A/N : Alright! This is a story between Eddie Castile and Noel Tarus. (yeah, I couldn't think of any character that would fit Eddie well at all) Along the way, I would also hint at some other characters' matches and some other action with Dimitri, Rose, Lissa and Christian to make the storyline better. If you have any suggestions as to who I should do next, leave a review and tell me!

Or if you just have any comments, leave a review too! Greatly appreciated, thanks. :)

Eddie Castile was not amused.

Okay, maybe he was. Just slightly, though. He did not approve of his friend, Rosemarie Hathaway's methods of waking him up. Somehow, she had managed to slip pass the locked door and firmly shut windows to set up her own version of a series of 'unfortunate' events to greet him when he woke up. And damn, it had worked. To perfection too, he added bitterly as he surveyed his attire and the destruction that lay strewn across the parquet flooring of his room.

When his eyelids had flittered open, he had a sense of foreboding that he had long ago associated with the many antics Rose was so fond of. This morning, apparently, was no exception. His eyes had darted around the room in a futile attempt to spot what was out of place. When he had merely lifted his head to further inspect what she had in store for him this time, it had already set off an irreversible chain of reactions. The lifting of his head had conveniently removed the weight that set the pillow in place, causing it to fly upwards due to a pulley system that was impressively hidden away from his trained eyes.

Before he could even start to comprehend what was happening, his hand had snapped out to reach for his silver stake – a reaction ingrained so deeply into him it did not even require any hesitation – only for his fingers to curl around something foreign and light, nothing like the stake he had grew so accustomed to. Nevertheless, he did not even flick it a glance while he pulled at it as he was desperately trying to uncover what the other end of the pulley system entailed for him.

Big, fucking mistake.

The 'stake' was actually a lever of some sort, and when he pulled it, a bucket of water perched precariously on the top shelf – which he realized, with utmost dismay, was devoid of the many books he had collected over the years – toppled over and doused him with the most frigid water he had ever encountered in his (short?) lifespan.

Spluttering incoherently, he did not even have the time to prepare himself for the packet of flour that collided onto his head at the other end of the pulley system, causing the thin paper – the only barrier that stood between his wet clothes and what would ultimately be his demise – to tear from the impact, raining flour over his drenched clothes.

Fuck.

So there he stood, Eddie Castile, wet and covered in flour, seething with anger.

"Good morning, Eddie." Rose's familiar, breezy voice called out from outside the glass window of his room. "Heard a commotion, everything alright in there?"

Scowling, Eddie swept the heavy, ebony curtains aside with a rough jerk of his hand to reveal Rose's cheery, grinning face. Sunlight streamed in through the window, causing him to flinch from the unwanted intrusion. She wore her usual attire, a T-shirt and a pair of jeans but still managed to look as beautiful and composed as ever. Her long, dark mahogany hair was tied back in a hasty ponytail.

"You did this." A statement, not a question.

Rose shrugged, not bothering to deny the accusation. "Looking a little pale today, aren't you?"

"Fuck you."

Her grin got impossibly wider. "I have Dimitri for a reason."

Eddie's lips twitched despite himself. He could never stay angry at Rose for reasons he could not begin to fathom. Maybe it's because she had went through as much as he did when one of their friends, Mason, had died. Maybe it's because he treated her as the sister he had always yearned for. Either way, the last vestiges of his anger drained away. "You ready for today?"

"How can I not be? I've been waiting for it for ages."

Eddie and Rose, along with the rest of the Guardians would get their assignment that day. Rose had already been ensured a position as Lissa's Guardian so she had no reason to worry. It was a job that she couldn't wait to jump into and be with her best friend for the rest of their lives. Eddie wasn't sure about his assignment though; his future still lay shrouded in uncertainty. After the little fiasco involving him, Rose and Lissa to break Victor Dashkov out of jail, most of the offers made by interested royal families had been retracted.

Rose studied Eddie's expression and whatever she saw must have alerted her on his inner turmoil for she offered a few words of comfort. "Don't worry, Eddie. You'll definitely get a great assignment."

Eddie blinked a few times, dragging himself out of his reverie and looked at Rose. "I hope so too, Rose." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I hope so too."

Noel Tarus gave a small grunt of frustration. The sweltering heat did little to improve her already sullen mood and she searched for something to vent her anger on. Something. Anything. Her father had brought her to the Vampire Academy to find her a 'worthy Guardian', which in order words meant 'a-Guardian-that-can-withstand-her-tantrums-and-not-go-insane-and-attempt-suicide'. So far, none had managed to even survive the first week. Not that she could blame them, she did whatever was within her power – and sometimes, whatever was necessary – to get rid of them.

