God, please don't cry."

"Go away, Dimitri," Rose's voice was low and muffled, but her meaning was clear. She tugged free of his hold and stared stoically away.

When he didn't move an inch, she spoke again after a few seconds, her voice marginally steadier, but not by much, "I'm only going to tell you once more, Dimitri." The calmness of her tone was almost eerie. "Leave."

It hurt to even suck in a deep breath. "Rose – "

"LEAVE!" Rose screamed.

And Dimitri knew that he had lost. Feeling as if though he had grown a hundred years older in a span of five minutes, he sighed wistfully and ruefully. "I'm sorry, Rose," he said quietly, not willing to give up on the small flicker of hope. "Please forgive me."

No response.

His hope was snuffed out along with the door closing behind him.


	44. A Day With The Crew : Filler1

**PLEASE READ.  
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**A/N: Helloooooooooooooooooooo there!**

**Okay, so I've been thinking about the previous chapter about the fall-out between Dimitri and Rose. . . and am thinking of re-writing it. after reading some reviews and reading the chapter again, i do feel that it is a bit dramatic... even though it worked out pretty well in my head (and Rose was angry and hurt because of dimitri's lack of concern, and so she channeled all her anger towards Dimitri) so yeah... some people are also mystified to the reason behind Rose's violent reaction and i dont want any ambiguity.  
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**so what do you guys think? should i re-write it, or leave it as it is?  
><strong>

**anyway, just to entertain you guys...  
><strong>

* * *

><p>-Fade in, showing Viktoria smiling broadly-<p>

Viktoria: Hello our dearest readers! I'm Viktoria, and welcome to A Day With The Crew – a newly thought out show especially for you guys! We're going to interview every one of your beloved characters, from Dimitri to Christian to Adrian to Sydney to. . . You get the point. I know that you probably have a few questions on your mind right now as to why you're seeing this, but don't worry! I'll explain everything as the programme slowly proceeds. You see, our dumbass of a writer – more commonly known as Complicated Days, even though we all refer to him as The Great Imbecile – is in a deep, steaming pile of bullshit after he uploaded the most recent chapter featuring Rose and Dimitri getting into a fight. Let's just say that Rose wasn't quite happy about that and is – quite verbally, I may add – showing her distaste in the most. . . vicious of ways.

-A bloodcurdling scream in the distance-

Viktoria: Uhh. . . that was Rose. With The Great Imbecile. I'll think that she is trying to. . . persuade him to re-write that particular chapter. Don't worry, he'll still be able to update. . . barely. Anyway! Moving on.

-camera shifts forward, away from Viktoria, showing a pavement and a lushly green environment before returning to her-

Viktoria (while walking): The reason why I'm doing this is to fill in for The Great Imbecile because he is currently tied up – literally. I'm sure that you guys are _dying _to know what's going to happen in the near future in The Sweetest Series, so let me drop you guys a spoiler –

Eddie (on a sigh): You can't do that, Vikky.

* * *

><p><strong>READ THE AUTHOR NOTE PLEASE, ITS IMPORTANT!<strong>

* * *

><p>Viktoria (eyes narrowing): What did I say about keeping your mouth shut while handling the camera, Eddie?<p>

Eddie (exasperated): It's your hide that's on the line.

Viktoria (expression darkening): Careful, Eddie, you don't want to piss me off. I'm still not exactly fine with you being here, especially since you turned up here _uninvited _and without any prior notice_._

Eddie (scoffing): Do you think I'm that _stupid? _If I asked for permission to come here, I'll obviously be denied of it. And if that was the case, how am I ever going to get you back?

Viktoria (jabbing a finger in the direction of the camera, scowling): I'm _never, _in a million years, getting back with you again, you pompous, idiotic, chauvinistic – (takes a deep breath to compose herself before faking a bright smile) Kindly ignore my outburst. If it's anybody's fault, it's Eddie's. You're welcome to request The Great Imbecile to impale him through the heart with a pencil.

(Grunting sound from Eddie)

Viktoria (grin widening): Now, if you don't mind, Mister Cameraman, please follow me like a nice little puppy while I make my way over to the rest.

(A very distinct growl)

Viktoria (pouting): Awww, is little Eddie feeling a little upset? Poor boy.

