We found Christian walking the streets, a couple of blocks away from Tasha's house. Slowing the car to match his pace, Tasha wound the window down and leant over me so she could talk to her nephew.
"Christian, get in the car," she said, straight to the point, not bothering to beat around the bush. In response, Christian glared at the two of us, and carried on walking. I huffed heavily, not quite believing that he was acting like such a child, when twenty minutes earlier he was claiming to be old enough to marry. I knew I was stubborn, but this was pushing it. It was obvious the sun was irritating him, because his face wore a pained expression, but instead of acting like a sane, reasonable person, he ignored us and carried on walking.
"Stop being an idiot and get in the freaking car," I basically yelled, fed up with the bickering between Tasha and Christian. It probably wasn't my place to say anything, but I was tired, ratty and hungry. I wanted to get back to Tasha's as quickly as possible, stuff my mouth with some junk food and then go to bed and sleep for the rest of eternity.
Christian looked at me, shocked that I had spoken so loudly. I couldn't blame him really; after all, I had been pretty subdued since leaving Court. Though nothing could render me speechless, I had been a lot quieter recently, keeping my thoughts to myself, but slowly I was forcing my way back to normality. I was forcing myself to be the old Rose again. I was determined to get my old mojo back.
To my relief, he got into the car. I couldn't believe how stupid he had been. Anything could have happened because of his idiocy. He was already looking weak due to the strained effects of the sun and I guessed that was the real reason why he finally relented. Tasha started the car again, and whilst she focused on the road, I did nothing but glare at Christian through the rear view mirror.
He claimed to love Lissa, but then he went and did something so stupid and so reckless that it could have ended up with him dying. If he really loved her, he wouldn't have put himself into that position. If he really loved her, then he would have done everything in his power to make sure he stayed alive. But instead, he had risked his life. He had risked everything because he was stubborn and arrogant.
Maybe I was overreacting again, but I had quickly learnt that in this business, being a pessimist meant that you could never be disappointed. Being a pessimist meant that you were always prepared for the worst case scenario. The likelihood of Christian coming to any harm was low, I knew that, but it didn't mean it wouldn't have happened. It didn't mean that it couldn't have happened. Everything and anything was out to get you. The world was a crappy place to live in, unfortunately.
As soon as Tasha's townhouse came into view and she cut the engine to the car, the three of us climbed out of the vehicle solemnly and made our way indoors. Whilst Tasha walked ahead of us, Christian trailed behind, and I glanced over my shoulders to make sure he was okay. His body stumbled slightly, and I quickly grabbed his arm, steadying his form. The effect of the sun was obviously making it hard for Christian to balance, let alone concentrate where he was walking, and so it was up to me to guide – well, more like drag – him into the house.
I had assumed that Tasha was still reeling from the news of Christian and Lissa's engagement, which was why she wasn't helping her nephew in his hour of need, but as I walked into the kitchen, pulling Christian along with me, I realised that Tasha wasn't ignoring his needs. Instead, she was preparing some blood for him to drink. I had known that Tasha kept packets of blood in the house for emergencies, but I had never seen them, something I was glad about because the idea that she kept them in the fridge, next to my orange juice, made my slightly nauseous.
I paled slightly as I watched her gruesomely pour the red liquid into a cup, passing it to Christian. I made note of which cup she used, because there was no way in hell I was going to use it again, not even if it was cleaned in bleach. The thought of some extra flavouring of human blood to go with my morning coffee caused me to gag.
Christian took the drink, downing it swiftly as if it was a shot of alcohol. "Thanks," he offered, smiling a small smile before sitting down at the kitchen table. Tasha followed suit, and after a moment's hesitation, I sat down also.
"We need to talk about this," Tasha told her nephew, who nodded in return. The little colour Christian had was starting to return, and I let go of the breath I hadn't been aware I had been holding.
