Alright. This is me forcing my obsession for Adrian and Jill on you. I don't care what you think; they're adorable. D: Besides, the song it's based off ("Inevitable" by Anberlin) is just ... it's breathtaking. It's beautiful; the perfect love song. If you haven't heard it before, please, go look it up on youtube. It's that amazing. I have a hard time picking out the right words to describe it.
This is set some four and a half years after 'Last Sacrifice.' Lissa and Rose have graduated college, and Jill has finished high school. I feel that by this time, Jill would be at least semi-used to the people around her (i.e., Christian, Rose, Lissa, Dimitri, etc.) and not as awkward as she was in the books. But hey, too each it's own, right? It is also not a song fic, although there are lyrics in the story. The lyrics is supposed to be an indication of what they're hearing, alright? If that makes any sense... Haha. And as for now, this is completed ... but it may turn into a series of one-shots around Adrian and Jill. Perhaps...
Now, I'm not a big fan of dedications and all that ... however, sometimes, it's just unavoidable. This is dedicated to EllieHathaway, my fellow Adrian/Jill fan. We're gonna get jackets, for reals. :D
Ah... Okay. I'll stop with distractions and work on my two chapters story now; I promise.
Disclaimer: I, Ashleigh, swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The truth? I don't own the characters in Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I'm smart, but I'm not that smart. I do not own the beautiful song that is Inevitable by Anberlin. Obviously, Anberlin owns that song. Lucky sons of bitches. On a happier note, what I do own is a can of mountain dew, a Transformers blanket, and my sanity. No copyright infringement is intended. All rights reserved. ©;
Inevitable
chasing down a daydream
A lot had changed in the past few years. The biggest change of it all, however, was that I had a half-sister; a half-sister that was now currently the queen of the Moroi world, and had been so for the past four years. Yeah, I really hadn't seen that one coming – but apparently, nobody had. Things after that fateful day four years ago had been … difficult, so to speak. A month after my sister was crowned Queen, I was attacked. It was a brutal attack, too – and I still had lasting scars on my stomach from the burn marks. Days after that, I had been whisked away to a human school in Palm Springs, California.
That had been one hell of an adventure.
I was only in that school for a little over two years before Lissa, my sister, had managed to get the law changed that made my life so precious. Now, in order for her to be Queen, they didn't need to keep me around – why should they? I was an illegitimate royal. But deep down, I was thankful that they still needed me. Now that I was eighteen, I could serve on the council, representing the Dragomir's. My hands started to shake at the thought of that. Who knew? I took a sip of my drink, and turned my head towards the dance-floor, a soft smile on my face.
Today was Lissa and Christian's wedding. And my God, did those two look beautiful. Lissa was wearing a simple dress – I couldn't recall the designer's name – that fit her tiny frame perfectly. It held a light corset at the waist and puffed out ever so slightly. And instead of it being a traditional white, it held a soft cream colour with a pink, four inch band around her waist line, tied into a perfect bow. I was proud of that bow; I spent at least half an hour making it perfect for her. Christian looked stunning in his tux, instead of his usual jeans and a tee-shirt. But right now, it didn't even matter how the two looked or how Lissa's ring gleamed a certain way in the light. What mattered was the looks on their faces: they were so hopelessly in love it was sickening.
I sighed, taking another sip of my drink. It was their first dance as a married couple, and it was just them out on the dance floor. Strigoi could have walked by and danced naked, and the two of them wouldn't have noticed. They were beautiful, and they were in love. A twinge of jealousy shot through my stomach, and I closed my eyes briefly. One day, Jill. One day, you'll have that Christian to your Lissa, the Dimitri to your Rose. My eyes scanned for Rose and her 'Russian lover', as she liked to call him. I didn't need to scan too hard, because she came down and sat across from me, Dimitri right next to her.
"I'm sorry for yelling at your earlier, Jill." Rose smiled, and I smiled back, laughing slightly. I didn't take her snapping at me personally. Rose had been stressing because Lissa had been stressing from the pre-wedding stress. I shrugged in response. God, Rose and Dimitri both looked beautiful. Even though Rose and I were wearing similar dresses, hers was a lot different than mine. Er, okay – not so much different. It fit her curves a lot better than they fit mine, and hers was a lovely shade of red, while mine was a light blue. The red indicated maid of honour; blue indicated the rest of the bridesmaids, which had been Mia, Viktoria and I.
