AN: Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating lately, it's still been really busy lately. But I am free for most of the day, which means that you ill be receiving multiple posts! Some will be slower paced, while others will be crazy action packed, so keep your eyes open!
Thankyou to everyone one who has reviewed! It's insane to see all of the reviews and it really pushes me to write, so thank you and keep it up! I love hearing what you think/predict and what you want to happen!

Chapter Review: Adrian and Rose are in a spirit dream

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own VA. It belongs to the talented Richelle Mead.

Adrian's Point Of View

"Because you're just that smart." I smirked, feeling myself relax slowly as we picked up our playful banter. Although, she may not be in love with me, I knew she would always love me. It may not be exactly the type of love that I wanted from her, but it was going to have to be enough, because it was the only type I would ever receive from her. Over the years I tried to limit my Spirit induced, dream visits with her for multiple reasons. Because Rose hated it most of the time, because it took a lot of energy and produced a large quantity of darkness, and because I needed to distance myself from her. It was my attempt to get over her, but as you can obviously see now, it didn't exactly work.

"Or, because you're just that predictable." She giggled, creating puffs in the frosty air. My smile softened at the sound of her laughter, it was full of warmth and life just like her, and it was just so ridiculous that it made you want to laugh along too. But suddenly her laughter stopped, and she tilted her head slightly as her eyes narrowed. "Apparently not that predictable, seeing as I didn't even suspect you of stealing my book." All of the happiness and joking vanished from her tone, being replaced with a steely gaze and cool demeanour as she channelled her tough guardian face. I didn't find Rose intimidating in the least, I knew she was dangerous and after what happened earlier, I knew she had no qualms about hitting me. But I also knew that Rose was caring and could actually be tender, I had seen it a few fleeting times whenever she was with Lissa, or when she travelled the world to save Belikov. Rose was fierce - there was no question about that - but it was hard to be afraid of someone, who you've seen become sweet and gentle around those she loved. It kind of made the hard as nails act she was putting a little less intimidating.

"I guess I still have a few surprises left up my sleeve." I joked, resorting to my old standbys and falling back onto my devil may care attitude. I used to whenever the tension was thick or a confrontation was about to occur, it was my attempt to make the conversation light hearted again. I knew this type of could care less attitude pissed Rose off, but it also distracted her from tackling me to the ground and breaking my nose for the second time this evening.

"You're about to have another surprise coming you're way, if you're not careful." She hissed, and I forced and easygoing smile, despite the fact that I wanted to grimace. Always so violent.

"Technically, it wouldn't be a surprise since you just told me." I grinned at her, putting on a blasé' attitude. She just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she continued to edge closer to me.

"Why did you do it Adrian? Why did you go searching for something I obviously didn't want found, and why did you steal from me? You know that because of what you did I had to tell everyone, which means that I just put everyone that I care about in danger." She asked, a desperate tone entered her voice as she spoke, and it made my eyes widen slightly. Rose Hathaway was a lot of things, by weak, pleading and desperate she was not. It caught me completely off guard and I found that my carefree attitude was slipping.

"I needed to know what was going on, we all needed to know what the hell you were hiding. We knew it was big and we knew that it was eating you alive. We also knew that you were too stubborn to tell us." I told her honestly, wishing that I had a slightly better reason for invading her privacy. She nodded her head and leaned against the lodge wall, looking up at the bright sky.

"Sometimes I wish I could go back in time." She exhaled, surprising me. I prepared myself for her to talk more about the book, or maybe scold me for stealing and snooping, so I think we were both shocked my the nostalgic admission. I just quietly went to lean against the wall next to her, and watch as the snowflakes fell from the sky, and dusted the world around us.

"You know? Back to this moment. Before all the death, before all the mayhem and crazy, before all the secrets, and before all the lies." She whispered, looking up at me with big, brown eyes that have seen more than then they should. Eyes that have witnessed murder, have watched torture, eyes that have seen destruction.

"I just want to go back to when we could all be one, big, happy family. I just want to go back." She breathed, her beautiful eyes locked with mine for a moment, before she turned them upwards to the sky. I understood what she truly meant, she wanted to go back to a time where she was innocent, not that she ever was, but being back at was similar to innocence. There, although it may not seem that way, the students were sheltered and put in a secluded, safe bubble. Nothing could touch them there (with a few exceptions), but here in the real world? There was no bubble of safety, and no mentors and teachers to help you when things got tough, it was just you.

"I know." I agreed, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her in tightly. It took her a minute, but she eventually snaked her arms around me, clinging to me as her breathing became ragged. "But we can't. All we can do it move forward, and treat the past as a fleeting memory. We can't dwell on it forever, we can't wish that things were different, or that we could change something. We have to focus on the right now, we can't let it pass us by." I told her, and felt her nod her head as I gave her one last squeeze. I realized that this speech wasn't just for her, it was for me too.

"You're right." She gave a bitter smile as she pulled away, and looked up at the sky once more. God, she was beautiful. But I needed to let her go, I needed to stop dwelling in the past and letting the present slip away.

