POV: Rose
"DIMITRI!"
My heart stopped. People usually said that their hearts skipped a beat or jumped up in their chest when they got really scared or excited, but mine just stopped altogether. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't move or make a sound. I heard nothing but the muffled noises of gunshots and saw nothing but a body on the ground. I didn't move on my own, I was sure of it. Something moved me, some unseen force propelled me forward, until I was on the floor next to that body.
"D-, Dimitri?", it came out as a shaky question, like I was uncertain if it was really him, like I was still convinced that he was invincible enough to never get into a situation such as this, like I was scared that he wouldn't talk back. But he did.
"Roza."
"Oh God", I whispered, reaching to cup his hand that was pressed against his stomach. I saw blood seeping through his fingers, but I tried not to think about what that meant. I wanted to comfort him, do something, say something, anything, but I couldn't, I was too damn scared.
"I'm going to bury them", I heard a growl erupt somewhere behind me, "I'm going to rip them to pieces, I- WHAT?"
A quiet rumble, a frightened answer to the question that was yelled out and then chaos: "WHERE IS HE? WHERE-, Dimitri?"
Fast footsteps, a shadow falling over Dimitri as rapid breaths filled my ears. He fell next to me, the thud of his body hitting the ground echoing like the loudest sound I'd heard so far. Maybe not the loudest, but the most significant one. It wasn't easy to bring someone as mighty as him to his knees.
"He-, he is bleeding", I breathed out as I felt a grip on my shoulder, fingers digging into my skin so hard I thought they might rip into me, "He was shot. They shot him, Adrian. They-."
"No, no, no", Adrian blurted, crawling around Dimitri and pulling him into his lap, "No, you don't get to die like this. You don't get to leave me."
"It's okay", Dimitri tried to even out his voice, but the cringing of his face told a different story.
"No it's not. I told you, I told you a million times to wear a bulletproof west. Haven't I told you?", Adrian rambled angrily, but his eyes... oh, those lovely, glimmery crystals were sinking and swimming in an ocean of helplessness.
"You have to go", Dimitri pushed out, as always selflessly thinking about everyone but himself, "They might come back."
"Let them", Adrian spat through gritted teeth, "I have a bullet for each and every one of those fucking bastards."
"Adrian", Dimitri warned, but Adrian was done listening to reason.
He helped Dimitri to a seated position, both of them grunting as Adrian put all of his force into lifting Dimitri, which obviously caused even more pain to the wounded man. Adrian glanced up at me and mumbled: "A little help here."
Orders. I was good with orders at times like this. The nickname Adrian had made for me in the spur of a moment applied for most situations, Little Renegade - yep, that was me. Not now though, not when my mind refused to work or deal with complicated tasks. Being told what to do was just what I needed.
I slid underneath Dimitri's arm and found the hand Adrian held on his back, clasping it hard. I probably stopped his circulation, but he didn't protest. He dragged Dimitri to his feet while I did my best to support at least some of his weight. Adrian barked out a few instructions to the rest of his men before we headed towards their car.
"Adrian, I'm slowing you down", Dimitri argued, his teeth grinding together in a pained wince as we dragged him forward.
"Заткнись", Adrian snapped, "Я пытаюсь спасти тебя."
"Да, хорошо, ты идиот."
"No, I'm family", Adrian responded in English and whatever they talked about seemed to have had the desired effect on Dimitri since his usual fire and ironclad will returned, causing him to gather his strength and do some of the walking himself.
"Rose, the door", Adrian voiced as I slowly let go of Dimitri and hurried ahead to the back of the car.
"I think this is the longest you've ever been quiet Rose", Dimitri chuckled unevenly as I grabbed the door handle with shaky hands.
"Don't get used to it, Comrade."
A screeching of tires echoed through the night making what was left of Adrian's men to raise their artillery like synchronized puppets and the three of us to turn towards the noise. A mean, black monster of a car hurled towards us not only breaking the speed limit, but the laws of physics as well.
"You might have to use those bullets now", Dimitri coughed as we stared at the more than fast approaching sedan.
"I'll be delighted", he mumbled, but I could see this odd glint in his eyes that I'd never seen before. Fear. Shit, we were all going to die, weren't we?
Four months ago
"Come on, get out of there already", Lissa shouted, throwing her slipper at the curtain of the fitting room.
It fell through, ruffling the material slightly and I laughed when I heard a soft ouch from the other side. I straightened up in my seat when the curtain moved again and Sydney pushed her way out of the corner she had been hiding in. Lissa's slipper flew our way as Sydney scolded: "That was rude."
