Vampire Academy 1. Prologue : Betrayal and Deception

**A/N : Yes! I finally managed to get a solid plot together, and I actually think it sounds pretty interesting. Below is the summary for the story! **

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><p><strong><span>SUMMARY<span>  
><strong>

**Rose, a FBI agent, loses her beloved tutor, Abe, from her early years in the organisation. Determined to find out his whereabouts and what happened to him, she stumbles upon some suspicious clues that led her to believe someone high in the hierarchy is laundering money and had silenced Abe when he had gotten too close to discovering the truth. But she needs hard evidence, and where else to get it but the person-in-question's house? ****But for that job, she needs an expert in breaking and entering, and she is told to look for Dimitri, the best man for the job. She just never expected him to be so ruggedly handsome... and difficult.**

**Dimitri, betrayed by the very people he worked for, swore never to trust anybody in the FBI again. Then came along Rose, who uses forged documents to rescue him from a life imprisonment in jail to help her accomplish a mission. Dimitri, however reluctant he might be to accept everything that Rose is telling him, finds himself more than just a little attracted to the beautiful and sexy agent. Finally letting her convince him, he teams up with Rose, and they start their journey. On the run, Dimitri and Rose have to fend off federal agents, local police and the public after them due to a large bounty, along with their undeniable lust for each other. . . **

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><p><strong>Okay! This is just merely the prologue**** (Thanks Lacey!), so expect following chapters to be longer. <strong>

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><p>Night fell over New York City like a blanket, snuffing out the remaining daylight and obscuring the sun. Lights flickered on slowly all over the city as darkness descended with languorous slowness, the bustling night life already in full bloom. Clubs with attractive neon signs lured patrons into their noisy dens, while couples strolled along the pavement under the velvet sky, lost in their own little world that only love had the ability to conjure up.<p>

Dimitri Belikov wasn't in any of those crowds.

He leaned against a lamppost, his arms folded with his hoodie pulled low over his face, earphones plugged into his ears. To most passers-by, it was a common enough sight that a majority paid him no attention, and only the person who knew exactly what to look for would notice and recognize him for who he really was.

A minute trickled by, and the song he was listening to, 'Home' by Michael Buble, drew to an end. Peering from below the cover of his hoodie, he once again catalogued the people walking by. He was supposedly waiting for a man in his mid-thirties – his contact for the job from the FBI.

Dimitri didn't have to wait much longer before a man jogged by, dressed in casual sportswear. He was powerfully built, and there was a tiny bulge near the waistband of his shorts that Dimitri instantly determined as a Glock, and from the size, a 9mm one that had a quick reload time but an equally high recoil.

Not much of a threat.

The man's eyes landed on him for a fleeting second, and their gazes collided in unspoken communication. He gave Dimitri a barely perceptible nod before slowing down to a brisk walk, and strode over to the bench closest to him. He then began to do a series of warming down exercises.

Keeping his head down, Dimitri pretended to examine the phone in his hand. Then he remembered that he had to turn off the music, and did so with a quick jab at the pause button of the music player. "Place and time? Objectives?"

There was a short pause before the man replied. "Rendezvous Hotel, 10p.m. Replace the bank book in room 312, 15th floor."

"Target?"

"Negative," The man cocked his head to the side to stretch his neck, and he glanced at Dimitri. "Nobody will be in there."

"Time frame?"

"Ten minutes."

Simple enough. Dimitri had worked under far harsher conditions in almost impossible time frames. This would be a walk in the park as compared to them. "Payment?"

"Right after," The man, having finished his exercise, prepared to leave, purposely leaving behind the small pouch he was carrying. Dimitri had no doubts that it contained the fake bank book he was to replace the genuine one with. "Fifty thousand will be wired to your account once you successfully complete the mission."

"Generous," Dimitri said to the man's retreating back, then walked forward to snag the pouch lying on the bench, stuffing it into his jacket. With that done, he stabbed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and sauntered off. In about an hour's time, he would have fifty thousand dollars putty in his bank account.

Dimitri grinned, thinking how easy was it for him to earn a living – especially when he was the best in his line of work.

If Dimitri had stayed, he would have seen the man turning around, watching him as he was swallowed by the shadows in the distance.

If Dimitri had glanced back, he would have seen the side of the man's lips tipping upwards into a smirk.

But he didn't.

And it was the biggest mistake of his life.

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><p><strong>So, what do you think? Leave a reviewcomment and tell me whether I should continue this story or not :)**


	2. Chapter 1 : The Break In

**A/N: Soooooooo... Had to do plenty of research for this one chapter :/ But hey, as long as you guys enjoy it, its worth it. . . right? :P **

**Tell me what you think! First time actually attempting to breach this genre, and I hope I'm doing it well!**

**Okay, that's about it. **

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><p><em><strong>Two years later<strong>__. . ._

_16__th__ January, 2009._

_ADX Florence, Florence, Colorado_

_Maximum Security Prison_

_4:29 p.m, GMT +7  
><em>

Rose Hathaway glanced at the rearview mirror as she slowly reversed the Buick Lacrosse Abe Mazur, her tutor and confidant of a year, had gifted her after the successful completion of her first mission into a parking lot assigned to her upon entry into the prison compound. She was careful not to get a single scratch or dent on her beloved vehicle because Rose still believed it somehow represented Abe, and getting it damaged – however small the damage might be – meant disrespect to him.

She would never disrespect the person that had guided her for a big part of her life in the FBI.

And that respect and love for Abe was also the reason why she was embarking on this journey; a journey to unearth his whereabouts – not news of his death, because Rose held firmly to the believe that Abe was still alive – and to bring him back to her side again, where he belonged.

Putting the engine into neutral, she pushed open the door and stepped out onto the snow crusted ground, her boots sinking into it. In Colorado, the weather tended to be pretty unpredictable, and she had come prepared with clothes for every season : Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Rose wasn't exaggerating when she told the customs that her luggage weighed a ton.

Clutching her jacket tighter around herself, Rose began to walk over to the entrance of the prison, ignoring the interested glances thrown her way by the patrolling guards. She was on a mission, and she wasn't about to get herself distracted by anything.

Arriving at the large, reinforced metal doors, Rose flashed her identification to the bored looking guards who seemed to perk up at her appearance. "FBI, here on classified business to take one of your prisoners into our custody for questioning."

One of the two guards glanced at the other. "We weren't told about such arrangements."

Rose clucked her tongue, feigning annoyance and impatience. "Well, your system must have fucked up somewhere then. Now, let me in."

The other guard, looking more cool and professional, crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "Sorry ma'am, can't do that unless we receive the orders to."

Rose mentally panicked. She had not counted on the stubbornness of a guard to trample her plans. All she had plotted for was what she would do _inside, _not _outside. _Improvising, she reached inside of her coat to retrieve the documents she was going to use to extract her target. "I think you fail to understand how important this is," she said, tapping at the cover of the file with her fingernails to draw their attention to it, "and I might have to enlighten you two. I am on strict orders from headquarters to bring the prisoner back to Washington D.C., and I'm sure you're well aware that the FBI is a step higher than the local police here in terms of authority, so you will do well to listen to what _I _say."

The clearly inexperienced guard paled, and seemed to shrink in presence. The other one, however, still appeared as unruffled as ever. "Look here, lady or Agent or whatever fuck you people call yourself, we do not need to take orders from you. You are no longer in the area you have influence over, and I advise you not to take that tone with me, lest I decide to haul you into jail too for misconduct."

Rose gritted her teeth, her fists clenching tightly. She had spent too much time milling over the details of her plan to have it foiled by an asshole. In a split second, she made her decision.

She lashed out with her right leg, swinging it in a roundhouse kick and brought it smashing down on the guard's head, and he went out like a light, collapsing onto the ground with a barely audible moan.

The other guard backed away, his hands up in surrender. "Jesus Christ – " He blabbered, his eyes wide open in trepidation.

"Shut up," Rose hissed, advancing on him with a pounce on pinning him to the door. "Unlock the door." She commanded, jerking him roughly by the shoulders to the metal door.

"I don't have the keys!" He wailed, his bottom lip trembling, and Rose almost rolled her eyes. Just her luck to get one tough ass and one crybaby. "He has them!" The guard, visibly on the verge of tears, jabbed a finger at the other guard's latent form.

"Then go and get it," Rose shoved him towards his partner, causing him to stumble forward with a cry. "And hurry up!"

It took almost a full minute for the guard to locate the keys and to remove it from his partner's pockets; his hands were shaking so hard. He passed it over to Rose when she extended her palm and she inserted it into the lock, turning it stealthily, hearing the silent click as she unlocked it.

She turned to the guard. "Stay here, and pretend that nothing happened, or I swear to God I'll have your balls for breakfast."

The guard, scared out of his wits, jumped to attention and actually _saluted _her. "Y-Yes!"

A smile at the edge of her lips, Rose entered the compound and took a right turn to the warden's office. She already memorized down the blueprints of the prison – blueprints she had to hack into the database to acquire – and knew exactly where to go so she could hightail out of there in the shortest possible time with the person whose help she needed the moment she had him on her leash.

A knock and a few short customary greetings later, Rose handed the warden, Bryan – a greying-haired old man who badly needed a shave – the forged documents she had went through great pains to come out with. "I need to bring him back with me."

The warden scanned through the pages of the file slowly, and paused several times at some pages, leaving Rose fidgeting nervously. Was something printed wrongly? Would he discover that this was all just a –

"Okay," Bryan declared with a flourish of his wrinkled hand, his other hand gripping a huge set of keys. "everything seems to be in order. Follow me."

Releasing a breath of relief, Rose tailed the warden as he navigated the compound to the interrogation room. At the door, he cursed loudly and spun around to face Rose. "Old age is really catching up with me," he growled, "what did I bring the keys for when the door to the interrogation room doesn't even require keys?"

Rose gave him a faked sympathetic smile, then sidestepped his wiry frame and put her hand on the knob of the door. She was close, so very close to completing the first phase of her plan. . .

Twisting the knob, she eased the door open and took a step into the poorly air-conditioned room.

And stopped in her tracks when she saw that the person she had to break out of jail was already there – and glaring at her with undisguised hatred from behind the desk separating them.

_Dimitri Belikov_.


	3. Chapter 2, Part 1 : Convincing Dimitri

**Again, its the middle of the night and I have work tomorrow -.- (I have to stop doing this) so I'm uploading HALF of a chapter. Sorry guys, I'll upload the other half ASAP. **

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><p>Rose cautiously approached the table, trying to keep her cool façade in place even as she fought past the shock of seeing Dimitri in person. She had done her research beforehand, and had read through every single article of information about the man in front of him she could find, mainly newspaper clippings about his arrest and jail term, along with his family background and country of origin. He had been arrested for several charges – breaking and entering, trespassing and burglary.<p>

But despite everything she _did _know about him, she had no idea what he looked like. The mug shots definitely had not done his handsome visage any justice, apparent from how he bore little resemblance to the hazy photo two years ago.

At the age of twenty-four, Dimitri face was all sharp angles, seemingly chiseled from stone. His eyes – a decadent chocolate brown – were framed by long, black eyelashes that appeared out of place with his harder facial features. His slightly brown hair was long and unkempt, disheveled and tousled in a way that told Rose he didn't give a fuck about how he looked.

Not that he needed to – he was beyond gorgeous already.

The two years in a strict and take-no-fucking-nonsense jail had done quite a number on him, and it showed. Numerous scars lined his exposed forearms, a particular one stretching from his biceps down to his wrist. From the tough manual labor, maybe? However, it also modified and changed his physique for the better, making him leaner and more muscular.

Overall, a pretty delicious package – if Rose was interested, which she was _not._

Really.

Shoving away those thoughts, Rose took her seat primly, then fixed her eyes on Dimitri. "My name is Rose, and I'm from the FBI – "

"I don't give a fuck who you are," Dimitri interrupted in clipped tones, his eyes blazing as he crossed his arms over his chest, "neither do I wish to associate with anybody from the FBI. So whatever your purpose is in coming to see me, I am graciously asking you to fuck off."

Taken aback by the anger pouring off him in almost palpable waves, Rose tried for a more diplomatic approach. "I don't think you understand where I'm coming from, Mr. Belikov. We are not here to make your life more difficult. I'm here to escort you back to Washington D.C to help us with our investigation."

Dimitri's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What investigation? And what do you mean by 'escort me back to Washington D.C'?"

Rose spread out her hands, laying them on the table. She had already memorized down answers to almost every possible question that he might ask, and her explanation came out flawlessly. "We have intel that you might know a few people connected to a recent fraud case – a big one, a one of national scale, and the government has decided that if you are able to help us catch the culprits, you will be freed of your sentence."

A pause. "How can I be sure that I won't be put back here after I assist you people?" He asked, lifting both of his legs and placing them on the table in an outright show of disrespect, and he arched an eyebrow at Rose as if to taunt her; to dare her to rebuke his action and admonish him.

Swallowing her ire, she tried for a smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace. She had not expected Dimitri to be so damn difficult – in her mind, she had played out the scene a thousand times, and had convinced him with just a few sentences and a promise of freedom. Granted, the freedom part was somewhat a lie, as she couldn't guarantee that they both won't be thrown into jail the moment the FBI realizes what she's doing, but she isn't willing to be arrested even _before _her plan is put into motion.

And that meant getting Dimitri to come along with her.

Fast.

"You'll just have to take my word for it." Rose answered, and she tried to convey her urgency through her pleading tone.

Dimitri eyed her curiously, as if she was some sort of new specimen of organism that had just been discovered. Then he gave a great, dramatic sigh and leaned back in his seat, arms stretched up above him. "Sorry to disappoint you, Agent Rose" – said with as much sarcasm as he could instill in that two words – "but I don't trust the FBI anymore." There was a flash of emotion in those eyes that Rose couldn't decipher, but it was gone in a second and he was the cocky and arrogant bastard again. "If that is all, I would like to return to the pleasant company of my cell." He tipped an imaginary hat at her, and pushing his chair back, stood up.

"Wait!" Rose called out, and Dimitri detected a thread of desperation in her voice that had him halting in his steps. "Hear me out," A short silence, then, "_please."_

Unable to deny Rose when she was practically begging, Dimitri turned around to face her again. "Yes?"

After two whole years of being cooped up in jail, surrounded only by men with fucked up attitudes and supposed swaggers, Dimitri wasn't surprised when he had trouble controlling his lust the very moment his gaze landed on the agent. She was beautiful in a way that was distinctly exotic – her tanned complexion spoke of ancestors from distant lands. Her brown hair was hidden under a knitted cap, but he was pretty sure that it was equally mesmerizing as her eyes which were of the same color. To top it all off, she had a delicate nose and perfect lips that had him imagining things.

Dirty things.

Thankfully, the two years in his cell with his rowdy inmates had taught him how to control his lust, and he had the situation in his pants under control – for now.


	4. Chapter 2, Part 2 : Convincing Dimitri

**_CONTINUED FROM LAST CHAPTER..._  
><strong>

But still, the exotic and enticing scent of Rose – a faint tint of lemons in a cloud of roses – taunted and teased him in the most frustrating ways. Pressing his lips together, he feigned nonchalance and leaned against the concrete wall, one elbow propped against the wall that supported the side of his head, his legs crossed over each other in a deceptively casual posture.

Rose's gaze lifted to the ceiling, as if pleading for patience in dealing with him.

Dimitri couldn't help but smirk.

When her eyes settled back on him, Rose's eyes narrowed at his cocky grin, but didn't comment on it. "What," she asked, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her windbreaker, "would it take for me to convince you to come along with me?"

A request – sensual and downright dirty – popped into his mind immediately, but Dimitri hardly acted on impulse anymore and did not speak up immediately. Instead, he weighed the pros and cons of going along with Rose, an agent from an organisation he swore never to trust again.

During his imprisonment, he had all the time in the world to think about how gullible he was to believe every single word his contacts from the FBI had told him; how foolish he was to not inquire more and unearth more information before accepting a job.

Maybe if he did, he won't have landed himself in such a mess.

Two years of his life had just gone down the gutter.

Two years that he would never get back.

Gritting his teeth against the heavy impression of memory that awashed him with a heavy bitterness, Dimitri pushed himself off the wall. "Anything?" He asked in return, wanting to test how far she was willing to go. Because if she affirmed that she would do a_nything, _it meant that he was of vital importance to whatever the FBI needed help with, and he could use that position to his advantage.

Like making Rose produce an official document that will promise his release after he outlived his usefulness to the FBI.