"It's fine. I'm just surprised you didn't start bitching everyone out earlier," I laughed again, stating nothing more than a true statement. Dimitri's mouth twitched up into a smile, and Rose shook her head. I was sure she still wasn't used to me swearing; hell, nobody was. It was funny, really. It was also safe to say that Rose was rubbing off on me. "And shouldn't you be dancing? I can see the look in Dimitri's eyes. He wants to take you dancing," I stated in a sing-song voice, and I saw Dimitri flush the slightest shade of pink. It was still hilarious how it was hard for him to be open about their slightly confusing relationship. Rose's eyes lit up at the mention of dancing, however.
"I still can't believe you're swearing now. I've created a monster. I'm so proud of you. My baby's growing up." Rose flashed a bright smile and faked a tear, and I smiled back softly. She turned her attention to Dimitri, taking his hand. "And Comrade! That sounds like a great idea. Let's go." The look her gave her had my heart melting; he was mold-able putty in her hands. He gave me a soft, half smile and a nod, opening his mouth to say something, but Rose dragged him away before he could. I laughed again and waved them off, watching the two join Lissa and Christian. Their song had ended, and it was now the next song – another slow one. The dance floor was full of people I recognized, and to my surprise, Janine and Abe. That one almost had me spitting my drink out.
"Jailbait, it's not polite to spit your drink out. Although it would make for some hilarious Facebook photos." My heart fluttered as Adrian took Rose's empty seat. I was flustered, and I could barely pull up a smile – but I did. Adrian had put my heart in knots for three years now. In fact, back in Palm Springs, I was so sure that he and Sydney would get together … but they never did. My heart broke at the thought of those two getting together, but I kept the smile on my face, ignoring the fact that my heart was beating like mad.
"Do you ever get tired of calling me Jailbait? It gets old. And, it'd be funnier if it was you, especially since you have your fair share of drunken photos lurking Facebook," I replied. Adrian's smile grew bigger, and I could tell that he was becoming drunk – but not yet. He took another swig of his drink – it was Russian vodka with … seven-up, I believed. I recognized the smell right away; I had spent three years with Adrian, after all. My hands were starting to shake; the effect this man had on me hadn't changed since I first met him, a little over four years ago. I had been crushing on him big time then … and now, I was pretty sure I was in love.
That's what my momma told me.
"It never gets old, like me! And, that's very true." He paused and looked at me, studying my aura – I assumed. He may have been slightly drunk, but after so many years of drinking, it was harder to push it back (or so he told me). My heartbeat accelerated; did he notice how my aura changed when I was around him? He probably did. Shit. Shit. Shit. His lips formed into a smile that could make any girl swoon – and I almost melted me in my seat right there. Breathe, Jill, breathe. I had no idea what my aura was showing to him, but I hoped it wasn't too obvious. Oh, who the hell was I kidding; he knew. He had to know; Adrian wasn't that stupid.
There was an awkward silence, and I could have cut the tension with a knife. I took another sip of my drink, only to realize that it was coming to a close end. Frowning slightly, I looked until I found another waiter, motioning for another drink. The song changed abruptly, being cut off in the middle of the beat. Both of our heads snapped up, shocked by the sudden change. My eyes quickly scanned for Lissa, who didn't look furious at all. This was even more shocking, because she told me she would be pissed if someone messed with her playlist.
"This next one is for a beautiful lady out there, who the anonymous requester wishes not to name. He says he hopes she'll put two and two together when she listens to the song." The man DJing stated, and I frowned. I didn't like it when people requested songs – I wanted to dance, and now the dancing order (which I had memorized per Lissa's request) was all messed up. And why was Lissa looking so happy? She caught my eyes and gave me a big smile and a thumbs up, and I raised my eyebrows. Whoever this was must have gotten approval from my sister. I was still giving her a questioning look when Adrian cleared his throat, and all my attention was turned to him.
"Care for a dance, Princess?" He stretched out his hand, and my drink fell out of my hand, causing it to spill all over the table and slightly onto his shirt. I opened my mouth to apologize, but he cut me off by taking my hand into his. "Don't worry about it. And I'll take that as a yes, you'll dance with me." He tugged on my hand, pulling me out of my chair and onto the dance floor. Once we were there, he pulled me close to him, an arm slinking around my waist and another on my shoulder. I was tense; one, because I was dancing with Adrian, and two, because … because I didn't really know how to dance.
