Thought to be tough, unyielding, and at times spiteful, it wasn't foolish to conjure the idea as to how someone that possessed such an array of qualities based on power and strength could possibly end up in a situation like this. How someone with an impenetrable exterior and a knack for having no trouble at all standing up for herself could be thrown into a horrible position, and allow it to reoccur and reoccur without exalting any means of trying to stop or further prevent it from happening. And above all, to convince herself that somehow it was her fault. They say love makes you blind, makes you do stupid things. And unfortunately, this was the case for Rose. Rose Hathaway. The girl that would never allow this to happen, or so we thought.

CHAPTER 1; And We All Fall Down

The weather proved to be much colder than the usual drizzle, but it wasn't much of a surprise as the year took a doting plunge into the unforgiving temperatures of December. The year's hectic schedule was slowing down its pace as students and staff anticipated the end of the year, particularly the parties creating an air of excitement amongst the scholars. Recent Strigoi attacks had put the school in a state of panic, but it seemed that all the fear and sense of uneasiness subsided as the last month of the year approached. The gossip that surrounded the subject began to become repetitive, and with the constant talk of scandals revolving around St. Vlads, people were quick to find something else to converse about. Who's dating who, who slept with him…………it was a never-ending string of entertainment; a temporary solution; something to prattle on about to ignore and conceal the more important things in life.

The Moroi dorms bustled with people. Rose had managed to successfully sneak out unseen by the request of Adrian, and, praising the weather, felt a surge of thankfulness overwhelm her as she had a perfect excuse to wear a long-sleeved shirt. During summer it was quite difficult to hide her marks, obviously, and it undoubtedly raised suspicions. It was nonsense to wear jeans and a sweater in blistering hot weather, and noted by several students, very, very unlike Rose. She was usually very keen on exposing as much as possible. Smiling as she walked in, the familiar scent of liquor and weed grazed her nostrils and the amusing sight of people swaying side to side with half-empty bottles in their hands made her forget about everything that happened the night before. Rose made her way through the crowd of people, very pleased when she finally found the person she had been looking for. Adrian. And with his presence, she was put under his spell….just like that.

Adrian settled himself behind her, a crooked smile upon his thin lips. His neck nuzzled into hers as his arms found their way around her waist, his fingertips propped in her jean pockets. "I missed you," He said quietly, bringing himself a bit closer to her. "I've been suffering all this time without you. It's been so hard, really," he took a generous sip of his drink, "these woman – there, you see," pausing to point at a group of woman, which were actually men, "they want me Rose. But I've been telling them I am a committed man. They still won't take my refusal. It's like I'm a conquest to these animals. I know I have a sexy body but really, it's getting repetitive. They've even bribed me! Can you believe that?" Adrian stopped to regain his faltering balance, undoubtedly an effect of the alcohol. He wasn't drunk yet, definitely not. He wasn't violent, but charming and playful and everything that made Rose attracted to him in the first place. "With money! Like I'm some sort of prostitute or something!" Adrian's grin grew exponentially and one of his hands gently grabbed Rose's, bringing them up to his lips and placing a slight kiss on them.

"Preposterous." Rose chuckled as she took one of his hands and pointed them to the group of men he had showed her, "Those woman were hitting on you? Adrian, really, I need to give you some lessons on anatomy. Unless it wasn't a mistake. And in that case I support your decision, I think gay guys are adorable." She turned to face him and tried to plaster on the most serious face she could, but her efforts proved negative as her lips curled into a grin.

Adrian turned slightly red, his cheeks burning. Giving off a smile of his own he cocked an eyebrow at her, surprised and amused. "No mistake. I prefer things that dangle, really. It has to do with the prostate being continually stimulated. And I don't have to wear a raincoat, either, if you know what I mean." He gave her a wink and after seeing her perplexed reaction, continued on. "I feel that the truth needs to come out. I'm a professional escort. I've been one for awhile. In fact, I am so amazing that people are now naming their genitilia after me, so I'll be getting some ass, literally speaking, even when I'm deceased. Absolutely brilliant, don't you agree?"

"Oh yes, brilliant. Absolutely. But I feel the need to address something, well, how should I put this," Rose took the time to run her fingers over his bare chest, "I don't…….dangle. And I don't want you to suffer when you can have the banana instead of the plum, you know?"