"Oh my God Syd you look AMAZING", Lissa exclaimed, jumping to her feet and hurrying forward to push our shy friend into the spotlight in front of the floor-length mirror.
She really did look amazing, like an angel in human form - her golden hair dancing over her bare shoulders, the tight corset of the dress hugging her breasts and waist perfectly, the gentle white material with golden sparks falling in slopes around her legs and sprawling over the floor. She looked just like any bride to be would hope to look and then some.
"It's perfect", Lissa squealed giddily as she circled Sydney who glanced up at me and gave me an uncertain smile.
"You guys really like it?"
"You are beautiful Syd", I butted in, rising to join them, "Oh and the dress is cool too."
"Rose", Sydney gasped in embarrassment, but her smile widened just a little bit.
"Shoes, I have to find you shoes to match this and-", the rest of what Lissa said was lost in a string of incoherent mumbles of her monologue.
"I'm just not sure if-", Sydney started, gingerly running her hands over the material of the dress.
"Look at me", I said confidently, taking her hands and squeezing them, "Someone with a fashion sense as killer as mine can't be wrong. This dress was made for you."
"Okay", Sydney breathed out, nodding to her reflection.
Should I say something? I should say something. Or maybe I shouldn't push my nose where it doesn't belong. She is one of my two best friends though, I'm obliged to stop her from messing up her life, I battled with myself for a few long minutes before one audible 'fuck it' escaped me.
"What?", Sydney asked through a frown.
"Syd, are you sure you are up for this?", I quickly pushed out before I could change my mind.
"Shopping?", she shot back as clueless as usual.
"Getting married."
Her eyes shot up to my reflection before she twirled around to look at me again with the most confused expression I'd ever seen on her. She opened her mouth and closed it shut for a solid minute until she was able to get her shit together and carefully reply: "Of course I am. Brayden and I are a good match, he is an intellectual man and he comes from a great family and-."
"And he is utterly boring, terrible in bed from what I gathered and, most importantly, you don't love him", I cut in, raising my eyebrow.
"Since when does Rosemarie Hathaway care about love?", she contradicted, obviously trying to avoid the topic I'd initiated and probably unwilling to admit that I was one hundred percent right about the lousy sex and his annoying persona. Yep, I really didn't like the guy. She was right, he was essentially a good guy and he might be a good match for, er... someone, but that someone was definitely not her. She needed some fire in her life, someone who'd force her out of her comfort zone and make her loosen up a little.
"Oh, I don't", I shrugged before I fixed her with my eyes and prompted, "But you do."
"Well, I do, I do lo-love him", she stammered, her cheeks reddening again while her gaze dropped.
"You want to try that again while you're not staring at your toes?"
When Sydney stayed quiet I figured this was my chance to finally say everything that was on my mind lately. Sink or swim, right?
"Look, all I'm saying is that you shouldn't do this because your family wants you to or because it sounds right, that's all. I'm not saying this to confuse you, I'm saying it to protect you. I don't want you to do something you'll regret later."
"And then you say you don't know what love is", she whispered with a small smile playing on her lips, but a saddened look in her eyes.
"I don't actually. I hate your skinny ass", I chuckled, earning a slap on the arm before a surprising, bone-crushing hug.
"I'll give your words a thought", she said before Lissa reappeared with those damn shoes she was so hyped about.
She stopped babbling when she noticed the serious expressions Sydney and I wore and asked: "Is everything okay? Did I miss something?"
"Everything's fine Liss", I reassured her, "We were just waiting for those God-awful sparkly shoes that Sydney wouldn't wear even if the world was ending."
"SHUT UP ROSE", they both exclaimed making me burst into laughter.
POV: Dimitri
"Adrian", I shouted as I pounded on the door, "Wake up. There are people here to see you."
No response. Damn it! I sighed and pushed the door open, instantly getting hit by the nauseating smell of what was left after a night of sweating and moaning. The smell of sex - that was the only way to call it and it wasn't a pleasant thing when it belonged to someone other than you and the person you were with.
"Adrian", I shouted, knowing whispers weren't nearly enough to wake him up under any circumstances, let alone when he had consumed plenty of alcohol, "Get up."
He frowned and shifted a little, but he was still out of it just like the two girls that were wrapped around him like vines. Our guests downstairs were most likely getting impatient by now so I decided to go for the nuclear option and prayed for the best outcome. I grabbed a glass of water that was left on the nightstand and poured it over him. He growled and fought to rid himself of the obstacles preventing him from reaching for his gun. I waited until he had it cocked and aimed at my chest, blinking rapidly at me before I spoke again: "You are slow."
