Vampire Academy 1. Taking Care Of Rose

**I'm actually having a pretty good day. xD PE was cut short since we had to help move the tables and chairs and stuff from the commons into the gym so it could be used for…I'm not sure exactly. XD Anyway, thanks for the reviews, but I'm gonna ask a little more….Give me feedback people! Instead of just saying it was good, awesome, or great, tell me, please! Tell me what was so good or something, or just be honest if it wasn't good….I'm not trying to be mean or anything ('cause I'm not that kinda person. xD) but I'm getting kinda tired of the really short reviews…x{ **

**ANYWAYS! I really, really needed to do DPOV of the sequel to Love, Life, and Tragedy, so I'll be working on that as well as the other two. XD Hope you like!**

I growled to myself when I walked back into the house and found Rose nowhere in sight. I took in a deep breath and tried to calm down. "She never listens," I muttered, running back down the stairs. I was starting to get frustrated with this girl.

I racked my brain and tried to figure out where she would be. I finally realized where she was and groaned, walking back out the door, pulling my sunglasses back on since it was sunny outside. I followed the sidewalk, knowing exactly what Rose was doing and where she was now.

While I walked, I thought about how long it had been since we had been at either the Court or the Academy. After Victor Dashkov had captured Lissa, Rose had insisted we rescue her. Little did she know what I had had planned out. One night, I told her that we would have to run away from the Court and find out where Lissa was being held, along with Adrian Ivashkov.

Soon, though Alberta tracked us down on my phone and told us it would be better if we would head back to the Academy. When Rose and I had got there, a meeting had been called on what to do about the rescue. I remembered how tired Roza looked, how venerable she had been when her best friend was kidnapped…

I sighed. Roza. I loved her. I loved her with all my heart, but our love was forbidden in our world; two dhampirs who were guardians, could not afford to focus on one another. Lissa was Moroi and I kept reminding Rose that. But our desires for one another led up to stolen kisses and stolen moments….

I had slipped back into the role of her mentor and trying to hide my feelings from her, though we had long since left the Court and Academy.

Suddenly, I saw a figure up ahead. She was sneezing and her hair looked slightly messed up. The hair was half of what tipped me off it was her; the other half was the connection we both seemed to have with each other. My jaw clenched and face carefully controlled, I fell into step beside her.

"Would you care to explain as to why you're out of the house when I specifically told you to stay inside?" I asked her, once I knew she knew I was there.

She lifted her shoulders. "I needed some air."

I sighed. "Rose, you can't keep doing this when I'm gone."

For once, she didn't respond to it with her usual witty jokes or teasing. I pressed on. "And what about Lissa and Tasha? Or at least Lissa? Aren't you supposed to be on guard in case someone who might recognize us comes to the house?" Not likely, but still.

Rose had on her sunglasses, but I could tell she was skeptical. "Well, Tasha took Lissa shopping, so they weren't home, and I got bored since you weren't home either."

She was really something. I rolled my eyes. She didn't say anything else and neither did I; both of us lost in our own worlds. I thought about the past few weeks. Victor had hired a Strigoi to haunt both Lissa and Rose, scaring them to death. Mainly, Rose was his target. He invaded her dreams, her head, knew where she was…

I never admitted it, but it scared the hell out of me as well. So, after the rescue, Tasha and I realized we needed to take the girls and get out of there and fast. With help from Rose's puppy, Promise, we had an advantage on knowing what was heading our way.

Promise was not an ordinary dog; she was some kind of magic being who only revealed herself to people she knew wouldn't abuse the idea of having that power. I had given her to Rose and while back for her birthday at the Academy just before graduation in our cabin.

Looking at her now, I saw just how much she had changed and matured. I cocked my head to the side and called her name once. She didn't give notice to me. I stopped and stared at her, placing my hands on her shoulders.

"Rose, I've been calling you for the past two minutes. Are you alright?" I asked her.

"Just fine," her voice was raspy, and I couldn't stop thinking how close we were and how much closer to her lips I could get if I leaned down…

No. I couldn't think that way anymore! But her response triggered something in me; she was lying. I crossed my arms and glared at her. With a sigh, she reached up and pulled her sunglasses off her eyes. I gasped, swearing in Russian when I saw how bloodshot and tired she seemed.

"Rose!" I swore again.

Quickly, before she could place them back on her eyes, I snatched them from her and took her face in my hands. I once again wanted to call her Roza, feel her lips on mine, her breath…

I nearly groaned at my thoughts. They were always on Rose, no matter what and I couldn't help it. I tried to keep myself distracted from that by focusing on that she needed to get upstairs and cleaned up.

"Fine, I'm, not ok, I feel horrible and sick and…the room's spinning…" her sentence trailed off and she swayed a bit.

She leaned back against me, needing the support. She sneezed again and sounded just plain miserable. I looked down as my hands steadied her, only to find her eyes half closed and a look of drowsiness on her face.

"Let's get you upstairs," I murmured to her, picking her up and cradling her to me.

Her head rested against my chest and it felt good to have her in my arms again after so long. She was relaxed and her eyes were closed. I got her up the stairs and headed to my room instead of hers; whatever she had could be contagious to Lissa.

She looked like she was sleeping, but I needed her to wake up. "Roza," I started.

She stirred and opened her eyes as I laid her on the bed. She blinked at me. "Huh?" Rose sounded very sleepy and exhausted.

"I think you're actually….sick," I stated, bewildered.

I could see her trying to think, but I had a feeling that her head was bothering her very much. "Where are your clothes?" I prompted gently.

Her eyes squinted as she looked around for a moment, getting an idea of where she was. I sighed, and went over to my dresser and pulled out one of my T shirts for her, knowing she couldn't answer very well.

"Get dressed and I'll be right back," I mumbled, turning around and walking back out the door.

I trudged over to the kitchen where the medicine was kept just in case, and filled a glass of water for her as well. The aspirin I was going to give her was strong, but the side affect was that it would make her drowsy almost immediately.

After getting the medicine and water, I started back up the stairs, getting to the door. I slipped into the room, shutting the door quietly behind me, hearing Roza swearing out loud.

"Fucking hell!" she complained.

"Roza, language," I frowned slightly at her use of words.

A glare snapped into place. "I think I have a good excuse for wearing this time."

She had me there, but still. I sighed and shook my head, handing her the pill and the water. "Take this, but you'll start feeling very tired."

"I'm already tired."

She sneezed once more and I felt sorry for her. I carefully sat on the edge of the bed and watched as she slipped the pill into her mouth, but kept a firm grip on the glass. Chuckling, I took it from her and tilted it up to her lips, letting her drain the whole thing before I took it away and set it on the table.

She slumped against me, tired already and gave a soft sigh. "...Stay…" she breathed.

I heard her nonetheless and pulled her to me, unable to keep my hands off her. I hugged her tight and whispered, "I love you, my Roza."

She soon drifted off and I just held her tight, moving into a more comfortable position while she slept on.

**Kay, I couldn't wait to start something else, so here you go! This is DPOV of Forbidden Love, Guardian Life, and Broken Promises like I already said….XD I'm really impatient with some things. XP**

**SONGS:**

**Um, none at the moment. XD**


	2. Revealing Feelings

**Thanks for the reviews, guys, but only a couple people did what I asked in the previous chapter….DX Still love ya guys, though! A few people told me I'm actually ok at DPOV and I didn't think I was THAT good. XD**

I was still with Roza when someone knocked on the door softly. Not wanting to wake Rose, I carefully moved her to the pillows and laid her head on the, while getting up and opening the door enough where I could slip out and talk to whoever it was.

Lissa and Tasha were there. No surprise. I left the door open a crack and faced the girls. "Can I help you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lissa shrugged and Tasha answered: "Where's Rose? With you? She wasn't in her room and Lissa and I were wondering if she was ok."

"She's in my room," I said with a blank face.

Lissa gazed past me at the slightly ajar door. "Can I visit her?"

I shook my head. "She isn't well and she's asleep right now."

"I can heal her!" Lissa exclaimed excitedly.

I crossed my arms and remained impassive while Lissa tried to beg me to get into the room. I shot Tasha a helpless look when Lissa wouldn't give up, asking for help. She didn't help me. She chuckled and said, "Dimka, I'm sure she's fine; just let Lissa in for a little while."

For a moment, I felt like Tasha and I were the parents of the two girls, although we weren't. It almost made me smile to think of how close we had all become for me to think of Rose, Lissa, and Tasha as my family, though I still missed my mother and all.

Lissa was looking up at me, pleading, though not using compulsion. I finally sighed, "Fine. No healing, though, Lissa," I told her sternly.

She grinned. "Whatever you say, Guardian Belikov," she teased.

I smiled slightly at her while she poked her head in and then started squealing. Startled, I stuck my head back in through the door. I relaxed slightly when I saw that it was just because Rose was awake. I stepped back out and found Tasha watching me.

"What?" I asked.

She shrugged, but her smile gave it away. "Nothing, Dimka," she said sweetly.

I rolled my eyes and chose to ignore her, hearing the girls talking in hushed tones.

"You think if I heal you real fast, Dimitri won't know?" Lissa whispered to her friend.

"I heard that," I remarked through the half closed door.

Both of them started giggling. I let them talk a bit longer, and then an idea popped into my head. I looked back at Tasha who gave me a confused look when I left my post near the door and stepped closer to her.

"Do me a favor; kiss me, now."

She looked shocked. "Why?"

"Just do it, I know what I'm doing."

She pursed her lips. "This is about Rose, isn't it?"

I nodded gravely. She sighed and then moved in, touching her lips to mine. I found that after all this time, it wasn't the same as kissing Rose. There was no fire, or burning desire running through me. When I broke away, I asked her to use compulsion on me.

She looked straight at me. "Dimka, come kiss me."

Nothing was in my head except to kiss Tasha, those full lips of hers. I moved closer until we were kissing. I loved the feel of the long lost contact I yearned for, but I felt no actual pull towards her. Nothing like Roza.

Roza coughing brought me back out of my daze and I stepped back into the room, shooing Lissa outside and making Rose take it easy again.

After a minute, I saw her playing with the blanket, biting her lip unconsciously. "What do you want, Rose?"

Startled, she glanced up, eyes wide. Her face flushed ever so slightly, but decided not to point that out since she would just deny it and get mad at me for doing so. "Rose, I'm waiting," my tone was impatient…But not with her…How bad I wanted to just get out of the room or go to sleep so I wouldn't have to deal with my desire.

"Why do you avoid me now days?" she finally said.

My head snapped up to meet her gaze. "I don't."

I felt my face slip into a blank expression, showing no emotion. Rose seemed to be getting frustrated because she crossed her arms and glared at me expectantly. I tried to take a deep breath and compose myself as best I could, but I felt horrible that she came to that conclusion.

"Dimitri," she pressed her voice small and childlike. "You do avoid me sometimes, no wait, all the time now. It's like you can't be near me anymore and I don't know why. It feels like you don't want me anymore, like you don't care about me or anything…" The whole time I had been looking at her and didn't miss when the tears fell from her eyes.

I leaned closer to her, brushing her tears away gently. "Rose, I don't want to avoid you; I can be near you. I do still want you. I still love you, my beautiful Rose," I whispered huskily.

She jerked her face away from my gaze, staring down. I placed a finger under her chin, making her look up at me. "Look at me, Roza," I murmured to her softly.

She refused still. "No. Not until I get an answer."

I exhaled, wondering how I was going to explain my feelings towards her. I took my hand away from her face and played with her fingers, finally pouring everything out. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you would come to the conclusion that I was purposely avoiding you…I guess I was trying to put myself in a position where, if your life and Lissa's was endangered, who I would go after. I wanted to see if the feeling to always protect you would fade away so I could protect the Moroi-"she opened her mouth to interrupt, but I placed a finger over her lips, continuing on. "I was wrong. I can't stop loving you, and the feeling to protect you was still there all this time. I tried to experiment with Tasha and found it wasn't the same at all."

Wrong. So, so wrong. I shouldn't be telling her these things, giving her a false hope that we could stay together, but I loved her enough where I would, unintentionally, choose her over a Moroi. Even Lissa. Rose was my world and I was just starting to accept that….

"I have one question," she stated.

I turned back and looked at her, wary. "What?"

I could tell she was working on keeping herself under control. "What exactly did you do with Tasha?" Oh, Rose. She was fighting the urge to start swearing, I could see it.

I felt slightly guilty and looked away again. "I…kissed her. Just to see if it was the same. IT wasn't. I had her use compulsion and it wasn't the same. See? Nothing for you to worry about," I teased her half heartedly.

She just sighed. When she looked up at my amused expression, she exclaimed, "What now?"

I shook my head and smiled genuinely. "Did you forget it's your birthday tomorrow?