If they went insane in the process, tough luck.

She despised being ordered around and it seems that one of the requirements of being a Guardian is to order the Moroi they protect around. She would never allow that, never. Her father, however, never quite saw things from her perspective. She thrived on independence and never wanted anybody's help, much less protection.

She could take care of herself, thank you very much.

So what if she couldn't defend herself with a silver stake? She specialized in fire anyway, she could easily burn any Strigoi who were foolish enough to try to nibble on her carotid artery. So what if she would be single for the rest of her life? After seeing her friends get dumped by their boyfriends and never managing to get over it, forever brooding and mourning their losses, she had strengthened her resolve to never get emotionally involved with anybody. No exceptions.

Her wandering gaze settled on a Moroi couple sitting on a bench, cuddled and snuggled up. Narrowing her eyes, she stalked over to them and tapped the girl on her shoulder. When she didn't respond but continue to kiss her partner, Noel tugged at her hand impatiently.

"What?" The girl snapped and glared at Noel.

Noel's eyes flittered from the enraged girl at being interrupted to the boy who was casting appreciative glances her way. Yep, definitely a cheater. She had to tamp down a wave of rising resentment and smiled sweetly at the girl. "Is that your boyfriend over there?"

"Yes," She frowned and snaked a possessive arm around his waist. "What do you want?"

"Well," Noel feigned outrage and jabbed an accusing finger at the boy. "Your boyfriend over there had his tongue in my mouth just yesterday!"

"What?" The boy yelped in surprise and threw his hands up in a vain attempt to prove his innocence. "Delilah, believe me, I did no su-"

"You cheater!" The girl named Delilah shrieked, slapping the flabbergasted boy with her hand and his head whipped to the side from the impact. Angry red imprints of her fingers where it landed surfaced and the boy rubbed it, wincing. Even then, he was still trying to coax Delilah to calm down. "I'm not lying, I would never cheat on you, Delilah!"

Noel watched the action unfold with a satisfied smirk.

Delilah stormed away without a backward glance.

The boy's attention turned to Noel, and oh boy, was he fuming. "You…" A fire ignited in his eyes and his whole body radiated rage and fury. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"

"Shit, shit, shit." Noel backed away slowly, eyes wide with horror. She should have run away the moment she had the chance, but nooooo. She had to stay and watch and she only had herself to blame if she was mauled to death by him. "Let's talk about this."

"Fuck you!" He snarled and lunged forward, menacing purpose burning in his eyes. His outstretched handsgrabbed her elbows and pushed her to the ground. The cry for help and mercy got lodged in her throat as Noel watched, wide-eyed, while the boy raised his arm and poised his fist for maximum damage to her face. Then it came plummeting down and she closed her eyes to wait for the contact that would forever remind her never to evoke the wrath of an angry lover.

But it never came.

The weight of the boy's body that had pinned her to the ground lifted off her, much to her protesting arms' relief. Opening her eyes just slightly, she found herself looking at the most gentle, hazel eyes gazing back at her in concern. Opening her eyes fully, she realized that the beautiful eyes belonged to a boy about her age, with unruly raven hair that was in disarray. She was dimly aware of that boy speaking to her, but his voice seemed far away as she peered in fascination at his lush, red lips parting and closing as he spoke. What would it be like to run her fingers over the edges? What would it be like to kis-

"Hey, you alright?" His voice was clearer now, and startled her awake from her fantasy. "Her eyes are clearing! You alright?"

Blushing from her wild thoughts, she nodded furiously and tried to push herself up to her feet. Immediately, pain struck her at her elbow and she cringed from the intensity. "I-I think my elbow's injured."

Brown Eyes hurried over to her side, showering her elbow with attention. It was just a light scratch and blood oozed out of it slowly, almost languidly. Still, he treated it with gentleness Noel would never associate with a boy that had such chiseled features and a leanly muscled body that was made to inflict damage. With that thought, another slow blush crept up her cheeks. What was wrong with her? She had never been affected so much by another's touch before. Wherever he touched, she tingled with sensation and her body demanded more. All too soon, he had cleaned her wound and plastered it.

"That should do it." He nodded in approval at his handiwork and stood up, offering a hand to her. When Noel hesitated, he arched an eyebrow and inclined his head questioningly to the side. Blushing once again – damn it, why does he keep making her blood burn? – She accepted his help and let him pull her to her feet. "How's everything going, Rose?" He asked with a look behind his broad shoulders.