"I know. I'm sorry for the way I acted," Christian replied, reaching over to grab Tasha's hand. I suddenly felt extremely out of place – after all, this was a family matter and I wasn't family. No, I was basically a stranger intruding. I shifted in my chair, about to make my excuses to escape, but Tasha caught my eye and shook her head no. I frowned, but stayed where I was. The look of worry in her eyes suggested that she wasn't looking forward to the conversation the two of them were about to have, and I realised that she wanted me to play peacemaker if things got out of hand again. I nodded, showing her that I understood, but the uneasiness didn't leave the pit of my stomach.
"And I'm sorry for reacting the way I did," Tasha said, smiling sadly, "but you've got to understand where I'm coming for. You've got to understand my concern."
Christian nodded, "I do, but I love Lissa. I want to spend the rest of my life with Lissa," he said. I had no doubt that what he was saying was true, but something seemed off. Something didn't seem right. Christian wasn't the sort of guy who let things go easily, and yet here he was, apparently forgiving – and forgetting – everything Lissa had done whilst I had been in Russia. I knew her behaviour had hurt him; there was nothing Christian hated more than spoilt, egomaniacal royals, and there Lissa had been, playing the part perfectly.
"I get that. But why the rush?" Tasha asked.
There was a couple of minutes silence whilst Christian deliberated his answer. He frowned, pursing his lips slightly, deep in thought. "Because," he started, hesitating slightly, "because, I love her," he finally said, as if that was enough reason. And maybe it was. Maybe he had complete faith in his girlfriend. Maybe he trusted Lissa not to be dragged into all the drama that surrounded Court. Maybe he trusted her not to turn into a right little bitch.
I guessed I couldn't blame him for loving her so unconditionally. Only a few months ago, I had risked my life and my entire future for Dimitri. I would have done anything for Dimitri, because I had loved him. But I now knew that love wasn't enough. It was never enough, and that was the problem. People changed. Dimitri had loved me, and then he hadn't. I now realised how stupid I had been, chancing everything on a bet where the odds had never been in my favour.
Suddenly, I looked up, finally hearing Christian's words for what they were. I had been too focussed on my own frightful experience to fully listen to what he had said. I narrowed my eyes at him, speaking for the first time since we had gotten into the house. "You hesitated," I told him accusingly, causing him to look at me startled.
I wasn't the only one whose odds didn't look good. Christian's odds were probably as bad as mine, if not worse, and he knew it. He knew that Lissa had happily dived into the politics of Court. He knew that Lissa was changing. He knew that Lissa had changed. And he knew that there was no way the queen and the other royals would want him, an Ozera, to have a future the last Dragomir.
"What?" he asked.
"When you said you loved her, you hesitated," I pointed out. It was so clear now, even if Christian hadn't realised himself. He hadn't forgiven Lissa yet, not fully. I had no doubt that the two of them were on the road to recovery. I had no doubt that they would make it work. But it wasn't just up to them. Until Lissa started at Lehigh, the pair of them were living at Court, and therefore had to deal with the rumours and the matchmaking and the manipulation that regularly went on.
He was scared. Christian was scared. He knew that things weren't right between Lissa and him. He knew it, Lissa knew it and I bet the queen bitch herself knew it. It was no secret that Tatiana had tried to match Lissa with Adrian, and though that pairing was never going to happen, there were plenty of other single, royal moroi who were a more suitable match for the princess than Christian was.
"I didn't," Christian said, but his voice lacked its normal confidence.
I felt like laughing at how utterly pathetic this all was, although I just managed to restrain myself. "Yes you did," I replied, and before Christian had a chance to say otherwise, I started to speak again, finally on a roll, "You haven't forgiven Lissa for being a spoilt bitch, but instead of taking your relationship slowly with her to test the waters, you diving into the deep end because you're scared. You're scared that Lissa is going to turn into the darling royal everyone expects her to be. You're scared that she's going to go off to Lehigh and come back a totally different person. You're scared that she's going to leave you behind and find someone else. And so you're going to marry her, because that's the only way you can guarantee she's not going to leave you behind."
