Rose, Dimitri, and Adrian one-shot. Rose is taken by Strigoi and it's up to Dimitri and Adrian to save her. A change in the original story: Lissa can also see into Rose's mind, as well as being in Dimitri's POV. Not set after a specific book, but I suppose it's anywhere after Frostbite since Adrian is in it. Rose/Dimitri, Rose/Adrian. Read, enjoy, and leave any comments/suggestions below! Thanks! I DO NOT OWN THE VAMPIRE ACADEMY SERIES, ALTHOUGH I REALLY WISH I DID.
I was just about to slip into the wonderful trance of sleep, when there was a knock at my door. My guardian instincts kicked in, and I was up in a second, stake in hand.
"Dimitri! Please, open up!" I quickly breathed a sigh of relief. Lissa. I set my weapon down, and opened the door. Sure enough, Rose's best friend was standing there, breathing heavily and looking frantic.
"What's wrong, Princess?" I said urgently. One thing came to mind: Roza.
"It's Rose, I couldn't find her so I looked into her mind and, and, and-" She couldn't finish. She collapsed into my arms, sobbing. I gently moved her into my room, and sat her in the chair adjacent to my bed. I took a seat and waited patiently for her to calm down and continue. It took a minute, but she soon caught her breath and went on.
"I was about to go to sleep when I felt fear through the bond. I got worried so I slipped into her head, and I found her barely conscious, in the back of some car. I think she was taken by a group of Strigoi. I heard their voices once, before she completely blacked out, and then I was cut off." Each word pierced my heart. I struggled to compose myself before responding. My voice came out a whisper.
"Where were they taking her?"
"All I heard was, 'We're almost home, sweet Rose'" she said, her eyes brimming with tears. I nodded, and pulled out my phone.
"No!" Screamed Lissa, jumping up out of her chair. It startled me, something that's hard to do, and I dropped it on the floor. In one swift movement, she bent down to pick it up, and was across the room in a second.
"You can't call anyone. Rose was out after curfew, talking to Adrian, and one more infracture means she'll be suspended. I cannot risk that. Not now, when she needs to be in class most."
"Lissa, I can't go to a house full of Strigoi without backup. That would be a suicide mission." I told her gently. I didn't want Rose getting in trouble either, but it was better than her ending up dead. I shuddered at the thought.
"Take Adrian! He can be your backup, plus he's already called me five times. He wants to help."
"I can't risk a Moroi's life!"
"You can if that Moroi forces you to take him." I turn to see Adrian standing in the doorway, fists clenched and hair disheveled. My initial instinct is to tell him to go back to his room and mind his own damn business, but at this point we're just wasting time. There's not a second to spare for jealousy. I have to help Rose. She needs me.
"Fine, regardless of whether you are willingly go or not, you don't know how to fight." I say.
"Sure, I can't fight like a guardian, but I sure as hell can throw a few punches and watch the door. It's not much help, but it's something. You wouldn't be going in alone." He points out. I sigh, too tired to fight anymore. If Lissa wasn't going to allow me to call for backup, Adrian would suffice.
"Fine, you can come, but you do as I say. No stubbornness, even if I tell you to run, got it?" As a response, he salutes me. I roll my eyes and turn back to the princess.
"Can you look into Rose's head right now, and see if she's conscious? I need at least a description of where she is." Lissa nods, and closes her eyes. Moments later she's screaming.
"What is it?!" Adrian screams, running over to her.
"They...they're torturing her." She wails. A lump forms in my throat. "They have her hanging from the ceiling in what looks to be a basement."
"Where's the basement?" I say after I find my voice. "Can you look into her memories?"
"Yes, it's in the woods. She regained consciousness a few minutes before arriving. She saw mile marker 30 on some interstate, but it can't be far because it's only been about an hour since she disappeared."
"I know where they have her." I said, grabbing my keys. I took my stake off of my desk, as well as taking another from my safe and handing it to Adrian. He look appalled.
"I know you don't know how to use it, but all you have to do is cut one with it and it'll momentarily distract them. Then, you run as fast as you can until you see daylight. Thankfully by the time we arrive, the sun should be up." He nodded, but I could sense his bravado was wearing off. Good, maybe he'd think twice before volunteering to go save the day next time. Well, if there is a next time.
It didn't take long before we were loaded in the car and headed down the highway. We had told Lissa we would call her when we were thirty minutes away to get an update. Until then, she wasn't to leave my room. I didn't know the motives of the Strigoi yet, but just in case they were to get to the princess, I wanted her safe.
"Why Rose?" Adrian said, taking me from my thoughts. I looked over to find him staring out the window. I wasn't even sure if he knew he had said that aloud. I didn't answer for a second, and he looked over at me.
"Why Rose?" He said again. I sighed,
"I don't yet, but I'm sure as hell not going to give up until I find out."
