I know, I know! It has been way too long since I have updated!

I am soooooo sorry! It wont happen again!

Guys, forgive me?

It wont happen again!

And for those who think I have given up on this story, you cant be more wrong.

I'm just gonna go in a different direction than I previously planned on!

I love you guys! You make me feel loved with all of your comments and thanks!

~~~Carmen

My POV

As soon as the plane landed, Rose's eyes flew open. She was trying to get her bearings, but it was hard considering the lighting was almost nonexistent. It took her a few moments to remember that she was on a plane headed for the Big Easy. Dimitri was wide awake next to her. His overhead light was on, showing a golden halo around his head.

He gave her a wide, white toothed grin. "Hey, you're awake. Want something to eat before we get off the plane? They have a hot meal waiting for you."

She let out a muffled yawn. "No. I'm not hungry." She didn't want to tell him that she hadn't had a decent appetite in days. She thought it funny that he hadn't picked up on it yet. "What time is it? I feel like I have a hangover." She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, trying to wipe the sleep out of them. She peered over at him once her eyes came back into focus." He had been sitting there staring at her since she first opened her eyes. Maybe even before then. "What? Do I have drool or something on my face?" She self-consciously wiped at her mouth.

He gave a soft chuckle. "No. You don't. It's almost five o'clock. You slept like the dead. I wouldn't doubt but you would feel like that sleeping that hard. Do you know that you snore? Loudly." He chuckled softly again, but didn't give her any more explanation than that, then went back to eating his dinner.

She straightened up in her seat and stretched like a cat, reaching high for the roof up the plane. "I do not snore!" she protested, feigning hurt in her voice. "I got to pee. Be right back." She got out of her seat and headed for the bathroom.

Dimitri finished eating and the flight attendant came and took his tray away. He got out of his seat and started fishing the luggage out of the overhead compartment. Once he got the bags he headed for the entrance, where the door was already open and the stairs were already in place for their departure.

Rose met him there and wrapped her arms around his waist, standing on tip-toe so she could reach his lips. He dropped the bags and wrapped his big arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "That's all I get? Just a peck on the lips?" He pulled her tighter to him and deepened the chaste kiss. Their lips met and an explosion of passion started kindling. They wrapped up in each others arms, neither of them not wanting the moment to end. But like all good things, they must come to an end.

"Mmm. That's more like it." He bent down and gave her another soft kiss, reluctant to end their embrace, but he knew they needed to get off the plane. "Ready?" He looked down into her bright brown eyes, drinking in the love and affection he saw there.

She sighed and picked up one of the bags. "Ready as I'll ever be." Rose couldn't resist, she reached up to give him another peck on the lips, then got her butt in gear. "Let's get this over with." She gave another sigh and stepped out into the hot, humid air of south-east Louisiana.

As soon as they got out of the plane they saw a black sedan awaiting them. They couldn't see who was in the drivers seat, but once they got closer the drivers door opened and a blond girl stepped out. Rose knew who it was right away.

"Sydney?" Sydney Sage was leaning against the door with her lips twitching. Unsure whether to smile or frown. She was dressed in a silk green button up sleeveless blouse. A black leather skirt that came to mid-thigh. Topping the outfit with knee-high leather black boots with black tights. Her hair was longer than Rose remembered and it was held to the top of her head with a green silk ribbon wrapped around her ponytail.

"Hello, Rose. And this must be the infamous Dimitri Belikov." She gave him a once over. Slowly dragging her gaze the whole length of Dimitri's tall frame. Stopping at his chest momentarily. When she finally did pull away from him, she gave Rose an approving nod of her head. When they were only a few feet away her lips lost the battle and did indeed form a tight grin.

Rose's eyebrows rose and she grinned from ear to ear. "Good to see you again. Long time no see. And yes, this is Dimitri. Dimitri, this is Sydney. You remember me telling you about her. She's the alchemist that helped me, uh, that helped me when I was in Russia." Rose stumbled over the latter half the introduction.

Dimitri, pretending he didn't notice the awkward intro, put the bag down that he was carrying and reached out to Sydney to shake her hand. After a moments hesitation she extended hers and clasped his, giving it a firm shake.