My impromptu speech had left Tasha and Christian wordless, and both of them stared at me as if I had suddenly grown an extra head. And a small part of me felt like I had. I realised that it wasn't exactly the right time to feel smug, but I couldn't help it. Lately I had found myself zoning out too easily, not able to concentrate on the simplest of tasks, but I had just successfully read into and analysed complex situation. I couldn't help but feel a little impressed and pleased with myself.
"Is she right?" Tasha asked Christian, who stared at me expressionless.
Maybe I had been too blunt. Maybe I should have eased off him a little. After all, I knew how it felt when someone – mainly Lissa – tried to dictate what I was feeling. But even though I rarely liked to admit it, Christian was my friend, and I didn't want him to make a mistake. I didn't want him to ruin the rest of his life.
"You have no idea how it's been," Christian said to me, ignoring his aunt's question. "You got it easy. You got to leave Court. If it wasn't for Lissa, I would have left that hellhole and never looked back. Instead, I get to stick around in a place where no one wants me. You think I'm oblivious to the looks and the snide remarks? But I stayed because that's where Lissa wants to be. Not that I actually get to see her anymore. All she seems to be interested in at the moment is the politics of Court. She spends her days having meetings with the other royals and having luncheons with other prominent moroi. She does nothing but try and please them. She does nothing but try and suck up to them. And I realise she has duties, but it would be nice to see my girlfriend once in a while. But even when we get time to ourselves, she's more focussed on Belikov, who's still feeling the need to follow her every move. And let me tell you; there's nothing that ruins a romantic moment than a six foot seven Russian brooding in the corner of the room."
"Then tell her how you're feeling," I exclaimed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world – which it was. I couldn't believe the two of them. They were made for each other, but their own stupidity was causing their relationship to fall apart. Getting married wasn't going to fix anything. It was like covering a stab wound to the stomach with a band aid. It was only going to be a matter of time before the pressure got too much and they bled a painful death.
"Gee, I hadn't thought of that," Christian quipped sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes, wondering why I was even bothering. It wasn't like Christian wanted my help. It wasn't like Lissa would appreciate me help. "Have you talked to her?" I asked, already sensing what the answer would be.
"No," Christian replied glumly. Beside me, Tasha sighed heavily, and I knew how she was feeling. It was like pulling teeth out. How could we help Christian if he wasn't going to make the first move?
"You should talk to her," Tasha told him sagaciously, and all I could do was hope he would listen to his aunt. It was easy for him to ignore me, to mock me, but he couldn't do that to Tasha. Not only was she his only family, she was a lot older than us and a lot more experienced than us.
"Okay. I will. Thanks," Christian muttered, as if not happy with the fact that he had desperately needed relationship advice. He turned to me. "Thanks Rose. It pains me to admit it, but what you said was really helpful. And right. When did you become such an expert at relationships?"
I stared, slightly taken back. I hadn't though Christian was capable of thanking me. I hadn't thought he was capable of admitting I was right. I smiled, glad that we had buried the hatchet, at least momentarily. I mulled over his question, trying to pinpoint the moment I had turned from a reckless girl who liked to flirt into a person who took their responsibilities seriously and who gave sage, adult advice. "I guess that having the love of my life telling me he no longer wants or loves me – after he was turned into a strigoi, forcing me to try and kill him but ultimately resulting in me being held hostage by him – means that I have all bases covered when it comes to dishing out relationship advice," I replied chirpily, finally able to joke for the first time about the tragedy which was my broken heart.
AN: And that is chapter ten done and dusted! Woohoo. So...the reviews I got last chapter indicated that there was a lot of Christian hating going on...hopefully this will make you change your minds a little bit =D I love how protective you are of Rose though, coming to her defense when anybody says anything bad to her - I love how involved you all are with the story.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far: I love hearing from you guys! And a special mention to Charboday for her lovely reviews and messages and calling me a genius (flattery will get you everywhere in life...well, it will get you a special mention at the bottom of my AN =D)
Tatiana Belikova: That sucks! I hope you get your computer back soon and don't worry about not beta-ing my work. I guess I'll just have to reread what I've actually written now =]
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN VA!