-Silence-

Viktoria (looking slightly disappointed at the lack of response from Eddie, thought she quickly schooled her features): All out of fight? A pity; I expected more from you.

-Viktoria proceeds to saunter down the pavement, hips swaying with very, very blatant female provocation, heading towards a bench visible in the distance with a few people seated around it-

Eddie (in a hushed whisper to the camera): Just watch, guys. I'll have her beneath me soon enough, with her thighs spread wide –

Viktoria (with a flash of her middle finger without even turning back): No, you won't.

Eddie (sighing, camera shaking as he trudges behind Viktoria, still with her sexy piece of an ass swaying from side to side): Damn Dhampir hearing. (A hoarse chuckle) Seriously though, it'll only be a matter of time before she falls to my charms again –

(In a flash, Viktoria disappears. . .)

Eddie (murmur): Oh, fuck –

(and the picture violently swings to the right, then the left, before it rotates wildly as if thrown up into the air. Everything is a blur – )

Eddie (shouting): For fucks sakes, Viktoria, stop fucking – OOF!

(At the same time) Viktoria (screaming): I'll kill you, you sonofabitch, I swear to God I'll kill you and hang you by your innards –

(picture fades to black with a resounding crash as the camera lands on the floor)

**THE END **

**AT LEAST TILL THE NEXT EPISODE**

**OR WHEN THE FUCKING CAMERA IS FIXED**

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><p><strong>i also want some feedback on this 'interview' :p should i continue writing these (maybe once a week?) since its quite entertaining to write.<br>**

**thanks for reading! :)  
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	45. Chapter 36: Failure

**A/N: helloooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooo!**

**sorry for the loooooooooooong break but i was having my exams, and now that its over, (yay holidays) im going to have more time to write!  
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**ya.  
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**okay, so i've been thinking how slow i'm updating, and how long i planned this story to be and holy shit, i just realized that it might be a year or more before i actually finish this story. holy fuck. so like as a new school term resolution, im going to try to write as much as possible so i can finish this story off soon and actually get working on seduction and deceptions and THEN, can i FINALLY start on a new story that ive been thinking about. but that seriously seems reaaaally far off right now.  
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**and to ALL reviewers out there, thank you so much. im going to keep in mind whatever you suggest, like the length of my stories, my style of writing and try to improve myself :)  
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**so yes, enjoy this 1900ish word chapter on V&E.  
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**P.S: does anybody feel up to the challenge of giving me some advice on my r/s problems? trust me, they're complicated as fk. message me if you are :/  
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><p>Dusk fell silently.<p>

The pads of Eddie's fingers were hurting like a bitch from playing the guitar for such a prolonged period of time, but at least he had managed to come up with a few snippets here and there that he could, hopefully, piece together into a track later. It turned out that the stunning scenery wasn't as conducive as he had originally thought towards his composition, but he was satisfied with any sort of progress – no matter how small or insignificant it may seem in the grand scheme of things.

Because, well, in the past few exceptionally _lonely _years, he had come to appreciate the little things in life.

It was also sometime during his escapade into the alternate dimension of music and tunes when his decision to get his act together was made.

In other words, announce his arrival to Viktoria, apologize for his actions, and – Jesus, this was the _hard _part – try to win her heart again.

Emphasis on the 'try' part.

Because if there was one thing that Eddie had learnt from living with Viktoria – no matter how short that impossibly blissful space of time – it was how mule-headed she was when it came to people who had done her wrong.

She _never _forgave them.

Never.

Ever.

It was also that stubborn quality in her that had Eddie falling for her in the first place.

Admittedly, they were quite alike in that department. He was almost equally stubborn all of the time, half-blinded from the rest of the world whenever he was in pursue of something he wanted or desired. He had been called 'narrow-minded' a few times, and a downright idiot even more by his recording crew members – though they meant it only in the most affectionate of ways.

That proved to be his uprising, but also his downfall.

Of course he couldn't have had it both ways.

Setting aside his guitar with a wry twitch of his lips, Eddie got to his feet and took a moment to walk off the needles in his legs from sitting put for way too long. It was entirely dark outside now, and he had no more reason to put off the visit any longer. Ignoring the onset of nerves, he strode over to the wardrobe and peered inside it only to discover that he hadn't even unpacked yet.