"And you are insane", he retorted as his companions sobered up as well and glared at me, probably dissatisfied by the rude awakening, "I could have shot you."
"You could have tried", I confidently replied as I handed him a shirt, "Get dressed. We have work to do."
I politely walked the girls out once they were dressed and took the slips where they wrote their numbers, throwing them in the first bin on my way to the living room. He was never going to call them, so I'd learned not to bother saving any of their many numbers. Last time I tried to give him one he grinned and told me to use it if I wish because 'maybe then you wouldn't brood so damn much'. Though I appreciated his inappropriate offer, I'd never stoop so low. I wasn't interested in cheap thrills and one night stands, especially not if they were leftovers.
To my utmost surprise Adrian had already taken his position in his favourite armchair by the time I'd returned to where our guests were waiting. What never ceased to amaze me was the speed at which he was able to make himself look presentable. It probably helped that his hair was a magically styled mess most of the time and that he was the kind of guy who'd look well in anything from suits to pyjamas.
Even if I didn't know who the men that came to see him were, I would be fairly certain they weren't important just by his outfit choice. No jacket and vest, no tie and cufflinks, just a plain white button up and sporty pants coupled with his more casual shoes. Yeah, he didn't give two shits about these fellas.
He was mid-sentence when I walked in, obviously in a hurry to finish up with them. He had a cigarette stuck between his lips and a glass of Bourbon in his hand. Sometimes I'd find myself praying that his organs would serve him at least until he was forty despite all the junk he was constantly putting into his body. He loved flirting with death and I knew he'd eventually lose that battle. It was his family's way - live fast, fear no one, stick it to fate and, beyond that, just cross your fingers.
"Dimitri", he called out to me sharply, peering over his shoulder, "Go find McCall."
He was barking orders which could only mean one thing - bad news. The men that sat opposite of him weren't important sure, but the message they carried obviously was. I knew exactly where Kit McCall was and so did Adrian. He actually made it a habit to know where each and every one of his men was at all times, especially his favourites, like Kit. That was why I knew straight away he just wanted me out of the room. It wasn't often that Adrian excluded me from business so it was safe to say I was more than intrigued by these unannounced visitors. They had some balls, I'd give them that. People didn't just barge into Adrian Ivashkov's house whenever they felt like it and lived long enough to tell the tale of their foolish adventure.
"Dimitri", Adrian repeated and I nodded, swiftly turning on my heel and walking back out.
He was my cousin, but he was my boss first and even I knew better than to disobey him. I didn't seek out McCall though, because it was a fool's errand. I made my way to the kitchen instead to grab another cup of coffee. I patiently waited for Adrian to appear and when he did, I barely managed to get out of the way when he hurled his now empty glass towards the sink. The sound of it falling to pieces was overpowered by a string of curses that flew from his lips.
"I knew that son of a bitch wasn't going to be anything but trouble. I should have killed him when I had the chance."
There was only one man that could cause such anger so I asked: "What did Samuel do now?"
"He messed with the wrong people, AGAIN", Adrian responded pacing through the kitchen aimlessly, "How fucking hard can it be to keep your dogs on the leash? I feel like a goddamn babysitter, going around cleaning up everyone's shit."
"So don't do it. Let them fight it out among themselves and simply side with the winner in the end", I suggested calmly, capturing his attention enough to stop him in his tracks.
"Well, look at you", he chuckled, crossing his arms on his chest and raising his eyebrow at me, "You seem to be turning into the same kind of heartless and calculated bastard as me."
"You are not heartless, that's exactly your problem."
"Maybe so", he mused, his head falling back as he looked up at the ceiling, "Perhaps I should change my tune."
"Perhaps you should stop shutting me out when shit hits the fan", I bravely pointed out, knowing when it was the right time to pick a fight and get away with it. It was the artistry I'd learned over the years I'd spent by his side.
"You think I'm shutting you out?", he questioned, suddenly no longer interested in whatever particular spot he was staring at moments ago.
"Aren't you?"
"Didn't I just tell you everything that you missed hearing in that room? I just didn't want you to be there to stop me if I decided to kill the messengers after all. It has been awhile since I tasted blood and I'm getting thirsty."
"So basically, you didn't want me to stop you from being reckless. Isn't that why you hired me in the first place?"
"No, I hired you because I needed someone I could trust", he pointed out confidently, "And that's why you are going to be attending the meeting with Samuel tonight with me. Just you."
"No back up?"
"No back up that'll be close enough to hear what I've got to say."
"Okay."
"Okay", he confirmed before he turned to leave.
He stopped in the doorway and glanced at me with a devilish grin playing on his face while he added: "Oh and I should probably mention that we are going to your favorite place.
"Not The A-."
"The Academy", he cut in, laughing loudly as I growled in annoyance and rolled my eyes.
POV: Rose
"No, no, nope, definitely not."
"Oh come on Rose, they are not all that bad", Sydney protested as I flipped through the outfits in her closet, trying to pick what she'd wear for our improvised bachelorette party tonight.
"Syd, these all look like something a forty year-old accountant who's going to a conference in Valdez would wear."
"Valdez?"
"Sounds like a boring place to be", I shrugged and kept going until I finally ran into something I liked, "Now this I could roll with."
"That's a Halloween costume", Sydney protested as I pulled out a short, lacy, black dress from the corner of her closet, "The one you bought for me when we were dressing up as vampires."
"It's perfect", I concluded as Lissa, who'd just walked out of the bathroom, hummed in agreement when I pushed the dress into Sydney's hands.
"Fineee", she cried as she hung it on the door of the closet, "Where are we going anyway?"
"I got us on the guest list for... wait for it", Lissa dramatically exclaimed and I drummed my palms on the nightstand to add to her desired effect, "The Academy."
"No freaking way. How'd you pull that off?"
"Aaron knows some people. Hope you don't mind him coming."
"Is he a woman now?", I questioned as Sydney politely said: "He is welcomed to join us anytime. What's The Academy anyway?"
We gawked up at her and Lissa shook her head in disapproval to Sydney's lack of knowledge while she elaborated: "Only one of most popular clubs in the States. No biggie."
"I don't go to clubs much."
"And don't we know it", I chuckled, making her frown and plop her palms on her hips, taking the stance of a scolding parent.
"Not everyone has the time to party Rose. Some of us have jobs."
"I have a job", I protested.
"You work as a waitress."
"What's wrong with that?", I challenged, making Sydney lose some of her attitude.
"Nothing", she quickly replied, obviously trying to avoid a fight that was on the verge of breaking out.
And it turned out she was in luck since my phone rang in the following moment and interrupted our discussion. I looked at the caller's ID and forgot all about the outfits and parties. I tried keeping my tone down and expression as light and as playfully as always while I announced: "I have to take this and go home to change while I'm at it. I'll see you guys later."
"Don't be late", Lissa called after me just before I answered my phone.
"Rosemarie, I hope you are not busy. We need to talk about something."
"Hello to you too mother", I responded as the door of Sydney's apartment closed behind me and I headed towards the stairs, "What can I do for you today?"
"There's been some... trouble at work", she tensely responded and I could literally picture her straightening up in her chair and leaning against her desk the way she usually did when she was about to get down to business or bossing around in my case, "So I wanted to kindly ask you to avoid any activates that could draw attention to you."
"Let me guess, some vicious killer you've arrested did the good old jailbreak and now you think that he has nothing better to do than to track yours truly and play out some ridiculous revenge?"
"Rosemarie, this not a good time for jokes", she scolded in the same tone she used whenever I did something naughty as a child.
"Is there ever a good time for jokes with you mother?", I snapped, making an old lady that was passing by me on the street jump up and glare at me, "Need I remind you that my life couldn't be more boring and ordinary even if I wanted it to be? We live in different states mom and if our cousins can't track me down to send me those annoying Christmas cards, I'm sure some random criminal that Detective Hathaway arrested won't either. Now is that all, because I have a bachelorette party to go to?"
"Where are you going?"
"Sydney's place. Talk to you... later", I said before I hung up and ran after the bus that would take me home.
Man, this woman had a way of giving me a headache just by breathing. I thought things would change between us once I grew up and became my own person, but it seemed like she was always going to act like I was five and incapable of taking care of myself. I used to find a million explanations as to why she was the way she was. It always came down to the same one - she lost her husband and she was terrified of losing me too. She loved me, I knew she did, but she had an odd way of showing it and her worrying had the tendency of suffocating me.
I picked a seat at the back of the bus and settled down, leaning against the cold glass of the window and blowing out an unsteady breath. Things could have been different if he was here, I thought as I instinctively grabbed my necklace and began playing with it. It was the only things I had of my father's - a family heirloom that was passed down through the women of his family. A sliver chain ending with a black pearl under which hung an oval, intricate, bold pendant with the fancy letter 'M' carved out at the center of it. I always wondered what the M stood for, since my father's last name, my last name, didn't even contain that letter. Wondering was all I could do most of the time. My mother almost never spoke of him, I knew none of the relatives from his side, I'd only seen one single picture of him and that picture was always locked up in the drawer of my mother's nightstand away from the world for some reason known only to her. I'd learned over the years that asking questions rarely ended well and never helped me get any closer to actually knowing something about her past and my origins. So I'd given up. He was dead, nothing I knew about him could change that.
Sydney didn't live far from me, so it wasn't long before I got off the bus and headed towards the tiny apartment I called home. I barely managed to cover the rent for the shithole, but it was my shithole so I was still proud of it. The only thing I hated about it was the fact that the damn elevator never worked and I lived on the top floor. I was always breathless by the time I was unlocking my door, no matter how many times I ran up those spirally stairs. The rest, like the heating problem, the drafty windows and my neighbor's annoying cat that always found its way into my apartment through the fire escape were all minor inconveniences I could live with.
I had a sort of a routine whenever I'd cross the threshold - throw the keys on the counter, drum my fingers on the aquarium just to check if those boring fishes were still alive, go through my voicemail, ignore the bills stacked up on the coffee table and open up a cold beer that was usually the only thing I had in my fridge. Only this time I almost spluttered that beer all over my kitchen when I heard the first message waiting for me on the answering machine.
Rosie, it's been a while. I miss you. Call me back, will you? I'll be in town for a few days so we could meet up. You know you want to babe. Talk soon.
"Fuck off Jesse", I screamed at the lifeless piece of plastic like he could somehow hear me through it and slammed my palm against it, nearly breaking it into pieces, "Ugh."
How the hell did he get my number now? Probably from the poor and naïve Aaron. He was a nice enough guy, but not the sharpest tool in the shed, so I wouldn't be surprised if Jesse managed to persuade him he had the best intentions, like that was possible.
"I don't have time for this shit", I growled to myself out loud and turned to go to the bathroom.
I stopped after a few steps, returning to grab the beer that I'd left behind. The shower was as good place as any to finish it off and I needed to loosen up. Who knew, maybe tonight was going to be my lucky night. It had been a while, more than a year actually, so it was about damn time I got some action. Breaking up with Jesse stung more than I'd ever admit and I was getting desperate to forget all about him whether it was through a one-night stand or an actual relationship.
I picked a tight, strappy cross back plum dress with a plunging neckline that I knew looked terrific on me and paired it with black high heels. I decided to leave my hair down since my curls actually looked pretty neat for a change and gave up on changing my jewelry, sticking to the only piece I always wore. I finished up with my makeup just as Lissa texted me that Aaron picked her and Sydney up and that they were on their way to my place.
"It's going to be a good night", I whispered to myself since, for some inexplicable reason, I couldn't shake this sense of foreboding off, "A really good night."
Hey folks! I know I already have a few on-going stories, but I couldn't resist posting this one (sorry not sorry)! This idea had been running around my head for over a year, but I never had enough time to dedicate myself to writing it out. Now that it's finally here, I'm kind of excited about it and I really hope y'all like it. I wanted to have a steady schedule for updating it so I waited until I had four months worth of material before publishing this little thing! So y'all can expect a chapter a week in the following four months for sure!
I'm officially treading in new waters with this one since this is the first AU I've attempted to write. I should also point out that our beloved characters might feel slightly OOC throughout this story, cause the plot called for it, but I'll do my best to keep them true to their original selves most of the time. Also, I know that y'all are going to be full of questions and those questions will be answered in due time. I'll just answer the one I know will be at the top of the list for most - YES, ladies and gentleman, I'm FINALLY writing a ROMITRI story, hooray! Naturally, it's not just about Romitri and it'll be a slow burn with a lot of bumps on the way, but we'll get there if you are patient enough to wait.
Now I would like to take a moment and thank the godmother of this story Meg (FF: megamorr) for believing in this idea and me and for making it so much better with her editing, suggesting and brainstorming! THANKS GIRL! Even if I could have done this without you, I would never want to! You are AWESOME!
One last thing, as always all of the chapters will have song suggestions cause, come on, you know me! However, I wanted to use this AN to give you the main theme songs for this story: 1. Crossfire Pt. II - Stephen 2. Natural - Imagine Dragons 3. Believer - Imagine Dragons
Hope to see y'all next week! Kisses!
Translations (*I improvise translations according to online translators and the similarities between my own language and Russian aka I write it the way it "sounds" right, so sorry if it's not correct):
Заткнись. Я пытаюсь спасти тебя. = Shut up. I'm trying to save you.
Да, хорошо, ты идиот. = Yeah, well, you're an idiot.