"Yeah, okay, but what about the next time? Why do they keep going after her? Is it to get to Lissa?"
"Most likely," I say, unsure how to respond without giving away too many of my feelings.
"I mean, I know she's hot." He says, and I choke on a laugh. Adrian doesn't notice. "And I know she's dangerous and all of that, but couldn't they pick another guardian? I'd love for someone to take and torture that awful teacher of Rose's." Stan, I instantly thought. I almost smiled at that...almost.
"Rose will always be a target. She's the future guardian of the last Dragomir, not to mention a kick ass novice." Adrian glances over at that last part, and and I allow a small grin to spread on my face. Good to see he can still be caught off guard.
"If only I had fallen for a normal girl." He murmurs to himself. Jealousy surges through me, but I can't help but agree. If only I had fallen for another girl. Perhaps a girl my age, or a co-worker, rather than a student.
We don't talk again, up until it's time to call Lissa. Adrian dials her number and puts it on speaker. She picks up on the second ring.
"You guys have to hurry!" She says, her voice cracking. My foot presses down on the pedal a little harder.
"Give us an update." I tell her.
"She's still in the basement. She's alone now, but it was horrible. They were taking turns feeding off of her, and beating her. They took bets on who could throw her the farthest." She hiccuped, no doubt from crying. "I just, I've never seen anything like it!" Adrian glances over at me, fear and worry covering his face. My emotions are a mirror image of his. I no longer have the solid, stone face, guardian expression. Now all I have is concern for the girl I love.
It's like a rock is suddenly weighing my foot down. I press the accelerator as far as it can go, and we're parked a few feet away from the house in minutes. I look at Adrian.
"Worry about whiplash later," I tell him. "Now our goal is to get Rose, and get out." He nods, so I continue. "Strigoi can sense you. They're fast, strong, and smart. I want you to move as quickly as you can in, um, untying Rose. I'll hold them off for as long as I can manage. Hopefully there's not too many of them." I mentally kick myself for not going against Lissa's wishes and calling for backup. Knowing it's too late to turn back, I open the car door and jump out. Followed by Adrian, we enter the house.
Lissa's directions were accurate. After scoping out the first floor, it was clear that they were all located in the basement. I take one last glance out the window, to see the sun slowly rising. I breathe out a sigh of relief. We just have to make it outside.
"Have your stake ready." I mouth to Adrian, and he nods. I can tell he's nervous and afraid, but I'm impressed at his concern for Rose. When I first met him I was under the impression that he only thought of himself, but he's proven my theory wrong. As we descend the stairs, I push the thoughts to the back of my mind. I need to focus. For everyone's sake, I need all of my attention on this fight.
Getting to the room where she was held deemed simpler than I imagined. Along the way, we ran into four newly turned Strigoi, all of which were just discovering their powers. I easily took them all down as Adrian stood watch to warn me when others were coming. After clearing the hallway, we ran into the real challenge. Rose wasn't alone in the room like we had assumed. As I peered around the corner I saw that there were two Strigoi in there guarding her. Rose, who was now lying on the floor, looked awful. She was bruised and bloody, and her body was slumped in an awkward position. She clearly couldn't move.
"You're going to have to carry her out. Can you do that?" I mouthed to Adrian. He looked offended.
"Of course!" He mouthed back. I signaled for him to stay at the door when we got in the room. It was going to be an old fashioned, fair showdown between me and the two Strigoi. I quickly prayed, and then charged in.
They weren't surprised to see me.
"Guardian Belikov!" One of them exclaimed in a much too happy tone.
"What a pleasure!" The other said. "I assume you're here for our toy?" He motioned towards Rose.
"Naturally." I said. I was in my fighting stance, ready to attack. They, on other hand, looked as if they were ready to take a leisurely stroll. The older looking of the two walked over to her and picked her up.
"Put her down." I warned, moving closer to him. He shrugged, and threw her to his friend. I heard Adrian inhale sharply as her body flew in the air. It brought their attention to him.
"A Moroi? Now that is a surprise!" Adrian was in a similar, yet sloppier version, of my fighting stance. He held the stake I had given him in hand, while the other was against the wall. I assume he needed it for support.
"Look," I say, trying to get their focus back on me, "Just give me Rose and we'll leave without another word." I don't want to leave with them still alive, but right now it's the only option.
"Now why," he says, repositioning Rose, "would we do that?"
"It'll be a fatal fight." I warn, but it only makes them laugh.