What a brilliant start. Swearing a blue streak, Eddie went through the cardboard cartons one by one in search for the one that contained his clothes.

A few minutes of cursing and wonderfully colorful language later, Eddie settled on a green polo tee and a pair of faded denim jeans. Actually, maybe 'settled on' wasn't the correct phrase since he just snatched up whatever was at the top of each pile, but the color tones complemented each other reasonably well anyway, so he wasn't going to be too anal about it.

Besides, he didn't want to give Viktoria the impression that he got dressed up just to meet her. That would make him seem far too needy and desperate. . . which he actually was.

But she didn't need to know that.

Pocketing the map of the training camp that Christian had given him earlier in case he got lost, Eddie stepped out into the chilly evening and started walking.

It was one of those beautiful nights, every single star in the universe seemingly visible in the clear, velvet sky. Eddie took that as a good sign, since God knows that he'll need every bit of luck he could get if he was to be successful in his endeavor.

Keeping close to the clearly marked trail back to the assembly area, it took him a little less than a quarter of an hour to reach the intersection to the different living quarters. There weren't any signs, so Eddie took a gamble and chose the path to the right. If it turned out to be the wrong one, he'll just turn back and take the left one; there were only two possibilities anyway.

It didn't take long for him to see the unmistakable glow of light from a cluster of cabins similar to his – four, he counted – of which, two cabins adjacent to each other were lit. From the lack of chatter and noise, Eddie assumed that those weren't the barracks housing the trainees.

He took another step closer to ascertain his deduction, then paused when the affirmation for it came in the form of a lithe female body sauntering out of the cabin closest to him, a trash bag in each hand, with a confidence to her easy gait that instantly triggered memories long buried.

Viktoria.

The shock of seeing her again after so many years had Eddie's muscles locking, his heart lodging in his throat. Lord, she still looked as youthful as the day he had left her, and he couldn't tell for sure from such a distance away, but it was as if time had frozen for her, her impossibly pretty face showing no signs of aging at all.

She was just as he remembered her to be – perfection in a small, yet surprisingly tough bundle. Viktoria was no pushover – that was for sure. Never had been, and never will be.

Watching silently and with a tad of amusement, Eddie looked on as the object of his obsession proceeded to flip open the lid of the garbage bin with a little more force than necessary, causing it to land on the grass-padded floor with a muted clang. It was obvious, to him anyway, that Viktoria was throwing her little trademark tantrums. He used to find it absolutely adorable, the way that she would clamp her mouth shut and simmer and always insist that nothing was wrong while throwing all her anger into her actions – much like she was doing now, abusing the poor little garbage bin that had never done her wrong in its lifetime.

She was in the middle of turning back to stalk back to the cabin and it was then that she froze, and if Viktoria had been a cat, her ears would have been twitching. She slowly swung her head in his direction, as if dreading what she was about to lay her eyes on.

Eddie knew that he was bound to be sniffed out soon, and in all honesty, he was surprised that it took her that long to discover his presence, no matter how he was standing a good ten meters away. Guardians just had that uncanny ability to _know _that you were there.

And a second later, eye contact.

Boom.

Eddie could almost hear the proverbial explosion in his mind when their gazes collided. If he had thought for even a second that he would be able to handle the shock of seeing her after all this time, he was dead wrong. A side view of her was already more than enough to render him breathless, but a full on frontal view?

Hot damn.

Of course, that also meant that his brain went into hibernation mode, leaving him at the mercy of his dopey body to decide what course of action to take next. And sure enough, he was not disappointed. Living up to Viktoria's probable opinion of him being a total imbecile, he waved at her giddily. To complete the idiot package, he was grinning like one too.

If Viktoria ever forgave him, she was never going to let him live this down.

It was dark, and even with the dim lights from the cabin, it wasn't quite enough for Eddie to see her clearly by. That meant that he was unable to see the emotions in her beautiful, expressive eyes, though how she angled her body into a slightly more defensive position didn't slip his notice.

"What the _fuck _are you doing here, Eddie?"

Eddie winced at the sharpness of her voice. Okay, so Viktoria wasn't pleased to see him. He had expected as much. Still, a bit less animosity would have been encouraging.