But still. . . he didn't know whether to take her word for it or not. Rose exuded a sort of calming aura, her large brown eyes making her ostensibly trustable.

But then again, looks can be deceiving.

Because Dimitri had learnt the hard way that nobody in the world won't betray him in less than a blink of an eye.

Rose made a sort of frustrated sound at the back of her throat, then nodded tightly. "Anything."

Arching his eyebrow at the thread of resignation in her tone, Dimitri decided that it was in his best interest to push even more. "I'll do it if you owe me two favors. Favors that you _have _to keep, no matter the circumstances or what I ask of you."

Rose's lips parted in astonishment, then fury fell over her features, her lips becoming a thin line. "You're asking for a lot. How do I know if you'll be worth your weight in gold?"

Dimitri chuckled in open amusement, recognizing that they were both in doubt of each other. That, at least, meant that they had something in common. "You don't," he told her with a grin, "I guess you'll just have to find out, won't you?"

Rose lapsed into silence, apparently thinking his request over and whether or not to grant it. A few moments later, she sighed, wringed her hands, and agreed. "Fine. Two favors it is." Dimitri heard her curse silently under her breath once the words left her mouth before looking at him again, this time warily. "What will they be?"

"Ah," Dimitri smiled, noting her unease with smug satisfaction. "About that. . ."

Rose had just made her first mistake in this game of strategy they were both unwittingly players in – she had agreed to the deal without first finding out what he wanted. This put Dimitri in a prime position to propose outrageous orders, and she had no choice but to do it.

That thought sent a jolt of heat straight to his groin.

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><p>"What?" Rose's eyes narrowed on its own accord, her pulse racing as she waited with apprehension for Dimitri's demands. She had realized her mistake too late – now she was paying the price.<p>

Nobody had warned her that the man was diabolically adept at playing mind games.

A leisurely smile flittered over Dimitri's lips – full lips, a feminine part of her noticed, perfect for kissing – and he strode with deliberate slowness over to the chair over at the other side of the table to draw out the tension, effectively allowing anxiety to consume her. What would he ask her to do? Lick his feet? Kiss his ass?

Or. . .

Blushing furiously at the invasion of thoughts she had no business in entertaining, Rose straightened herself. "Well?"

"I'll tell you them at a later time," He said slyly, drumming his fingers against the table in a way that grated Rose's nerves. "There's no rush."

Indignation had Rose marching forward, fully intent on unleashing her wrath on him. "That," she glared at him, "is not acceptable. Name what you want. _Now."_

"Relax," Dimitri drawled, weaving a dismissive hand through the air before he pretended to inspect something on his palm. "Anyway, I don't think you're in any position to make any demands." He raised his head then, a gleam in his eyes that Rose instantly disliked, "In fact, I think I'm the only one who's capable of doing so."

Rose's jaw clenched, anger beating at her insides, the sudden need to draw blood strong and hard to tamp down. Because this man, this infuriating man who had somehow managed to outplay her in her own game, was _taunting _her relentlessly. "Fuck you," she snapped.

Dimitri went predator-still at her words, then broke slowly into a feral grin that would have sent her scampering backwards if not for her raging temper that refused to let her back down. "Oh," his voice was lowered till it was almost inaudible, a suggestive undertone belying it that Rose could not help but detect, "I have every intention of doing so." His hot gaze raked over her body, mentally stripping her.

And heavens help her, but she felt herself reacting in the most primal of ways; heat uncurling low in her belly and how every single inch of her skin suddenly felt too sensitive, too tight.

Covering her growing arousal with a carefully engineered mask, Rose jabbed a finger at Dimitri. "If we're both in agreement," she growled – partially angry at Dimitri's arrogance, but mostly at herself for being susceptible to his potent charm – and pointed at the exit with her other hand, "we have to get going."

Without missing a beat, Dimitri stood up smoothly and walked over to the door. He then bowed; a gentlemanly gesture as he held the door open. It threatened to push Rose off the edge of her anger. "Ladies first," he said, a mocking edge to his tone, smiling all the while.

Rose stomped out of the room before she unsheathed her gun and shot him right there and then.

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><p><strong>Uh oh, that's a pretty rocky start for their partnership. What do you make of Rose and Dimitri's interactions?<strong>

**So... Yeah, that's about it. Remember to review and tell me your opinions! Oh, and I really like long reviews, so don't be shy :P**


	5. Chapter 3 : And So It Begins

**A/N: Hey, I actually found it fun to write this. No kidding. I guess I like to write action too, who knew? Anyway, thanks for the reviews! And of course, its time to answer some of them...**

xXtheseventhcharmXx: Hey! I heard you like long reviews? I'll do my best. ;)

The story is absolutely amazing! You have your own, original plot and I can see you know where you're going with this story.

I love the way you describe your characters. At first I was unsure on how to feel about the writing: I realized you write from third POV (is that how you say it in English?) but after reading the first chapter and now this I realized you did a great job!:)

I like the way you describe their feelings: they're attracted to each other, there's hate, anger and a lot of attraction between them, but no love. No, not yet and I like that because I hate when people write their stories and in the first chapter they already have Rose and Dimitri in love. That's stupid if you ask me. But that's, of course, only my opinion.

Rose is in a way badass but also a bit vulnerable while Dimitri is behaving exactly like a man who spent the last two years of his life in prison, surrounded by criminals, etc...

I can't wait to see what will happen next, but I'm sure you won't disappoint me. I trust you. ;)

I also can't wait to see that relationship between the two of them develop. ;)

Was that long enough? I know how you feel, I like long reviews too. ;)

Luce

**Thank you! This really made my day :) Yes, I write in the third POV, because I feel that I can elaborate on the emotions of both characters, and it'll be easier for you readers to understand their thought processes. And YES. Personally, I don't enjoy stories where two people fall in love too easily, because, come on, it isn't THAT simple in real life neither. You'll have complications, fights and even break-ups before you can find your happily-ever-after! **

**Oh, and I sure hope I have not disappointed you with this chapter! **

**Sure, that was long enough to make me happy! :)**

RussianMoose: NO D RAPING R! That is the rule for this :D kk? Pleaze! Anyway I love it so far, is r really going to get d out of jail after she finds Abe? MAKE EM FALL IN LOVE ;3

**You should never tell an author what NOT to do, because. . . well, he just might decide to do it ;) but na, I don't approve of rape in my stories, so no worries about that. And yes, they are going to fall in love (spoiler alert? LOL) because without romance, I think this story would be pretty boring.**

****IMPORTANT** : THERE ARE LEMONS.**

**So that's about it! Enjoy and don't forget to review :D**

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><p>Rose stepped back into the bleak, grey corridor, studiously ignoring Dimitri's steady and heavy treads behind her against the cracked, foamy tiles that were badly in need of repair.<p>

Who was she kidding, anyway? The whole place was in dire need of some sort of reparation – it looked as if it would topple from just a light shove of her finger.

Thankfully, Bryan was nowhere in sight; Rose was in no mood to act as if she gave a fuck or two about what the old, withering warden had to say.

No, in her current state of mind, she was more likely to stab him to death with her cellphone.

Now, that was an interesting idea. . .

"Did you say something?" Dimitri asked breezily from her side, somehow managing to keep up with her furious pace without even sounding the least bit breathless.

Rose glared at him. "No."

"Funny," he replied with one of his fingers tapping against his jaw, "I seem to recall that I heard you mutter something under your breath that sounded suspiciously as if you were contemplating murder."

"Who won't, with you around?" Rose snapped, taking another left turn. If her memory served her right, they were approaching the entrance where they could make their hasty getaway. That is, if the guard at the entrance had not already revealed what she had done.

Judging from how the sirens weren't exactly blaring, she deduced that her cover had not been blown – yet. That thought spurred her to walk even faster, until she was pretty sure she was almost running.

A _tsk _from the man beside her who was keeping pace with her effortlessly. "And here I was thinking that all FBI agents knew how to control their emotions."

_The nerve of him!_ "I'm," she halted abruptly, turning sideways to face Dimitri and measuring about an inch between her thumb and index finger, she practically shoved her hand into his face – a pretty futile attempt, since he towered above her, "_this _close to kicking you in the balls, so shut the fuck up and just follow me."

Dimitri merely arched an eyebrow, not looking the least bit perturbed by the threat. However, he didn't say anything and Rose mentally thanked the Gods for allowing something to go her way, and resumed walking – or running, in her case, while Dimitri walked.

Another turn and they were at the entrance.

"Keep quiet and just follow my lead," She hissed to Dimitri, who nodded silently in response. Pleasantly surprised at his easy acquiescence, Rose trotted over to the guard at the door, digging for her ID to be allowed departure.

"Who's that?" The guard glanced at her identification card, then jerked his head in the direction of Dimitri.

"Dimitri Belikov. I'm here to escort him back to Washington D.C; I've already settled the matter with Bryan, so there should be no problem." Rose answered, carefully choosing her words. She didn't want to mess up now, not when she was at the final stretch.

The guard frowned, pulled off his gloves and walked over to a desktop at the far end of the room and started typing on the keyboard. Rose sidled over as well, intending to chat with him to make sure that he was distracted and not catch minor details that might seem amiss in the report.

"Well, there's the approval from Bryan." The guard gave a nod of affirmation even before Rose opened her mouth. He then proceeded to fish out a set of keys from his pocket, and unlocked the sturdy metal door. "You can go now." He pulled the door open slightly, letting a cool draft in.

"Thank you," Rose said, then shot Dimitri a glance, and cocked her head at the entrance once.

They both ambled out, and Rose was relieved to find that the two guards she had the misfortune of having a run in previously was gone. On the downside, visibility was almost down to zero due to the unexpected and unpredicted onset of a snowstorm; Rose could hardly see three feet in front of her.

It was then that Rose noticed how Dimitri was not adequately – a pretty gigantic understatement – dress for the wintery conditions – he was barely covered from head to toe in a poorly knitted sweater and a pair of jeans. His feet were bare, and his hands were exposed.

She felt a surge of panic – purely professional, because she didn't give a fuck whether he froze to death or not, he could do so at his own time and leisure, but that will put an end to her mission and she couldn't allow that. "You feeling cold?"

Dimitri eyed her with a wry twitch of his lips. "You think?"

"So much for the concern," Rose grumbled, for some reason unable to summon any anger, and just showed him her middle finger yet again instead.

Dimitri chuckled warmly, and the sound of his laughter did something to her insides that she did not wish to acknowledge. "I'll be fine as long as we move fast," he said, rubbing his hands together to produce a bit of warmth, then bringing it near his face as he blew at his palms.

Rose jumped into motion at his words and strode briskly to where her car was parked. Dimitri followed wordlessly. When they had covered about half the distance, she heard a sort of commotion back at the entrance. Her ears peeled, she caught bits of the conversation being exchanged in rapid – she recognized the language because her co-workers used to speak it on a regular basis – Spanish, but her limited grasp of the foreign language didn't allow her to understand what they were talking about.

She had a feeling she didn't want to find out.

"Run!" She yelled to Dimitri, already breaking into a sprint. Her Buick came into view seconds later.

There were incoherent, agitated shouts from behind them, buffeted by the gale growing in strength as the snowstorm neared. From the sound of it, however, they were definitely curses.

Throwing the door to the driver's seat open, Rose dove in and inserted the key into the ignition, turning it with a quick motion of her wrist and the engine roared to life with raw power. Dimitri rounded the hood of the car, and slotted himself into the seat next to Rose a moment later, slamming the door shut. "Why the fuck are they chasing us?" He demanded, glaring at Rose.

"Act now, questions later," Rose replied, shifting the Buick into gear and giving it the gas it needed. The car hurtled forward, peeling from the curb with a loud screech that had her wincing for the lifespan of her wheel – no doubt reduced by a few years.

The sharp turn had the side of Dimitri's head colliding with the door. "Fuck!" He swore, clutching his head. "Give a fucking warning next time you – "

Rose swerved sharply again, narrowly avoiding an oncoming car.

Dimitri's head hit the dashboard that time. "Jesus, woman, do you know how to fucking dri – "

"Dimitri," Rose interrupted, in no mood to entertain him as she wrestled with the steering wheel to get the car under control. The thick layer of accumulated snow was making it peculiarly hard to do so. "can you see the guards following us?"

Dimitri looked backwards, deciding from the urgency in Rose's tone that it wasn't the time to argue. But she would pay, he promised himself, later. "Yes," He confirmed, then he narrowed his eyes at the blurry object in their hands as they pumped their hands back and forth to gain more momentum, still in hot pursuit of them. Upon recognition of exactly what they were wielding, he gaped, then gulped. "And erm, Rose?" He turned his gaze back to Rose, who looked back at him expectantly for him to continue.

"They have sniper rifles."


	6. Chapter 4 : Trouble in Paradise

**A/N: So yes, still slightly miffed that almost everybody thought I was a girl... and extremely amused. Do I really type like one? Shit, I need to revert back to my old typing style - which is both Singaporean and (hopefully) boyish. :P**

clams: oh, yes, i almost forgot! do you still nid a beta reader?

**No, sorry :/ I already have one, but thank you for offering anyway!**

rupertrawk: where was Dimitri shot, or am i missing something? :P

anyway, again, a good chapter. ok, i'm down grading your story/chapter; it was better than good, it was freaking amazing!

trololol, and i love how Dimitri still think Rose is well and truly with the FBI. THough, by now i'm pretty sure he would have SOME suspicions. Hopefully, anyway :P

Oooh, sniper rifles! I believe Rose and Dimitri are in a very large pickle! Aha, also, this reminds me of when i was playing cod with my friend the other day, and we had our snipers, shooting ( or trying to :P) people!

Anyway, like i said before , AMAZING chapter! :D And i can't wait for the next update, and to see what happens and all that jazz!

And incase you're wondering, i am NOT over excited for the next chapter. lol, no way!

**Don't worry, Dimitri wasn't shot. Not YET, at least ;) Technically, Rose is still with the FBI, though I guess she's considered to have gone rogue? o_o not very sure with the technicalities. **

**YOU PLAY COD? MARRY ME PLEASE.**

**Oh, and stop living in denial ;D**

* * *

><p>Rose didn't seem too worried about his announcement; in fact, she didn't even blink. "Rifles, eh?" she echoed dully, turning back to face the front.<p>

Dimitri braced himself when he saw another bend coming. "What the hell do you mean by that?" he demanded, disturbed by Rose's almost bored expression. "They are probably going to _shoot _at us, for heaven's sakes, Rose! At least try to act a little more frantic and terrified!"

Rose shushed him with a flourish of her left hand, then jerked the steering wheel to the left with only her right hand. The front wheel of the car bumped into the curb due to Rose's miscalculation, the slight resistance sending it airborne for a second before it landed heavily on its wheels once again.

Rose continued on as if nothing had happened, her face so relaxed you would have thought that such an occurrence was very common to her – and from her appalling driving skills, that was probably the case rather than not.

Dimitri was precariously close to having his first – and very possibly, his last – heart attack. "On second thought, I think I'll just stick around in jail – "

Rose shot him a quelling glare. "Shut up, Dimitri. You can thank me later for saving your sorry ass."

"At this rate, I'll probably be nothing but pulp by the end of the ride. I don't think I would be capable of anything but lie there in a pile of blood and bones at that moment, much less thank you."

Dimitri thought he heard Rose mutter something that sounded suspiciously like, "I can't possibly be that lucky" but he couldn't be entirely sure because the ear-piercingly loud sound of glass cracking filled the interior of car in the next instant.

"Fuck!" Swearing, Dimitri ducked, tucking in his arms to make himself a smaller target for the bullets. Rose followed suit, though popping her head out every few moments to ensure that they were still on course.

The cotton of his headrest was blown out a second later, falling slowly and languidly around his face in a mocking dance. Feeling the urge to check whether his head was still intact, Dimitri touched his skull, half expecting a gaping hole to be there, then sighed in relief after he ensured that his head was still in one piece – for now.

"Rose," he muttered, daring a glance backwards and retracting his head in the nick of time before another bullet sailed through the air, narrowly missing his forehead, "how long more till we get out of this fucking place?"

Rose took about five seconds to reply. "Right about. . . _now."_

True to her words, when Dimitri lifted his head up cautiously a few seconds later, he no longer saw the forbidding stone walls that had been all he had for scenery for the past two years. Instead, they were speeding along the dirt road that led – Dimitri recalled with a bit of trouble – to Denver. They were tossed about in the Buick for a few more minutes as Rose wasn't taking any chances of them still being followed, pushing the car way past the legal speed limit while they traversed the forest path that provided plenty of foliage to escape detection.

Inside of Dimitri was a stew of turbulent emotions, not one of which he could actually understand – not that he wanted to, for that matter. Above all of them, however, was the jubilation of finally being _free again; _of once again being able to walk around without restrictions, without fearing punishment.

Words couldn't hope to describe how ecstatic he felt.

But beneath it all, lurked a skeptic disbelief that he had truly escaped the compound that had held him captive for two, long, dark years.

He was almost afraid that everything around him was all just a dream, and would shatter the moment he woke up. Hoping that contact would ground him; anchor him to reality instead of the impending nightmare, he pressed his palm against the miraculously-still-intact door mirror to his side. Feeling the cool surface of the glass that met his palm, he just gazed at the evergreen flying past the vehicle so fast that they were almost just blurry green and white smudges, an inexplicable ache in his chest.

The Buick, not built for rocky terrain, seemed to be holding on reasonably well as they continued on in silence. Night came early in Colorado, the sun already sinking until only the tip of all its glory was exposed to the world, sending rays of brilliant gold in all directions that caused Dimitri's breath to catch at the stark beauty of nature that he had been deprived of for so long.

"So," Dimitri said, when the sun had set and the forest around him – a nature reserve, it would seem, from the signs he had seen all along the road – was blanketed in darkness, leaving him with nothing to gush silently over. Rose, beside him, stiffened at his attempt at conversation. "I believe you owe me an explanation."

"I believe you owe me your gratitude as well!" she shot straight back, eyes never leaving the road illuminated purely by the headlights of the car.

A short pause. Then Dimitri sighed. "Thank you?" he offered grudgingly.

"A _sincere _one."

Dimitri snorted. "Take it or leave it, woman."

Rose glared at him, her profile almost entirely swallowed by darkness, but Dimitri still couldn't help but notice how curvy she was now that she had shed the fur coat, leaving her clad in only a light sweater that somehow managed to show off the gentle swirl of her hips.

He also couldn't help himself from responding; not when he was beside a perfectly beautiful and sexy woman.

* * *

><p>"Dimitri!" Rose tried to keep her tone cool and even, but it was hard with him looking at her so intensely. His eyes seemed to glow in the dark, eerie yet beautiful.<p>

And her first thought was that she felt like a prey under the evaluation of a predator.

Ignoring the shiver – of revulsion, not thrill, because she wouldn't even _consider _sleeping with a convict - no matter how gorgeous he might be – that went down her spine, she said, "What do you want to know?"

Dimitri shook his head lightly then, as if to stop his train of thought. He leaned back onto his seat – which was missing a big portion of the headrest after the bullet had made short work of it – and placed his hands primly on his thighs. "Why were they chasing us?" He asked.

"Well. . ." Rose mumbled, wondering whether it was wise to tell him the entire truth. "It's because – "

"Don't." A silent word, with so much withheld emotion that it startled her. "Don't lie to me."

She glanced at the man sitting stiffly next to her, unable to see his expression due to the shadows playing across his face. Still, it seemed as if she could almost _feel _his pain, so large and overwhelming that it was almost tangible.

"Okay," she whispered back, unable to fathom what could possibly have caused such a strong man like Dimitri so much hurt. "Let me start from the beginning. My mentor, Abe, had gone missing a week ago. At first, I thought that he was just on vacation and failed to inform me anything about it, but then, he was labeled to be KIA-ed. Since I always made it a point to memorize down his schedules, I know without a doubt that he had no missions lined up for him in that week – or that month, for that matter." Realizing she was talking so rapidly that she was almost blabbering, Rose took a deep breath to calm herself down before resuming from where she left off. "After a little bit of digging, I found an encrypted e-mail that had a few bank transactions of large amounts. When I approached my department head with it, he took it and said he would look into it."

She paused again, dread and regret churning in her stomach as she recalled how she had discovered her boss's body, stabbed repeatedly in the chest with a butcher knife, the blood soaking into the carpet until it was almost fully crimson. "He was murdered a day later." An almost hysterical sob escaped her lips, and she stopped the car, not trusting herself to be able to navigate the way when she was so close to breaking down. "I found the body."

"Rose – " Dimitri cut in, sympathy in his tone.

"No." She shook her head, resolute. "Let me finish. I managed to extract some information from his workstation before it was removed, and it confirmed my suspicions that someone might be laundering money from the government for his or her own use."

"And because he's able to get rid of people who are starting to catch on so efficiently, he must hold a pretty high position in the organization, so nobody would question his orders – or dare to repudiate them." Dimitri guessed, surprising Rose with his ingenuity.

"Or she," she corrected, somewhat angrily, that Dimitri was able to figure it all out by himself and felt the need to prove something he said was wrong.

"Or she." Dimitri agreed, sounding a little amused.

"Anyway," she snapped, her temper suppressing the little outbreak of weakness from the horrible memories, "I need to get solid evidence to get the government to believe me. And that's where you come in. You're good" – the best, but she was reluctant to praise him – "at breaking and entering, and I need you to do exactly that to retrieve the evidence I require to bring the person responsible for everything to justice."

There was a long stretch of silence while Dimitri processed what she said. Then he turned to her, the dim moonlight now enough to discern the mischievous curl of his lips. "And what do I get in return?"

"Freedom," Rose replied, unease skittering across her skin at the question.

"Sorry if I'm wrong," he drawled, folding his arms with an air of smug confidence as he relaxed against his seat, "but don't I already have that?"

And that was the moment that Rose realized exactly how hard it would be to get Dimitri to assist her.


	7. Chapter 5 : Identity Crisis

**A/N : Okay, here's chapter 5!**

**A short chapter, because it's just a little bit of a filler about the mysterious identity of our 'target' Rose and Dimitri is trying to unearth.**

**Edit : WHOA. Okay, this A/N IS longer than the story. Sorry guys (or girls) :/**

rupertrawk: I ATTEMPT to play cod (; Aha, but yeah, i do play it. well, whenever i can, cause my family is top shit and doesn't own a ps3 or anything. buuuut, still if we did, i'd probably be spending my time killing people on it, rather than killing people in stories :P

And i swear Dimitri was shot, either that, or Rose just shot her gun at the wall or soemthing? :P

And, me, living in denial? pffft, what ARE you talking about!

oh, and also, at least you weren't mistake for a giraffe or something? cause that would be awkward. - queue image of giraffe typing stories for fanfiction-

**oh please, i probably suck worse than you at CoD LOL. i suck ass at fps games. i prefer dota (oh, on a side note, my finals game for a dota tournament is starting in about half an hour!) and. . . well, skyrim. hey! i don't owe a ps3 neither. i just have a computer and a tv in my room :P that is enough, though. honestly, i think a computer is big enough an entertainment for me.**

**oh, and i think you're mistaken. i think you saw that at chapter 1? it was 'Rose stomped out of the room before she shot Dimitri there and then', or something like that, right? i just meant that she went out of the room before she really did it, because she was so angry she was going to shoot him. **

**and there you go, living in denial once again! **

**... seriously? a giraffe? LOL. i'm pretty tall, I guess. but nowhere near a giraffe's height ;)**

RozaDimka: Omfg this story is amazing! I have never read the Bourne books, only seen the movies, but I can soo imagine it being written in a similar way. Btw, if you don't know, Bourne is like a trilogy of really amazing action movies about the CIA and some terrible brainwashing experiment they did. Although I really don't know you, I would recommend the films to you.

Its been a while since I've seen such brilliant writing. I have to say, I am actually surprised you're a guy :P not because of your writing style - trust me it's amazing and not girly or anything - but it's just playing on stereotypes. People forget that guys can read teenage vampire books too.

Anyways, have I mentioned how much I love this story and your amazing writing? Update soon! And same, I hate it when people have the whole 'love at first sight' thing. Only shakespeare can pull that off. And so I am really happy with the pace of the story. You've got me hooked on this story; it's so different from the rest.

**hah, I don't think such awesome movies like the bourne trilogy would be written in such an amateurish way :P but thank you, nevertheless, for giving me that ego boost :D don't worry, i already finished the bourne trilogy, and looking forward for the fourth (Bourne ultimatum, was it? I forgot - its been TOO DAMN LONG :( but i heard its going to be released sometime this year? omgomgogmgmg) one. fucking awesome movie. **

**actually, this is the ONLY vampire book i've read. besides for twilight, which i do not understand why i even TRIED to read it. temporary insanity, maybe. **

**thank you, anyway, for taking the time to write a long review! :)**

xXtheseventhcharmXx: First of all I'd like to say:

OH MY GOD! You're a guy? I feel stupid now for not realizing it earlier. HAHAHAHAHAHAH, and everyone thought you're a girl?

Just joking, don't worry nothing's wrong with your typing. It's just that I've never saw that some author here on FF is a guy. Everything's full of girls here. If you know what I mean. ;)

You asked rupertrawk to marry you? Want my advice?

Check first if he's male or female. :P

And now on with the important things!

This chapter left me wanting more, more and more! I beg you to write another chapter soon because I can't wait to see what happens next. Btw, I like when Dimitri calls Rose 'woman'.;)

I wonder what will he ask of her since he already has his freedom? UD soon.

**yes... and all the while, i was thinking that everybody already knew i was a guy. then i saw majic91's review that said 'YOU GO GIRL' and i was wondering if it was figurative or literal LOL**

**whoa, this place must be a kitch - okay, wait, if this place is FULL of girls, i probably shouldn't say that. . . . . . . . . . (im laughing while im writing this *not the least bit repentant*) **

**i do think she's a girl, since i've chatted with her a little :P**

**and about that, you'll just have to wait and see! ;) **

* * *

><p><em>16<em>_th__ January 2009_

_Washington, D.C_

_FBI Headquarters_

_7.12 p.m, GMT -5_

The young night found a man in his mid-thirties, dressed smartly in a crisp black shirt and suit pants, not-so-smartly running down a brightly lit corridor, almost stumbling over in his haste. In his right hand, he held a few pieces of paper. The edges he was holding on to were crunched up from how hard he was clenching his fist.

A right and two left turns later, he arrived at his destination, out of breath and sweating. After patting down his attire and adjusting his collar in a quite fruitless attempt to straighten his clothes, he raised his free hand to knock on the cypress door.

The door swung open before he managed to even knock once.

"Smith," The large man standing in front of him acknowledged his presence with a slight nod, then retreated behind his desk where a large pile of papers were sitting, waiting for his attendance. "Is there a problem?" he asked in a deceptively businesslike manner, his head bent over as he scribbled something on a file that was flipped open.

It would have sounded like a casual, nothing-out-of-the-ordinary question to an outsider, but Smith knew better after working for him for his entire time in the FBI.

Nothing was simple when it came to his boss.

"Yes," he confirmed, walking forward to place to documents he had just received through fax mere moments ago on the table, remaining silent afterwards as he knew that there was no need to elaborate.

The words could speak for themselves.

His superior flicked the few slips of paper a glance, his pen stilling. A second later, his unnerving gaze strayed to meet Smith's. "Does it require my immediate attention? I already have a lot of work to do at hand, and do not wish to put it off any longer."

Smith, still not accustomed to how intent his superior's gaze could be, mentally shivered at how much his unblinking gaze resembled that of a snake.

A very intelligent, dangerous and cunning snake that was waiting for just the right opportunity to strike at its prey.

Running his tongue over his teeth nervously, he shook his head, feeling a droplet of sweat make its way down his nape. "I think that you would find that it is of utmost importance, sir."

His boss held his gaze for a second longer than necessary, then sighed, as if finding the sudden intrusion a nuisance. "If you say so," he said quietly, an unspoken malice beneath the words that had Smith trembling despite his field training to never be spooked by literally anything.

He reached for the papers, sifting through it as if he found most of it dull and none of his concern, all the while keeping an impassive expression on his coldly handsome face. The only sign of agitation and irritation that Smith could spot was the throbbing vein by his temple, and how his jaw had become a brutal line.

"This," he muttered extremely silently – so much so that Smith had to strain to hear even from where he was standing – while he stacked the documents into a neat pile on his table after his thorough second perusal, "is quite unacceptable." Pushing his chair back, he stood up, and strode over to the large glass panel that overlooked the sprawling bulk of a city that was Washington D.C.

Smith didn't move an inch. Instead, he looked at the glass window, studying his superior's reflection. The inexorable passage of time had been kind to him; he didn't look as if he had aged a single year since he had entered the FBI – almost two decades ago. He had climbed the corporate ladder astonishingly fast – so fast that he was suspected of foul play, but no evidence was found, and the suspicion eventually died out – claiming the prestigious position he was now in in less than fifteen years.

It was a feat considered impossible.

"Smith."

Smith jerked to attention, looking at the influential man standing by the window that was looking out at the incredible view he had the good fortune of admiring whenever he wanted to. "Yes?"

There was a ghost of a grin playing over his lips when he turned around to look at Smith, and it caused goose bumps to erupt all over his flesh. "I don't care what means you have to turn to," he said in an even tone that made it seem as if he was having a conversation about the weather rather than signing the death warrant of someone he used to encounter every single day in the building, "just get rid of them."


	8. Chapter 6 : Complications Arise

**A/N: had to stop there at the end, since I want to make you guys die of suspense. So... don't kill me, okay? :P**

**JoJo110465: You're reading way too much into this :P (that's all im going to say since I don't want to spoil for the story for the others) that sounds like inception, and this story is pretty simple, if you don't count the twists later on in the story. (hint!) **

**rupertrawk: never doubted it! :P hey, i laughed stupidly when i found out almost everybody on this site thought i was a girl! hah, my K/D ratio on CoD is bad as hell. I think i got one kill for every 5 deaths? sometimes ill just die without even knowing how until i see the killcam LOL. haha, it's fine, i didn't expect you to get DotA anyway (my gf thinks that it should be gotten rid of from the face of earth because it makes me reply to her messages sooooo much slower) there you go, living in denial again. it really isn't healthy! **

**ARE YOU SURE? I'm like 182cm (admittedly, i'm taller than almost everybody in my class LOL) **

**Cinderella Adriana: i got this idea from a book, actually. it was about some people on the run from the FBI too, and i really enjoyed the action and drama along the way. There was no romance though, and i think it got a little boring because of that :/ so i'm going to make sure that there's plenty of THAT in this story! oh, my girlfriend did. she just threw it in my face and told me to read it when i complained i was bored. it was, if i recall correctly, frostbite. :P**

**RozaDimka: No shit, sherlock! Haha, sorry, couldn't resist saying that. and yeah, skipping to the FBI is like a MUST for stories like this, or else i'll be stuck constantly with rose and dimitri and that just gets boring LOL. **

**Oh, RIIIGHT. Legacy! Yeah! I was wondering why they stopped production of the movies entirely - i was so addicted to the damn movies. I watched all three of the series in one shot, and was waiting for the fourth one but it never came out! *sadface* REALLY? Goddamnit, I was hoping for an awesome finish to the saga. **

**Na, don't worry. I think I'm obsessed with the hunger games movie too :P**

**you like muse? lol, i used to listen to them alot then I just sort of got bored of them :/ but hey, their music is unique and great. i agree totally that twilight was pretty bad. it just... sounds like a bad dream to me. werewolves and vampires... VAMPIRES THAT SPARKLE IN THE SUN. -.-**

**I'll get to reading bloodlines soon!**

**majic91: glad to hear it! i spend quite alot of time writing these a/ns (almost about how long i spend writing the chapter...) so i appreciate that you guys actually read them! ah, no worries. at least now my gender is confirmed :P**

**sure, i'll try out divergent. i read quite a bit of every genre, but now i'm stuck on thriller and romance LOL. i just love books that mix the both of them, it usually becomes such an awesome book that i cant put it down until i finish reading it :D**

* * *

><p>"This isn't freedom, Dimitri," Rose explained frantically, needing to make Dimitri understand that they were both in this together now, for better or worse. When he merely lifted an eyebrow at her words, she continued, "at least not the one you're looking for."<p>

"What do you mean by that?" The nonchalant look on his face melted away. He fumbled around a little, flicked on the light switch of the car, illuminating the interior totally, then turned to stare at her. Rose bit her bottom lip and looked away, not wanting to reveal that they were now probably topping the wanted list due to the escapade – along with her lie about how he wasn't going to be granted freedom at all. Dimitri grabbed a hold of her shoulders and shook her. Roughly. "Damn it, Rose, don't just let me in on a little bit and leave me hanging! Give me the whole fucking story, and not a single bit less!"

"Okay, okay," Rose said quietly, sighing. "I may have lied when I said that the FBI needed you for an investigation – "

"I already figured that out," Dimitri cut in, his words measured and even in a way that freaked Rose out even more than if it was yelled out. "This is more of a personal mission, isn't it?"

"Yes." Rose forced that word out past the lump in her throat.

"And no matter if I help you or not, I'll still be a wanted criminal at the end of it." A frosty question, deadly and cutting in its bluntness.

Rose swallowed, a sudden rising wave of guilt sweeping through her. "Yes," she whispered.

Dimitri was silent for a long moment, only the quiet, powerful purr of the engine as it was kept on neutral and the sound of the heater operating filling the car_._

Then he laughed softly.

It was, however, a self-deprecating laugh that made Rose cringe.

"After how I was deceived two years ago," his voice was soft, pained. "You would have thought that I would have learnt my lesson."

Confusion cut through Rose's guilt for dragging him into this mess; _her _mess. "What deception are you talking about?"

Dimitri's piercing gaze met hers. "You don't deserve to know."

Rose couldn't help but flinch. "I know I may sound selfish, Dimitri, but if you see things from my point of view…" she trailed off, realizing that she _was_, in the end, a selfish bitch. She couldn't deny it any longer; all she had wanted to do was to _use _Dimitri to get the evidence she needed, then toss him aside and feed him to the sharks after everything.

She had not even spared him a single thought about his future when she was thinking out her plan.

All she had counted on was that Dimitri would be a despicable bastard that she could hate with all her being so she wouldn't be crippled by the overwhelming guilt when she turned him in later. But after spending merely an hour with him, she couldn't help but to notice that he wasn't all that shallow, neither was he a heartless fellow that she had hoped for him to be.

"See things from _your _point of view?" he sounded aghast. "Rose, do you have any idea how it feels like to be finally _free _after two years of imprisonment – which I did not even _deserve? _All I know is one thing: I'm not going back into that hellhole. I'll do anything to evade capture, Rose. _Anything."_

"I know, Dimitri," Rose muttered, wanting to scream in frustration at the impasse they've reached. She wasn't going to let Dimitri run free, not when he was integral in her plans to find Abe. She was also pretty sure that he would no longer co-operate with her – willingly, at least – now that he had discovered her betrayal. "What do you plan to do now?"

Dimitri just looked at her. "What do you think? I definitely can't stick around here with you. You're just going to make use of me, then leave me to my fate. I still can't understand why I'm not bolting out of the car now and making a run for it."

"Maybe because it's freezing out there and you'll probably die of hypothermia before you even reach civilization? Oh, and I almost forgot. I have a gun with me too."

Dimitri glanced fleetingly at her with something like wry amusement, then pretended to consider it, before giving a shrug. "Maybe, though I'll rather take my chances out there in the wilderness than stay with a lying and cunning bitch." Then he looked down at his jeans, a slight curl to his lips when he lifted his head back up. "And I know you won't shoot me."

Rose snorted. "I'll do whatever I deem necessary, Dimitri. Don't test my patience - or my aim."

"No question about that, Rose. Believe me, I'll know." The confidence in Dimitri's voice - as if he had a secret only he was privy to - sent a surge of panic through Rose.

Quickly, she reached out and patted her jeans pocket – where she always kept her 9mm caliber handgun – and gasped when she only encountered fabric. Making sure that she didn't somehow misplace it by putting it in her other jeans pocket, she checked it, but still came up empty.

That was when she was certain that her gun was missing. But where could she have lost it? She hadn't even taken it out when she had entered the jail, and she was pretty sure she had it tucked securely into her pocket all the time. . .

There was a soft rustle from beside her, and it sounded suspiciously like Dimitri withdrawing. . .

Understanding dawned in a second, and with adrenaline kicking in, she twisted her body and shot her right hand out to grab the spare pistol she always kept in her purse at the hidden compartment to her right –

And stopped entirely at the cold kiss of metal at her temple.

"Draw that gun" – a husky whisper near her ear – "and have your brains blown out."


	9. Chapter 7 : Crossroad of Choice

**A/N: Wow, this took a while to write. I sat down, and it took me a whole hour to write this. When it's only 1034 words. -.- Took a REALLY long time to think about how they would get closer to each other, and finally settled on this. Hopefully, you guys will like it too. A little more heart-warming chapter, after all that argument and action in previous chapters. **

RozaDimka: Omg these chapters just keep getting better and better don't they? Wow. I just love this whole lingering sexual tension along with the mistrust, deception, action and drama. It's so amazing. They want to hate each other, as rose had said, but they can't because not only they are attracted to each other, they are starting kind of like each other in a bit of a twisted way. I know, I know, it's stating the obvious like before but I have to say these things. Ahh love it :D

Yeah I know, it sucks that legacy isn't really a continuation. Legacy is like all the Bourne's all over again but with a few different things I think. The storyline is a bit different.

OhMyActualGod. I don't know if I've mentioned my love for the hunger games but I do love the books and the movie is going to be sooooo amazing! Can't actually wait. Mockingjay was by far the better one of the books, i feel, and i loved all the heart wrenching emotions etc. I LOOOVE the ending chapter and epilogue. I've read it over soo many times it's unreal. 'you love me, real or not?' 'real' - love this line! It's so original 3

I'm obsessed with Muse. They are my life. Okay that's a bit of an exaggeration but I do adore them :D I actually buy their CD's because I like having physical copies of their music :p how can you get bored of them? Haha i just love them. I ramble far too much about films and random stuff, sorry, half of this is not even about your fricking sensational story. Lol. Hope you don't mind. It is an amazing story.

Yes please do read bloodlines! I love Adrian but since you're a guy I'm not sure if you feel the same way about Adrian :P but nonetheless it's still a WOW book.

**Yes, that about sums the whole story up! haha :P that means that i probably won't be watching legacy then :/ sounds pretty bad. I still think that mockingjay was a little boring (*holds hands up in surrender* im a guy, and i don't like too mushy, mushy and emotional stuff) and prefered the first two books where there's actually participation in the actual hunger games. **

**oh, and don't worry. i think adrian is the most awesome character ever created. **

**Anyway, thanks for all the reviews! Sorry if I never got around to replying to them, I'll try to do so in future chapters. So for now, just read and enjoy!**

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><p>"Fuck."<p>

Rose blew out the breath she was holding slowly, her fists clenched as she forced herself to remain still. Dimitri's hot breath whispered over the sensitive skin of her earlobe, and an involuntary shiver went through her body. Cursing how she couldn't control her body's reaction, she slanted the man next to her a withering glare, forcing the burning question through gritted teeth. "How the fuck did you get the gun?"

Dimitri arched an eyebrow, his shooting arm strong and steady without the smallest quavers – there went her hopes of knocking the pistol out of his hand with a quick attack. "It wasn't that hard. Now," he nudged her forehead with the head of the gun, "drop your hands slowly to your side and place them on your lap where I can see them."

"I'll fucking kill you for this," Rose hissed at Dimitri, even as she obeyed his order and lowered her hands – she had been only an inch away from drawing her .22 Glock! It won't do Abe any good if she got herself killed, so she had to play along and hope that Dimitri didn't really intend to murder her in cold blood for all she had done.

"Not if I kill you first." The words were said in a casual tone, as if he was engaged in a discussion about the weather.

"You'll be hunted down to the ends of the Earth if you kill me." An enraged whisper.

"I'll rather die," Dimitri murmured, shaking his head, "than to be without freedom again. Now that I have it, I'm not giving it up until the day I die. Understand that, Rose."

Desperate, she looked around wildly, looking for something to bargain with, looking for something to _plead _with. "There must be something – "

Dimitri sighed. "All I ask for is my guaranteed release after I help you with your mission, Rose. That's all."

There was a pause.

"You told me not to lie to you." Rose's voice was quiet when she spoke up. "I can easily tell you that I would be able to get the documents to do so, and have you tag alongside me willingly, with you thinking that after the whole thing, you'll be dismissed of all your charges. But I'm not going to, Dimitri, because that would be a lie."

Dimitri experienced a torrent of emotions, one of which he identified as respect for the headstrong woman next to him who had the dignity to keep her promises, and another which made his chest ache painfully. "Are you sure that there is no way?" He asked silently, feeling awfully vulnerable and small now that he knew his freedom might only be temporary. "No way at all?" No longer able to hold her at gunpoint, he dropped his hand. With precise movements of his fingers attained from his cursed years in the FBI, he slid the ammunition out of the pistol and flung it out of the window he had just slid down with the controls to his side.

It landed without a sound on the soft cushion of snow, enveloped by the sheets of white in mere seconds.

He looked back at Rose.

No longer in danger of being shot, Rose gave a big sigh of relief. Then she seemed to remember his question and gave him a fleeting glance before pursing her lips, ostensibly undecided whether to speak up or not.

"Rose, please," he said, closing his eyes as if in pain, "just tell me the truth. At least I would know what to expect of my future – or lack of it."

When Dimitri opened his eyes, the sheer bleakness in it had Rose's heart going out for him. He had not chosen this path; _she _had chosen it for him when she had broken him out of jail. The least she could do was at least to _try _and help him. After a brief moment of hesitation, she said, "I don't want to get your hopes up, but if you are able to help me shed some light on this case, I might be able to negotiate for your release from jail as a sort of reward from the government. I can't promise you that it would definitely work, but it's the only chance you have."

"Or I can find a refuge and hide there until the police give up on the chase – "

"Running from the law for your whole life isn't a solution, Dimitri," Rose reminded him gently, having the feeling that she was dealing with somebody so fragile right now that if she pushed him too hard, he just might shatter into a million pieces, never to be the same again.

Dimitri was silent for a long moment.

Then he gave a frustrated growl, messing up his hair roughly with one hand. "This is fucked up!" He punched the dashboard next, his rage almost a tangible thing as he retracted his fist, leaving behind an imprint of his knuckles. Not used to seeing him so violently angry - he had been calm and composed for the entire period of time since their escape - Rose had the strangest urge to comfort him; to reach out and pat him, as if some part of her knew that her touch would soothe and calm him.

She did exactly as her instinct told her to.

She flattened her palm gently over his shoulder, giving him a light squeeze. "We have to stay together," she coaxed, her eyes pleading for him to listen to her, to throw caution to the wind and just pray that everything would work out in the end. "Don't you get it, Dimitri? We need each other – for better or worse. Only then can we succeed. Just trust me this one time and come with me. _Please._"

Dimitri didn't say anything, averting her gaze and squeezed his eyes shut, massaging his temples. A few seconds later, he clasped his hands together and gave a great, resigned sigh. "Give me a moment to think, okay? In the meantime, let's move. I don't want the guards to catch up and get thrown in jail earlier than I have to."

Rose opened her mouth to insist that things were going to be fine, but Dimitri held out his palm and shook his head ruefully. "No, Rose."

Rose swallowed the lump in her throat, nodding, knowing that she had already said all that she could.

She also knew that staying together was their only chance at accomplishing their respective goals.

She could only hope that Dimitri realized that too - before it was too late.


	10. Chapter 8 : Promise of Seduction

**A/N: sheesh, im starting to write longer chapters... this isn't a good sign. this means im getting less and less lazy..**

Starya29: Hey! Just read your story up to its latest chapter, and i have to say it is simply amazing :)

I love how Dimitri's got the hot bad boy/badass attitude, with his little vulnerable moments :) So cute!

I like your plot, how Rose is looking for Abe, but im curious ... Is Abe her dad in this story? or just her mentor?

And Dimitri's past! What's up with the 'deception' thing? Though i know i'll probably have to wait for a few chapters to find out the answer to that one :L But i just had to ask anyway :)

Haha how'd Dimitri get the gun? Smooth Guy! lolz :D Poor Rose!

Anywayz, Update Soon please Can't wait! :)

**haha, thank you :) Abe is just her mentor, not her dad in this story. I might have forgot to mention it and confirm it, so for all the people who bother to read the A/Ns, here you go! I think you already know about the 'deception' thing if you read the summary, but you can wait a few more chapters (or a fuck load more) to get the whole story :P **

I wanted to reveiw on the earlier chapter but decided to reveiw on the last so i wouldnt be all late(:

Anyways i freaking loove the idea of this story...its not about how they fall in love quickly or he cheats on her with tasha..anyways i think the idea of this story is absolutley brillant

Andd I love that dimitri calls rose woman... I dont know why though

And i loove the hunger games cant wait to see the movie...

The way u described dimitri just screams 'badass' well duh since he's been in prison, the rose in this story seems badass too(: funny that she thought about shooting dimitri any ways ima stop here and hopefully be on time to reveiw the next chapter  
>-LoverGurl~C<p>

**that means alot to me, i really thought the plot over for quite long :P (though i always get random ideas and try to piece them together) hey, i think that calling someone 'woman' means either you know her REALLY well, so much so that she won't take offense to it, or you're just insulting the person ;) dimitri's doing the latter... or is he? sounds oddly intimate, don't you think? **

RozaDimka: **oh, the drama is far from over. there'll still be alot more conflict - after all, how do you get two people to fall in love with each other without arguments here and there? death threats are a must ;) **

**i think peeta deserved someone better... really. he gave himself fully to katniss but she was still struggling to decide between gale and him. really? after all you've been through with him in the games? -.- but at least in the end, they end up together... (sorry if you guys havent read it and im spoiling it for you :P)**

rupertrawk: **LOL 20 DEATHS HAHAHAHA. and i thought that most girl gamers are pretty good :P seriously, i have one friend that games quite a lot too, and she's good at it! (and she's pretty too...) so... thats my image of girls who play games :)**

**i think im among the top 5% of people in singapore in terms of height, so i guess that's good... girls dig tall guys.**

**okay! thats it.**

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><p>It was eight by the time they arrived in Denver.<p>

Rose took the chance to refill the dwindling petrol level of her car, and also to duck around the petrol station to check whether the news of Dimitri's escape from jail had been released to the general public yet. After about a good ten minutes of sneaking and snooping about, listening in on conversations, she only picked up that there was a raising fuel crisis – which she had already discovered while gassing her car up – and a school being closed down due to a murder in its compounds.

Like she had thought, it hadn't.

Yet.

Her spirits bolstered by that affirmation – thought somewhat negated by her afterthought – she walked back to the car and poked her head through the window, looking at the rigid Dimitri who had refused to speak a single word throughout the entire ride, even when Rose had attempted to strike up a conversation. "You want something?" She asked, gesturing at the convenient store of the petrol station.

Dimitri shook his head silently.

Rose sighed, climbed into the driver seat and eased the door shut. "We can't keep this up forever."

Dimitri didn't respond to that neither.

Wanting to cry out with frustration at how damned stubborn he was, Rose gritted her teeth and jabbed at the button that controlled the entertainment system. With a whirl, the screen came to life with a soft, blue glow. She selected the radio, then tuned in to one of her favorite stations that played all the top hits.

The obnoxiously loud beats of Pitbull's 'I Know You Want Me' blared from the stereos, and Rose hummed along to the song as she rejoined the night traffic.

"Jesus." Dimitri's husky voice – deep and raw from an hour of disuse – scraped across her skin like sandpaper. "How do you survive listening to this sort of music?"

Rose rolled her eyes; didn't it figure that a song about sex would finally convince Dimitri to talk again. "I try not to pay too much attention to the lyrics," she said.

"It's not the lyrics, Rose," he groaned, slapping a hand over his forehead, "it's the music. It gives me a fucking headache." He paused, head tilted to the side as he listened more intently to the song with a perplexed expression. "On second thought, the lyrics are pretty stupid as well."

Rose couldn't help it; she laughed.

"What?" Dimitri's genuinely puzzled look on his face made her laugh harder.

"That's the first time I've ever seen someone consider music so seriously," Rose said, sure that she was still grinning stupidly.

Dimitri sank into another short lapse of silence as he tried to wrap his mind around what Rose had said – it made zero sense to him. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, comprehension still eluding him. "Is it such a bad thing to be serious?"

Rose's smile literally melted off her face, and she bit her lower lip in contemplation of his question. Dimitri didn't mind that she didn't answer immediately; no, in fact, he was enjoying watching the shadows cast by the streetlights flicker across her facial features, bathing her in light for one moment and shrouding her in darkness the next. "I don't know," she said finally, shaking her head in what appeared to be exasperation. "And does it really matter?" Rose took a left turn at a junction, then glanced at Dimitri. "I was never good with these sorts of profound questions. I'm much more suited for hands-on work."

A slow grin slithered across Dimitri's lips; one that made her heart flutter in anticipation – thought she would never admit that in a million years. "Hands-on work?" He drawled in a suggestive manner, grinning at her obvious discomfort. "You'll have to show me sometime."

Rose shot him a withering glare, cursing the slow uncurling of heat low in her belly. "Never."

She had no doubt that the old, teasing Dimitri was back when he didn't appear the least hampered by her outright refusal. In fact, there was a glint in his eyes. "Never is a pretty long time," he chuckled, "how about we re-negotiate?"

"No is no, Dimitri," Rose said, a little less resolutely than she would have liked. "I don't do one night stands." Spotting a diner in the distance – her stomach gave a little purr of approval – she drove straight for it.

"Who said anything about one night stands?" Dimitri asked, and she could almost envision the amused smile on his face – so used to seeing it, she was, "I have no objections to dragging it out over a few, preferably _long _and _sleepless _nights."

Rose shivered, but it wasn't because of the cold. She wasn't the least bit cold neither; she was positively burning up from the inside. Common sense warred with desire as she found herself actually considering having sex with Dimitri – which just ascertained how asinine she was becoming. In her defense, it had been a long, dry spell and that, no doubt, was screwing with her mind and hormones.

It was the only plausible explanation towards how attracted she was to the maddening man she was _positive _she would otherwise abhor.

A figurative, comical light bulb lit up in her brain a second later and Rose grinned, congratulating herself for coming up with such a brilliant idea that would solve all the problems at hand. "Okay," she said, and a little thrill went through her body the moment she made up her mind. She told herself that it was because she was getting closer to finding her mentor, and not because she just ensured herself a night with Dimitri.

"Okay?" Dimitri repeated, looking so dumbstruck as he stared disbelievingly at her that Rose almost found it impossible not to giggle. "What are you 'okay' with?" He asked, and Rose fought herself from swelling with feminine pride when she detected a hint of hope in his voice.

He _wanted _her.

And for some absurd reason, that made her ridiculously jubilant.

"I'll sleep with you," Rose answered, gauging his reaction and felt an instant stab of disappointment when he didn't instantly jump for joy. Instead, his jaw appeared to grind together in a blatant show of agitation. "What's wrong?" She asked, telling herself that it didn't matter that he didn't seem all that happy to be able to have her in the most intimate of ways, without much conviction.

"You say it like you're doing me a favor." Dimitri grounded out.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Really? This is about your ego now?" _Typical male_.

Dimitri eyed her with steely arrogance. "I'm perfectly capable of making you want me. I'm quite confident that I can make you _beg _for it, too."

_Why, the nerve of him! _"I was going to offer you myself in exchange for you coming with me, but now, forget it." She snapped, refusing to even look at him as she jerked the wheel a little harder than required to direct the Buick into the parking lot.

"Oh?" There was a patronizing air to that word, and it grated Rose's nerves. "Tell you what, Miss FBI Agent Rose," he said in a husky whisper, and Rose hated how it still managed to arouse her even further. "I'll come with you just solely to prove that I'll be able to seduce you."

Rose's head whipped towards him, planning to tell him exactly what she thought of his arrogance –

"Shh." Dimitri shook his head, shushing her with a finger to her mouth. The place where his finger had touched her lips tingled in sensual memory long after he removed it, and if his cocky grin was any indication, he knew it. "That's not the end of it. I bet that I'll be able to do it in just three days."

Rose's mouth dropped open, and indignation burned within her, erasing away her arousal, leaving nothing but fury in its wake. "Why, you fucking asshole – " The ability to speak escaped her, and she seethed, hands already snaking towards Dimitri to strangle him, giving him a piece of her mind. If she was in a comic, steam would already be chugging out of her ears.

"Oh, look," Dimitri interrupted nonchalantly, pinning her creeping hands with one hand, pointing at the diner Rose had already parked next to with the other. "A diner! I'm starving." With that declaration, he pushed open the car door and stepped out regally. "You coming?" He cocked his head inquisitively to the side and asked Rose through the window, smiling.

"You… You little – " Once again, she was unable to finish her sentence. All she could do was sit in her seat, fuming and gritting her teeth. "I'll fucking kill you!"

Dimitri waved away her threat like it was of no concern to him. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now, can we _please _have dinner? Oh, and if I recall correctly, I have no money. So, your treat?" Dimitri grinned when Rose just gaped at him. "Thanks! I'll pay you back the moment I have the financial power to." He took a step forward, paused, then glanced back over his shoulder, his grin getting impossibly wider. "Or I can just pay you back in orgasms. I think you'll enjoy that _way _more."

After that outrageous comment, he sauntered to the diner with his hands behind his neck in a relaxed pose, and if Rose wasn't mistaken, it sounded suspiciously like he was humming to Pitbull's 'I Know You Want Me'.

Rose was pretty sure she popped a vessel.


	11. Chapter 9, Part 1 : Diner Dinner

**A/N: valentines was pretty fucked up -.- i have NO idea what the hell is going on in girl's minds, and trust me, you people never cease to mystify me... i don't think i'll ever figure out what i did wrong. to all guys who also got fucked over by your girl during valentines for no apparent reason, i feel you bro. i feel you...**

mParis: thank you :)

LoverGurl10621: glad i got you to laugh. at least im making other people happy and cheerful... and here's the update you're waiting for :)

RozaDimka: oh, there would be plenty of Rose suffering, i assure you :p and dimitri as well, obviously, with his lust for her... i HATE love triangles. you're right, they're way too cliche. i prefer just two people in love with each other, and no disturbances in the form of another person appearing and messing things up... at least you'll never read that happening in my stories. unless, of course, i go insane at some point in time (which is going to be pretty soon if i don't find out what the hell made my gf so pissed off)

majic91: it was my intention :P to be honest, i feel 'i know you want me' by pitbull is pretty... meaningless too. sure, its a good song to grind to, but besides for that, its useless... shit, i'm EXACTLY 6 ft. like... 183cm? :( oh well. big truck? well, the only 'big' trucks in singapore are garbage trucks... oh, and here i am, becoming lazy again :P SORRY!

XoxoBlueRavenoxoX: again, glad to make you laugh :P its good to know that i still haven't lost my sense of humor. now, its been a while since ive read the VA series, so what IS dimitri's personality again? cool, distant and aloof? i forgot.

**enjoy, then!**

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><p>The diner was small and sparsely furnished, having a distinct rustic feel to it that instantly made Dimitri feel at home. Each table was spaced reasonably far apart from the one beside it, providing a little bit of privacy. There was an old jukebox at the far end of the diner that caught Dimitri's eye the moment he stepped into the diner to a nostalgic ring of the bell above the door, and he headed for it, excitement stirring within him at the prospect of playing some good ol' country music.<p>

He had just flipped through the first few discs when the screen door of the diner opened noisily, the bell clanging loudly as it was swung around. Suppressing a smirk at how he had managed to get under Rose's skin – oh, how he enjoyed teasing her and watching as her face turned beetroot red from anger – he turned around just in time to see the person in question scowling and stomping towards him, drawing quite a lot of interested glances her way from the patrons.

"If this partnership is going to work," she said through gritted teeth when she reached him, her hands held stiffly by her side, "we need to set down some ground rules."

Dimitri shrugged in response and pivoted back to the jukebox once he was sure he wasn't in any danger of being murdered by Rose. "Sure, if you think that it's going to help." He browsed through the songs available for playback by pressing a button, frowning when he scarcely recognized the artists and the demos.

Rose placed her hands on her hips and glared. "You don't?"

Dimitri spared her a wry glance. "I don't play by rules, Rose."

"Well, then!" she snapped, her face turning slightly red again, "I guess that it's time to learn, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess," Dimitri murmured dismissively, only vaguely aware of Rose's temper spiking again beside him as he tampered with the controls of the jukebox to search for a song he actually remembered from his childhood.

"You're not even listening to me!"

Sighing when he reached the end of the selection of music and was still unable to find a single track he recognized, Dimitri strode to the empty table beside the jukebox and seated himself wordlessly.

"I'm talking to you!" Rose spluttered indignantly.

Dimitri laid his hands on the table, looking exasperated. "Then talk."

"But you were the one that – You know what? Forget it." Rose shook her head wearily, suddenly feeling days' worth of fatigue weighing down on her, and she squeezed herself into the seat across from Dimitri in an effort to put as much space between them as possible, deciding to appease her stomach before torturing herself further by attempting to hold a conversation with him. "We'll eat first. _Then _you might be more co-operative."

If Dimitri was out just to make her peeved all the time, she won't give him the satisfaction by throwing a hissy fit – or explode with asperity, which he more often evoked out of her.

She picked up the menu at the side of the table and feigned interest in a picture of a very unappetizing plate of what appeared to be spaghetti.

Or worms with a hearty topping of tomato sauce.

She felt Dimitri study her like an organism under a microscope and she tried her best not to squirm. A few seconds later, to cover up her increasing discomfort under his perusal, she waved the waitress over to place her order which she wasn't quite ready to make.

"What would you like?" The waitress, looking to be in her mid-thirties with oversized breasts almost popping out of the confines of her uniform, asked in a sugary voice that Rose found odd. Lifting her head from her detailed analysis of the menu, Rose was about to order when she realized that the waitress wasn't addressing her with that question.

No, she was smiling stupidly at Dimitri and he returned it instantly with a dazzling smile of his own.

Rose cleared her throat, even as her insides clenched with a foreign emotion. "Excuse me?" she prompted, a little more sharply than she had intended.

The waitress ignored her, leaning even more towards Dimitri with a sultry look in her eyes that had Rose's own narrowing. From her side of the table, Rose could see exactly how good a view Dimitri had of the woman's abnormally large breasts – implants definitely, a part of Rose felt deigned to point out.

To Dimitri's credit, he wasn't salivating like other men probably would be doing in his position. However, Rose would be damned if his gaze didn't dip downwards to the woman's ample chest for a fleeting second and her jaw clenched involuntarily. "What do you suggest I get?" Dimitri asked, his voice low and gravelly. "I can't decide."

Can't decide, her ass. He just wanted a little more attention, Rose thought with a little more irritation than she should feel in such a situation. Not that she cared about what Dimitri was doing; nuh-uh. She was starving, and that was making her irritated.

Rose watched through narrowed eyes as the waitress flirted a little more with Dimitri, and at one point in time, brush his shoulder with her breasts purposefully when pointing at something on the menu.

Her hands fisted convulsively under the table.

Finally, Dimitri settled on a chicken burger with fries and black coffee, but not before he whispered something in the woman's ear that had her blushing furiously.

She was about to walk off when Rose hailed her and she looked at Rose as if seeing her for the very first time. "I'm sorry, didn't see you there," She apologized sweetly, though her eyes were shooting daggers at Rose. "Can I take your order?"

"Yes, you can," Rose said through gritted teeth, silencing the voice inside her brain to punch the woman in the nose. "I'll have a sausage with fries."

"Are you sure about the sausage?" the waiter asked with mock concern, shook her head slightly then gave a pointed, smug look at Dimitri. "Won't want you to be biting off more than you can chew now, would we?"

"That. Will. Be. All." Rose forced out every word, checking the absurd impulse to proclaim that Dimitri was _her _partner, and the woman shrugged before walking off.

Dimitri eyed her with open amusement.

Rose glared at him, challenging him to say a single word, her stomach still churning with anger.

He mimed zipping his lips, locking it and throwing away the imaginary key, but his eyes were still laughing.

"I'm going to the toilet," Rose announced, unable to stand being the subject of Dimitri's scrutiny any longer. "I'll be back," she felt inclined to say, then added, "so you better not be going anywhere."

Dimitri just smiled.

Rose stalked off to the toilet.


	12. Chapter 9, Part 2 : Diner Dinner

**A/N: 1.9k words. Tried my best to make it as long as possible... then i sort of just died from boredom and stopped.**

majic91: i did nothing to ruin her valentines. she went berserk on me when i had to leave her for a family emergency, and said that i wasn't spending enough time with her and didnt care for her etc. -.- yeah, i agree. but look at it from another point of view, valentines is the day where you can go all out. like, spend a lot of money or effort in preparing something for your loved one and you won't look like an overprepared douche :P now, now, i know what sort of trucks you're referring to, but we don't have that in singapore :P those are more like pick up trucks, right? we hardly have them here, unless you're some sort of contract builder and require to lift heavy things around.

RozaDimka: to be perfectly honest, i didn't understand half of what you were saying :P

XoxoBlueRavenoxoX: it was quite mean to me, but at least it only happens once a year... why would you guys be in school camp? is it mandatory or something? won't there be a protest since its on VALENTINE'S day? holy shit.

xXtheseventhcharmXx: thats the exact reason why im so dumbfounded - i didnt do anything to make her mad. at least from what i can recall... :/

**okay that sums it up!**

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><p>"You took quite a long time in there," Dimitri remarked conversationally when Rose returned from her trip to the bathroom, earning himself a murderous glare and another finger. Feeling a little spirited for whatever reason when Rose had gotten angry from his little interaction with the busty waitress, he shifted himself closer to the glass window that stretched from the floor to the ceiling and peered cautiously outside.<p>

Snow was still falling, albeit a little more slowly after the initial snowstorm.

Rose's eyes followed him with reluctant interest. "What are you doing?"

"Just making sure that I have a clear view of the car in case anything happens to it," Dimitri replied, squinting slightly. "You did a good job of parking it out of the view of the main road."

Affronted by his clear lack of trust in her abilities with that comment, she clucked her tongue in annoyance. "I know how to do my job, Dimitri! What do you think I would have done – park in clear view to attract attention?"

A chuckle. "I meant that as a compliment, but I don't think you're too receptive to them right now."

Rose scowled. "And guess who put me in such a mood?"

They were saved from diving into another argument by the arrival of their dinner, this time served by a different waitress. She placed the plates piled high with greasy goodness on the table and wished them a good meal before sauntering off.

Dimitri dug in with gusto immediately, stuffing an oily fry into his mouth like a man starved – or deprived of good food for far too long, which is more possible than the former, though he was probably ravenous as well.

Rose stabbed at her sausage, wrinkling her nose in distaste when oil oozed out of it. She knew diners were notoriously infamous for how much oil they used, but that was just ridiculous. Reticently, she cut a small piece of the meat and popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly,

Dimitri looked up at her, having already devoured half of his burger. "Not hungry?"

Rose shook her head, made a face. "Too greasy for my taste."

Wiping his hands on the napkin that was wrapped around the cutlery, Dimitri reached for his cup of coffee and sipped from it tentatively. Savoring the bitterness he had come to appreciate, he set it back on its saucer and spread his arms on the table. "I don't know about you, Rose, but if I were you, I'll eat first and worry about the calories later. After all, if what you've told me is true, then we're truly on the run and that means we never know when our next meal might be." Plunging his fork into another fat fry, he lifted it in a salute before consuming it.

Rose sighed, admitting silently that what Dimitri said made sense. Still, just thinking about all that oil made her queasy, and that wasn't going to help get her food down. Closing her eyes and holding her breath, she quickly ate another chunk of the sausage, chewing only minimally before swallowing it.

The warm baritone of Dimitri's laughter had her eyes snapping open, as well as making her hands clammy. "What?"

Dimitri grinned. "You make eating look like torture."

"I can't help it. The moment I think of the calories – " Rose shivered at that thought.

Dimitri's grin grew bigger. "You know, I have the perfect solution to get rid of all those calories."

Rose snorted, knowing exactly where this was going. "I thought you're a smart guy, Dimitri. Turns out that I'm wrong. If it had not dawned on your imbecilic brain from my body language that I'm not interested, let me tell you then. I'm _not _having sex with you."

As unrepentant as ever, Dimitri leaned back – still with that irritating grin – stretching languidly on his seat with a grace that reminded Rose of a predatory cat. "Who said anything about sex?" he asked innocently. "I was talking about jogging. You know, like running but a little slower, like walking but a little faster."

_She would not laugh. _"You know that wasn't what you meant."

Dimitri shrugged, not bothering to refute or confirm her words as he cleaned off his fries. Rose, in the meantime, forced herself to eat another mouthful, trying not to think about how it might wreak havoc on her figure. Unlike other women who remained slim effortlessly, she had to _work _for hers.

"Let's get down to business," Rose said after a glance around the diner and seeing that it was clearing out. She had no idea what time the diner closed down, and though most diners remained open till the wee hours of the morning, she didn't want to risk getting kicked out before she had revealed her plan to Dimitri. Their table allowed them a modicum of privacy, and Rose had every intention of making good use of it to discussing the pressing matters at hand.

Dimitri diverted his attention from his cup of coffee to her.

Taking a deep breath, Rose began. "We're starting our search near Salt Lake City, which is just West of Denver. I have two primary suspects, one of which is the director, Trevor Grimes. I've only met him once despite working in the FBI for over two years. He tends to be very elusive, keeping away from the media as much as he possibly can without evoking suspicion and never agreeing to personal interviews. Naturally, that makes him the main suspect. And it seems luck is on our side because his holiday refuge is in Vernal, which is about a three hours drive from here."

Not asking for permission, Dimitri snagged a fry from Rose's plate and chewed on it thoughtfully. "What makes you think that the documents you'll need would be in his holiday home?"

"I don't," Rose admitted. "But it's closest to Denver and I would like to start there first. If we come up with nothing, we'll move on."

Dimitri stayed silent for a long moment before shaking his head. "I disagree. Right now, we can still travel incognito because the public isn't on the look-out for us. The moment they are privy to my escape, however, that's a totally different story."

Rose shook her head this time. "You don't get it Dimitri. I planned out our route months ago, and this is the best course of action. After Vernal, we're going to move to Idaho, where the Deputy Director, Flint Lorraine lives. This is his official residence, and I'm confident that we can pick up the traces from there if he's involved in anything even remotely connected to the fraud. From there, it's a direct route to Washington, where if all else fails, we'll try to trail them until we get some solid evidence."

Dimitri's jaw tightened. "I don't like this, Rose. Sounds way too risky for us to execute. Have you thought about where we'll be staying when we're not looking for evidence or the time allocated to each location?"

Rose's lip thinned. "No – "

"What about our transport? We can't possibly take your Buick; our last seen mode of transport would definitely be reported over the news. Have you thought about _that?"_

Rose pursed her lips, indignation skirting her features.

Dimitri sighed, holding his hands out in a placating gesture. "I'm not trying to undermine your efforts here, Rose, but we need a solid plan, and a back-up plan to go with it in case something goes wrong. I think we need to dedicate more time to thinking it over – "

Dimitri was interrupted by a bit of scuffle from the counter, followed by a chorus of excited chatter from the staff as pans were banged around in the kitchen. Turning to take a look at the commotion, Dimitri saw the door to the kitchen swing open a second later, the burly chef exiting, yelling something indecipherable in a foreign language.

Even through the whole, baffling exchange between the staff, Dimitri caught the undercurrent of unease in the words spoken. With a feeling of dread creeping up on him, Rose and Dimitri watched in heavy silence as the TV that was originally displaying a boring game of soccer was switched to a different channel.

Rose's heart sank like a stone when she saw their photographs on the screen. Across from her, Dimitri stiffened and cursed silently.

Dimitri's mug shot taken from two years ago took up one half of the screen, while her photo from her driver's license occupied the remaining space. Below the larger-than-life photographs, the headlines screamed: "ESCAPED CONVICT TEAMS UP WITH ROGUE FBI AGENT". Rose only managed to catch a few muffled words spoken by the reporter against a backdrop of the maximum security prison she had broken Dimitri out of, but it sounded as if they were now 'highly dangerous felonies that have committed a treacherous crime against the nation'.

Biting back a blue word, she rose swiftly even as the staffs' eyes slowly shifted on them, puzzlement at the familiar faces on the TV morphing to realization, followed by fear and comprehension.

The chef's face turned beetroot red when he saw them, and he shouted harshly in his foreign tongue, brandishing his spatula at them while jumping up and down in agitation. He looked close to having a heart attack, what with his face drenched with sweat and his hair clinging to his pudgy face as he panted heavily. The waitresses all cowered behind him.

"Come on, we've overstayed our welcome." Rose urged Dimitri as she made straight for the door. "We'll talk over the details later. Now we have to get the hell out of here before they call the cops."

Together, they scooted out the diner and sprinted to the Buick.

Beside her, Dimitri cursed, but his words were somewhat slurred. "I have to get some warmer clothes as soon as possible, Rose."

"We should have thought of that earlier." Rose wanted to slap herself for overlooking how poorly dressed Dimitri was. Now that they were officially trying to evade the long arm of the law, it would be hard as fuck to purchase anything without drawing attention. She glanced at him. "How are you holding up?"

"Not that good." Dimitri muttered, his breath fogging in front of his face. "Temperature has dropped even more." He was starting to lose feeling in his fingers.

Reaching the car a moment later, Dimitri shoved himself into the seat and cranked the heater up high, breathing a sigh of relief when hot air blew out of the ventilator. Rose filled in next to him, and the engine roared to life, the Buick shooting forward with a step on the pedal.

Warmth slowly seeping into his limbs, Dimitri leaned back against his seat, keeping his face swathed in shadows in case any squad cars were making their rounds. Rose, on the other hand, had taken the opportunity at a traffic light to pull on a white woolen cap over her head until her eyebrows. She handed him another hat, this one blue in color, and gestured for him to do the same.

Dimitri tugged it on. "Now what?" He asked.

Rose blew out a breath slowly, her shoulder lifting in a delicate shrug. "We find a place to stay for the night. Then we leave in the morning for Vernal. We're running against the clock here, we can't afford to stay put at one place and plan."

Dimitri agreed reluctantly after thinking it over. "Alright then," he sighed, "but I have a really bad feeling about this." Already, he felt a sense of foreboding about their future.

"You know what, Dimitri?" Rose regarded him with a wry twitch of her lips before turning back to face the road. "Me too."


	13. Chapter 10, Part 1 : Spending a Night

**A/N: nothing much to say for today. oh, maybe one thing. if you would like to see an example of the lemons im going to write, check out my new story 'behind closed doors'. all my lemons would be uploaded to that story anyway as this is rated as T and lemons are very, definitely a M :P oh, and sorry for the short story, but i think ending it off like this is better :/**

RozaDimka: i dont know what you're talking about ;)

majic91: no, no, no. no secluded cabin in the middle of a winter storm and no firewood to provide warmth so they have to cuddle up and end up having sex because they can't help themselves. no! well, i MIGHT do that in a one shot, but not in this story. i don't want to spoil it by making it so... predictable. we have pickup trucks here, but we don't normally buy it for our own usage :P i mean, its big and bulky and cars are much sleeker. well, maybe that's because we're asians and normally smaller in size, so we can fit our small frames into a car...

**AGAIN, if you're interested in lemons, read my new story and tell me what you think, or at least how i can improve it. Kay, thats it.**

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><p>The motel loomed into view, the warm brown color of the building a welcome contrast against the blinding white of the accumulating snow. The glowing neon sign partially covered by snow announced that there were still a few vacancies for the night, and the price was quite reasonable, albeit a little more expensive than Rose would have liked, but she was dead beat and another drive around the town of Denver to locate another motel wasn't on the top of her to-do list.<p>

"We're bunking down here for the night," Rose said as she veered the Buick into the motel's shabby parking lot slowly, mindful about how slippery the road was. She didn't want to get into a stupid accident which will effectively end their lives as fugitives before it even began. They'll probably be laughingstocks of the world for years after that.

"Great," Dimitri muttered, rubbing his bleary eyes. "I'm fucking tired."

Rose darted a glance at the glowing screen on her dashboard to check the time before she cut the engine. It was already quarter past ten; that would leave them with about six hours of sleep because Rose intended to put as much distance as possible between them and Denver first thing in the morning, well before the morning rush hour. If she was right – and she normally was – their little pit stop at the diner would already had been reported to the police. It was risky enough to stay in Denver overnight, but rushing out of the city so late at night would be suspicious, and she didn't want to attract any more unwanted attention.

"Just let me do all the talking, alright?" Rose said to Dimitri, checking her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her looks had altered slightly since the picture for her driver's license had been taken, but she wasn't taking any chances of being recognized. With her woolen hat pulled so low, however, the chances were slim to none since her distinctive brown hair was covered almost fully.

Dimitri nodded mutely.

They both hopped off the Buick and after Rose made certain that she had the car as far away from prying eyes on the main road as possible, they made for the hotel lobby briskly.

Dimitri exhaled a shuddering breath, rubbing his hands up and down his shoulders. "Fuck, its fucking freezing out here."

Rose shot him a pointed look, trying to ignore the voice inside her head telling her that this was all her fault. "Your colorful language isn't exactly helping in making the weather any warmer."

"Thanks for the concern," Dimitri said dryly as he pushed open the glass door and stepped into the brightly lit lobby. A potted plant entering the last phase of its life stood withering pathetically in a corner of the room. On the opposite corner was a worn sofa set that smelled faintly of cigarettes coupled with a supposed glossy coffee table that had lost its shine over the years.

It mattered little to Dimitri though; after living in a jail cell with only the barest necessities for two years, the motel was like the most comfortable of havens. Leaning against a wall, he watched as Rose walked over to the counter and requested for a room. The man at the counter frowned, gesturing at her and shaking her head. Dimitri cocked his head to the side and strained to catch bits of the conversation.

". . . your I.D? We have strict rules and regulations regarding the usage of it to book the rooms." The man was saying firmly.

"I forgot to bring it along. This is just a short road trip; we're on our way to Kansas to visit my parents." Rose explained, pointing at Dimitri when she said 'we'. "I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, but we would appreciate it if you accept a deposit in cash."

The meek looking man peered past her shoulder at Dimitri and smiled. "Ah, you two a couple?"

Rose floundered for a second at the question before forcing a smile of her own. "He's actually a fr – "

"Yes, we are," Dimitri interrupted brightly, appearing by her side and pulling her towards him with an arm around her waist. "Is it so obvious?" He grinned at the man.

Rose dug her fingernails into his arm in silent reproach, straining to maintain the smile on her face when all she wanted to do was slap him silly as Dimitri struck up a friendly banter with the man. About a minute into the conversation clearly to put the man at ease, she was feeling very uncomfortable with her tucked right next to him as she could feel his body heat surrounding her, and it was doing weird things to her insides.

Rose cleared her throat. "If you don't mind, _honey_," she dug down even deeper into his skin as she smiled sweetly at Dimitri, "I'm tired and would like to go to sleep."

"Of course, of course." Not giving any indication that he even felt the sting, he leaned forward across the counter to the man and mock whispered, "you know how woman get when they want something only a man can provide. So impatient."

Rose's jaw dropped open, but she did her best to conceal her simmering anger. He was making her sound like a fucking sex craving _maniac. _"I'll be waiting for you outside, _honey."_ She stamped down hard on his shoe and felt a glimmer of satisfaction when he winced slightly and relinquished his hold on her. Shoving her wallet at his chest, she only half succeeded in not stomping out of the lobby.

Dimitri felt his lips quirk up at her sullen departure. Turning back to the equally amused man, he raised an eyebrow. "So, about that room. . ."


	14. Chapter 10, Part 2 : Spending a Night

__**A/N: 1.9k words. Okay, im really making an effort to lengthen my chapters, and i'll try to keep them like this. around 2k words. but really, no promises, alright? im REALLY, FUCKING lazy sometimes, and i just might do a 500 word chapter because im too tired to write more than that...**

****XoxBlueRavenxoX: yeah, in fact, i do. i play guitar, and sometimes the drums too, but mostly guitar. i don't play for the school, but i play for my own (and sometimes, others) leisure. admittedly, i picked it up to impress girls, but... hey, that doesn't make me TOO shallow, since playing a guitar relaxes me quite a bit too.

**kk, lights out for me!**

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><p><em>17<em>_th__ January, 2009._

_Washington, D.C_

_FBI Headquarters _

_12.32 a.m, GMT -5_

The office was a flurry of activity.

It wasn't uncommon for the feds to work overtime, but then again, it was rare for there to be such an uproar over just one single case. Eddie Castile surveyed the chaos, trying not to smile at the sight of a few clerks hurrying around in their high heels, files piled high in their arms as he sipped tentatively from a steaming cup of hot, strong black coffee that would most probably leave him wide awake for the next decade, if the amount of caffeine in it was any indication.

He definitely needed some caffeine in his system if he was going to last the night. He had been going for almost two days with little – and even that was a generous statement – sleep because his desk was cluttered with cases that have yet to be solved and he was swamped with work. His cases varied from homicides, robberies to kidnapping and sometimes – though still much more often than Eddie would have liked – petty crimes if he had nothing else on his dish.

From the looks of things, however, he won't be doing any of the latter for a very, _very _long time.

Eddie wasn't officially with the FBI, but he was on their payroll for the simple reason that he was sometimes called in to assist with their more befuddling and elusive cases. He was, after all, reputed to be one of the best – if he may brag a little – in the world and had yet to be stumped by any cases he had taken on.

And you know what they all say – with great power comes great responsibility.

Sighing, Eddie plopped onto his chair in the cramped cubicle – you would think that the FBI would have provided him with a better working environment, but _no – _deciding that it was time to stop procrastinating and get a start on his work. The bitter taste of the coffee still lingering in his mouth, he flipped open a file grimly and prepared to do battle with his latest case that was currently the subject of speculation in the building.

He took only a few minutes to scan through the contents of the file as it was extremely thin in comparison to the others. According to the information, one of the FBI's field agents by the name of Rosemarie Hathaway had extracted a man, Dimitri Belikov, who was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment two years ago from a maximum security prison in nearby Colorado without the consent or approval from the board.

She had evaded multiple attempts to reach her, and it was officially declared that she had gone rogue an hour ago when the local police in Denver were given a tip-off by a furious, rambling Italian chef that the pair had visited his diner somewhere in the middle of town, leaving no room for doubts about how they were now in cahoots. Some agents had been deployed there to check the situation out, but Eddie knew that they would have been long gone by then. He did, however, have a hunch that they won't be speeding out of town as Rose would want to be inconspicuous, and the only way to do that would be to stay in Denver until a more reasonable time before hauling ass.

Tapping his jaw thoughtfully, Eddie reviewed the entire case again, this time more thoroughly. There was something about it that seemed _wrong _to him, as if he wasn't getting the entire picture. He had encountered this problem many times in the past because he was considered an 'outsider' and therefore only got information from the FBI on a need-to-know basis, but it didn't bother him much as long as he received enough of it to solve the case.

This time, it did.

As his eyes roved over the brief background of Dimitri, the gears in his brain turning, he realized what he was being deprived of. On other occasions, he would have gotten almost two pages or more of background information on any person of interest. He won't be surprised if he would actually learn about how many times the person had sexual intercourse with each partner in there – it was _that_ detailed.

What he had on hand now was a pathetic, miserable ten-liner that told him shit about Dimitri besides for his hometown, age and gender. He had no idea what was he detained and arrested for, neither did he have any idea about his former occupation, along with a fuckload of other basic information.

It was all incredibly shady.

He flipped to the next page, and lo and behold, the information he had on Rose was almost overflowing. Compared to the pitiful one he had on Dimitri, Rose's took up an astonishing three pages, complete with a colored photo.

Closing the file, Eddie leaned back on his chair and drained the coffee, wincing as the scathing liquid went down his throat. He got up and walked to the coffee machine for a refill, ruefully aware that if he drank anymore coffee, he might as well give up sleep for the next century. Gazing longingly at the machine he was heading to, he changed course and snatched a bottle of mineral water in lieu of coffee and strode back to his desk.

He had something to get to the bottom of.

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><p><em>16<em>_th__ January, 2009._

_Denver_

_-Insert a plausible motel name here-_

_10.43 p.m, GMT -7_

"One-Five-One, One-Five-Two. . . Here it is."

Dimitri looked at the brass numbers on the door, then back to the card for confirmation before unlocking the door. Rose brushed past him roughly, making her anger obvious by stomping around inside noisily, her refusal to speak to him still very much in progress. Smiling at her petulance – was it bad that even that turned him on? – Dimitri shut the door and walked into the room, looking around at what would be his accommodations for the night.

The room was barely furnished, and it looked to not have been rented for quite a while judging by how the air seemed to be quite stale. Finding the remote that operated the heater, Dimitri switched it on before removing the woolen hat and tossing it on the bed.

A double bed, which he had requested for.

He glanced at Rose, who was stiffly sitting on one side of the bed on the pristine white sheets, rummaging through her bag, pointedly ignoring his presence. She must have felt his gaze though, because she snapped, "You're sleeping on the floor."