"Suddenly I'm thirsty." He says, and just like that he bites down on Rose's exposed stomach. It was all the other needed. With our attention diverted to the feeder, he had enough time to snake around us and tackle me. Adrian, unsure how to respond, raced towards the other one in an attempt to grab Rose. Instead, she was just throw to the side like a rag doll as the Strigoi leaped towards Adrian. It was all over in the blink of an eye. Somehow, despite my skill, I had been distracted. Now we sat, tied up, facing them as they dragged Rose's limp body in front of us. They loosely tied a rope around her, promised they'd be back, and then left without another glance.
"Great" Adrian said.
I didn't respond. A groan escaped Rose's lips as she shifted.
"Roza?" I say, trying to get her attention.
"Rose!" Her eyes slowly blink open as she once again regains consciousness.
"Dimitri?" She says, her throat hoarse. She looks beside me. "Adrian?"
"Hey little dhampir." Adrian says, smiling. "We're here to save you." She looks around, and then at the ropes that bound us together.
"Well you did a shit job of it." She said, making me smile.
"How do you feel?" I ask her. She shifts her attention away from Adrian and onto me. Her facade falters slightly and I realize how much she really is in.
"I'm okay," She lied.
"We need to get you to a doctor soon." I say, looking around at the room. There are no windows, and the only door there is leads out into the hallway.
"Can you stand?" I ask her. She shakes her head. "What about crawl?"
"That, I think I can do." She begins to move on her hands and knees toward us. The Strigoi had assumed she would be out cold for hours more. They apparently didn't know my Roza.
Her ropes weren't as tight as ours, and she easily slipped out of them as she got closer to Adrian and I. Tears filled her eyes as she fought through the pain. They were quickly replaced by a determined look as she crawled the last few inches. She untied us and sat back, breathing heavily as we stood. I helped her up, my mood lightening as I touched her. I nodded to Adrian, and he bent down to pick her up. As much as I would have loved to be the one to carry her out, I needed to fight. Naturally, Rose protested.
"Put me down! You don't have to carry me out! I'm not some damsel in distress." She exclaimed.
"Rose," Adrian said, and I flinched at the tone of his voice. It was caring and compassionate, and I didn't like how it was directed towards the girl that I loved. "I know you're strong, but you're hurt. You can't walk, so just let me do this for you. Let me help you this time." She sighed, and gave in. Mostly because I think she was in too much pain to fight.
"Let's go." He said to me, and I easily complied.
The Strigoi hadn't expected us to escape, which played greatly to our advantage. As Adrian raced up the stairs and outside as quickly as he could, I fought them off. It was a hard thing to do, given the two to one ratio, but I succeeded. I staked each one and watched as they fell to the ground, clutching their hearts. It was over, I thought as I went outside to join Rose and Adrian. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Adrian was leaning over Rose, telling her to stay with him. I rushed over, shoving him out of the way. He didn't even complain.
"She was fine! We were out here, waiting. She was even standing! Then, all of a sudden, she falls to the ground and starts coughing up blood. I don't know what to do!" He screams, raking his hands through his hair. I turn back to Rose, and sure enough she's still coughing up blood.
"Roza, Roza I need you to stay with me okay?" I tell her calmly as I rip off part of my shirt and hold it to her bleeding wounds. Not only was she losing blood from her bite marks, now she was coughing it up. I had to stop some of it before she lost too much.
"Call the clinic, and tell them to send an ambulance. I don't care about her getting in trouble anymore, she's dying." Adrian didn't need me to explain this to him. He had his phone out and was punching in the numbers in seconds. I turned back to Rose, who had stopped coughing, but was now sobbing.
"It hurts." She whimpered. She looked so innocent now. The brave, strong, wall she puts up had been ripped to shreds. She was her own age again.
"I know, Roza, I know." I tell her as I stroke her hair. She spits up a little more.
"Help me!" She screams, sobbing more violently. All I can do is tell her that everything is going to be fine as we wait for the medics to get here. Adrian has joined us now, and tears fill his eyes as he watches her suffer.
"Can't we do something?!" He exclaims, eyes wild. I shake my head at him, and try to soothe Rose. More blood. More screams. More crying.
"Damn it where is that bus?!" I yell, growing frustrated. It's only a matter of time before- As if on cue, sirens fill our ears and flashing lights come into view.
Medics crowd around her, pushing us out of the way. One of them comes over to ask us a few questions on her state, but other than that we're left aside. They soon load her up and speed away, off to the clinic. I look at Adrian, who seems shell shocked. I gently guide him towards the car, where he sits down and doesn't say a word until we're parked at the Academy.
"She's safe, right?" He says and I just merely nod. He exhales, releasing his breath that I know he's been holding for a while.
"Want to go get something to drink?" He says to me. At one point, I would have politely declined. Here we are, two guys who love the same uncontrollably wild, beautiful girl. We're destined to hate each other right? Yet somehow, after all we've been through together today, I somehow feel like going to get a drink with this obnoxious kid is how this day was supposed to end. So I say,
"Why not?"