Adrian's smile widened. "I will sacrifice my pleasure because I love you. I'll even get rid of the mistresses. It will be hard, but we can get through this."

"Gee, I don't know Adrian. Now that I know this…." She was stopped by a quiet and sympathetic 'ssshhh' from Adrian. He placed her head on his chest and ran his fingers through that hair he loved so much, reassuring her, "There, there, don't cry. It will be alright. Even if it takes years. I will not let my obsession to the male reproductive organ ruin the great and inspiring love we have." He kissed her forehead, Rose rolling her eyes and giving him a scoff. "You ignite the minx in me. And help me with my nether region frustrations."

"You're pretty good at this. I'm actually starting to believe you."

"Ah, well-" Before Adrian could finish his sentence, a figure crept up behind him and put an arm around his shoulder, his grip tight and indicating that the two had known each other for quite a long time. Adrian's friend was quite a sight to look at, he had bronze curls that fell in a neat pile on his head and the brightest, almond-shaped blue eyes Rose had ever seen. His figure was slender but from the tight shirt he was wearing you could tell he had a nice set of abs on him, and he was very tall, as well. All in all he was incredibly good-looking, exotic, even, and possessed the intensity to catch your gaze and make it difficult to peel your eyes away.

Adrian shifted from his hold on Rose and stood in the middle of the two. "Rose, this is Nikolai." He took another swipe of his drink, "Nikolai Morozov." A smirk rose to his face as he whispered into Rose's ear, "He's one of my customers. Cute, isn't he?"

Nikolai rose an eyebrow in confusion. "A bit too much to drink there, Adrian? Anyway, Viktoria has been looking for you all night. You owe her something, apparently."

"God, I've told that woman countless times before that I'm no longer servicing new comers. Doesn't she listen?"

Nikolai smiled. "I guess not. You'd better straighten it out. Scream my name if you need me." Rose in turn gave him the strangest look, and after realising how that could be taken in the wrong way, quickly retaliated. "On second thought don't. Scream help. Or maybe Rose's name. You'd like that, wouldn't you Rose?"

Rose put on her best fake smile. "You know me so well."

Adrian, now reaching for his second bottle of liquor, caressed both Rose and Nikolai's arms as he stood sandwiched between them, "It's time for me to depart. I'll be back eventually. You two," He said rather loudly, "behave yourselves. Nikki, if you need friction, rub against something. Rose-"He paused briefly, smirking, "Well you know what to do. All this is to be done solo. And remember, I've got my eyes on you two." He finished his last sentence with a laugh and looked at both with a hint of seriousness, and pointed his index finger at both, muttering something about 'raging hormones' before he was lost in the crowd and no longer seen by either.

What Adrian didn't know, however, was that Rose and Nikolai had met before. She met him when she met Adrian, and the too got along in a rather peculiar way. It was a love-hate sort of bond. The attraction was there, but so was a strong, prominent dislike for each other.

"I'm stuck here with you?" Rose whined, unaware of her biting tone. She found the boy attractive, yes, but he seemed to be one of those guys that thought they were God's gift to woman. With a simple look at him and his rather dapper apparel, quite odd for a casual party, she could tell he was wealthy, cocky, and arrogant. And somehow she was still attracted to him. Last time she met him he appeared the exact same way.

"No need to be bitter, Rose." Nikolai mused teasingly, removing both of his hands from his sides, "I thought you were, ah, quite fond of me?" The pale headed boy conjured up one of his famous smirks and looked at the girl before him with intent curiosity, one of his eyebrows cocked as he examined her. Rose rolled her eyes in an annoyed fashion, tossing her hair to the side. She decided well before he spoke she was going to deny everything he said. "Do you know where Lissa is? I have no idea where she is." Rose asked, her effort at toning down her displeasure failing.