"Um, yes, why?"

I thought about it, but if I told her anything I'd spoil the surprise that the girls had set up for her. "I'll ruin the surprise Lissa and Tasha set, and I especially don't want to ruin the surprise I have for you myself."

I was nervous about my plans, which was something rare. If she would let me, I would make her mine, physically as well as emotionally. I wanted nothing more than to sleep with her in bed, privately and tell her how much I loved my Roza.

Rose narrowed her eyes at me, trying to decipher what was going on. I laughed and leaned in and kissed her forehead, leaving my lips there longer than necessary. Hesitating, I swiftly leaned back down and pecked her lips before she could respond and try to get more out of it.

"Get some rest and be up early or I'll come get you myself," I threatened her playfully.

She grinned at me. "That sounds so nice."

"Goodnight, Rose."

"'Night, Comrade_."_

I chuckled at her use of the nickname she had given me when we had first met.

**So, the part where Dimitri experiments with Tasha isn't very good…Sorry about that, until I was like halfway through with this, I realized this was the chapter that it was in and had to go back and fit it into the chapter somehow. XD**

**SONGS:**

**Swing- Trace Adkins**

**All I Need-Within Temptation**

**Total Eclipse Of The Heart-Bonnie…**


	3. Frutrations Deep Inside

**Sorry! I tried to get an update yesterday, but my dad put on Dancing with the Stars and then American Idol, and by the time those were over, it was time to get in bed. xP But I'm going to attempt to get plenty of updates in when I get home from school now. XD**

After she was out cold, I decided to carry Rose back to her room with Lissa so she wouldn't see anything that might tip her off to what her surprise could be. But, I also felt a little off…I knew it was from me staying up so late now days so I could do my duty as guardian. Several times, Tasha caught me and demanded I go back to bed, but I refused, feeling the instinct to protect the two Moroi.

On top of that, I was just plain exhausted from having taken care of Rose so many times. I didn't blame her for anything; I never could. But, like always, it was taking its toll on me. Then, I glanced at my alarm clock, decided I couldn't sleep anymore, and showered and got dressed, mapping out in my head what I wanted to do.

Quietly, I opened my door and crept to the girl's room, listening to their conversation as I walked to the doorway. Rose was still in bed and looked slightly annoyed at Lissa talking to her, but other than that, was fine.

"What am I? Something to be passed around?" Rose complained.

"Not a some_thing_, but a some_one_," I finally said from the doorway.

Her eyes snapped over to mine. I kept my face blank and controlled, not wanting to give anything away to her about later. I wanted this day—and night—to be perfect for my special girl.

Her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here…And how did I get in my own bed?"

I saw Lissa roll her eyes, exasperated. "Talk all you want, but if you're not ready in fifteen minutes, I'm leaving without you." She left, the door closing behind her.

"I'm here to see if Lissa actually got you up, and I carried you here last night when you were out cold," I answered her earlier question.

I walked over to her window and pulled the curtains aside, allowing sunlight to pour in and wake Rose up more. I watched as she blinked and glowered, whining, "Dimitri! Shut the curtains."

I allowed a small smile to play at my lips before I left, not wanting to get sidetracked, and, knowing Rose, it was possible. My eyes felt heavy and I was just plain tired, but never let it show. As I made my way down, Tasha was waiting for me at the bottom.

"What do you want?" I asked warily.

"You should stay here while I take the girls shopping," she suggested.

I shook my head. "No. I can't leave you unprotected."

She put her hands on her hips. "You seriously want to come shop with _three _girls, two of which are teenagers?"

"I have sisters at home, in case you forgot, remember?" It was then that I had the feeling someone was listening in. Rose. Damn it.

I ignored her and tried to finish talking to Tasha. "I didn't forget," she laughed. "You know, and it's probably none of my business, but Rose looks a bit down lately, like something's up with you guys. Like she's being abandoned…?"

I let out a breath. "I guess you could say that," I said carefully.

"So, why don't you? And don't say it's about your duties; I'm sure I can teach Lissa some martial arts."

The feeling that Rose was there got stronger and I shifted my weight nonchalantly, hoping that Tasha wouldn't notice. And that the conversation wouldn't take a turn to my plans. My eyes strayed to the stairs, away from her eyes.

"Dimka, she loves you, I can see it. Don't ignore her."

Even though I didn't want to hint Rose about what my plans were for tonight, I couldn't help but feel like I had to talk to Tasha; my abrupt manner would just tip her off to something. I thought about what I had planned, and felt very nervous about it, wondering if she had been with any other guy before me.

"I was actually planning something tonight, but seeing as you can't go out in the night because of the Strigoi, I don't think I can do everything I had originally thought." I frowned slightly, knowing I was half lying to myself.

Tasha shook her head at me. "Oh, don't give me that again. Seriously, I can take Lissa to a secure environment, and I can call you if something happens to us; I promise it's not…Dimka?"

This conversation had gone further than I had had wanted Rose to hear, and I gazed at her hiding spot, knowing she was there. I felt slightly disappointed and very frustrated with the complications.

"I think we have someone listening to this. Rose, get out here," I said severely.

She kept her head down as she walked down the stairs, my glare boring into her. "Rose, how long have you been there? No lying." She knew anyway, that if she lied, I could easily detect it.

Her nose scrunched up just the slightest and didn't answer me. She was disrespecting me and she knew it. Fed up with her and everything else going on, I spun around and stalked out of the room, slamming the kitchen door shut as I made my way outside to cool off for a bit.

I gulped in a deep breath of fresh air and tried to get a hold on myself, wondering that the hell was wrong with me today; it was Rose's birthday and I had surely put her in a foul mood. I slammed my fist on a tree and leaned my head against it, breathing heavily, frustrated and confused.

**I don't have much to say. XD It's my "zombie" week where I feel like an utter zombie. LOLZZ!**

**SONGS:**

**The Boxer- Simon and Garfunkel**

**Better Days- Goo Goo dolls**


	4. Shopping With the Girls

**Ok, so I'm just having issues remembering something…I swear I thought I updated something in DPOV about Rose's birthday in the mall….But I guess I typed it up, but didn't save it or something….But when I went back (I have Word) it showed that maybe I didn't….Huh….That's really weird…I don't think...I'm so confuzzled it's not even funny! Maybe I deleted it, but I swear to God I uploaded and published it…DX**

While I drove the car, Lissa could hardly keep still and was bouncing up and down in the seat excitedly while Rose just gave her a weird look. Tasha sat shotgun and was silent except to talk to the girls. The two teens chatted happily, but often I would meet Rose's eyes in the review mirror and see the hurt and confusion in them.

I didn't talk to her, and she didn't talk to me. When we got the mall, Lissa wasted no time in grabbing Rose and towing her to some stores. I chuckled softly, both of them reminding me of my sisters back home. Tasha and I followed them, until Lissa said, "Ooh, let's go in here!"

It was a nice little dress shop, perfect for two teenagers who loved to go shopping. Lissa and Rose went through the racks eagerly, trying random things on and laughing when some of them turned out silly. The store manager was an elderly lady who didn't seem to mind the girls at all.

"Rose!" Tasha exclaimed. "That dress is absolutely gorgeous on you!"

I looked up from my position against the wall and my eyes went wide at the sight of Roza in a beautiful black dress that had some red tint to it. It curved with her body perfectly and showed it off in a way no other dress would've. She seemed aware of everyone—including me—watching her, and a red blush heated her lovely cheeks.

"What?" she asked.

"It looks good! You should totally take it home with you!" Lissa complimented her friend.

Roza glanced down at her dress as if seeing it for the first time. Almost hesitantly, she picked up the hem of the dress, twirled and let it go, allowing it to fan out behind her in a way that looked so beautiful. Soon Lissa joined her and they were all laughing and having some fun.

Finally, when they were changed back into their regular clothes, they bought the dresses and headed down to the food court. I didn't feel like eating or sitting down, so I leaned down and whispered to Tasha that I would find them later.

She nodded understanding I needed some space. I left them to it and walked off in the opposite direction, sighing. I thought about getting something for my Roza to say I was sorry, but I wasn't the person to buy something and seem like I was sucking up; after all, money couldn't buy everything.

No, I would just have to wait for a chance to apologize to her and really explain to her how I felt and why I was getting frustrated with her. As I walked around, I noticed something. I turned slowly, making it seem I was going into a store, but ducked around a corner, watching.

Dhampirs. Guardians. They were definitely with the Academy or the Court and I let out some Russian swears in my head, wondering why the hell they were here. That was beside the point; I needed to get back to the girls and tell them we needed to leave and fast.

I made it back unnoticed by them and leaned down to talk to Tasha, though my eyes were on the girls. "There are people from the Court here; they're searching for at least Rose and Lissa, and we need to get them out of here."

Rose obviously heard and got up, throwing away anything she couldn't bring with us. Lissa looked slightly confused and worried. "Rose? What's going on here? Who's here?" she asked.

Rose reached for her best friend's hand and kept her close so they wouldn't get separated. "Like Guardian Belikov said; the Queen must've sent some people here to search for us, so we have to get out of here without attracting attention." Her voice was calm, but I heard the insult in it.

Instead of acting on my feelings, I kept my control and drowned her out. I moved behind Tasha with Lissa in between us and walked beside Rose. Suddenly she cursed. "Shit."

I didn't chastise her for that and asked, "What now."

Silently, she pointed to where there were some more dhampirs. They were wearing earpieces and once in a while a hand would go up there and they would speak. Damn it, they were working for the Court and the Academy.

"More spies," Rose said softly.

Tasha heard and spun around, motioning us to follow her around a corner. "You stay here and I can bring the car around. They don't know I'm with you guys, so they won't suspect me."

I started to protest, but she cut me off, taking the girls' bags and holding them, making it seem like she had gone shopping herself. I sighed and watched Tasha's progress while Rose hunkered down in a corner and Lissa was lost in thought.

I saw her greet them, but she disappeared from my line of sight. Frustrated, I waited until the car swung around. I half expected this to be a trap, but it wasn't and I climbed into the passenger seat.

When we were safely away, I asked her, "What happened?"

She gave me a brief overview. "They stopped to greet me and asked if I've heard from any of you lately. When they asked about the dresses, I told them I was buying them for the girls. I pretended to ot be surprised when they mentioned that you've all run away."

After that, Tasha and I talked some more while the girls sat silently in the back. We talked about some old friends the past and everything else. Finally, we pulled up outside of a building where Tasha taught martial arts. It was time.

Both she and Lissa got out, waving to us while I slipped into the driver's seat and drove off. Rose perked up in a way that showed she was confused.

"Where are we going?" she wondered.

I looked into the mirror as I answered. "Home."

She crossed her arms frustrated. "Well, why aren't Lissa and Tasha coming?"

"I's your birthday; it's my half of the day with you."

She seemed stunned slightly, but recovered. "Yeah, so?"

I knew this time, if I answered, then I would give everything away and I didn't want to do that, so I kept my mouth shut and didn't grace her with a response, focused on getting us home.

**SONGS:**

**NONE**


	5. Apologizing

**Like I said, I'm super duper busy this weekend and most likely won't get an update since on Sunday I have to be at the school band room early for the parade so we can board buses…Saturday I'm babysitting. 3 Busy, but fun!**

**Besides that, I currently have nothing else to do but sit around and wait for my next door neighbors to get home so I can go visit them. ^0^ So I'm updating, and I might attempt another one shot later. XD**

Rose slammed the door upstairs and I flinched. We were home and she was up in the room, no doubt fuming mad at me. I sighed, knowing I had been too hard on her, but unable to help it. Every time I tried to talk to her, she would either refuse to acknowledge me, or call me by my formal name.

I had immediately gotten mad at her once more and that pushed her over the edge. I sighed again. I really needed to get a grip on myself. I decided to leave her alone for the time being and sat down on the couch, flipping through some TV channels, trying to distract myself….

"_Rose, what do you want for dinner?" I asked her in the car._

_She shrugged, not answering me. I was getting fed up with her attitude. I looked up at her in the review mirror, and our eyes met. She quickly looked away. I could the tension from both us in the car._

"_Rose, talk to me, and tell me what you want," I growled at her._

_Her gaze was cold, unfriendly as she finally answered. "Why don't you decide, _Guardian Belikov? _I mean you are in charge and I used to be your _student."

_I caught the double meaning in her words and I flinched. I clutched the steering wheel, willing myself not to lose my temper. Didn't work._

"_What's wrong with you?" I said harshly._

_She gasped. "_ME?! _What's wrong with ME?! I'll tell you what's wrong! First, you decide that you should avoid me, then you get mad when I can't help but hear your conversation, and now you're asking what's wrong?!"_

_I finally snapped, losing my self control. "I'm not the one who's irresponsible, who can't keep out of trouble, or even eavesdrop on conversations not meant you!" I didn't yell, but my voice was deadly._

_I continued. "I'm not a teenager who can't keep her facts straight and I am T a guardian who forgets to watch over her charge; I manage to stay with Lissa and keep her safe—"_

"_SHUT UP! I can keep my facts straight and I'm Not a guardian who forgets to watcher over my charge!"_

I jolted out of my sleep, startled. I had fallen asleep on the couch and hadn't realized it. I shook my head tiredly, knowing I needed to go and apologize to Roza. I heaved to my feet and started up the stairs and to the bedroom door.

I was shocked to hear sniffling coming from the other side. Not waiting, I opened it softly and looked in. She was asleep, but fitfully. I went over and sat beside her, watching her murmur something, tears leaking out her eyes occasionally. I moved closer and held her to me.

She slept for awhile, but she eventually woke up, rubbing her eyes, focusing on me. I was stroking her hair and holding her tight. "Rose," I whispered.

She grumbled and I turned her face towards mine, searching her eyes. She looked undecided, but tears filled her eyes and she buried her head in my chest, sobbing. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, Roza," I kept saying to her.

Finally, I moved on to just humming a Russian song to her. I felt horrible for doing this to her. I finally fell silent and waited for Rose to recover herself. I held her on the bed, both of us lying down; Rose curled up next to me, hiding her face. Finally, finally, her sobs lessened until she was just sniffing.

"It hurts," she whispered.

She didn't clarify and didn't need to, I knew exactly what she was talking about. She looked up at me through tear filled eyes and my finger brushed against her soft, bottom lip, which was trembling slightly. I met her gaze and held it there as I said, "I'm sorry, Rose. I didn't mean to make your birthday unbearable; I didn't mean to get mad at you in the car,"

I didn't say anything else and we were both quiet again, until Rose got up and padded over to the mirror, finger combing her hair and rubbing her face.

"I think it's time I make it up to you," I told her as I got up.

She turned around to face me. "What?"

"I have your surprise downstairs. Come down when you're ready; I'm waiting."

When I finished, I leaned down, closing the short distance between our lips, catching hers in mine, kissing her furiously, wanting to erase all pain and hurt away, wanting to take everything I had said to her back.

She was shocked, at first not responding, but soon pressed herself close to me, her body molding into mine. A groan slipped through my mouth and I trailed my hands up her shirt, tracing her bra line. She gasped and pressed eveb closer to me and slid her hands up my shirt. The feel of her skin on mine was enough to make me lose control, and I pulled away.

Resting my forehead on hers, I asked, "Does that help?" My voice was husky after kissing her like that after no contact for so long.

"Maybe. I'll decide when I come down." Her breathing was uneven.

I allowed a smile to slip onto my lips and pecked hers. "Wear your new dress."

With that, I headed out her room to get dressed and set up the kitchen for her special treat.

**Sorry it's short, but I need to get downstairs for some breakfast. xD**

**SONGS:**

**Superman (It's Not Easy)-Five For Fighting**

**Love Left To Lose-Sons of Sylvia**


	6. Time With Roza

**I'm back! Who missed me? XD I'm high on some….OMFG. I know what I'm high on now. xD Holy Jesus, I had a HUGE piece of ice cream cake just now and last now. XD**

I knew Rose would be taking her time to get ready, so I took the chance to quickly grab some dark slacks and a dark shirt, buttoning it up as I moved out the door and down the stairs. I searched around for the candles and lit them up, expertly placing them in various parts of the room, illuminating the kitchen.

There were some a couple of roses on the counter and I looked at them suspiciously, finding a note.

_Dimka,_

_I figure you and Rose will make up, so I made sure these were on the counter when you got home. I hope all goes well_

_~Tasha_

I sighed, picking up a single white rose and thought about what I wanted to do with it. For a moment, I considered backing off with the flowers, but I also didn't want them to go to waste at all. Finally, I knew I was going to go to the stairs and put it there for my Roza to find. I hesitated, pulling it to my body, in case she showed up. But, she didn't and I set it down.

When that was done, I removed the pizza I had baked earlier from the refrigerator and set out the table for the two of us. The other white rose I kept on the counter behind me. I surveyed the room, often fiddling with things, nervous about her reaction to this whole set up.

Suddenly, I heard her approaching and my head snapped up to where she stood, staring at the room, at me. Her gaze didn't leave mine and I scrutinized her reaction, wondering if I had done too much. While I did this, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked.

Rose wore the gorgeous dress she had gotten from her trip to the mall, she had make up applied carefully to her eyes, her lips sparkled with her lips gloss, and she just looked plain mouth watering.

Slowly, she walked over to me and hugged me, her arms wrapping around my waist. I placed my face in her hair, taking in her scent, breathing, "Do you like it," in her ear, feeling her shiver.

She pulled her head up to meet my eyes. "Yeah."

I smiled at her, meaning it. I remembered the flower and reached behind me and handed it to her wordlessly. She looked at it wide eyed, but she seemed flattered. She took it from me and placed it to her face, inhaling the delicious scent.

She finally put it down and leaned up to kiss me. I met her lips, kissing her for a moment before pulling away, chuckling at her face. "I think it's time to eat," I clarified, seeing her pouting at me. I laughed and pecked her nose gently, grabbing her hand and pulling her chair out for her.

She stared at the meal in front of her and then started laughing. "Seriously? You go through all this and you bring _pizza _for dinner?"

I grinned at her. "Yes, it is, after all, your favorite meal as I recall."

She didn't answer me and instead started eating the food….

Music filled the air as I moved with Roza in my arms, slow dancing with her. I didn't know the name of the song, but I realized the lyrics were similar to our situation…

"_I said I wanna touch the earth  
I wanna break it in my hands  
I wanna grow something wild and unruly _

_I wanna sleep on the hard ground  
In the comfort of your arms  
On a pillow of bluebonnets  
In a blanket made of stars _

_Oh it sounds good to me. I said _

_Cowboy take me away  
Fly this girl as high as you can  
Into the wild blue  
Set me free oh I pray  
Closer to heaven above and  
Closer to you closer to you……"_

It was the last half, but it was perfect and I rested my chin on top of Roza's head, holding her tightly to me as we danced to the song. I heard her let out a sigh of happiness. I smiled and continued to dance with her in my arms until the song was over.

It was finally time to do what I had planned for her. I took her hand and held it as we walked up the stairs. She was about to go back to her room to get changed, but paused.

"Rose," I murmured. "Meet me in my room when you're finished."

"Sure thing, Comrade," she said with enthusiasm.

I laughed and we parted ways. I unbuttoned my shirt, but didn't bother with taking it off, deciding that Roza would have the honors of doing that very soon. I wondered if I was pressing her too soon. I had slept with her before, but I didn't want her to feel pressure into having to do it.

I was nervous, excited, and my feelings were all over the place. I could feel the lust as I thought about her more and more. In bed. With me. I waited and waited, lost in thought until I decided to go and check on her.

Her bedroom door was unlocked, but she didn't answer, so I found her in the bathroom, about to knock when she pulled it shut. "Rose? Are you okay?" I called.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just give me a few more minutes."

I left her alone, giving her time to do whatever she needed to and waited on the bed. I wondered if she was thinking or just getting dressed. My guess was that Lissa and Tasha had something to do with it. Little did I know that I was right.

**Ok, I really need to finish algebra, so be glad that I actually got this up. XD**

**SONGS**

**Cowboy Take Me Away-Dixie Chicks**

**New Divide-Linkin Park**

**You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)/You Raise Me Up-Josh Groban**


	7. Plans Ruined

**I'm actually updating ALL THREE STORIES all at once at the same time…o.O I have too much time on my hands. XD**

My Roza stepped in the door, and I watched her feeling very excited and eager. When she was within distance, I attempted to reach out and pull her to me, but she shook her head, moving back and grinning.

I growled at her, frustrated that she was teasing me, but she made up for that as soon as I saw what she was wearing. Her robe fell open, revealing her perfect body on display with some kind of shirt that had been altered with to suit her.

It was very revealing and it made the desire and lust slam back into me. "You like? Lissa and Tasha hid everything so I'd be forced to wear this…"she trailed off.

"You look beautiful," I murmured, pulling her close to me, down on the bed and kissing her soft lips.

Her lips moved with mine, eager to make up for things earlier. My tongue traced her lips and I held her very tight to me, not wanting to let my Roza go. She shoved my shirt off and proceeded to trailing her hands over my chest. I groaned as her lips moved to my nipples, grazing it lightly.

Then, she moved onto the other one. I was enjoying myself, especially since she was so seductive in that outfit of hers. She was gasping as I moved away from her lips and pressed them to her forehead, slipping the…shirt off of her.

"I love you, Roza," I whispered against her lips.

"Love you too."

She tried again to kiss me and do God knows what, but I heard something and moved away, refusing to get sidetracked. She seemed to realize that my phone was vibrating on the table and she groaned when I looked at her apologetically and answered it.

"Belikov," I answered, getting into guardian mode.

"Dimka, it's Tasha. There are some more guardians from the Court and Academy here."

"What? Where?" I asked sharply.

"They're standing around in the shadows, watching, observing, but they haven't seen us yet."

"Alright, I'll come and pick you guys up."

I hung up and turned back to the beautiful girl who had the covers thrown over her head. "Rose? Tasha and Lissa are trapped. There are guardians from the court and they're still looking for us. I have to go get them…Will you be alright here, or do you want to come?"

"I don't care. I just don't care anymore," She cried out in despair. "Leave me alone."

I took the sheets away from her face and she immediately tried to hide her tears. But I saw them. "I'm sorry, Rose. I can't just leave them there," I whispered to her.

I ran my finger along her face trying to brush away her tears. She hid her face in the pillow and sobbed quietly. I was felt absolutely horrible and guilty. I took my hand and moved her face up to mine, taking in her tears soaked face.

"Rose, I will make it up to you. I promise, but for now, it's time to focus on Lissa and Tasha. Both are Moroi, and both need us to help them. We need them as well, since we have nowhere else to do. Do you understand?" I pleaded her with my eye, needing her to understand.

She gave me a slight nod and I touched my lips to her cheek, brushing her lips with mine ever so carefully. I hated knowing that I had hurt her this way, and on her birthday, but there was just no end to our misery.

"I should be back soon," I murmured, moving away.

I paused in the doorway, shrugging on a shirt. As I walked out, Promise padded in. She just took one look at me and didn't push into my head like she did with Rose. I sighed and snatched the keys from where I had left them on the counter, getting into the car and driving out.

As I drove, I thought about what I could ever do to make it up to Roza. To let her know no matter what happened I was always going to love her. A thought sprang to me; I had a friend who knew my charge, Ivan, and he owned a very fancy restaurant. He had told me that I was welcome in any of his few restaurants around town for free.

A small smile touched my lips as I thought about how wonderful it would be to take my Roza there. But it faded when I realized it was going to be a while before Rose would get over the hurt, and I knew it. But that didn't stop me from taking out my cell phone and dialing his number.

"This is Eric."

"Eric, this is Dimitri Belikov."

He sounded pleased to hear from me. "Dimitri, good to hear from you. What can I do for you?"

"That offer you made to me a while back. Is that offer still open?"

He didn't hesitate to answer. "Of course it is. Would you like to make a reservation?"

I sighed. "Not now, but soon."

He paused and then asked. "Got someone special? Is it…What's her name…Natasha Ozera?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes there is someone special, but it's not Tasha."

He seemed to sense that I didn't want to talk about it and didn't press me. "Alright, I'll let the staff know, but I need to know your location so they're notified properly and at the right one."

I quickly listed off where we were and what town and he agreed that I could still get in. I hung up, pulling into the parking lot of the building where Tasha and Lissa were waiting for me. I wanted to tell them that it was a bad idea to be out in the middle of the night when Strigoi were most likely lurking, but didn't have the heart to tell them anything.

No one said anything as I drove them home. Lissa got out first. Finally Tasha spoke. "Dimka, don't be so hard on yourself, it's natural."

I didn't answer and instead headed up the stairs, Lissa following me. "What do want, Lissa?" I sigh.

"Can I visit her?" she asked me.

"Let me see if she's actually willing to have visitors first."

Something told me that she was still in my room where I left her. I opened the door and stuck my head in. "Rose? Did you want to see Lissa?" I kept my voice soft, quiet.

She shook her head immediately, telling me she wasn't up to it. I went back out, finding Tasha behind Lissa. "I don't think she wants to see anyone right now."

"It's alright, Dimka, I'm sure she has a reason to be upset. Lissa, why don't we go get ready for bed?"