"Just follow my lead, Jailbait. It's not that hard," He mused, and I looked up at him. Adrian looked so … peaceful. He closed his eyes, and I leaned my head into his chest, waiting for the rejection. Only it didn't come. Adrian sighed, and I wasn't sure if it was a sign of happiness or a sigh of annoyance. My stomach did a backflip as we moved back and forth on the dance floor.
Do you remember when we were just kids
And cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss
Schoolyard conversations taken to heart
And laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not
The lyrics to the song were absolutely beautiful. I had heard it once before, but it had never been the actual signer of the song. As a matter of fact, it had been Adrian singing this song softly when I first heard it. I resisted the urge to look at him as the hand on my shoulder slid down to my waist, locking his hands together. We rocked back and forth, moving in small steps, not making much progress.
I wanna break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)
For the rest of our lives
Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now
I locked my hands around his waist, feeling at ease with myself. He was humming along to the song, and then he chuckled to himself. I pushed my brows together; what the hell was he laughing for? There was a pang in my heart as I thought about why he could be laughing, my mind instantly going to the worst one: was this some kind of sick joke? My breathing increased and tears welled up in my eyes as I thought about that. But my fears were crushed when Adrian spoke. "Have I ever mentioned your aura to you?"
Pursing my lips together, I pondered this thought, before shaking my head. From what I could recall, he hadn't said anything about it to me. "No, I don't think so." Laughter filled the background, and I pulled away from the temptation to find out what people were laughing at. Adrian chuckled again, and pulled away from me. Wait, why was he pulling away? No, I needed him to be closer …
But he didn't stay far away. In fact, he kept his arms wrapped around me. Adrian had pulled away to get a better look at me. To be honest, I really didn't want to hear what my aura was doing. "It's shining so bright, it's hurting my eyes. I've had quite a bit to drink tonight, and I can still see it as clear as day." I had no idea whether that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult. I decided to focus on the lyrics to the music instead of saying anything.
I wanna be your last, first kiss
That you'll ever have
I wanna be your last, first kiss
"I don't mean it in a bad way, Jailbait – not at all. I've only seen it on four other people, however." Why was he telling me this? Suddenly, I found myself becoming very flustered. Pretty sure I was busted now; I was stupid for thinking he wouldn't know about my hopeless infatuation with him. "The King and Queen themselves." I snorted at the idea of calling Christian 'the King'. He abhorred that tile. "And their guardians." My hands were shaking, and Adrian let out another chuckle. I couldn't look him straight in the eye anymore, and pushed my chest into his face again. "It's stunning, really."
I tried to focus on the lyrics again, but I couldn't. My mind was reeling. Couldn't he just give me the rejection out in the open? Get it over with? Was it really that hard, or did he have to let me off easy? The lyrics were floating in the back of my head, but I couldn't listen anymore. Closing my eyes, I tried to drown out Adrian with the sounds of people around me, but that wasn't possible either. "What are you so afraid of?" His words shook me out of my own little world. I pulled back from his chest, a serious look on my face, but I knew he could see right through me.
"I don't know why you're telling me this," I finally managed to spit out. His brows pushed together, waiting for me to go on. "I mean … does it really matter? I don't see how it's relevant. Can't we just enjoy this dance?" Adrian's face turned into his traditional smirk, laughter in his eyes. My stomach turned as I looked into his eyes, and I instantly turned away, my cheeks turning red. How could I have fallen for this womanizer? He broke one of his hands away from behind my back, only to cup my chin with them. God, his hands felt so smooth against my skin…
"But it does matter, Jill. It matters, so, so much." It killed me that he was being serious. "It's been this way for a little while now … I'd say a good six months or so." That was right after I had the conversation with my mother about my concerning feelings towards the infamous man. I tried to tear away from his grasp, but he was stronger than me at this point. "Although you wanna know the best part about it?" No, Adrian, I did not want to know the best part about it. My chest instantly felt tighter, and it was suddenly very hot in the room. The tears were welling up in my eyes; the rejection was coming, and I knew it. I always knew it would happen … but that never meant I wanted to face it directly.
We had stopped dancing. Or rather, Adrian had stopped dancing and I had stopped swaying back and forth. His hand brushed against my cheek, and I almost shuddered. Almost. "Silence always implies yes." I wasn't going to even bother arguing anymore. I just wanted to crawl up in a hole and die. "The best part about it is that I only notice it when I'm around. Whenever you're not near me, it's not there – and whenever I come near you, it suddenly lights up like the sun." I was shaking again; why did he have to draw this out so long? "Please, tell me why that is."