Rose? Noel scanned her surroundings and found a curvy, brown haired girl grasping the arm of her attacker who stood glaring at her. An immediate foreign emotion coursed through her veins as she gave the girl a once over. She had lightly tanned skin – a dhampir? – and exotic features which made her stunningly gorgeous. Her fists clenched unconsciously as she glanced at Brown Eyes who was looking at Rose for affirmation. Was Rose his girlfriend? If so, she wo-

Wait, what's going on with her? When did she start to feel so possessive about a boy she had only just met? It must be because it had been a long time since she had interacted with someone else, she assured herself half-heartedly. She needed a good night's sleep, that's it.

"Yeah, guy didn't even put up a fight." Rose snorted with a regal flourish of her hand. Noel's attacker growled, but stopped when Rose glared at him. Did she hear a whimper? Just able to suppress a bubble of laughter, she shifted her gaze to Brown Eyes who was keeping the items from the First Aid Kit he had somehow produced from the little bag he carried. She couldn't help but admire the fluid movement of his hands and made quick work of the items strewn haphazardly across the ground.

"Alright, we have to get moving. Don't wanna be late for the assignment, do we?" Brown Eyes muttered as he stuffed the kit into his bag and cast Rose a glance. Rose nodded and released the boy's hands and gave him a shove, causing him to stumble. Noel was starting to like her, even as a feminine part of her called her a bitch for some reason she couldn't understand.

Rose sauntered past her and gave her a little nod before continuing her way to the main assembly hall where his father was at. Could she be a Guardian as well? Might explain how she managed to subdue her attacker so easily…

"What's your name?"

Noel almost jumped in shock and turned to find herself face to face with Brown Eyes. He looked expectantly at her. Striving for nonchalance that she did not feel, she folded her arms and leaned against the wall.

"Do you just ask any girl you see for her name?" She asked. Ah, now that sounded more like the old her.

He eyed her with open amusement. "Not really, but I could make an exception for you."

Hah! Who would have guessed, a smooth talker. Coupled with his good looks, he could definitely score girls without even trying. "What if I don't want to give you my name? I might not give my name to just any stranger I see."

"Stranger?" He laid a hand over his chest dramatically. "You wound me. I helped to bandage your injury."

True. "You did it on your free will, I don't need to give anything in return."

"Oh, so you want it that way." His eyes twinkled with an emotion she couldn't quite place. Even as he spoke, he leaned in and ate up most of the space that separated them until he was just a breath away. "What if I demand payment for my help just now? Would I get it?"

His breath, hot and decadent, made her legs weak and her pulse to jump into overdrive. Damn it! Why does he have to affect her so? "No?" It came out more like a question than a statement and she mentally kicked herself for how unconvincing she sounded. Brown Eyes chuckled merrily, the sound like a warm caress against her skin. He stepped backwards and her body moaned at the loss of his body heat. Still refusing to show any signs of weakness, Noel stood her ground and leveled his gaze.

"Let us have a trade then, I tell you my name and you tell me yours." He compromised.

She nodded in agreement. "You go first."

"Do you doubt my sincerity?" Brown Eyes lifted an eyebrow. "You never cease to wound me. My name is Eddie. And what about you?"

Eddie. Noel longed to test how his name would roll off her lips but stopped herself before she embarrassed herself further. Now that she knew his name but he didn't know hers, she had power over him. No matter how little, she still considered it an advantage. "I'm not telling you my name."

Eddie frowned. "But you agreed."

"You would soon grow to learn that an agreement means nothing."

He shrugged, and turned away from her. "Fine, don't tell me your name."

"Wh-What?" Noel stuttered, surprised by his reaction. He was supposed to beg her for her name, damn it! Not ignore her like he didn't want to know her name. The fact that he found her name so insignificant struck her deep and she didn't like it. "Don't you want to know?"

"It matters little to me." He walked away leisurely and raised a hand in a gesture of farewell. "See you around, then."

Anger and hurt mingled together in Noel's stomach, blending together to form a potent mixture. Gritting her teeth, she shouted, "My name is Noel! Noel Tarus!"

Eddie's footsteps faltered slightly and she took satisfaction in that. He probably didn't expect her to be a Royal and now that he knew, she had power over him. He could very well be a lowly Moroi.

He turned around slowly and there was a weird fire dancing in his eyes which he masked quickly. He grinned slowly, a lopsided grin that made her melt like ice in the desert. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Noel Tarus." With that, he pivoted on his heel and left Noel to her own devices.

Disappointment poured over her in waves as she gaped at the rapidly diminishing back of Eddie. She had announced that she was a Royal and he had walked away. As if it didn't mean anything! She didn't exactly know what she had been expecting, but it definitely did not include walking away like she was disposable. Cursing under her breath, she stormed back into the assembly area to meet up with her father. Hopefully, he had already picked up a Guardian for her to unleash hell upon.

May God help him or her.