Nikolai brought himself close enough to Rose to the point where he could feel her breath against his cheeks. "You have no idea?" Nikolai asked quietly, a small chuckle emitting from his faded lips, "There are ways of finding her, Rose. And you of all people should be capable of doing so," his mock tone was obvious even in the crowded and noisy room, and he tried to make himself sound exactly as Rose had when she had used the same attitude with him only a few moments previous. He didn't manage to get it exactly correct, one factor being that he was a male and his voice differed from hers, but the outcome was similar. His tone was biting, but it still possessed a playfulness that was skillfully masked behind the coldness. Smirking, he examined her for a few seconds, but a few seconds was all it took for Rose to notice what he was doing. "You look really nice," He said casually, his eyes roaming to a place where it shouldn't have been.

Rose smiled to herself. She shifted a bit to distract his gaze from her body, her lips curling at the ends. "You really want to embarrass yourself again, Nikolai?" Rose suggested, bringing a hand to her chin, "Relive last time?"

The last time the two had got together, Nikolai had exalted his flirting skills on her and well, ended up trying much too hard. He was drunk. Very, very drunk. Obviously he's had his fair share of flings in the past, but when you're intoxicated and not quite sure what the hell you are doing, the alcohol pretty much does the talking for you. He liked to believe he was some sort of philanderer to boost his already inflated ego, and spoke with such eloquence that any young woman would almost be considered a fool to deny his requests, key word being almost. He knew what did and didn't work, but when you've used the same line to nearly every girl you've met, well, you're reputation for being a lady's man starts to deteriorate. Rapidly. And Nicholas, well, he wasn't really catching on as quick as the ladies were.

He looked at Rose sparingly and began to feel uncomfortable. He didn't recall all of what happened that night, but he remembered enough. "Embarrassed myself?" Nikolai slightly tilted his head, his eyes a piercing blue as they bored into hers, "I don't know what you're talking about." He spoke the words with such assertiveness and authority and concern that he almost convinced himself that that was the case, and his smile only faltered the slightest bit as he stared at her with complete concentration. He was having more fun they he had planned to, and teasing Rose was a pass time he couldn't resist. He figured doing that was more acceptable then proclaiming his undying love to her – and less difficult to do. And if he did, for some odd, unknown reason, she probably wouldn't return the comment. And that thought alone kept him from that path.

Composing himself and returning to his previous stature, his infamous smirk returned to his gorgeous face again, all hints of uneasiness eradicated. "Have you been drinking lately? Taking any sort of illegal substances?" Nikolai asked Rose, his voice serious and convincing before he took a slight pause to soften himself, "Drinking kills, Rose. So does drugs."Nikolai was trying to constrain the laughter that was building up inside of him, and being far too comfortable didn't really help the situation at all. He wanted to laugh at everything and everybody at the moment, but the immense amount of self control and preservation that the infamous Morozov harbored kept him from doing such a thing. Grinning to himself, he decided to take things a little further as he moved one of his pale hands on top of hers, his fingers curling into the crevices of her fingers. Nikolai gripped her hand tightly before he continued on with his lecture, "It's a slow suicide, Rose. I don't want you to die." Nikolai let the words hang there for a few moments so he could stifle the urge to snicker, his bottom lip barely curving into what would be, if fully developed, a smile. He was still stoic, and the gaze he held on the brunette sitting across from him seemed like it was set in stone. The situation itself was one of humour, and the lecture Nikolai was giving Rose only added to how funny the conversation was. If there was one person that abused alcohol to a point where it became dangerous, it was Nikolai. He still hadn't acknowledged how much was acceptable to drink and how much was not.

Rose, as usual, disregarded his ramblings effortlessly and tilted her head at him. "Moving in on your friend's girlfriend?" She said, still smiling. "You know I can't." This though, only seemed to provoke him more. Nikolai inclined his head dangerously close to hers, her breath hot against his icy skin. "Why not?" He mused, grabbing her forearm with a bit of playful force.

Rose immediately flinched. She took a step back from where she was standing and discomfort settled in her eyes. The bruise was raw and hurt to the touch, barely skimming it caused harm, let alone being grabbed. Nikolai, still shocked, looked at her with the most concerning and unusual stare. It was like he knew everything, just by looking at her face.

"What's wrong?" He started, making sure he kept his distance, "Are you hurt?" Nikolai held his focus primarily on her face, not wanting to make her uncomfortable by staring at her arm.

