Note: Okay here's the next chapter. Haha earlier today I had my friend read it and she started crying at the end and I was like, "It's not that sad is it?" and she was all like, "Yes it is!" But I don't know because it would take a lot for me to cry but she did, but that's only because she's a sucker for tragedy. I am too but I don't cry at them. Anyways, I hope to update before AND after Christmas.

Happy Holidays everybody! Oh and this chapter is dedicated to my friend Damon and Laniesha! It's their birthday today! *shhhh*

I don't own anything.

RPOV

Why was he standing there? And most importantly, why is he back?

I looked away from him and rested my eyes on Dimitri. He was distracted by a Strigoi who was trying to get to Adrian. Not on my watch. I rushed towards them on the field, killing any Strigoi that dare pass me unharmed.

But the biggest mistake I made was leaving behind my most important 'enemy'.

"Don't think you can get away from me!" An angry voice shouted at me. Just then I felt an arm stop me from running any further. Damn it! I needed to get to the two men who I loved!

I turned around to see who was holding my arm but I wasn't prepared. Mason. I stared at him and tried to slip out of his grasp. But he only held on tighter. I reached down to grab my stake, but I felt nothing.

"Are you looking for this, sweetheart?" Mason held my stake in his hand, spinning it. My heart sunk when he called me sweetheart.

"How-,"

"If you weren't so focused on your 'lovers', this wouldn't have happened. Poor Rose was too stupid enough to get distracted." He said squeezing my arm tighter. "But don't worry. I won't hurt you…yet."

"Tasha said not to kill me. She'll deal with me herself and I'll do the same." I said glaring at him.

"Ah, dear Rose, you heard differently. She said 'weaken' and then she'll deal with you." He threw me hard against the gates of the academy and I started to see three Mason's standing a few feet away from me.

"Rose!" Dimitri and Adrian yelled.

I tried my hardest to focus on Mason but the terror from their voices was very distracting. I stood up and stumbled a little bit before turning my full attention towards him. He had a smug smile on his face. He's not the Mason I know.

I then attempted to hurry and make it to Dimitri where I could easily fight by his side, but only to find Mason ahead of me. He was fast, maybe faster than Dimitri, and that was all that was processing through my mind. I couldn't escape this even if I wanted to.

Then the strike came down on me, the stake slashing across my abdomen creating a long line of blood. I stumbled from the sudden blow as he grabbed my arm, pulling on it hard as he brought me into another hit, this one not as merciless. He drew the stake into my thigh, and all in the same second, brought up his knee in my stomach, launching me nearly four meters. I landed on my side helplessly.

"Did you regret using me after my death Rose?" Mason sneered, "I thought you loved me as I did you. But you…you used me just for fun. I had to die just for you to treat me with some respect as you do now!"

Tears were so ready to fall from my eyes and I tried my hardest to keep them back, "That's not true Mason. I-I just…"

"You just what?" He shouted. That was it. I couldn't hold the tears back any longer. They fell freely as I desperately crawled towards him. It took more than a minute for me to get to him, although I was using all my strength. My body screamed in agony and protest for me to stop but I kept going. I finally reached him, and sat on my knees in front of him.

"I loved you, Mason. But I couldn't return your feelings as strong. I'm sorry. I still love you," I cried, looking at him. He didn't say anything, just staring at me with no emotion. But his eyes said everything. Anger, betrayal, sadness, despair, sorrow, guilt, and love were clearly shown. But they were gone in a flash.

"Mason! Do as I say!" Tasha screamed.

I tried to raise, the slash in my abdomen and stab in my thigh were numb and not pumping as much blood as they did before. Before I could even rise two feet I felt him kick me again. I landed on the ground and he landed another blow to my stomach, another blow, this one to the side of my head. That's when I knew, I wouldn't live to see another day. Time went slow again; I looked up to the sky again and wondered how it must feel like to be among the stars. Just then I heard something drop next to me; my stake. I stared at Mason, void of emotion, as I saw the life in his eyes. My hand shakily grabbed it and slowly brought it back to my side, letting it go unnoticed by the others.

"Mason, I think you've done enough. Excellent job," Tasha put her hand on his shoulder to halt his actions. He nodded his head and stepped back. Tasha kneeled down to my broken figure and smirked, "I hope you understood your place in this world."

I noticed that as she spoke, her voice had gone from the joy she'd been feeling at seeing me beaten, to rage.

I weakly looked up to her, "You need to know your place too." I drove the stake into her chest just before she clawed out at me in the same fashion Mason tried. The look pure terror shown on her face as she started to fall onto me, but I stopped her before she could and whispered into her ear, "You don't belong in this world as much as I do." I pushed the stake further into her chest and she let out a blood curdling scream and then it went silent. I pushed her off of me and I stared at the night sky as the others were fighting off the remaining Strigoi. Then it went black…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The place was empty; the land was a vast wasteland of nothing. The only thing that seemed to exist was the ground, and it was more of the night sky than the ground.

"Anybody there?" I called out but I could only hear the echo of my voice.

"There would be if you looked better." A voice said behind me with amusement. I froze with shock.

I turned around to see Mason, "M-Mason?"

"The one and only," He teased.

I hugged him tightly, not letting go and never wanting to let go. "I'm sorry." I sobbed.

He looked at me in confusion, "What are you sorry for?"

"I-I couldn't stop y-you from being u-used like that. It broke me to see you in that state." He tightened his grip on me.

"It's not your fault. Whatever I said to you, all those things I supposedly said, was not me. It was the dark side of me. The bad side of me."

"You wouldn't have a bad side if it weren't for me."

"Everybody has a bad side, Rose. Nobody has a pure soul."

"What do I do now?" I didn't know why I was here, but I would stay just for Mason. I didn't want him to be here alone.

"Rose, don't think that. You need to go back. I won't hold you here and have you die because of me."

"I already died. My time spent there has expired. I need to move on." I hugged him even tighter if that was even possible.

"No."

"No?"

"You have too much to live for."

"What is there to live for? Lissa will be getting Dimitri as her guardian, Adrian will be leaving soon, and everybody will be better off without me."

"No they won't. Just please, as my dying wish. Go back, for me." He cupped my tear-stained face in his hands and looked at me.

"Only for you," He smiled and he started to fade. I reached out for him.

"Don't go! Please!" I cried. A tear fell down his cheek and he was in front of me again. He leaned down and kissed me with such passion and care that I was starting to reconsider my decision.

"I'll be there, Rose. I promise." And then he was gone.

"Mason!" I screamed and fell to my knees, clutching my head, overwhelmed by the feeling that he was gone forever.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"She's finally waking up!" A voice shouted. Normally I would've tried to figure out who said that but I was too focused on Mason. He was gone. Forever.