"Nice to meet you, Sydney." She gave him a small smile then turned back to Rose.

"Your father sent me to retrieve you. We have a place set up for you to st-"

"I should have known. Are you going to be on babysitting detail, too?" Rose stated.

Dimitri gave an amused laugh and clasp her hand in his. "No, Rose. That's my job."

Rose let out an exasperated sigh. "Well then, do I have a choice?" Dimitri and Sydney both gave her a quizzical look. "About having a sitter or not? I'm not five years old, you know." They both shook their head in reply to her question. "Should have known."

Sydney went around the vehicle so that they could put their bags away. Then they got in the car and got onto what looked like a main road. They drove in relative silence for about ten minutes, until Rose couldn't take it any longer.

"Where are we going to be staying? They Hilton?" She had a sly grin on her face. But her hopes were dashed when Sydney replied.

"No. Not the Hilton, Rose. We have a small apartment set up for you right off of Magazine Street. We cant have you drawing attention to yourself." Sydney glanced in the back seat at Dimitri in the rearview mirror. "Either of you. Are we clear?"

Dimitri nodded in affirmation and Rose gave a loud, "Humph."

"I'll accept that as a yes. Now, do you two have your paperwork?"

Rose narrowed her eyes at the blonde. Not that she could see her, because she was too busy studying the road as she drove. "If you mean by paperwork, and the crap name that my dad thought of for me, then yes. We do."

"Actually," Sydney said. "I thought it up, and did the documents myself. You're welcome, by the way."

Rose stared at her in disbelief. "You gave me that damn name? How could you?"

Sydney gave a soft laugh. "Let's just call it payback."

"Payback for what? What the hell have I ever done to deserve something like that!" Rose shrieked.

"Oh I don't know. Let me count the ways. Well there was that one time when we were at th-"

"Let's not." Rose gruffed.

"Sydney, not to complain or anything, but I haven't done anything to you and you give me a name of Edward Emmett Cullinov?" He chuckled. "I sound like a glittering, gay vampire who's too stuck on himself."

Sydney laughed and the car jerked to the left. But then Rose laughed at Sydney for laughing, then Dimitri joined the fray.

When Rose was able to contained her laughter, she turned in her seat to face Dimitri. "Since when do you make jokes, hot stuff?"

And that's when it happened.

There was a loud crack in the air. At first they all froze. No one seemed to know what happened. Then the tire blew out on the next crack of air. The car tail-spun to the right sharply and Sydney hit the brakes a little too hard.

"What the hell is that?"

Dimitri looked behind them, and low and behold there was a car right on their ass with a man sticking out of the passenger window with a gun pointed in their direction. The next pop was followed by a agonizing scream from Dimitri. Rose looked to see what was wrong, and all she saw was blood leaking through his shirt.

"Oh my God! Sydney help!" Rose jumped into the backseat and ripped Dimitri's shirt open. There was a gunshot wound in his upper right shoulder.

Sydney glanced in the backseat to see what was going on. "Holy shit! They're shooting at us! Rose, I have two guns under my seat. Grab them. I have to pull over. I can control the car with the tire blown out." When Rose didn't respond to her, she turned in her seat, finally pulling the car to a screeching halt. "Rose! Now! They are almost to the car!"

Rose snapped out of it, and reached for the weapons. "Here." She handed one to Dimitri and one to Sydney. "Do you know how to use it?" she asked Sydney. She nodded her head and braced herself as her car door was wrenched open.

There was a tall Dhampir with a gun in his hand, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her from the car. Before the other man could open Rose's door, she opened it, hitting the man hard in the knee with it. She took this advantage of surprise to gain ground in the fight. She didn't want to have to shoot either of the men, but she would if she had to.

Rose didn't have time to coach Sydney on how to render one unconscious. Her limbs were flying hitting and kicking. She was able to hit the sweet spot, and the man fell to the ground with a hard thrump.

She looked over her shoulder to see if Sydney was okay, and saw Dimitri looming over a form that was laying on the ground.

She quickly made her way to them just in time to assist Dimitri as he slumped against the car.

"Lets get him in the car. I know where I can take him to get this treated. Who in the heck was that? No one knows you're here!"

Rose gave her a sour look. "Evidently they do."

They got Dimitri in the car and then they proceeded to change the flattened tire. Twenty minutes later they were on the road again.

Much love,

Carmen