Redemption

Okay, I 'm not even going to try to make an excuse for why this chapter is up so late. Please forgive me for that. Honestly, I'll try my best to get the next chapter up quicker. Ugh, if I take on a depressing attitude during this chapter, I apologise. I've just finished re-reading Blood Promise and I'm distraught XD Hope you all enjoy this chapter and please a review! Oh my goodness, and how amazing is the actor for Dimitri in the movie!?

Lyrics: Truth hurts and I'm in pain

Chapter Twenty-Five

Dimitri's point of view

The rest of the night had been a blur to me. I could remember being talked into drinking more and becoming more and more intoxicated by the alcohol that seemed to be slipping down my throat rather quickly. I could then remember clambering into bed with Rose like I had promised her. The details were hazy, though. I was pretty sure that she had woken up once my body was pressed against hers, but she was too out of it to do much. All she did was flip over onto her other side and snuggle closer to me. Unsurprisingly, I didn't complain.

Well, I'd never been one for cuddling, but when it was my Roza who was curled up next to me…well, things changed.

As soon as I attempted to sit up in the small bed, Rose's eyes snapped open and she tightened her grip on my waist.

"What are you doing?" She questioned, looking up at me with those eyes that were impossible to refuse. Instantly, I slipped straight back under the covers and relaxed by her until her grip became less forceful.

"I was just going to get up" I answered, wondering where everyone else was right now. I guessed that they were probably only making up stories about what we were doing when we thought that nobody could hear us.

"Hmm, don't you just want to lie here all day?" She questioned, her voice resembling her dreamy state from the alcohol she had drank last night. As enticing as the idea started, I knew that I couldn't do this. Well, we had to get on with our day and I knew that if we spent all day together, it would probably result in an argument which was the last thing that I wanted right now.

"We need to get up" I sighed regretfully as I slipped back out of the bed. This time she let me, but she kept her eyes trained on me the entire time…only breaking eye contact when raised voices were heard from downstairs.

"Christian, where are you going?" We heard Lissa call from downstairs. In a miniscule amount of time, Rose had clambered out of bed and sat on my lap at the top of the stairs.

"Look, I just need some space" Christian snapped, running his hands through his jet black hair.

"What is wrong with you?" Lissa questioned, somehow still managing to keep the tone that showed that she could never be angry at him. All she could possibly hold in her voice was concern over the clearly distressed boy in front of her. "You've been acting weird ever since Rose got drunk last night"

"I really hoped I wouldn't get mentioned in all of this" Rose muttered, burying her head in the crook of my neck. I ran my hand over her back gently in response as I watched Christian open the front door roughly, casting one glance up the stairs at us. I could have sworn that I saw a flash of sadness in his eyes before he stormed out. This is why people shouldn't drink alcohol. It completely messes with the natural order of things.

"Jesus Christ, what's his problem?" I heard a lazy voice ask. Well, it would be Adrian Ivashkov to be the one to break the silence as everyone attempted to figure out what had gotten into Christian.

"Maybe he just doesn't deal with alcohol as well as we do" Jesse suggested with a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. The others seemed to agree, but I was willing to bet my life on the fact that that had absolutely nothing to do with his strange outburst. No, there had to be something more to it…and judging by the look on Rose's face, she felt exactly the same as I did.

Rose's point of view

After Christian had stormed out, Dimitri and I attempted to tame our appearances before making an entrance downstairs. As soon as we hit the bottom stair, all heads snapped up to stare at us. Some were smiling and others were vacant.

"Ah, so the dashing couple finally make an appearance" Adrian commented, his usual sloppy grin forming on his face. "I wonder what you two got up to last night"

"Nothing like that, Adrian" I sighed, taking a seat on the sofa next to Lissa. She had been the only one who hadn't looked up when I came downstairs with Dimitri. Something was clearly wrong with her and I was willing to bet everything I owned on the chance that it was because Christian stormed out.

Nothing had really been official with the two, but everyone could see that they were in the first stages of becoming a couple. Well, it was only a matter of time before they sealed their relationship with a kiss…and maybe more.

Instinctively, I reached out and simply placed my hand on top of hers, knowing that the small action alone would be enough to make her feel a little better about the situation. "He'll see sense soon enough. Maybe he just needed some down time. Last night got pretty intense" I could tell by her eyes that she didn't full believe my logic, but she was touched at the fact that someone cared enough to even bother with telling her all of these things.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right" She lied as she gave me a smile that looked sad. After all of the years I have been friends with Lissa, she still tries to protect me from any depressing thoughts she might have.