Tasha and Lissa left and I re-entered the room, shutting the door and shrugging out of my shirt, replacing my jeans with sweats. Slowly, I got into bed, giving Roza her space, not wanting to set her over the edge. For a moment, she didn't do anything, and then she slid over and curled up into my side like a lost little girl.

She pressed closer to me and my arms went around her. I put my lips in her hair, hearing her soft breathing, none of us saying anything.


	8. More Frustrations

I waited for Rose to recover. It seemed to take her a while, but I stayed patient, knowing I had pressed too far. We had fought countless times over this topic, but this one set her over the edge, and I knew I had hurt her in the way I had never hoped to do so. I felt like I was the most horrible person ever, promising a night alone, only to have something come up. I had ruined her birthday for good, and I felt just guilty for everything, words couldn't even begin to describe how I felt.

Her sobs quieted, but she seemed to need some more time to compose herself, so I left her alone, leaning my head back against the headboard, wondering if I could ever, ever make up for what I had done. I wanted the night to be perfect, but unfortunately, in our world, nothing was "perfect" in a sense. We had a duty to fulfill, and that was that.

Yet, there was also the love part of our life. It was rare for dhampirs to claim love for another, besides Moroi, since we were meant to be guardians, protecting the Moroi from the Strigoi. Although rare and looked down on in our world, I was completely in love with Roza, and nothing could ever change that about her.

"Dimitri?" Rose's voice cut into my miserable thoughts. I saw her look up at me almost shyly through her hair.

I refused to answer her, knowing anything I said would most likely affect her even worse. "Dimitri," she tried again, putting her hand on my cheek. I unthawed and placed mine over hers, an automatic move. Suddenly, I felt something or someone trying to get into my head. I shoved Promise out, trying to keep my thoughts to myself, knowing that Rose was asking her to get into my head.

I heard her sigh and I glanced over at her. She looked frustrated and a tear trickled down her face. I gently reached out and wiped it away, wanting to take with it all the hurt I had caused her. Her eyes were shining with tears as she looked up at me. I tried t push her away, figuring she needed her space.

"No," she whispered brokenly.

My eyes found hers immediately, wondering why she would still want me after everything I had done. I searched her eyes, finding frustration in them…and hurt. "Roza," I breathed. The tears she was holding at bay came rushing out again. I had to remind myself that this was all new to her; she was only a flirt and been with boys her age who want nothing but to get her out of her clothes and possibly sleep with her.

"It hurts," she whimpered, burying her head in my shoulder.

I stroked her hair gently. "I know, I know. It'll be over soon," I assured her softly.

She let everything out and I just held her, rocking her gently and keeping her company. I felt better knowing that she was at least letting it all out instead of holding it back like she normally did. I composed myself when she lay quietly beside me, her head resting on my chest.

"Let's go eat," I said. I held out my hand and she took it.

She walked downstairs in front of me and went straight into the kitchen. She ignored Lissa and Tasha who both looked up at her entrance. Tasha looked at me, and then turned back to Rose, calling out softly, "Rose?"

Rose sat down with her breakfast, avoiding eye contact and not saying a word to anyone. "She won't want to talk," I said, coming up behind Tasha.

She turned to me and I saw Lissa look at me curiously. I said nothing else, needing to get out and escape for awhile. I walked out the kitchen door and out where the sun was shining brightly. I sat down on the steps for a moment, collecting myself. After I was composed, I headed back in.

Rose wasn't in the room and I sat down at the kitchen table, putting my head in my hands. Tasha and Lissa didn't say anything until Tasha spoke.

"It's not your fault."

I looked up at her. "Then whose is it? I don't see anyone else here that could make Rose like that."

"Dimka, you can't blame yourself for this; it's life."

Lissa finally decided to say something. "But it's not Rose's either."

"No, no, I was just saying that no matter what, good things will always come to an end, unfortunately." Tasha sighed.

"It is my fault. I'm the one who acted horrible on her birthday and made her so miserable, and then gave her the false hope we'd have a night alone together."

"Dimka—"

Lissa cut in. "Maybe she just needs time to get over things."

I leaned back, running a hand through my hair. "Maybe she just needs to mature a little more."

"In what way and why?" Lissa questioned.

"Her attitude needs to change for one. She needs more lessons on self control—"

Rose walked in, hands on her hips, eyes blazing. She tucked her sunglasses on top of her head. "So that's it, huh? You guys get together and talk behind my back. Much less say I'm immature? Thanks so much," she spun around, storming out the room.

I shouted at her to get back in the house, but being Rose, she didn't listen and was gone. I turned to both Moroi, saying, "See what I mean about her attitude? It doesn't change!"

I made my way upstairs, knowing I would lose it and snap off Tasha and Lissa's heads if I didn't leave. I took a deep breath and tried to stay in control. I slammed my fist against the wall, breathing heavily. What just happened? I growled and tried to get a hold on myself.

Yes, we had been talking about her when she wasn't around, but that didn't necessarily mean she could just run out of the house and not come back…

**SONGS:**

**Runaway-Bon Jovi**

**Listen To Your Heart-Roxanne**

**Chances-Five For Fighting**

**Forever-Chris Brown**

**Crush-David Archuleta **


	9. Runaway Rose

**Ok, I could not wait to get this next chapter up, although I was trying to update the other stories equally. XD **

I lay back on my bed, thinking about Rose. I knew she was out there alone, but I was still worked up about earlier to even try and search for her. I needed a chance to collect myself. So, why was I getting so frustrated with her?

The answer I knew. I was frustrated with myself, but it came out with me taking it out on Rose and others around me. I hated that, but I was a lot like Rose in a way. She was right: I still had to fight to keep in control, I had to fight to keep my temper in check…I sighed. I glanced at the clock and realized she still hadn't come back.

I got up and slipped on some dark clothes, putting on my jacket and placing my stake in the sheath the hung from my belt. I needed to go and find her now. As I walked downstairs, I could hear Lissa and Tasha talking, but I ignored them and slipped out the front door, walking around, looking for Rose.

Something told me she was perfectly fine, but I still didn't know where she was. Alert, I watched out for her as well as Strigoi, knowing this time of night they were out hunting. I growled to myself when I saw that I was going in circles with no sign of Rose. I gave up. It was late and I needed to go back and make sure the Moroi were okay.

I spun around and stealthily made my way back to the house, storming into the kitchen. I stopped when Is aw them both there and said, "She isn't back and I don't know where she is." With that I strode out of the room and back upstairs. I removed my jacket and set my stake down within reach in case I needed it. I sat down on the bed, putting my head in my hands.

Where was she? I needed to at least know she was okay wherever she was. I needed to know that Rose would forgive me in due time. I just wanted to make sure she was fine on her own, since she was out there alone somewhere.

Suddenly, I heard voices outside. My hearing was quite as sharp as the Moroi, but it was keen enough to pick up voices outside. Carefully, I crept over to my window and watched out the slightly ajar window, finding Tasha and….Rose?!

I listened to their conversation carefully. "How are you holding up?" Tasha asked her.

Rose sighed. "Okay, but please don't tell anyone you saw me, especially Dimitri. He'll come right after me!"

Tasha looked sympathetic. "Of course not, honey. I'm pretty sure you overheard our conversation since you're below the window and what I said about Dimka is true. He's frustrated with himself that he's hurt you. I've never seen him so mad in such a long time, and he only does when people he cares about are involved. You have to believe me."

"I do, but I can't go back. Not yet."

"Okay, do me one favor, then: stay around the house so I know you're safe. Can you do that much?"

Rose pondered this over. "Okay, I can do that."

I watched as Promise trotted out. She was carrying some of Rose's things and looked slightly surprised to find Tasha there, but obviously trusted her not to say anything since Rose did. Tasha suddenly moved out of view and I moved back from the window, listening downstairs, knowing from the sounds of it, she was getting Rose some food.

I watched Roza and Promise. They waited for Tasha. Tasha leaned down to hug Rose and whisper something in her ear I couldn't catch. Rose gave her a small smile and said something, but it was too low for me to catch. I was frustrated that she wouldn't talk to me, but I also found it a good idea, since I was on the verge of snapping some more.

Distantly, I was aware of them talking about Lissa, but I didn't care anymore, I had gotten all the information I had needed. I decided to confront Rose later tomorrow or something, but I would let her have the night alone. I pulled on some sweats and got into bed, deciding to try and sleep….

"_Oh, Roza," I sighed into her neck._

_She lay on top of me and she was completely bare, no trace of clothing covering her. I smiled against her lips, kissing her, running my hands all along her body. She groaned softly. I moved my lips back down to her neck, nipping the skin there and then moving down lower and lower. I placed my fingers into her and she gasped, pressing closer to me in a suggestive way._

"_Mm, Dimitri," she breathed out._

"_Yes, Rose?" My voice was husky from the lust and desire that took over me as I took her in once more._

_She didn't answer and she didn't need to. I kept up with my fingers sliding in and out of her, before swiftly entering her. She gasped again and her hands tangled in my hair. I kissed her stomach and moved up to her lips once more, tasting her as I went._

_We moved as one and her hands trailed down to my chest, her lips following, nipping and kissing me all over…._

I woke with a start. My head ached dully and I turned my head to look at the time. I had only slept a few hours, yet I had dreamt of Roza once more. I hit the bed in frustration. The point was to get my mind off of her, not dream of her. Damn it. I tried to close my eyes, but I slept restlessly, often waking up from images of making love to her for the first time ever.

Images of her swarmed in my mind and I couldn't get rid of it. I finally got up and walked into the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face and trying to take deep, calming breaths. I decided it was probably time to talk to Roza.

**SONGS:**

**If you Only Knew-Shinedown**

**Listen To Your Heart-Roxanne**

**All I Ever Wanted-Kelly Clarkson**

**Sounds Like Life To ME-Darryl Worley**

**You Run Away-Barenaked Ladies**


	10. Attempting A Talk With Rose

I carefully made my way outside, using the front door to buy me some time. As I got closer, I could hear voices floating to me. Rose and Lissa. Both girls were discussing something and I knew they were both apologizing to one another. A small smile touched my lips as I watched their silhouettes against the dark sky, reminding me of my sisters when they were younger.

I leaned against a post supporting the porch and waited for them to finish up. I could vaguely pick out their conversation as always.

"Don't worry, I'm not at you….Just…..bothering me lately….not the darkness…..don't know….screwing….system." Rose was saying.

I could only hear snippets, but I knew they were discussing earlier about. I wasn't really listening closely, just catching words that the soft breeze carried to me.

"….try and heal it…?" Lissa asked.

I listened, curious, now catching every word I could. "No, because we don't know what it is or how much spirit it'll take, and how much it will take….Well, we don't want either of us to go under the dark effects anyways, right?" I guessed Lissa's answer was a nod.

I peeked around the corner and saw Rose hug her best friend. "Now, get inside and go to sleep. I promise I'll be fine out here' I've got my stake and food." She grinned.

Lissa smiled at her and then left, the kitchen door opening and closing. I made sure she was safely inside so I wouldn't make it look as if Lissa had told me Rose was out here, or think I was really trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Rose was still sitting n the ground, looking thoughtful as she stroked Promise. She looked deep in thought, but my approach made her head snap up immediately and she searched for any threats. She looked wary, and I knew she couldn't see me clearly.

I kept walking and I saw realization cross her face as she could finally pick out who was coming out here so late besides Lissa. "Dimitri," she breathed out.

I reached her and crouched down, studying her. I noticed that she was taking in my appearance as well. "What are you doing here?" she finally said, her tone very harsh.

I flinched slightly at her coldness. "I knew you were here, from the time Tasha went out, until now."

She appraised me for a moment and the muttered and, "Whatever," lying back down on her makeshift bed.

"Rose…."I started. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you and I certainly didn't try to hurt y—"

She cut me off swiftly saying, "But you did, and this time it was worse." I could see how hard it was for her to talk to me about this; her eyes shone brightly with a round of tears.

I sighed and continued. "I know, and I'm not asking you to forgive me yet, but I want you to take into consideration—"A strange sound cut me off.

I cocked my head a little to the side, listening. There. It was rustling, like leaves or trees moving in the wind, but I knew this time something was lurking somewhere. Could it be…? Rose confirmed my thoughts by saying, "Strigoi," she whispered, sounding faraway. "They're close, but not near enough."

I could see the fear she was trying to hide in her eyes and I instinctively reached inside my pocket. I carefully stood up and scanned the area, knowing Rose was right. I could hear them, since they weren't exactly the quietest creatures around.

"Rose," I said, my voice low. "Get inside, take your stake, and warn Tasha and Lissa. Now."

She wasted no time in running up the steps lithely and running inside. I caught the door before it could slam shut and carefully closed it. Next, I moved away, still on high alert and listened….