Dimitri laughed at her hostile tone, to which she responded with a glare that would probably have felled lesser men. "I'm not fucking joking, Dimitri. You either sleep on the floor, or you sleep outside in the snow; it's your choice. I'm not going to share a bed with you." She raised a hand for silence when Dimitri opened his mouth to protest. "And don't even think about playing the pity card. I know that you specifically asked for a double instead of two single beds, so you're going to pay for the consequences." Her smile was sweet as it was deadly. "I hope that the carpet is infested with bed bugs."

So much for a good night's sleep. And that definitely put his plans on seduction on hold – for an indefinite period of time, since this woman appeared to be pretty capable of holding a grudge. "Fine," Dimitri shrugged, pulling out the lone chair from beneath a dusty desk to straddle it. He had slept on worse before, anyway. "Just give me the pillow and blanket."

Rose told herself that it wasn't disappointment she was feeling, because _that _would be ridiculous. Still, she had sort of expected Dimitri to put up a bit of a fight, insisting that he wanted to sleep on the bed. The fact that he didn't. . . well, it was a good thing.

Really.

Huffing out a breath, she took inventory of the things she had the insight to bring along on the trip, highly aware of how Dimitri's gaze was burning a hole in her back from across the room. There were a few change of clothing – three sets, she confirmed – some unisex winter clothing which she should probably loan to Dimitri – the moment he _apologizes – _and a bundle of cash. Carefully peeling off the bills, she counted a grand total of one thousand, four hundred and fifty dollars. Plus the money she had in her purse –

"My purse." She snapped her head back to glower at Dimitri. "Give it back to me."

Dimitri tossed it over and stood up. "I'll go take a bath."

"Don't forget to turn the heater up high and burn yourself," Rose sniped at him, irritated when she only received a chuckle in return. A quick check of her purse put their monetary standing at exactly one thousand six hundred dollars. She made a mental note to ask Dimitri how much money he had used as a deposit, and how much it cost for a night here. It proclaimed fifty outside, but it might not include service charge, or whatever bullshit the motel could come up with to ratchet the price for a night up a notch.

Rose heard the sound of the shower nozzle being turned on, breaking the silence of the room. Immediately, her mind supplied her with an image of Dimitri standing under the shower with nothing on, the water streaming down his muscled torso –

Biting off a curse, Rose gave herself a solid thump on her head. What the hell was she doing, thinking about Dimitri? They needed to keep their relationship strictly professional if they wanted to get anything done. Forget that she had offered her body to him as a sort of payment for him to tag along with her. It didn't matter anyway, since he had declined. It didn't matter either that he had made a preposterous claim that he would be able to seduce him – within three days, no less! She wasn't going to sleep with him, period.

Needing something else to do besides for letting her restless mind wander, Rose started checking the room out in earnest. Other than the pretty much standard furniture in the motel room, there was a stocky, black TV squeezed between the desk and the wall. A catalogue was standing above it with prominent pictures of naked woman in racy poses, no doubt in hopes of getting the visitor to pay money for some skin flicks.

Rose didn't know what spurred her to do it. One second, she was sitting on the ground cross-legged, taking in the room. The next second, she was moving around, but not before she cast a (guilty) glance over at the bathroom. Grabbing the remote, she stuffed it under a pillow – a pillow that she made sure to lay claim over later.

The catalogue went into the trash.

Feeling a bit more at ease, Rose knocked off a pillow to the ground with a little bit more strength than needed, making it bounce off the carpet and roll to the door. She decided that if he wanted a blanket, he'll have to call room service because she sure as hell wasn't about to give him _hers. _Sliding between the sheets, she pulled the lamp's cord to dim the light and snuggled deeper down onto the pillow.

She went to sleep feeling the hardness of the remote underneath her pillow.


	15. Chapter 11 : Uh Oh

**A/N: so... sorry for the slow update (i must be courting death because someone just threatened me about the things that would be done to me if i update slowly :p) but i had been pretty caught up the past few days. anyway, a long chapter for you guys to make up for it. **

**wow, just realized that for once, i have no reviews to reply to o_o dont know if that's a GOOD or a BAD thing... **

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><p>Dimitri couldn't sleep.<p>

He had emerged from the shower to find all the lights dimmed, and a dead to the world Rose curled up in something resembling a fetal position. Her legs were tucked close to her abdomen in an effort to conserve body warmth, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Walking closer, he saw that the blanket she had pulled on initially was lying in a sorrowful heap on the ground. She must have had kicked it off sometime after she had fallen asleep.

Dimitri had never pegged himself for someone who cared about another person's welfare or health – and it could only have gotten worse after his jail term – but he had still retrieved the fallen blanket and draped it over Rose gently, almost reverently, not liking the idea of her catching a cold. Which was pretty ridiculous, if you asked him, since _he _was the one with the most probability of potentially dying from hypothermia, what with his clothing – or lack thereof.

With Rose all comfy and warm under the sheets on the bed, Dimitri had resignedly sat down on the worn carpet, avoiding a few coffee stains as he stretched out his frame and rested his head against the pillow.

It was about an hour later when Dimitri finally gave up trying to get to dreamland. He was tired as hell, no doubt about that, but his body didn't seem to want to cooperate, opting instead to heighten his senses so that he was even more painfully aware of how there was a warm, female body right next to him. Of course, as if that wasn't torture enough, he was also conscious about how long he had been deprived of satisfying the most primal of urges and just the mere thought of it had him stiffening – in more ways than one.

Groaning, he got into a sitting position and messed up his hair in frustration. It won't do him any good in thinking about sex – he definitely wasn't getting any with Rose, which was a real pity, since she was sexy as hell. He had gotten only a peek at her luscious body when he was throwing the blanket back over her but he had been struck speechless by her soft curves, only further accentuated by her form-hugging sweater. She had an athletic figure with a trim waist and toned legs, but she filled out in all the right places – most noticeably her chest.

Yep, if his thoughts continued in that direction, he certainly wasn't going to get any rest. After a brief moment of hesitation, Dimitri got up and ducked into the bathroom to check on his appearance. He could do with a shave and a trim, but besides for that, he looked presentable enough.

He returned to the bedroom and did a quick sweep in the dark, careful not to make too much noise in case he woke Rose up. He was just slipping out for a short trip; it was no cause for alarm and he didn't need the earful he'll most probably get rather than not if Rose got wind of it. He snatched up a windbreaker that was hanging loosely out of the side of Rose's bag and gave it a good once-over in the muted rays of moonlight through the paper-thin curtains before shrugging it over his T-shirt. He also managed to locate her purse which she had cleverly buried under a pile of what looked to be her undergarments – holy _shit, _was that a lace? – and 'borrowed' a couple of tens for his little shopping spree.

Dimitri had seen a few shops on the trip to the motel, and one seemed to be a thrift clothing store. He doubted that it would be open at such a late hour – it was almost eleven-thirty – but he was restless as hell and needed to expand the unneeded energy. If it really wasn't open anymore, he could make a detour and head to one of the many pubs in the area and get himself a drink. From personal experience, it was _much _easier to get to sleep if one was drunk. The only downside would be the massive hangover the next morning but Dimitri was a seasoned drinker – or had been, before being taken into custody – and could hold his liquor pretty well, something he attributed to the customs in his home town in Siberia.

Gingerly, he eased open the door just the tiniest inch and squeezed out through the gap, easing it shut with equal slowness and care. He didn't know whether Rose was a light sleeper or not, and he didn't want to find out right now. From there, he walked briskly across the street to the brightly lit row of shops on the other side. Despite it almost being midnight, Denver was bustling with night life and it was only then did Dimitri realize why that was so – it was a _Friday _night. At least that meant that he could easily blend into the crowd, drastically reducing the chances of being recognized – which was also a pretty far cry, since he looked nothing like his mug shot shown by the press.

Not taking anything to chance, Dimitri weaved his way through the crowd, keeping his head down just in case. When the familiar stall-front came into view, the interior was still lighted, a clear sign that it was still open – presumably to try to garner additional sales from the boisterous crowd streaming about outside. He jostled his way to the entrance and went in.

Dimitri wasn't expecting much from the store; it looked pretty rundown on the outside at first glance, but the merchandise inside was a totally different story. The interior was relatively large, the floors sparkly white, and the large room was divided into two areas with a straight line made by a yellow tape right in the middle, one for women's wear and the other for men's apparel. There still were a few customers milling about, taking their own sweet time to scan through the available clothing.

Dimitri hated buying clothes. He still vividly recalled how his sister, Viktoria, had used to drag him along on all of her too-often shopping ventures deep into the heart of the vicious shopping mall that he swore was out to eat him alive. There, he had to put up with Viktoria's incessant complaints about not being able to find the right dresses or shoes – which still baffled him, since he thought that she looked fine in _all _of the items she tried on – and endure the torture of standing awkwardly in sections of shops that were clearly meant for females' eyes only, wishing a hole would open underneath him and swallow him whole to save him from the mortification that was strangling him.

Safe to say, when Viktoria finally got a boyfriend, Dimitri was more than happy to shed that responsibility and hand it over to the sucker.

That fear of entering a clothing shop had never entirely deserted him.

_Viktoria. _

Dimitri wondered how she was doing. The last time he had seen her was a year ago when she had flew to Colorado to visit him. She had been all teary-eyed, trying to put up a brave front but failing as she lamented about how fucked up the law was for putting him in jail for a crime he never committed. The meeting was all too short, but Viktoria had imparted information that she was getting on with her life very well, having had found a job in their hometown – as what, she hadn't let on. She had evaded the topic of marriage then, and Dimitri hoped that she had settled down with a nice man now. His heart gave a sharp pinch of regret at that thought as if that was the case, he had missed his very own sister's marriage ceremony, aka the most important day of her fucking life.

Knowing that now wasn't the time to think about the life he had no way of returning to, Dimitri walked down the aisles until he came to the winter wear section. There, he meticulously sifted through the coats till he found one of his size and to his liking, and as an afterthought, picked out another coat to be on the safe side and draped it over his forearm with the first one. Next, he grabbed two pairs of mittens and two scarves, mentally tallying up the cost of everything before he went to the counter.

The last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself because he didn't have enough money to pay for his purchase.

Now, _that _would be the epitome of stupidity.

Actually, Dimitri reflected, his believing that the FBI could never be wrong was.

And then again, if that was so, him following Rose – a fucking FBI agent, for the love of God – on her mission in hopes of gaining freedom was even more so.

Sighing, Dimitri scooped up the two plastic bags with his newly bought items and walked back out into the busy street. Fatigue was never far away from the back of his mind, and now it was making its presence more prominent by making Dimitri feel slightly giddy. Nevertheless, he stopped by the nearest drug store – having asked a passer-by about its whereabouts – about a street over and using the remaining money, got a shaving kit, two bottled water and since his dick was feeling incredibly optimistic about getting laid sometime in the next decade, a pack of condoms, leaving him flat broke.

Ducking his head, Dimitri pulled the hoodie low over his head as he slinked back into the ever-moving crowd and with his hands fully laden with his purchases, he started back for the motel.

* * *

><p>Rose's eyes flew open abruptly, and a flash of panic hit her when the first thing she saw was the unfamiliar sight of the plain white ceiling in the murky darkness. In her own apartment, her ceiling was a pale blue – more out of laziness to repaint it than the serenity of the color. As the cobwebs of sleep slowly lifted, everything came back to her in a rush and she jolted into a sitting position, throwing the sheets off of her. She was on the run from the law now. She was a wanted criminal, or at least allegedly according to the government. Dimitri was with her –<p>

Where the fuck _was _Dimitri?

Flipping over to her side, she peered down the side of her bed.

Nothing.

Her heart skipped a beat, but she reassured herself that it was nothing even as her brain raced with possibilities. Praying that Dimitri was sleeping on the _other _side of the bed instead, she pushed herself off and almost stumbled over her luggage case in her haste to get there; to laugh at herself for being so rash and paranoid when she sees Dimitri lying there on the ground, fast asleep.

All that met her was a forlorn looking pillow with a mild indent in the middle – a clear sign that someone had been sleeping on it.

At least until a few minutes – or hours – ago.

Her heart dropped like a rock as she shifted into full panic mode. _Stupid, stupid! _She screamed in her mind at herself, stuffing all of her clothes into her luggage with jerky movements. She should have _known _that Dimitri would have tried to take off. He was undoubtedly unhappy with the situation he had been placed in, and as he had so kindly pointed out on the ride to Denver, 'do anything to guarantee his freedom'. She had been a blubbering fool to assume that his easy acquiescence to come along with her was _true, _and not a ploy to wait it out till she made a mistake – like falling asleep and leaving him un-_fucking-_attended – before he made his getaway.

_God! _

Trying to get a grip on herself, she commanded herself to think. He couldn't possibly have gone far, he didn't have the keys to her Buick. It had been in her purse –

Oh, _fuck._

Scrambling to the side dresser, she pulled on the cord of the lamp and the room was instantly lit up. Shielding her eyes from the glaring light, she stared disbelievingly at the purse sitting on the table for a moment before kicking into action. She had expected it to be gone, and had already braced herself for the discovery that would clear the remaining doubts in her head - not that there was much - that Dimitri had left. A quick check of her purse erased her worst fears – Dimitri had not taken her car keys. In fact, all he had taken was about a hundred bucks.

Hands trembling with relief, she sank onto the bed. It didn't make sense. If Dimitri had wanted to hightail it out of there, money was going to be an issue - his primary concern, besides for his lack of warm clothing. Why hadn't he taken all of the money with him? Had he left some behind for her out of pity – Rose snorted and discarded that idea immediately. That man had about as much pity as a piece of cardboard – or was it possible that he. . . just went out for a short trip? And if that was true, where had he went?

When Rose was contemplating between going out to search for Dimitri – in assumption that he had _not _fled – or packing her belongings and taking her chances in finding Dimitri on the roads leading out of Denver – in assumption that he _had _fled – the sound of the door knob twisting quietly filled the silent room.

Rose froze, slowly turning to face the door as she groped blindly for something to defend herself with on the top of the dresser, her muscles tensing in preparation for a fight if the person coming through the door proved to be an intruder. . .

* * *

><p>Dimitri strolled into the room and was bending down to remove his sneakers when he felt that something was awfully wrong. He halted at the realization that the room was lighted. It was dark when he had left. . .<p>

Raising his head slowly, reticently, he met Rose's blazing eyes.

And cursed silently.


	16. Chapter 12 : So Ends The Night

**A/N: hi. short chapter this time round, about 900 words? ... yeah. just couldn't get myself to write more since im really lazy today... sorry :/ **

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><p>"Where the fuck have you gone?"<p>

_Jesus Christ, this woman can scream._

Dimitri winced at the shrillness of her voice, trying to conjure up an explanation that won't get him brutally slaughtered – which from the look in Rose's eyes, wasn't far off from what she wanted to do to him. "I bought some clothes for myself." When Rose continued to appear skeptical, he sighed and emptied the carrier bag bulging with winter wear onto the carpeted floor, causing them to tumble gracelessly in a heap onto the ground.

Rose wasn't the least bit mollified. "What about that?" she jabbed a finger at the other two bags, her tone so sharp it could draw blood.

Dimitri thanked his lucky stars that he had the insight to stuff the condoms into his jeans instead of leaving it in the carrier bags. Rose, in her current mood, definitely would not have taken well to his purchase of the contraception. "A shaving kit." Dimitri replied, then peered into the last bag. "And mittens and scarves." He turned back to Rose.

It was apparent from how she was gritting her teeth that she still wasn't over her anger, and wasn't likely to for a few more minutes to come. As he expected, she wasn't above screaming at him about everything that pricked her ire – from the snow melting off his sneakers and wetting the carpet to him having the IQ roughly of that of an ant by taking unneeded risks to his mule-headedness in not waking her up.

Through it all, Dimitri kept his mouth smartly shut, knowing that if he so much as protested, he would be on the receiving end of another two hour lecture on respect for women's rights.

Cocking his head to the side when Rose seemed to have said finish her piece, he asked, "Are you quite done?"

Anger flared again in her eyes and she folded her arms across her chest. "Not in the least."

"That's nice," Dimitri said, swooping up all the strewn clothes and tossing them onto the desk, "but can you hold it till tomorrow? I'm about to drop dead right now."

Rose's eyes followed him as he moved across the room. "Then why the hell weren't you sleeping?"

Cool brown eyes met hers. "I couldn't sleep."