I dropped my eyes from his glance, though his hand was still resting on my cheek. This was God's way of punishing me, wasn't it? It was, and I knew it was. My stomach heaved, and I had to stop myself from throwing up. The bile rose in my throat, but I shoved it down right away. I was not going to let stress get the better part of me.
I wanna break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)
For the rest of our lives
Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now
I almost laughed at the last lyric I had just heard. But Adrian was waiting for my response, and I knew that he wasn't going to let me walk away without an answer. "It's…" Could I really say it out loud? Rose and Lissa knew – they always had. And since those two knew, it was obvious that their counterparts did… If I could admit it to them, then why not to the man himself? You're afraid of the rejection, Jill. A little heartbreak would be good for you."Because I think I'm in love with you," I breathed, barely hearing the answer myself – but I knew he had heard it. I closed my eyes before the tears could escape, but they were still managing to seep through my eyelids.
"That's what I thought." I bit the bottom of my lip, waiting for him to say more – but he didn't. Instead, he leaned his head down closer to mine and closed the distance between us. I nearly jumped back in surprise, but that initial shock only lasted for a second. His smooth hand never left my cheek, and the other locked into my hair. My body was acting on its own accord now. I snaked my arms around his neck, pulling me closer towards him. Right now, I was thankful for my height. I was tall, especially for a Moroi – at least five ten. It required me not wearing five inch high heels, and it allowed a shorter distance span for Adrian and I.
His lips fit against mine perfectly, and I didn't want this moment to end. Hell, I never wanted it to end. I wanted us to stay locked in this moment forever. I felt the tip of his fangs brush against the lower part of my lip and his hand entangle in my hair. My whole body was tingling; all I wanted to do was pinch myself. Could this be real? But it was. Oh, it was so real. I was lost in oblivion, and the only thing that brought me back to the real world was Adrian's tongue dancing lightly on my lower lip, begging for an entrance, to which I granted. Our tongues battled, exploring a territory that wasn't familiar.
The only problem with reality is that it all ended too soon. Adrian pulled out of the kiss, much to my disappointment, but he still kept in close proximity with me. Realization hit me, and I started backing away. "Oh God…" I muttered, trying to break free of his grasp, and yet, I couldn't. I wasn't sure if it was because he had an excellent grip on me or it was the fact that I couldn't force myself too. After a second, I stopped fighting.
He ran his fingers through my hair, which had been done in loose waves. It probably just looked like a tangled mess again. Adrian let out a soft laugh before speaking. "I've wanted to do that for awhile now. Your sister is one pushy little firecracker, isn't she?" So that explained the thumbs up, and oh. My legs suddenly turned to jelly, and I clutched onto Adrian for support. I had never put something together so fast before. The song, the first time I had heard it … Adrian had been the one singing it… And the message, the message behind it.
Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming.
"I, um, uh…" I was stumbling now, and my cheeks had turned a bright red instantly. I was at a loss for words, and I tried to form them – but they weren't coming out. He let out another soft laugh, and brushed the strand of hair out of my face. If there was anyone else on the dance floor, I didn't notice them – right now, it was just Adrian and I. The whole could have ended, and I wouldn't have noticed in the slightest. His lips pressed up mine for a quick kiss, his lips lingering against mine. His body was swaying again, and I mimicked his movements.
The beat of the song was becoming slower than it had before, indicating the end. My lips twitched downwards. I didn't want this moment to end. My dreams were finally coming true, for Christ's sake, and the song was ending. In contrast to my frown, Adrian's lips formed a smile, and he pulled away, pulling me closer to him. He wrapped his arms around my waist again, and his lips were right at my ear. I closed my eyes and sighed softly, basking in his presence.
"I wanna be your last, first kiss that you'll ever have, that you'll ever have." I was officially nothing more than a pile of goo on the floor. Adrian Ivashkov, the man of my dreams, was singing. To me. "I wanna be your last, first love, that you'll ever have, till you're lying here beside me with arms and eyes open wide I wanna be your last, first kiss … for all time." His lips lingered as he finished the last lyric to the song. I took a deep breath, waiting for him to whisk me away. That didn't happen. Instead, we stayed on the dance floor as the song transformed from a slow song to an up-beat song. I recognized the beat faintly as "Tonight (I'm Fucking You)" by Enrique Iglesias. I could feel his breath on my ear as he opened his mouth again.
"I wanna be your last, first kiss, for all time."