There was a noise only to my left and I struck out, feeling a presence near me. Something snarled and I caught sight of a female Strigoi. She looked as if she were newly made; her movements were jerky, she obviously didn't know where to aim, and she looked very hesitant and unsure of herself.

But that was only to say about one. I knew there were others around; I could hear them moving around, waiting for a command. The Strigoi I was fighting was new, but she was still very strong and fast, an advantage to her, and disadvantage to me. Unless, I could find some way to use it against her.

I recalled everything I had been taught about these creatures and relaxed, letting instinct mainly guide me. I closed my eyes briefly and listened, and then struck out with my deadly weapon, scratching the female with the silver tip. She let out a choked growl and attempted to come at me.

She was fast enough where I managed to get thrown against the side of the house. My skull cracked against the wood, but I didn't let it faze me. Instead, I appeared that I looked helpless and had given up. She threw her head back and barked with laughter. While she was distracted, I used my stake and threw it full force at her. It was a long shot, but it worked within close distance, normally.

The weapon hit right on and she screamed, clawing at the stake protruding from her chest. Breathing heavily, I quickly reached her and drove it deeper and deeper into her heart so I could make sure she was killed. I yanked it back out and waited for her to still and then continued hunting for others who were lurking around the house, just waiting for opportunity….

**Sorry it's not very long, but I needed to save some fight for the next I hope this was good, though. BTW, a heads up: I will NOT be updating AT ALL starting Friday and going on until Sunday. I will be gone with my mom to California for my uncle's wedding, so I don't think I'll have a chance to really do anything. xD**

**SONGS:**

**Stand My Ground-Within Temptation**

**Torn=Natalie Imbruglia**

**If I Could Turn Back Time-Cher**

**Sounds Like Life To me-Darryl Worley**


	11. Letting Roza Take Charge

Another Strigoi leaped at me, trying to take me by surprise. I grappled with him, trying to avoid his sharp, snapping fangs as I wrestled with him. My concentration was on him and nothing else. Vaguely, I was aware that Rose had her head out the window and was watching everything, but I refused to let myself get off track.

"Dimitri!" Rose suddenly screamed. "Watch your back!"

Hearing this, I immediately shoved the Strigoi away and managed to stake him before spinning around and finding a much older one. I could see some more on the perimeter, but it looked as if she wasn't in control. I knew there must be another one in charge. She moved forward stealthily and I backed up slightly. Somewhere in my mind, I worried about Rose first and then the Moroi and I realized that what I feared, could happen if I wasn't careful.

Meanwhile, the Strigoi bared her teeth at me, a twisted sort of smile that looked more like a grimace. The she spoke: You might as well give up, you will lose to me," she stated, her voice heavily accented.

She lunged forward again and I was knocked to the ground, momentarily stunned, but gaining myself and quickly tightening my grip on the stake I held. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Rose fighting one of her own, only this one looked much, much older and wiser than the one I was currently fighting; that Strigoi was the leader and my Rose was battling her.

Fury gripped me as I thought of these undead beings hurting my Roza. I took a deep breath and tried to keep a clear head because the Strigoi was attempting to sink her fangs into my neck. "Get off," I growled at her.

She flashed me another chilling smile. "Ah, I cannot. I have orders that I am to either kill you, or awaken you, but 'tis my choice on whether or not I do either choice. I suppose I shall have to kill you since you will not cooperate with me."

I didn't answer her and concentrated on trying to keep her mouth away from my skin. I waited a moment, and then launched myself upward, taking her by surprise and slipping her over swiftly. She may be ancient, but not that much.

Obviously, since she was taken by surprise, there was an opening for me to stab my stake into her heart, twisting it as she screamed and writhed in agony, letting out words that should've insulted me. Finally, she fell quiet and I got up. I realized in being knocked to the ground by this powerful Strigoi, it had done some damage.

I grimaced as I stood up, my leg almost giving way. I saw two younger Strigoi come at me and I snatched my stake off the ground, trying to ignore the shooting pain in my leg and I staggered forward a bit, waiting for my chance.

Unfortunately, these two were smart in pairing up; both had an advantage over me, now. One of them launched themselves at me and I fought back, knowing I couldn't defeat both of them at the same time in the state I was in. I was shoved up against the side of the house and the one not holding me, leaned down and brushed her fangs across my neck, drawing a bit of blood. I was breathing heavily and I knew I had to get out of their hold or I was gone.

I attempted to try and use my foot to pull their legs from underneath them. The y were too quick and caught me before I could try anything else and the girl lowered her mouth to my neck, looking hungry and anticipating.

I closed my eyes and waited, trying desperately to think of something, but a force of heat burned the two Strigoi, managing to avoid me. I knew Tasha was working her magic on them. She managed to burn them enough where I could stagger over and stake them both.

She regarded me worriedly. "Dimka? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I muttered. "What are you doing out here?"

She kept her eyes on me. "I came out here to help you. You'd be dead if I hadn't helped."

I was getting impatient. "Yes, I know that. I meant, what are you doing out here without Lissa?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but she stopped and her eyes widened. "I hear something…"

It took me a split second to figure out what she was hearing before I got it. More Strigoi. I looked back at her. "You stay here and finish them off, I'll get the others."

I could tell she disapproved, but was soon distracted and I slipped away. I managed to find a few more and stake them before the rest started to retreat. I walked alongside the perimeter, searching for anything else, before rounding a corner.

"Dimitri," I heard Rose yell.

I looked up and saw her running full speed at me. I held her close to me, relief filling me now that I knew she was perfectly fine. "Roza," I breathed. "Are you alright?"

She stepped back and noticed me for the first time, her eyes going wide as she let out a gasp. "I'm fine, but you…"

I didn't answer her and continued walking, trying not to limp. I winced as the sharp pain shot up and down my leg, making it hard to walk without limping, but I managed. Just barely.

"Dimitri Belikov, get inside now!" Rose ordered.

Despite the circumstances, I found this highly amusing. Suddenly, I heard quick footsteps and Rose caught up to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me to a stop. "Ow, Rose, stop," I told her sharply.

She let go, but was still glaring at me. "Either I'm getting Lissa to heal you or you're getting your ass back inside." I could hear the threat and knew she was serious.

What can I say? She knew that I wouldn't want Lissa to waste her magic on healing me. I knew that if Rose was under the influence of the darkness….there would be no telling how bad it would be, ignoring the fact that I wouldn't be able to deal with her like that in the state I was in.

"Fine, I'm going inside," I finally sighed.

I saw her happy smile and shook my head, muttering to myself in Russian about her gloating. I made it inside, although my leg was giving me hell for walking on it so much. My body protested until I got up to the room and fell back onto the bed. Rose helped me with my shoes and shirt.

"Dimitri," she said when she saw my wounds.

"Leave it alone, Rose."

"I think I can manage," I claimed.

"No, you can't. From the way you try to hide your limp, I cant still see on your face how bad it is."

I studied her. "You really want to help?"

She nodded. "Yup."

I knew I was going to regret what I was going to let her do. "Alright, I'll leave it to you."

"Sweet."

She walked into the bathroom and came out with a wet cloth. I had my eyes closed, but I heard her approach and opened them, watching her warily. She focused on what she was doing, but her eyes met mine. I saw her flush and resume what she was doing.

I knew what she was thinking. It was probably along what I was thinking. She was close enough where I wanted to just kiss her like never befire…

**SORRY! I've been really busy coming back from my trip and having make up work, etc. OMFG SPIRIT BOUND IS FINALLY OUT OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG! My mom promised me I could use one of our gift cards to buy it, but I don't think that'll be too soon. -_- I got detention yesterday for getting caught with my cell phone out in school, and let's just say the rents weren't too thrilled that I got detention for the first time. XP**

**Well, anyways, I'm back now and I'm going to attempt to get back on track!**

**SONGS:**

**Time For Miracles-Adam Lambert**

**Desert Rose- Sting**

**How Far We've Come- Matchbox twenty**

**Psycho-Puddle of Mudd**

**Iris- Goo Goo Dolls**

**Not Ready To Make Nice-Dixie Chicks**


	12. Loving Rose

AS Roza continued to work on getting me cleaned up, I drifted off, tired after everything and needing a chance to think as well. I was still aware of her rubbing the damp cloth over my skin, gently cleaning blood and dirt away. I wanted to talk to her, say anything, but my mind blanked when I thought about it.

I shifted restlessly, unable to quit thinking of Rose and everyone. Vaguely, I heard Rose and Tasha talking to one another in the room quietly and felt pressure where I had injured myself. I knew they were bandaging me up.

But, that was a while ago. Now, I sensed Rose wasn't near the bed anymore. I opened my eyes and tensed, waiting for her to bombard me with words. Didn't happen. She was standing at the window, her head stuck outside.

I heard frustrated sounds from outside and listened, curious. "I think you and Dimka can train Lissa better than I can. Once he's better, of course," Tasha was saying to Rose.

She leaned farther out the window, and I just barely caught Lissa's reply. "Hey, I'm not that bad!"

Roza laughed softly. "Are you sure? Because the bond's telling me otherwise."

I saw her lean even more and I decided now would be the perfect time to make my presence noticed. "Any farther and you'll fall out the window."

I heard her let out a startled gasp and she turned, meeting my eyes. "Did I wake you up?" she sounded guilty of doing so.

I regarded her for a moment before shaking my head. "No, you're fine," I told her.

"Tasha is teaching Lissa some moves, but she thinks we would be better teachers," she sighed.

I smiled slightly. "I heard." I raised my voice enough for the Moroi to hear as I spoke: "I take it she's not capable of fighting?"

Tasha was laughing, Rose was grinning. "I heard that Dimitri!" Lissa cried indignantly.

I chuckled quietly. I glanced over at beautiful Roza and found her lost in thought. I also needed to get up and be of some use. Slowly, I swung my legs out of bed and sat up, grimacing when I felt the muscles pull at my leg.

"Dimitri Belikov! Get in bed right now!" Rose yelled.

I couldn't help it. I laughed, finding it very funny that our roles were reversed. "I'm fine, Rose."

I flinched again at the pain, feeling very sore. "I don't think so. You can hardly walk!" She continued.

I decided not to answer her and finally got to my feet, walking over to the dresser and snatching some clean clothes. "How come when I get hurt, you always make me stay in bed and get all protective, but when you get hurt, I'm not allowed to do anything?"

Finally, I turned my head, our gazes locked. "Because I'm fine and I know how to take care of myself, unlike you," I teased her.

She scowled and slunk back to the window. I headed to the bathroom, feeling the pain full force from the exertion of trying to get back to normal without healing properly first. I braced my hands on the counter, trying to regain my breath.

It was a weird feeling, but it was there. I decided not to move just in case movement would make it worse. I tried distracting myself with fantasies of me and my Roza….

Movement flashed in my periphial vision and I looked up, knowing it was Rose. I could see her vaguely in the mirror as she back peddled, trying not to be seen. Too late, I already knew she was there. I stared into the mirror at her hiding spot. "Rose, I know you're there," I called.

She looked embarrassed as she pushed the door open, still sitting down on the floor. "Whoops," she said sheepishly.

It was actually entertaining. "Were you spying on me?" I asked, not really caring.

She made a face at me. "I just had to make sure you were okay," she said carefully.

I studied her and was aware of her watching me as well. A faint flush tinged her cheeks pink. "Aren't you going to get up?" I finally broke the silence.

She gave a half hearted shrug. "Nope. I'm fine where I am." A devilish smile crept up onto her lips and I nearly groaned. "But I am enjoying the view I get from down here," she let out a giggle.

I rolled my eyes and ran a hand through my hair, exasperated. Typical Rose. Always coming up with a joke or witty line. I sighed and attempted to walk past her. I barely made it out when her hand shot out and grabbed my leg. I sighed again and looked down at her.

She had an almost pleading look to her face, but it was still the mischievous one that made me wary. "And if you say you're fine, why don't you prove it by helping me up?" She suggested.

"Rose—"I started.

"Come on, please?" she begged me. I tried to hide my smile, knowing what she was getting at.

It had been so long since either of us had a chance to be with one another and she was seizing the opportunity to be close to me. I had to admit, I wanted it as well, wanting to feel her in my arms again and kiss her like never before….

Smiling, I reached down swiftly and had her up in my arms almost immediately. "There, now that wasn't a problem," I joked.

I watched her smile and a thoughtful look come to her. It looked like she wasn't done torturing me. Her fingers tangled in my hair and she slowly brought my face down, level with hers. "And, if you're still fine, then you would do this…."

Carefully she leaned up and kissed me, her soft lips moving against mine, just like I had wanted to do all this time…


	13. Battling Out Duties

Her lips moved against mine, looking for a response. "Mm… Rose…" I attempted to push her away.