A lance of guilt which Rose flippantly shrugged off. "Not my fault that you rented a room with only one bed."

Dimitri didn't reply in favor of collapsing onto his pillow.

Rose peered down at his motionless form, feeling her resolve falter. The floor was hard as hell, not to mention cold, and the thread-thin carpet could hardly solicit for him even a bare vestige of comfort. And really, now that they were in the same boat, if he woke up the next morning with stiff limbs, it'll only slow both of them down. It would be better for both of them if he got ample rest.

Rose told herself that that was all there was to it and nothing more. Biting her lower lip absently, she nudged at his shoulder tentatively with her feet. When he didn't so much as stir, she kicked him.

"Fuck!" Dimitri's eyes snapped open, his lips pulled into a snarl. "What gives?"

"Get up," she mumbled gruffly, not quite sure how to say it so she won't make a fool of herself, "and sleep on the bed."

Dimitri raised an eyebrow at her words. "Not afraid that I'm going to rape you? I _am _an extremely dangerous convict, after all."

She glared, hating how heat crawled up her neck at the mention of anything remotely sexual. "Do you want to, or not? The offer stands only for the next five seconds."

Dimitri grabbed his pillow instantly and sidled onto the bed next to her. "Scoot over," he said, bumping her on the hip with his elbow and his lips lifted in amusement when she recoiled as if branded. Patting his pillow into place deliberately slowly, he reclined against the headboard. "If just a small touch like that can make you so jumpy," he drawled, his gaze darkly intense when he looked at her, "I wonder how you'll react when we actually have sex."

* * *

><p><em>God. <em>What _was _wrong with her? What was it about this man that got her burning up so quickly? Just the barest of touches from him had her feeling warm and tingly all over. "That's a pity," she said, hoping her voice didn't give away what she was feeling, "since you'll never get to know. I'm not sleeping with you, so you can just get that notion out of your head." She eased herself down and turned sideways, her back to Dimitri, and pulled the sheets over herself because she suddenly felt a prickle of self-consciousness about her body. Not that she was scantily clad or anything, because she was fully covered, but there was just _something _about Dimitri that made her feel. . . overtly exposed when she was around him.

"Tell yourself whatever you want, Rose." His voice was husky and it felt way too intimate in such close quarters, especially since she had already dimmed the lights. "But I _am _going to have my way with you."

Rose shivered, pulling the blankets even closer to herself, as if it would act as a shield against his sinful words that sparked such deep desire within her.

"And when I do," he whispered, his hot breath raking past the sensitive tips of her ear, making her breath hitched, "I'll bet that you'll be as responsive as I have imagined."

Rose didn't get much sleep that night.


	17. Chapter 13, Part 1 : Chase

**A/N: okay, so apparently there are some problems with posting this chapter because it wasn't really uploaded even though I'm sure it was... oh well. Re-uploaded, and hopefully this time, you guys can see it. I also made it extra long because i was bored (and feeling a little guilty...) okay, so here's the thing. i'm going to update this very rarely now, because im trying to finish off the sweetest surrender ASAP (and even then, its still going to take a few months i think :/) so... sorry.**

shovel of doom: i play acoustic too. used to play classical, but it got boring (and very unappealing because girls nowadays prefer pop :P) so i shifted to acoustic. more of a rhythm guitarist, because i suck badly at tabs. okay, i may just be too lazy to learn them because i know almost all the chords and just strumming them is so much easier :) oh, and i definitely like long reviews. short reviews are like... meh. but im fine with both of them, because some people cant get themselves to write more than 10 words, so... :D IT'S ALRIGHT, GUYS!

**gogo**

* * *

><p>It was around a quarter to three when Rose sensed that something was wrong.<p>

She had been awake the whole time, unable to fall asleep because desire was thrumming in her blood and she was feeling ridiculously fired up despite her telling herself that _nothing _was going to happen. Oh, and Dimitri's big hand resting on her abdomen might also have contributed somewhat to her restlessness; the warmth of his hand seeping through her fabric and causing her breathing to become choppy because with each inhalation, her belly rose and fell along with his hand.

But there proved to be a silver lining to her frustrating situation when she heard a faint but unmistakable wail of sirens in the distance. In the dead of the night, it pierced through the silence and Rose sat up, removing Dimitri's hand and listened hard, her pulse racing. And a few seconds later, there were no qualms or _maybes_ about it.

It was getting closer.

She didn't want to be paranoid, because it might just be a routine surveillance, but Rose sincerely doubted that such an activity would require the blaring of sirens. Which, she noticed, had died down in the short seconds when she was contemplating their next course of action. Dimitri was sleeping soundly, and he looked exhausted so she didn't want to wake him up until she found out what was going on. After all, the sirens might have been turned on by a rookie cop by accident.

But, Rose admitted, the chances of that was between slim to none.

She swung her legs over and off the bed and crept to the windows, parting the curtains the slightest bit to peer out at the deserted streets. The snowfall had ceased – thankfully – and the roads were clear of any traffic save for the occasional car.

No police cruiser in sight.

Rose knew that didn't mean anything because no experienced cop would leave a squad car in plain sight in the middle of the road, but she felt comforted all the same. They weren't in any immediate danger of being apprehended. She felt the tension in her muscles abide a little. Just to be on the safe side, however, she pulled the curtains tightly back together and padded over to the bathroom. When she had first inspected it, she had noticed that the small window above the toilet seat provided an excellent vantage point of the back parking lot where she had parked her Buick, and standing on the toilet, she peeked out at the dimly lit lots of the parking area. Her car was exactly where she left it, at the furthest lot to the left, bathed in shadows.

She released a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Something wrong?"

Rose jumped at the deep rumble from behind her, almost falling off her perch on the toilet, her hand flying to rest on her palpitating heart. Turning back, she scowled at an amused Dimitri. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" she hissed at him, climbing down slowly.

"Sorry." He didn't sound the least bit repentant. "So, what were you doing?" He indicated the window sill with a tilt of his head, a questioning look on his face.

Rose brushed off the dust off her sleeves with a wrinkle of her nose. "I heard a siren just minutes ago and wanted to make sure that the local police haven't found us."

The smile melted off Dimitri's face and instantly alert, he glanced around the interior at the four walls as if cops would suddenly materialize from thin air and arrest them. "So? Anything?"

"Nothing," Rose said, suddenly feeling very uneasy now that she noticed how Dimitri seemed to eat up the remaining space in the incredibly small bathroom. They were almost chest to chest. "Or at least so it seems."

Dimitri, however, didn't seem to share her discomfort. "You think something's wrong?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck and wincing slightly.

Rose motioned for him to back out of the bathroom so she could exit. "I don't know, but it pays to be cautious."

Dimitri took a few steps back, still rubbing his nape in a circular motion with his palm which told Rose that he was probably sore from sleeping on the ground. Served him right. Rose walked to her duffel bag and started throwing everything back in. Dimitri watched curiously from on top of the bed. "Planning to get back on the road soon?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Rose zipped up the bag and stood up. "What time is it now?"

Dimitri glanced at the clock. "Three exactly."

Rose nodded. "We head out at four. You can – "

"Wait, Rose." Dimitri shook his head. "We shouldn't leave at such an odd hour. At least wait till the morning rush hour before getting out of here."

Rose plopped down onto the bed as well, her back facing him. "I already thought of that," she replied, running her fingers through her hair and grimacing at all the tangles. She must look quite a sight. Self-consciously, she started for the bathroom to grab a comb. "But we just have to take the risk. We're not accomplishing anything by staying here, and if the cops have managed to somehow find our trail, we'll just be sitting ducks here. Look around you," Rose emerged from the bathroom with her weapon of choice in hand and tackled the stubborn knots in her hair. "We don't have many escape points. It's either the door, or through the window – which, I have to add, isn't possible since we're staying on the third floor – and that basically means that if we get busted, we have nowhere to run."

Dimitri cocked his head to the side at her, which caused him to wince. "You gave this quite a bit of thought," he mused.

"Obviously," she retorted, taking a seat down on a chair at the corner of the room as she smoothened out her hair. "If I didn't, who will? _You_?" She tried to sound as contemptuous as possible when enunciating the last word, but she must have come off sounding ridiculous because Dimitri laughed. Her anger went on a slow boil. "I'm being serious!"

"I know you are," Dimitri grinned, then sobered. "Alright then, you make a convincing argument. We'll set off at four." He glanced at his recent purchases lying around on the ground and sighed. "I guess that I'll have to start sorting those out right now, don't I?"

* * *

><p>Five minutes before four, they quietly checked out of the motel. With his new mittens and coat to boot, Dimitri walked out into the cold night as if embracing an old friend – which actually, wasn't far from the truth. Together, they hurried over to the Buick and once they were strapped in, Rose put the car into drive and turned onto the streets, wasting no time at all.<p>

"Keep your eyes open," Rose instructed Dimitri as she squinted to see the directions given on the road signs. "Help me check if there are any cars tailing us or anything that doesn't seem right. We're about ten minutes from reaching the interstate."

Dimitri, nursing a warm cup of coffee he had ordered from a vending machine, sipped from it tentatively and nodded. "Got it."

Rose suddenly wished that she had ordered a coffee of her own – she definitely wouldn't mind some caffeine speeding through her bloodstream – but it was too late to mourn over her misguided decisions. Making sure that the road ahead of them was empty and straight, Rose consulted the GPS for a few moments before returning her gaze to the road. About ten miles more.

Dimitri straightened abruptly, the coffee in his disposable cup almost sloshing over the top.

Rose looked over at him. "What's wrong?"

He didn't answer immediately, but ducked his head and took a closer look at the rearview mirror. "I thought I saw some headlights," he muttered a few short seconds later as he relaxed back against his seat. "But I must have been mistaken. Not a soul behind us."

Rose glanced at the rearview mirror on her side as well, and the entire stretch of road behind them was devoid of life. It was relatively straight as well, which meant that it was almost impossible for a vehicle in pursuit to hide.

Almost.

She sped up, the needle inching past ninety.

Dimitri got the message and unbuckled, maneuvering himself through the small space between the two front seats to the backseat and focused his gaze steadily on the road behind them. "How long more till the interstate?" he asked.

"About five."

"Can we go any faster?"

Rose shot him an irritated look. "Not if you want to get booked for speeding."

"We're already running from the law," Dimitri pointed out wryly, "what's another offense?"

"Not taking any chances, remember?"

"Yeah, of course," Dimitri snickered, mimicking her voice. "_It pays to be cautious – _Oh, _shit!"_

"What?" Rose was negotiating a winding road, so she couldn't take a look back. When Dimitri only cursed again instead of answering her question, she snapped, "For fuck's sakes, Dimitri, _what _the fuck are you seeing?"

"Two Sedans," he reported, and proceeded to curse again. "No, _three."_

Sedans? One thing Rose knew for sure – the local police didn't drive such vehicles. Unless, of course, they had a switch of policies, which was _very, very _unlikely, considering their meager budget. The only law enforcement agency that actually had Sedans under their belt was none other than the FBI.

That certainly put a spin on things if the FBI was joining in on the chase.

Evading the much less experienced state polices was one thing, but running from the FBI was another. Most FBI agents had at least a year of field experience, and they were no pushovers. Coupled with their state-of-the-art technology. . .

Their lives just got much harder.

Rose stepped harder on the accelerator. "How far away are they?" she asked, a thousand of other questions thundering in her brain. How had they found them? Why had the FBI been sent in so early on? Normally, units from FBI were _never _mobilized unless situations called for it or if a crime was committed on federal land.

She cleared her mind, telling herself that she would figure it all out later – _if _there was a later.

"I can't say for sure," Dimitri said tightly, "but I'll say about half a mile."

"They won't be able to catch us the moment we're on the interstate," she assured him, but the lack of conviction in her statement rang loud and clear. She had no doubts that the Buick was fast, but she was no car expert and didn't know what a Sedan was capable of. Were they even different models?

A minute passed in tense silence, and the interstate finally came into view.

Dimitri slid back into the seat beside her and strapped himself back in, as if sensing – correctly – that Rose was about to go Rambo – with the wheel. "They're gaining on us."

The moment the wheels of the Buick rolled onto the smooth cement of the highway, Rose went full out. The engine roared with unbridled power, and the needle on the dashboard jerked. "Hold on," she told Dimitri, and that was all the warning he got before he was showed exactly what a 300-horsepower engine could do.

Dimitri felt his breath leave him in a woosh when Rose nudged the accelerator all the way down, his back plastered to his seat as the car shot forward, going from ninety to hundred in split seconds. Thankfully, there were no cars in sight, or at least for now, and that comforted him a little. No matter how bad a driver Rose was – and she was exceedingly horrid – without any traffic for her to weave through in their escapade, there was little to no chance that they would get into any sort of accident.

For some reason, that did little to ease his anxiety and he held onto his seatbelt for his dear life. "I know that this probably isn't a good time to ask this, but – do you actually have a driving license?"

Rose scoffed. "Of course."

"Your instructor must have been half drunk or completely delirious if he passed you," he muttered. "Wait, I think that the more possible scenario is that he banged his head too many times while you were driving that he suffered minor brain injuries."

"If you didn't notice," Rose said dryly, glancing over her shoulder to check their progress, "the person you are insulting is in the driver seat and she can end your life with just a flick of her wrist."

Dimitri followed her lead, cursing in agitation when he saw that the Sedans were keeping pace with them effortlessly. "Trust me, I've noticed. I can't say that I'm all too pleased with that, though."

Rose slapped the steering wheel with her palm, looking up to the sky as if praying for divine intervention.

"I suggest you look where you're going."

"I strongly suggest you shut up before I throw you out of the car."

Dimitri cocked an eyebrow. "Considering that you'll need to use both hands to do that, I think that's a pretty invalid threat."

"Oh, just shut up."

Over the next few minutes, Rose tried her damnedest to lose their tails, but without any turns or alleyways for her to dive in and out of, it was proving to be futile. The FBI looked to be in no hurry to catch up with them though, because they were just following them and keeping them in sight. She knew that right at that moment, the agents were probably making calls for reinforcements and roadblocks to be set up. If she didn't lose them soon, they were well and truly fucked.

She relayed that information to Dimitri, who soaked it in silently.

"Well?" she demanded. "Any bright ideas from our boy genius?"

"Where and what's the next turnoff?" he asked, peering at the signs zooming past.

"Limon," Rose answered easily, having had went through her GPS before. "But that's a good twenty miles away."

He scratched his chin pensively. "They can't possibly set up roadblocks on the highway, can they? It's going to obstruct the traffic."

"The traffic isn't very heavy right now," Rose said.

"It's almost dawn." Dimitri stared at the digital display. Four fifty-one.

"We're still a good whole hour away from the sun even peeking out," Rose snorted, turning her attention back to the road for a moment when headlights pierced through the darkness in the opposite lane. Her heart pounded when she realized that it might be the reinforcements the FBI were waiting for, but it was just a monster of a truck that whizzed by, music blaring loudly.

"Turn at Limon then."

"Why?" She estimated the distance from Limon to the nearest town at almost sixty miles. "It's not even a town."

"We have to ditch this car."

Rose gaped at him like he had just told her that he was actually an alien from Mars in disguise as a human with five sons waiting for him back on his home planet. "_What?"_

"We have no choice." Dimitri looked at her. "Most probably, those people behind us found us because of the car description. They couldn't have possibly recognized us – I don't think my own sister would be capable of that."

Rose squared her shoulders. "I'm _not _leaving this car behind to be towed away by thugs."

"Why?" Dimitri regarded her weirdly. "This Buick has some sort of sentimental value to you?"

Rose thought about letting him know the whole truth, and it was on the edge of her tongue but she clamped down on her mouth. She'll just sound silly, and knowing Dimitri, he would never take her seriously. "Maybe," she allowed, but that was all he was going to get.

Dimitri's stare was intense. "Maybe?" he prompted.

Rose pursed her lips defiantly.

Finally, he shrugged. "Fine. Have it your way, but we'll need to change license plates and perhaps get a new paint job."

Rose's reply was noncommittal. "We'll see."

"The license plate part is non-negotiable." Dimitri was adamant. "The paint job? That too. Red is way too outstanding and it attracts attention like a neon sign. We'll go with sleek silver – that way, we can blend better."

Rose had turned on the radio and was now studiously ignoring him.

Dimitri sighed wearily and resumed watching the black sedans, wishing for another cup of coffee.


End file.

Vampire Academy, Adventure, Romance