"No," Rose replied icily. Fuck, she thought to herself. Fuck, fuck, fuck. "I don't like it when people touch me, especially when I'm not interested. What part of fucking no don't you understand? The N or the O?" She could feel tears began to form in her eyes and resisted the urge to let them flow freely. She thought about Adrian, what happens if he saw him grab her hand? Overwhelmed, she turned her back on Nikolai and began walking out, without causing a scene. That was the last thing she needed right now. Attention.

Nikolai, however, followed her and grabbed her arm again, using the same amount of force he had used last time, but instead didn't let go. Rose winced and let out a low groan of pain. "Let go of me." She said, not daring to look into his eyes.

"Why? Am I hurting you?" Nikolai asked her, determined to find the root of the problem. He knew fully well that she could knock him out and succeed any second, and actually, was quite surprised when she didn't. He pulled her into an area that was secluded from all the hustle and bustle, using one of his hands to tilt her head up. He used the other to lift up her sleeve, and grimaced when he saw perfect hand prints embedded into her skin. He was horrified, but then again not surprised in the least. The bruises were fresh and more serious than your average abrasion, and they were definitely not from falling. Or bumping into something.

"Where did you get those?"

"I hit my door when I was walking in. No big deal."

"Ah. A door in the shape of a hand?"

"Listen, it's none of your fucking business, alright?"

"He did this to you, didn't he? Adrian?"

Rose froze. She stopped fidgeting under his grip. She stared at him wide-eyed, unable to process the information, the event that just took place. A single tear slid down her face, not knowing what to do next.

"He's done it before. To another girl." Nikolai spat, his eyes burning.

"To who?"

"It doesn't matter."

There wasn't any point trying to prove Nikolai wrong. He wasn't stupid.

"Don't tell anyone. I can take care of this myself."

"I can see that," Nikolai retorted, pointing to her arm, "You're doing a great job so far."

Rose gave him a hard look. "Please."

"If I see it again I'm telling someone." Nikolai looked behind him, "Adrian's coming. Do you want me to get you out of here?"

"Who was that other girl?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Do you think I'm lying?"

"No. But you knew her, didn't you?"

Nikolai's lips set into a thin line. "Yes."

Rose was satisfied enough. She knew she wouldn't get any further information from him, and pushing him for it would only aggravate him more. "I'm going to stay, you go. I'll be fine." Nikolai gave her a concerned expression, "Really, I'll be fine."

Nikolai looked at her for a few brief seconds before pulling a small pen and ripped piece of paper from his coat. He wrote something on it quickly before he put the note in Rose's pocket. He gave her a look that read 'don't forget', and was on his way.

The minute he left Adrian came stumbling to her, obviously very drunk. Without exchanging many words he led her into his room, closing the door behind them. With an arm still around Rose, Nikolai plopped onto his bed and lay Rose down, his expression giving Rose an insight to exactly what he wanted. He was about to unbutton her shirt when something caught his eye, a slip of paper resting at his feet. He kept his eyes on her as he picked it up and read it, first to himself and then out loud.

Meet me at the rec room, midnight.

The same feeling of uneasiness swept over her body again. It trembled as she quickly stood up, trying to think of a way to calm him down. But nothing would. Nothing she every said made a difference. Tears flooded her eyes and she braced herself for the pain that would surely come.

"Well, do you have anything to say for yourself, you little fucking slut?"

"I'm sorry." Rose croaked, knowing that explaining how she didn't know what he wrote wouldn't help at all. It was just an excuse to him, and definitely something that would fire him up even more.

"Sorry? Yeah, well, You'll be sorry."

His twisted smile was the last thing she remembered before feeling something hit her head.

She let it take her and drifted off into unconsciousness.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: okay so I'm actually really disappointed with this haha. the ending was soooo incredibly rushed, but i was at 3500+ words and it's really late and I've been studying all day and I just ran out of my muse. ): I have no creativity at all today. I actually almost didn't post this at all but at the moment I'm just way to lazy to add 1000 words. I promise next chapter will be 10x better and Dimitri's going to be introduced! ;) i know rose seems really ooc at the moment but that's going to change i promise, and hey it's fanfiction anyway =D

Please review, even if you thought this was a horrible excuse for a go at literature. (: