Title: Rose's Promise
Author: snarkysweetness
Characters/Pairings: Rose/Adrian, mentions to Rose/Dimitri
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Adrian and his you know…habits, mentions to death.
When: A month after Shadow Kiss. This is obviously AU to Blood Promise.
Summary: Rose is on her way to find Dimitri, with one thing in mind; to kill him. Adrian waits on her, visiting her in her dreams. Can she really give him what she promised?
Disclaimer: I is not Mead!
Author's Note: So…this was originally the prologue to my version of 'Blood Promise', then I never finished it, the book came out, etc. After I read it over, I decided that I could make it a decent drabble.
"Little Dhampir, I've missed you." Adrian was leaning against a palm tree.
Rose looked around at their surroundings, they were on a beach, she was in a surprisingly tasteful bikini, it was unlike Adrian, he usually treated his dream visits as ways to show his 'affection'. Rose was grateful for all of his help, so she was not as willing to show her annoyance with his visit; to be honest, at times, she enjoyed these little visits of his, he was always sure to remind her that Lissa was safe.
Rose felt a twinge of guilt for the way she'd left things with her, but she was not sorry; she needed to do this, for herself, for Dimitri, and for her future. She could not allow the man she loved to remain a Strigoi, it was her final act of love for him, her soul mate.
"Hello Adrian, sober I see?" She asked, using her hand to block the sun. Why was it so warm? Their dreams never felt like this. Had Adrian's spirit powers grown stronger since the last time she'd seen him?
Adrian chuckled, lighting a cigarette. She couldn't smell the smoke… why was it so warm?
"Little Dhampir, your aura's blacker than usual, encountered some of our undead friends, have you?"
"Maybe…." Rose's new kill count was now at nine, she'd been keeping track of them, starting fresh from the battle, from when-she swallowed, trying to block out the images of Dimitri's final moments.
He chuckled again, moving closer to her, placing his hand on her cheek. "You're still beautiful, even with all the death. When are you coming back? You know I don't like lying to dear Vasilisa about your whereabouts."
"Adrian-"
"I know, I know, once you've completed your little mission. I wish you'd hurry."
Rose pinched her nose, trying hard not to lose her temper, she was in a damn dream and he still had the power to aggravate her. "It's not like I'm not trying!" She told him, a bit peeved. Honestly, going after the man you loved to kill him wasn't an easy task to begin with, tracking him down was a task all on its own, Rose hadn't even allowed herself to think about what she would do when she finally encountered him. A part of Rose wondered if she was strong enough to kill him.
Adrian suddenly looked a bit sullen. He moved his hand over her cheek again before dropping it. "Don't forget your promise." He told her.
Rose tried to answer him; how could she forget? She would make due on it; even though she knew she could never love again, she owed it to Adrian to at least try, perhaps once she gave in he would give up his love for her, though, she knew it was a wasted hope.