Stubbornly, she held onto me tighter and her mouth met mine hungrily. I couldn't resist her. I couldn't say no to her any longer. I kissed her back, finally letting out my desires of wanting her after all this time. I laced my fingers in her hair and tilted her head back, kissing her harder, more urgent.

When she broke away to catch her breath, I simply trailed my lips down her neck and back up to her face, barely avoiding her lips, loving the way she shivered as I pressed her closer to me…

Someone cleared their throat. I took a deep breath and pushed her face back. I saw her trying to breathe without gasping. Obviously, our kissing had left her breathless. She untangled her legs from me and I set her down.

"You look better, Dimka," Tasha noted, her eyes looking both me and Rose. "And I see you two have finally made up." A smile touched her lips.

I then realized that Lissa was nowhere to be found. "Tasha, where's Lissa?" I asked her, carefully slipping on a shirt.

Tasha looked slightly flustered as she answered. "She's still outside practicing her magic. She's got the hang of water, but she wanted to try fire. I figured while she did that, I'd come and see what you two were up to. Sorry I interrupted."

"It's fine," I told her, starting to get worried about leaving Lissa outside alone. "But she shouldn't be out there alone. She's the last Dragomir Princess, not to mention Rose's best friend. We just got attacked not long ago, the Court and Academy are looking for us, and so is Dashkov. And you're telling me she's out there, _alone?"_

"Calm down, she's fine," Tasha rolled her eyes, obviously not getting my point. "Oh! I came up to tell you guys that Lissa and I have to pick up Christian soon. I managed to arrange the flight so he came in today. Without them knowing you guys are here, of course."

"It's not safe," I said.

"Dimka, you're not listening! She'll be in my car, which has tinted windows, so I can just run in, grab him and come right back—"

"No, Tasha, you're not listening! What if something happens? How will you know?"

She sighed. This was one thing that Rose would never dare do: Fight against me for something. Yet, Tasha would actually go against me not matter what.

"If Rose wants to come, she's a guardian, so it that makes you feel better…" She trailed off, waiting.

I crossed my arms, getting frustrated. I tried hard to keep the control I so desperately worked for. Rose seemed to notice this and her eyes widened. I finally mentally managed to get a hold of myself and looked back to Tasha.

"I'll come with you then," I finally said, leaving no room for otherwise.

Tasha's expression grew stormy. Both of us were evenly matched in a different way than with me and Rose. "No, you won't. Dimitri, you're hurt and in no condition to go anywhere. I know how to fend for myself, and in case you forgot, I was the one who kept Christian's Strigoi parents from getting to him. I'm sure I can do the same thing for Lissa," she finished determinedly. "Heck I'll even disguise her if you want me to!"

I thought about it, finally glancing over at Roza, who flinched away from my expression. I watched her for a moment before turning back to Tasha, who looked grimly triumphant.

"He should be here soon, so I'm taking Lissa and we're leaving." She brushed past me and went over to Rose, giving her a hug.

I watched as she said something and Rose nodded. Tasha gave me one more look before leaving. I exhaled, and turned around, sitting on the bed, thinking. I was still worried, even though I knew Tasha could easily use her magic to stop anyone from getting to them, but still.

"Hey, Comrade, you just going to sit there like a statue all day?" Rose's voice broke into my thoughts.

I shot her a dark look. "I'm not in the mood, Rose."

I watched her expression change momentarily before she shrugged and turned away, laying back on the pillows, her eyes closing. I watched as she slowly relaxed. She looked peaceful and angelic almost. I sighed. What was I doing? I meant only to save Lissa and then take both the girls back to Court.

I shook my head and glanced back at Roza, who was curled up, fast asleep, no doubt worn out from the long day we all had. A small smile touched her lips when I heard her sigh, "Dimitri." I gently moved off the bed and picked her up, moving the covers, and placing her back down, tucking the blankets in around her.

She remind me of home, of my sister's and family as she curled up. I wanted to have a word with her, but seeing as she was sleeping, I decided to resort to leaving her a note:

_Roza,_

_I'm sure we made up, but I have to say this:_

_I'm sorry. When I get frustrated at you, it tends to test my self control like you always seem to do. I hate yelling at you, but sometimes it's necessary to get my point through your stubborn head._

_I still feel horrible about your birthday, and had no right to act the way I did. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to stay together that night, and I swear to you, I will make that up to you. I swear we'll have our alone time together. And I'm not waiting for this mess to be over. I can't wait that long for you._

_I also hate leaving you notes, but it's the only way I can truly tell you how I feel at the moment. Besides, we have company. And you were asleep by the time I was ready to talk to you._

_I love you. Always. Don't ever forget that. As for the Russian; how would you feel about talking in it? I'm sure no one but me and possibly you know it. No swearing, though._

_You have my heart, always,_

_Dimitri._

I carefully tucked it into the pillow next to her and leaned down, kissing her soft lips.

Downstairs, I heard Tasha, Lissa, and Christian all talking, meaning they were home. I headed downstairs and they all greeted me. I pulled the bags in and set them aside while Tasha got chairs out to sit in.

**Sorry the last one sucked, but I definitely made it up with this SUPER long chapter. XD I had to go back and delete some stuff because it was getting close to going to 2,000 words. XD The next one should be up soon…**

**SONGS:**

**Stand My Ground- Within Temptation**

**I Want IT That Way-Backstreet Boys**

**Ever The Same-Rob Thomas**

**If You Only Knew-Shinedown**


	14. Naughty Rose

Tasha was the life of the party. that is until Rose decided to make her appearance. Tasha was chatting away with her nephew, laughing and cracking jokes. Then while Lissa and Christian talked, she turned to me. Her blue eyes studied me and I knew she could see through me no matter how hard I tried to hide my feelings.

"You sure you're okay, Dimka. We got back here in one piece…"She said the words, but her gaze told me that she knew that it had something to do with Rose.

"I'm fine," I brushed her off.

She would let me, glancing at the other two, she moved closer to me. "No, you're not fine. You can talk to me. I know it's about Rose."

I sighed and sat back. "There's nothing to say."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course there is. Are you worried she might take you snapping at her to heart?"

That was close to a topic I wasn't willing to discuss. She leaned back, waiting, but thankfully, the door opening caught everyone's attention and saved me from answering Tasha's question.

Rose looked like she just rolled out of bed, but only I would notice that. Her hair was brushed to perfection as always and she had cleaned up, looking much healthier.

"Well, look who's here," a smile appeared.

"Hi to you too, Rose," Christian shot back sarcastically.

She sauntered into the kitchen and settled down for sitting on my lap. I felt perfectly at ease when she did so, letting me know I was forgiven for real. We didn't have to hide our relationship here where the Moroi knew and accepted it.

She met my eyes and I searched them, trying to get an answer. I did. She got the note and seemed happier than before all this had started. I decided it was time to quit constantly pushing her away and once in a while giving in to her.

She turned her head. "So, Fire Boy, you got tired of Queen Bitch, or did you just miss me that much?" Rose joked.

I groaned. "Rose." I knew where she was going with cracking these jokes.

She snickered. "Don't worry, Comrade, I'm all yours." She pressed her lips to mine and I wanted to kiss her, the feeling burning within me. But, we had guests and Rose was doing it to torture Lissa and Christian.

I put my hands on her face and pulled away from her, barely hearing Christian making disgusted noises and Lissa scolding Rose. "Rose, that wasn't funny!" Lissa was complaining to her.

I laughed and so did Tasha. Rose's head rested on my shoulder and she let out a contented sigh.

"So, Rose, how's life treating you?" Christian's voice made Rose look back up, glaring.

"Very good, actually."

"Nice to know. I mean you are _free _after all."

I was having a hard time keeping a straight face around them and one glance at Tasha told me the same thing. Lissa just looked like an exasperated mother. I watched her eyes burn, but the rest of her looked at ease and not affected.

I knew her well, too well and I knew she was trying not to lose her temper, but I could see she was already to the point where she was going to lose it anyway.

"Yeah, I'm free so what?" Ah, playing dumb.

"Aw, come on, Rose, you know what I'm saying. You, Belikov, free, alone…"

"Hey, at least I _have _a life that doesn't always involve sex!"

Watching them like a ping pong match was amusing and at Rose's comment, everyone started laughing while Christian just gave Rose a hard look, a sly glint in his eyes. This wasn't good…

"Well, at least I _have _a sex life!"

Her control and temper snapped finally and she leaped up, getting close enough where she could pull her fist back and punch him. Instinct kicked in a quickly before she could cause damage, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand back away from his face.

Christian actually looked afraid. He obviously knew Rose wasn't kidding about punching him or inflicting pain. "I think it's time to go upstairs," I worded the sentence carefully, not wanting to set her off.

"Fine," she crossed her arms.

"Good thing Belikov's here. Otherwise nobody could tame Rose like he can."

Rose growled and turned her burning gaze on him. I winced and moved so that I was restraining her so she wouldn't be able to get loose. "Roza, let's go," I said softly in her ear. "He's not worth it," I tried to convince her.

She obviously thought I was right and turned, stomping upstairs to our room. I followed a distance behind in case she decided to go back. She didn't. She stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door. I had a feeling she took Christian's comment more to heart than she normally would have, due to the circumstances both her and I were under.

I wasn't surprised that her temper had snapped when he made that comment, but how could he know anything that went on? I sighed. I looked once more at the closed door where Roza was getting ready.

I stripped off my shirt and slipped into some sweats, getting into bed. I closed my eyes, thinking about Roza and everything. So much had tested our limits, both of us, yet it was amazing how much closer we could get to one another.

I heard the door open and felt a warm body slip into bed with me. I decided to act like I was really asleep, just to see if she did anything, since I knew she would most definitely try something. My arms wrapped around her and I breathed her name.

She appeared to think I was sleeping and slipped away from my grasp. I opened my eyes slightly, watching as she pulled her clothes off, replacing them with one of my shirts. I had a feeling I knew where she was going with this and I smiled, quickly closing my eyes.

I felt her stretch out suggestively beside me, her head on my chest, body angled very close to mine. My heart picked up speed at her being so close, but I tried to at least keep my breathing even, muttering in Russian.

She moved slowly, her body angled in the perfect way that drove me crazy. I cracked open my eyes and saw her about to take off the shirt. I knew if she went any further, I wouldn't be able to control myself. I snatched her, pulling her to me and she let out a surprised yell.

"I saw everything, my naughty Rose," I breathed, voice husky from desire.

She looked at me, confused. "Huh?"

I decided to clean it up. "I wasn't really sleeping."

"What?" she exclaimed.

"You heard me. Who said I couldn't act," a smile crept onto my lips.

"Then what were you waiting for?" she murmured, a flirty look in her eyes.

"I wanted to see how far you'd actually go."

"Well, I would go farther, but you 'woke up'."

"Well, what about this?" I whispered, bringing our lips together roughly.

I could tell she was caught by surprise, but responded to me nonetheless. Her soft lips were in sync with mine and I deepened the kiss. She pressed closer to me, gluing herself to my side. Every emotion leaked out into the kiss. Emotions that had been held in for so long, kept at bay for a while.

Her mouth opened slightly and she pressed harder, closer—if possible—to me. Our tongues intertwined and she gave a soft groan as I moved my hands, pushing them against her back, trying to get her closer to me, although we were already as close as we could get.

Her hands crept up my shirt, tracing my chest. I felt her smile and I knew she was distracted by something. Yet, I was too in the moment to really comprehend what was going on in her head. Her lips didn't let up and she kept kissing me, her eyes closed.

I kissed her more forcefully, hungrily, wanting more of her. But she did a surprising thing: she pulled away from me. She untangled herself from me and I watched her with curiosity. She shot me a lazy grin.

"Lissa wants to talk to me," she said.

The smile was smug and I suddenly knew what she had been doing. I groaned loudly, letting my head fall back onto the pillows. "Roza, can't you go one day without torturing people?"

She lifted her shoulders and let them drop. "Maybe, but I've never tried."

I shook my head, finally sitting up as she slipped outside. Recently, Rose and Lissa found out their bond could work both ways, expanding Rose's mind to Lissa's as it had been vice versa. Rose had often told me before that she couldn't sleep because Lissa would get together with Christian, the feelings sucking her into Lissa's head.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as I heard laughter coming from the spare room, which was right next to our room. I remembered how my sisters' were at home and the memory brought a smile to my face.

**Okay, so I've gotten past the scene in LLT (Love, Life, Tragedy) where they sleep together, and I didn't continue with this because it didn't feel right to keep going when they didn't have their "first time" together.**

**SONGS:**

**Down With The Sickness-Disturbed**

**Anthem Of The Angels/Give Me A Sign-Breaking Benjamin**

**When I Get Where I'm Going-Brad Paisley ft. Dolly Parton**

**Lithium-Evanescence**


	15. A Night Together

I heard more laughter on Rose's part, nothing from Lissa and I shook my head. What was I supposed to do with her? Finally, I heard Rose's laughter die down and Lissa scolding her. I exhaled and got out of bed, walking over to the dresser and getting dressed.