"Hey, if you want I could go talk to him?" I suggested, willing to do anything to make Lissa's mood improve. The look on her face told me straight away that me going to find Christian to interrogate him was the last thing that she wanted, but I was still fully prepared to march out there.

"I'll go with her" Dimitri offered. "I'll make sure she's well behaved."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" I questioned, fixing him with a playful glare.

"Honestly, I'm fine" She sighed. "But I wouldn't mind if you went out there" Ah, Lissa was never subtle with her hints. With a joking role of my eyes, I stood up from the sofa and took Dimitri's hand in my own.

"We'll be back soon" I said as we moved quickly from the house. A quick blast from the cold air was all I needed to wake me up this morning. It felt as though the drinking I had done last night hadn't happened. "So, which way do you think he went?" I asked.

"Probably on his way home" Dimitri answered without missing a beat. His hand gripped mine tighter in an effort to warm me up before he dragged me in the direction away from Adrian's.

With Dimitri's brisk walking and strength in dragging me after him, we reached Christian in no time.

"Hey, Christian!" I called. His head snapped around to face me, probably not believing that we had managed to find him after his dramatic exit from the house. His eyes widened in surprise before he turned his back on us once more and continued walking away. Oh, he was going to try and make this even more dramatic than it already was.

"Look, I don't want to talk to you guys" He shouted back, stuffing his hands in the deep pockets of his jacket.

"Come on, we just want to make sure you're okay" Dimitri shouted back at him as Christian picked up his pace. After a hangover, the last thing I want to do is go chasing after Christian, but I'd do it if Lissa asked me to. God, how do I get myself in these situations!?

"I'm fine" He grunted, shooting us a look that told us clearly that it would be best if we just left it at that and let him get on with his own moods. It was a shame that he didn't know us well enough to understand that we don't always choose to do the easiest thing. "Now can you leave me alone?"

"No chance in hell, Ozera" I called, sounding as though the whole situation was boring me. He whirled on me and in a flash he was standing right in front of me with an anger in his eyes that I didn't think was possible to come from him. It was like staring into the depths of hell. I could see him clench his fists as he took a deep breath before spitting his retort at me.

"You don't have a clue what you're getting into" He spat, his face getting closer and closer to my own. "Do yourself a favour and get out while you can" I couldn't help it. I laughed. Right in his face.

"Oh please!" I exclaimed. "Please tell me that you're not trying to turn this into some sort of soap opera. God, you're like a queen at making this dramatic. That's right; you're a queen…because no guy would be acting this stupid right now"

"I killed Andre" He snapped, his eyes blazing even more. The laughter died right there on my lips as my brain spun with this new information. Of course it was Christian. How could I have been so stupid? I knew as soon as I saw him at school that I recognised him from somewhere. I just couldn't place where. Hell, when Andre was ran over, I could barely recognise Dimitri when he dragged me away from the wreck.

I thought that Christian was weird when I first met him. He apologised when we first talked properly for the first time. He wouldn't tell me anything else. He wouldn't tell me why he was sorry. At the time, I just placed it on the fact that he was nervous about joining a new school and that maybe he was just a little bit creepy. I could never have guessed that it was him who had killed Andre.

Last night, I made that comment about how he killed someone. I hadn't expected to be so right about it. All I wanted to find out was why he acted so weird around sometimes. I just wanted to understand why he could be so distant with the only friends he has. I was drunk. It's not like I actually believed that he had killed someone…which was why I was so confused as to why he was so offended by my comment.

He had been flirting with Lissa. Oh god, Lissa. How was she going to react when she found out who had killed her big brother!?

And in that split second that it took me to think of all of those things, Dimitri was on him. His fists clenched the material of Christian's shirt and pushed him hard against a wall. Almost as quickly as Dimitri had reacted, I was on him.

"Dimitri, stop!" I screamed, desperately trying to claw him off of Christian, but we all knew that Dimitri could win any fight.

"What the hell do you mean!?" Dimitri demanded. "Are you being serious?"

"Yes, it was me who ran him over" Christian admitted, looking deeply ashamed. Just like that, Dimitri ploughed his fist into Christian's jaw.

"Dimitri, please stop!" I pleaded. "You can't get yourself into any more trouble. Please, I love you!"

God, that was dramatic. Again, I apologise for taking so long to update. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please review!