Trying for humor to ease the tension, he said jokingly, "I'm still asking myself that question now."

No reaction. Nada. Just a stony glare that was turning more and more venomous with each passing second.

Sighing, Eddie started walking forward. "Look, I know that you're angry with me – "

"Don't move," Viktoria ordered tartly, and Eddie stopped. "I still haven't decided whether or not you get to live, so I suggest you don't do anything to tilt the scale."

"Come on, Vick, let's not – "

"Don't. Call. Me. That." Viktoria gritted out, her eyes flashing with violence. "You lost the fucking right to do so when you left."

_Shit. _"Okay, Viktoria," Eddie said slowly, warily, forcing himself to process each word before he said them out loud, "you want to know why I'm here right? I'm here to apologize. I want you to know that I regret everything that I have done, mainly how I left you without a word. I'm here because I want you to forgive me, and I want to start over with you." _I'm still madly in love with you _was at the tip of his tongue, but he held it back, deciding that then wasn't the right time to drop that on a woman that looked as if she was ready to carve his heart out with her fingernails.

Viktoria blinked in surprise, once, then twice. She had not expected that – that was good. Either that, or there was a speck of dust in her eye.

He was hoping for the former.

"I'm not lying, Viktoria," Eddie kept his voice low, not wanting to push her too hard, but also wanting, _needing,_ her to understand, "I'm back now, and if you are willing to accept me again, I'll be back for good."

Viktoria's icy exterior slipped at his heartfelt words – could she feel how honest he was being? – and uncertainty showed in her ridiculously beautiful eyes. Eddie felt a flutter of hope, and he prayed that he had gotten through to her, that he had –

"You were always good at spouting bullshit."

Guess that was too much to ask for.

"I'm not. I swear to God that I'm telling the truth. You have to believe me, Viktoria."

Another flash of anger. "I don't _have _to do anything. I fell for your tricks once; I'm not falling for it again. So if you think that you're going to get lucky with me again, you're wrong. Now get out of here. I don't want to see you again." Dismissing him, Viktoria walked back to her house, haughtiness in every step.

And like the fool he undoubtedly was, he just watched her go. Correction: his libido-controlled eyes watched her perfect ass sway all the way into her house.

"Shit," Eddie cursed silently when the door slammed shut behind her. In all of his envisions, he had never imagined Viktoria to be so damn. . . unforthcoming. His worst case scenario wasn't even remotely close to the steaming pile of shit he was now in. Admittedly, his best case scenario of them ripping each other's clothes off the moment they laid eyes on each other wasn't too entirely realistic either, but give him a fucking break. He was going on almost a year without any sex, and it was hardly his fault if his dick was feeling a little more optimistic than he had any right in feeling.

Dejected and discouraged, feeling comically like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs, Eddie made his way back to his cabin. He needed some time to plan and regroup and mend his wounded pride.

Strange how the stars suddenly didn't seem to be so bright anymore.


	46. A Teary Greeting : Author's Note

…

I don't know how to begin.

Let me just start with a, "**I'm back guys.**"

It's been a very long 5 years since I've first visited this site, first plucked up my courage to start writing stories, and first felt overwhelmed by the positive reviews I got from my fellow readers.

I apologize for leaving all of you people hanging, but there were many things going on in my life, and quite frankly, I lost my flair for writing during that period of time. I had no motivation to update and stopped visiting this site entirely.

You might ask then, what spurred this totally unexpected return to fanfic writing?

I broke up with my girlfriend.

And Jesus Christ, it hurts like a fucking bitch. I needed an outlet to vent my emotions, so I started writing a blog about love. (I'm still doing that by the way, and if anybody wants to read it, it's kennethevolDOTblogspotDOTcom) But when that wasn't enough to feed the inner writing whore within me, I turned back to the site that made me first fall in love with writing many years ago.

Well, that's my story.

If any of you people out there are still lurking around this site and have given up all hope on me updating, _don't. _

I'm back in business, and will be pumping them out very soon.

Thank you for your support, people.

You'll be seeing much more of me, at least for the next 2 months or so before I enlist into army.

Until then!


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Vampire Academy, Drama, Romance