It was actually still nighttime, but later on, I had plans for Rose. I went downstairs for some coffee, finding Tasha still up, flipping through a magazine. "Should you be in bed?" she looked up when I spoke.

She gave me a tired smile. "I don't know, should I?"

I rolled my eyes. "I think so. I'm taking Rose out here soon."

She nodded. "Okay, have fun."

I gave her a quizzical look. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little bit tired, nothing you need to worry about."

I studied her and then placed my hand on her arm. "I think you need to go upstairs and get some sleep," I murmured.

"I think you're right," she yawned. "Oh, and Dimka, we'll be fine at the hotel tonight. IT's worth it. After all, you two do a wonderful job of protecting us like guardians should even though we're technically not in that world anymore." Her blue eyes turned soft as she said what she said next, "Remember, Dimitri, she loves you a lot. Don't disappoint her. Coming from a woman's point of view that is." A wry smile turned up her lips.

She stood up and I let go of her arm, watching as she retreated with a barely audible, "Good night, Dimka."

I poured some coffee into a mug and sipped it slowly, leaning against the counter, thinking. Then, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I knew all too well…

"Belikov, good to hear from you!"

"Yes. About those reservations, are they still on?"

"Of course they are. You're welcome to drop by anytime you like."

I pondered that and then asked, "Is tonight alright?"

There was a brief silence and then, "Of course. Got someone special?" I could hear a teasing tone in his voice.

I smiled slightly. "I'll let you figure that out."

He laughed and I hung up, placing the phone back in my pocket. I made my way silently up the stairs and into the bedroom, stripping off my old clothes and slipping into some more formal, but still casual. The, I tried the bathroom door, figuring Rose being the person she was would keep it unlocked in case I "decided to join her".

I saw her towel resting over the bar and I was just tempted to take it and play a game with her. I kept my eyes on the curtains as I removed the towel from where it was, taking it with me while I shaved. I also decided to set her clothes out, since she wouldn't know what to wear. I put a dress I had bought her on the counter, making sure it was in sight. It was a while, but I finally heard the shower turn off and a hand shot out, fingers closing on nothing but empty air.

Her head came out next and she looked around, a confused look on her face. I laughed softly and her eyes flicked up to find me leaning against the counter, holding her towel. "I believe this is yours."

"Give it back," she growled.

"Come and get it."

"Not this again," she complained.

I dropped the towel on the counter, arching an eyebrow, waiting for her. Last time I had played the trick, she had gotten out right away, no clothes on…She was absolutely gorgeous and I wanted her then so bad, but knew it wasn't the right time.

But this time, she was going to make me wait. She sat down in the tub, her head only visible. "I'm not going to fall for that again," she declared.

I chuckled lightly. "Well, I was going to take you somewhere special…"

I saw I had her attention. "What?"

She poked her head out farther, peering at me through her wet, tangled hair. "I was planning on taking you out somewhere for the day and then the night. Just the two of us…"

"Huh. Well, why don't you tell me about these 'special plans'?"

I thought about hinting at what I had planned, but decided not to. "I…can't. It's a surprise."

"Well, can't you give me a hint?"

Now, she was just being Rose. I was starting to get annoyed at the fact that it was getting late and that I needed to take her out now so the Moroi could figure out what they wanted to do. "Rose, I don't know what you're up to, but you don't come out and get dressed, we're going to be late." I turned and left the bathroom.

I left and waited downstairs; grabbing the keys and trying to compose myself and thinking about what Tasha had told me earlier about Rose. I decided that I wasn't going to disappoint her. Not tonight. Not this time.

I saw Rose come down the stairs and turned around looking for me. Her mouth opened and I knew she was about to shout, so I moved stealthily in front of her, placing a finger to my lips, leading her out the kitchen door to the car.

Outside, I finally said, " I was beginning to think I would have to cancel dinner."

"Dinner?" her voice came out slightly more high pitched than usual.

I nodded. "What else are we doing?" I could hear the nervousness and the hope in her voice as I opened the door for her.

"Tasha, Lissa, and Christian all volunteered to stay at a nearby hotel so we could have the house to ourselves for a while."

I was eager to get to that part of the night, but knew I had to get through dinner. I wasn't like I didn't want to take her to dinner; I just wanted to spend time alone with my Roza for a while. Often, when she wasn't looking, I watched her, still keeping half my attention on the road.

Her hair was near perfection as always, waves falling and curling slightly at the ends, her eyes lightly outlined in dark make up and a clip held part of her hair back away from her face.

I pulled into a parking space when we reached the restaurant and Rose snorted when she got out. "Okay, seriously? A restaurant? With fast food?"

I shot her a lazy smile. "Yes, knowing you, you would want something like pizza, something simple."

She rolled her eyes. "Then why are we dressed up?"

"You'll see."

I held the door open and I heard her gasp as she went in. She stood still in the middle of the floor, staring away at the midnight ceiling, decorated with stars and soft colored lights strung around the place. There was a social place, and then there were the private booths.

An old friend I knew from when I was younger, was our waiter. He smiled briefly at me and I nodded slightly in response. He was from Romania, but his accent wasn't quite as thick, and I could tell Roza found something familiar, since he was a Moroi.

Jake led us around to one of the private, enclosed booths and I slid in across from Rose. "How the hell di you pay for all this?" she breathed out when the door shut.

A soft smile spread across my face as I leaned back. "Don't worry, Roza. I know someone who works here that could get us in here for free actually."

"Hey, the waiter seemed familiar…"

"Yes, he's one of the few Moroi who work here."

"Moroi?" she got out finally.

I explained it to her about how some of the dhampirs and Moroi decided to work here for an old friend who knew Ivan and how he repaid a favor for me guarding Ivan and being a guardian in general.

I could tell she was still confused. "But how? Almost everyone's a guardian—"

"Because I was Ivan's friend, remember?" I reminded her almost bitterly.

Carefully, she slipped out and came over, curling up next to me. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

I pressed my lips lightly to her cheek. "Nothing to be sorry about."

Jake came back, knocking on the door. Rose shot up and quickly made her way back to her seat and I sat up, inviting him in when we were set. He came in and set some salads down, turning and giving Rose a quick smile before leaving.

Rose looked up at me and I gave her a small smile. She rolled her eyes and we started on the salads. I didn't eat right away, wanting to savor the moment of finally being alone with Rose. My Roza….

**That was a long one. XD**

**SONGS:**

**Superman Tonight-Bon Jovi**

**Just Dance-Lady Gaga**


	16. Alone At Last

Rose looked pretty content with just staying here and I wasn't surprised to find that she was staring up at the ceiling, her head in my lap. I had managed to arrange the booths so they made more of a bed then a sitting area. Rose had shoved the table into a corner and had a dreamy look on her face as she lay watching the lights.

I gently ran my hand over her hair, stroking face gently, leaning my head back against the cushioned headrest. Yet, I knew it was time to go. Tasha and the other two would've left by now… "Rose?" I questioned.

"Huh?" her tone was sleepy, as was her expression.

"Are you ready to go?"

I saw her blink and she didn't answer me. "Rose," I said again.

"Sorry, yeah, I'm good."

I shifted and tried to get up, but she clutched me. "I don't want to leave yet."

I looked down at the beautiful girl that was all mine, feeling happy and nothing but love for her. "It's getting late—" I tried to reason before she cut me off.

She glued our mouths together and I sighed as our lips met, moving slowly, lovingly. It soon accelerated, becoming hungry with the desire that was in both of us. I wanted her. I needed her. Hell, I probably could take her right then and there.

But, I had to remind myself, although private against prying eyes, it was still a public place and Rose was still young, although eighteen. She had never experienced anything else besides a Moroi wanting her out of her clothes. It wouldn't be her first time, but it definitely wasn't something I wanted to do here.

Her hands slid up my shirt, tracing my skin. I shivered at her touch, removing one hand from where it was tangled in her long, dark hair, and letting it free from the clip. I trailed my lips around her skin, near hre lips…But somewhere, I knew we had to leave.

"Rose," I gasped around her lips, pulling away from her kisses.

"Mmm," she sighed.

I cupped her face in my hands and looked her in the eyes. "Save it for later."

I pulled her up with me and I moved the booths back to their original position, pushing the table back as well. I took Roza's hand and led her out of the private area and back into the main lobby and back out to the car.

Neither of us had said a word throughout the entire car ride. When we got there, I knew no one was home since all lights were turned off and everything was quiet. Rose got out, busily adjusting her dress and hair while I crept around the back, making sure everything was good and there was nothing hiding.

I saw Rose step inside and I decide to go in the kitchen door since I was in front of it. Rose's back was to me as I snuck up behind her, being careful not to make any noise. She moved up the stairs gracefully and I followed, grabbing her waist when she was at the door.

"Dimitri!" she shouted. "Put. Me. Down. Now!"

I laughed outright and pulled her into the room. "Like this?" I asked her, letting her fall onto the bed.

She glared at me and she sighed. "Now?" she was obviously eager to get to our time alone.

I let out a small laugh. "Yes, I guess so."

I leaned over, hovering over her. Almost immediately, she pulled me down, and my lips were on hers at last, kissing her like there was no time in the world, kissing her like she was my salvation. She pressed closer to me, her body molding perfectly with mine as her lips responded to my urgent kiss.

I moved my hands down to her dress, pulling that off of her. I let my fingers trail slowly up her legs, lingering at the top briefly before tangling my fingers in her hair as she slowly unbuttoned my shirt, kissing me each time one came undone, changing it when she got lower, using her teeth and tongue.

When the last button came undone, I moved on top of her, kissing her still, but removing the last of her clothes. Her head tilted back and her breathing grew unsteady and she let out a breath, sighing. The kiss grew headier and I grabbed onto her, pushing her close to my body, wanting all of her.

I moved my head and started running my teeth and tongue over her body as she removed my shirt at last. I played with her, not touching her lips, but when I finally allowed our lips back together, she let out a groan, her hands slipping down to remove my pants.

She straddled my hips and ran her hands down my body, my lips still on her neck as I kissed her. Her hands slipped down lower into my boxers, but before she could do anything I flipped her back over. She finally slipped them off and we became one.

She took control, kissing everywhere, until I put her underneath me, both of us in sync…Soon, the point to where we were done, came and Roza was in my arms, sighing happily. She curled up closer to me and I hugged her tighter.

A few hours later, I was slowly shaking her, trying to wake her up. "Roza get up, sweet heart. Nu, lyubovʹ (Come on, love)," I murmured to her in Russian.

"Mm," she said, stirring.

She opened her eyes. "Мой ангел (My angel)," I whispered.

"What does that mean?" she mumbled incoherently.

I smiled at her. "My angel."

She smiled and her eyes started to close again. "Now it's time for you to get up."

"I don't want to! I'm perfectly fine where I am," complained Rose.

I rolled my eyes, saying, "I am too, but you slept for quite a while."

She propped herself up on an elbow and looked over at the alarm clock. "Well shit," she swore.

It was dawn and Roza had slept for a long time. It was also time to eat something, breakfast, if I remembered correctly. "Language, Roza," I chastised lightly.

"Language my ass," she muttered to herself. I heard her anyways.

I pulled at the covers and pillow she had buried herself under. "What was that, Rose?" I asked, lowering my mouth to her neck. Her next response shocked me to an extent.

"Nothing!" she snapped. "Now can I sleep?"

"I don't think so."

Suddenly, her hand, curled in a fist, came out and tried to hit something. I caught it before she could inflict any damage to anything or to herself. "Go the fuck away," she grumbled under her breath.

It wasn't aimed at me, but I froze for a moment. "Rose, are you sure you're okay?" I checked.

She groaned and I tensed, wanting to help her out, but not knowing what was happening…The darkness. Lissa's magic. I let out a breath I had been holding. "Rose."

I watched her hands anchor onto the blankets like they would help her out somehow…. "Away…._Please!" _she cried.

She was begging me to go away. I understood that much, but I wasn't going to let her fight it on her own. I was always going to be there for her, and this time was no different. So, instead of leaving like she wanted, I leaned closer to her, breathing in her ear, "Rose, don't let it get to you."

I pressed my body into hers, trying to distract her. She shivered slightly as I started kissing her neck, her face, her skin. I trailed my lips very close to her lips, but didn't touch them, wanting to play with her, get a reaction that would normally happen when she wanted me.

It wasn't working, so I used my tongue and teeth, trying to distract her, help her out. Her breathing hitched just the slightest and I noticed, but it was obvious it wasn't going to work this time. I moved back and watched her struggle.

Suddenly, she reached out, looking almost murderous. It scared me and I grabbed hold of her before she could do anything or grab anything. "Let go of me," she growled, her eyes unfocused.

"Rose, listen to me. You can fight it, you're strong enough to get through this!" I said desperately.

I saw her something flash in her eyes and I tried again. "Roza, Мой ангел, listen to me, please. Stop."

She stopped physically fighting me, but I could see her mentally battling out the dark effects. Tears seeped out the corners of her eyes and I burned to brush them away, crush her to me and tell her she was going to be alright, the desire to protect her.

Yet, I refrained, knowing this was a battle she now had to fight off herself. She stared into my eyes, breathing heavy, her body shaking with the effort of fighting the darkness. I stared back into her eyes, lending her strength, sending her the message that I was willing to help her fight it if she let me.

Finally, she turned her head, burying it in my chest as sobs wracked her body. I rubbed her back soothingly, humming softly in Russian, keeping her cold body close to my warm one as she let out the stress and pressure building up inside of her.


	17. Taking A Walk To Cool Off

Her sobs soon died down, but her breathing was still unsteady as she stayed curled up, not saying anything. I could feel the fear and tangled emotions from her body, knowing that this time was as worse as all the other times this had happened. She was still silent and wouldn't talk.

Finally I asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" I wasn't going to pressure her if she didn't want to.

She shook her head and turned her head back into hiding. She was a mess, but she was still beautiful. I held onto her tight, understanding her need for some peace and quiet for a little while. I murmured things in Russian, not really paying attention to what I was saying to her, just as long as it calmed her.

She relaxed for a second, but then stiffened. "Roza?" I questioned, nudging her gently.

"What?" her voice came out muffled and subdued.

"Why don't we go get something to eat…I'm sure you'll feel better after eating a proper meal," I suggested to her.

Rose didn't say anything, but she got up, grabbing her robe from where it was on her bed and slipped inside the bathroom. I sighed and got up, putting on some clothes and then making my way downstairs where I turned the TV on for some noise and went into the kitchen, putting some coffee on.

I heard soft footfalls and knew Rose was down in the other room. I heard her flipping through channels on the TV, before it shut off. She didn't come into the kitchen and I decided to leave her alone until the coffee was ready.

I pulled out two mugs and poured coffee in mine, putting hot chocolate in hers with a little bit of coffee to perk her up, hopefully. I mixed her drink and then walked into the other room, finding her on the couch, curled in on herself, eyes shut.

She wasn't sleeping and she heard me. Her eyes opened slowly and she sat up while I handed her the mug. She took it carefully, wrapping both hands around the warm mug and then drinking it down. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" I hated to push her, but I needed her to talk about it instead of wallowing in misery.

"I don't want to talk about it," the back off tone was evident in her voice and I was silent.

She finished up her drink and I finished mine up as well. I took her mug and rinsed it out in the kitchen, deciding maybe since it was nice out and we had time to kill, to take a walk together. The fresh air would probably do her good too.

"Roza," I called out. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Yeah," she said hoarsely.

"Get dressed."

She got up off the couch and dragged herself upstairs. I couldn't stay in the house any longer and I grabbed my sunglasses, deciding that it would help hide my identity as well as protect against the sun. Of course they were weaker for us since they were made for humans.

I walked out the door and leaned against a tree, watching the clear blue sky and the clouds that were racing across it, my thoughts—as always—on Rose. What had happened with her earlier? Why was it suddenly so bad? So hard to fight? Why had it left her in tears?

I sighed. Rose probably had all the answers, but she wouldn't talk to me and was sulking, which was unusual for her to do so. I wondered what was going on with her lately. She wouldn't talk to me about anything, she appeared more distant than usual when certain episodes happened, and she was out of character nowadays.

There was something, something there that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but it was close. The burning desire to protect her and not let anything happen to her was still strong and burning within me as I pondered over these questions.

I was startled slightly when a warm body pressed into mine, but instinctively, my arm went around her shoulder, knowing it was just Rose. I pulled her close to me and turned my searching eyes to hers. I wanted some answers and I wanted them from her in particular.

Her gaze didn't falter as she stared right back into my eyes. I saw her trying to act like everything was normal, everything was alright, even when it wasn't. She was hiding from me and I hated that. I was about to talk to her when she interrupted.

"Where are we going?" wondered Rose.

"Nowhere in particular. Why? Is there somewhere you want to go?"

She gave her head a shake. "Nope, I'm good."

I took her hand in one of mine, using my other hand to pull down my sunglasses. "Where are your sunglasses? I asked her.

She lifted her shoulders. "I forgot them. I don't need them now anyway."

I decided it was best not to say anything else since she obviously didn't want them. Out the corner of my eye, I noticed her watching me constantly when she thought I wasn't looking. She was still silent and neither of us said anything.

"Rose?" I murmured. "Roza…"

She didn't answer, she just looked deep in thought. I stopped and turned to face her, placing my hands on her shoulders and leaning down to eye level. "Rose, are you okay? I called your name, but you didn't answer."

I watched as recognization crept back into her eyes. "Sorry, yeah. I was just thinking."

Relieved that she seemed back to more or less her normal self, I asked. "About what?"

I let go and we started walking again. "About someone special," she shot me a sly smile.

She was flirting with me and we both knew it. I decided there was nothing wrong with returning the favor since we were both at ease and away from both the Academy and Court. "Would I happen to know this someone?"

Shock and surprise registered on her face before she made a recovery. "Well, maybe you do. Unless you don't live with him."

"Describe him to me," I smiled, enjoying the moment that was truly ours alone.

"Well let's see: He's super tall, dark hair, sexy Russian accent, and he's a major Badass Russian Guardian and mentor."

I found a corner and I was already dying to kiss her soft lips once more. I pulled her to me, trapping her between me and the wall. "Would this guy happen to love you with all his heart?" I questioned, letting my "sexy Russian accent" flow, as Rose would put it.

She thought about it. "Hmm, I don't know. If I were to guess, I'd say yes and no…"

A growl slipped out from me. "Oh, calm down. I'd say yes." She grinned.

I met her eyes at last. "Then I do know him." My voice came out rough from the emotions taking over,

She grabbed my hand and pulled me close to her, covering my mouth with hers. I laughed softly, moving so I could get close to kiss her back. She let out a happy sound as I deepened the kiss, tilting her head back so I could reach her lips better, soon trailing them down her skin.

I struggled with staying in control and she knew she was pushing my buttons, giving me one last kiss before pulling away at last. She seemed much better and I smiled at her before intertwining our fingers together and leading her back out on the sidewalk.


	18. Captured Moroi

Both our hands were still entwined as we walked down the street. It started sprinkling rain and I titled my head up, feeling the cool water on my face for a moment. Rose was quiet, but this time it was a good quiet. She started swinging our hands around, obviously loving the fact that we didn't exactly have to hide. I shot her an amused look, smiling.

We were almost at the house, but she stopped suddenly, a blank stare that I knew all too well. "Rose, what's going on." I figured something was up with Lissa or the Ozera's.

I watched her eyes become even more unfocused as she checked the bond. I waited, gripping her shoulders, knowing she needed to make sure of what was going on before telling me. I pulled her close to me and laid my cheek against her head, waiting for her to come back to reality.

I was startled to find tears seeping out of her eyes, and I lifted my head, moving my hand so I could wipe them away. Finally, Rose's eyes became focused and I could tell everything was not alright with the Moroi. "Lissa," she cried, more tears slipping down her face.

I moved my sunglasses and stared her in the eye. "What? What's wrong?"

She held up a finger, motioning to be patient. "Lissa…Tasha…Christian…They found them! They found them and they're saying we might be stripped of our guardian titles!" I heard the majority of it, but I didn't understand.

"Slow down, and tell me slowly what happened."

She took a deep breath and started over, this time leaving nothing out as she told me that guardians from the Court and Academy had found the Moroi. Alberta and Stan were among them, which was how she knew right away. They had apparently sent out Psi-hounds to track us down, but found them instead.

When she was finished explaining she looked up at me. "What do we do?"

I sighed. "We don't have a choice: we have to go back."

Her eyes went wide as she gaped at me. "You're kidding me."

"No, unfortunately."

She let out a frustrated sound and I saw her stare go blank, meaning she was checking up on Lissa and the others. I wasn't sure what the bond was telling Rose, but it obviously wasn't something good since tears once more slid down Roza's cheeks.

She returned to the present and threw herself in my arms, weeping. "Oh, Roza," I breathed, pulling her closer to me. "It's alright. We'll get them back somehow and our freedom."

I could see her fighting with her temper, to keep herself in check and I was proud of her when she did. Silence enveloped us for a while before she spoke. "Dimitri?"

"Hmm?"

"Do we have to leave?" I finally removed myself from her embrace, looking at her.

"Not unless you want to." It was wrong of me to say that. Very wrong.

By now, we had reached our room in the house and were no longer outside where prying eyes could find us. Since we were alone, I leaned down and kissed her forehead pausing just the slightest before moving to her lips. For once, Rose didn't try and push on my self control, seeming to understand something.

Normally, by now I would've pulled away, but I couldn't bring myself to do so. "Mm," Rose sighed against my lips.

I snaked my arms around her and pressed her right up against my body, kissing her like never before. She broke away for air and I trailed my lips down to where her shirt was and then moved back up to her, as her own hands traced my chest, causing me to shiver.

I felt her fingers slip down, down lower and I stopped her, moving back. She folded her arms and attempted to pout at me. I laughed, putting a finger on her jutting lower lip.

"Now isn't the time to get carried away, Roza. We're still guardians."

"Whatever you say, Comrade," she said, rolling her eyes.

I laughed in relief again when I heard her call me the annoying nickname she had given me. "It's been awhile since you called me that."

Her hand reached out and slapped me. "I thought you hated that name!" she exclaimed.

I smiled. "Yes, but to hear you say it after all this time…"

She seemed to see my point and her hand slipped out of mine as she walked over to where he clothes were strewn on the floor, a mischievous smile on her lips as she pulled off the clothes she was wearing and replacing it slowly with her pajamas.

I sat on the bed, groaning. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the headboard. The things she did to me. I started swearing in Russian so she wouldn't understand…It didn't make a difference anyways. She knew it by now when I was swearing.

I changed from swearing immediately to muttering in Russian so she wouldn't understand what I was saying." Klyanusʹ Ros budet smerti menya odin denʹ, yesli ona uzhe ne yavlyaet·sya ... Yesli ona dumaet, chto ya v sostoyanii kontrolirovatʹ sebya, ona s uma ... Konechno, eto to, chto ona hochet ot menya poteryatʹ kontrolʹ. Chert vozʹmi, Rouz (I swear Ros will be the death of me one day if she already isn't...If she thinks I'm able to control myself, she's crazy...Of course that's what she wants from me: To lose control. Damn it, Rose)!"

She looked over at me curiously. "What are you saying?" she prompted.

I let out a breath. "Nothing, Rose, nothing."

She put her hands on her hips. "You were swearing and then you started talking in Russian. Won't you teach it to me? Please?" she begged.

I shook my head, a smile playing on my lips. "Now why would I do that?"

She gave me an innocent look. "Because you love me and I know how to make you give in either way?" she replied sweetly.

I groaned. Of course. Of course she knew how to make me give in. "Taunting me isn't fair, Roza," I murmured.

She continued to plead. "I don't care, I need to learn Russian!"

I didn't say anything else to her and she came over, slipping onto my lap and wrapping her arms around my neck. Her lips touched mine and then she backed away, teasing me. My heart raced and my body yearned for her once more, wanting to touch her.

Finally, she moved her lips onto mine and kissed me softly, seducing me. Her fingers tangled in my hair and finally I couldn't take it any longer. I kissed her back, one hand going to her hair, the other wrapping around her waist to pull her closer.

I kissed her for a while before I pulled back with an exasperated groan. "Oh, Rose."

She looked at me eagerly. "Does this mean I get to learn?"

I kissed her gently. "Maybe."

**Added some dialogue in the end that wasn't in FGB (Forbidden Love, Guardian Life, Broken Promises, shortened to Forbidden, guardian, and broken, hence FGB).**

**SONGS:**

**None**


	19. AN: I'm sorry!

I hate to do this, but I felt I haven't been on for so long. I'm not even gonna go into detail. Sophomore year's being a total bitch with all the stress and then friendship issues, and boy issues. I probably won't be writing anything for a little while until I'm positive I can sit down and put my heart into my stories.

I'm really, really sorry, and though I vowed I would be one of those people who would do this, but I have to. I've too much to deal with and I felt like I should give you guys a heads up for a little while. Again, I apologize.

Thanks for being so loyal, though, I love you guys!

~~DuskyGurl**


End file.

Vampire Academy, Romance, Tragedy