"Aren't I always?" I joked, attempting to lift the sullen mood that had fallen over us. Just because I was letting her go, didn't mean that she wouldn't be apart of my life, it just meant that my life wouldn't be consumed by her. I would live for myself, just like she told me too all those years ago.

"Hey now, don't let this go to you're head." She laughed weakly, taking a step away from the wall, her head still looking towards the sky. She then extended her arms and spun, while the snow cascaded down around her. I smiled as I watched her relish in the snowfall, knowing that this was the right place to have had this dream. But as I watched, things start to flicked like bad TV reception, and things began to blur. Someone was waking me up…but who? I was asleep on a park bench, in the middle of the moroi night, who could be waking me up right now.

"Adrian?" Rose turned to me, a questioning look on her face, she sensed it too. "What's going on?" She asked, forgetting all about the snow around her.

"Someone's waking me up." I grimaced, noting that they were doing it slowly, which really made me wonder who it was. The dream flickered once more, and the edges began to fade to grey.

"Who? Who are you with right now?" She asked, her eyebrows raised. I just shrugged, debating whether I should try and salvage the dream or wake myself up.

"That's the strange part." I told her with a shrug. "I'm alone right now, I passed out on a park bench on the way back to my house." I watched as her eyes widen with horror, as she took frantic steps towards me.

"Adrian! Did you not listen to a word I said tonight? There is someone out there, who is after me and willing to use my friends as bait! What the hell are you doing passing out on a bench, alone?" She demanded, grabbing a hold of my arm as the greying edges of the dream faded to black, and began to take over while another flicker erupted. "Where are you? I'll come get you." She told me, but it was too late I was fading fast now.

The snowy Idaho ski lodge vanished, along with Rose as I felt myself regaining consciousness. I inhaled sharply, feeling the cool wood of the bench beneath me, as I blinked to see the posh exterior of court surrounding me. There was no one around me, which I found strange, who had woken me up? I began to turn to look behind me, when I heard someone speak.

"Good dream, Adrian?"

Rose's Point Of View

I jolted upright, a light sheen of sweat covering my forehead, as I quickly untangled myself from my sheets. I needed to find Adrian and I needed to do it fast, who knows what the hell kind of trouble that fool has gotten himself into. I may have been overreacting, and it could've just been nothing, a bird could've woken him up for all I know, but I couldn't take that chance. I rather have no sleep and have to do periodic checks on all of my friends, then risk them being brutally attacked because of me.

I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my stake, before sprinting out of my room, only having a brief moment to think about what I looked like. It didn't matter right now, but I was thankful that I had slept in flannel shorts and a heart was beating rapidly, and my legs were moving as fast as possible, while my mind sped ahead to all of the places he could be. He lived in royal housing, there were twelve sections of royal housing and not all were connected, he lived near the queen. So after leaving Lissa's section, he walked towards his own section, and there was only one bench located between the two.

Once I knew where he was - or had been - I forced my body to move faster. I don't think that I had ever run so fast before in my life. I let the adrenaline take over my senses, and push myself to the limit. This was do or die.

I was coming around the corner by a cluster of trees, knowing that the bench was right behind them, and my breathing was ragged and my body was exhausted. But I knew that if I needed to fight - to defend and kill - that I could very well do it. I booked it around the trees, and felt my legs immediately halt and my eyes widen.

Lounging on the park bench was a dishevelled looking Adrian, looking completely at ease despite the fact that he could've been attacked, and standing next to the bench was Dimitri. He and Adrian had been talking, but stopped and looked up once I rounded the corner, and I felt my jaw tighten as I stomped towards Adrian, wanting to break his nose again.

"What the hell, you idiot!" I yelled, making both Dimitri and Adrian raise their eyebrows at my tone. "I thought you were going to die! I freaking jumped out of bed and sprinted all the way here! Good God, Adrian!" There was nothing else that I could say, I was thankful that he was alright but I was completely annoyed that he could've been that stupid to fall asleep on a park bench.

"Whoa, no one was dying. Lissa sent Belikov out to make sure I got home alright, and he found me on the park bench and woke me up." Adrian explained, raising his hands in a form of surrender. I just crossed my arms and looked down at him, I was too pissed to even scold him for being such a dumbass. Dimitri opened his mouth to say something, whether it was to defend Adrian or reprimand him, I didn't know. But he broke off when we heard the sounds of footsteps approaching, and our guardian instincts kicked in as we crouched down, expecting an attacker. But instead, Kai sprinted around the cluster of trees, looking just as worried as I had been. When he finally registered the scene, he looked just as pissed and confused as I felt. I let myself open up to the bond - something I tried not to do - taking down my barriers and breaking through his, realizing that my panic had woken him up. He had come to the same conclusion as I had, that Adrian was about to be killed or attacked, and sprang into action.

"You are a moron." Was all Kai said to Adrian, before walking up and taking a seat next to him on the bench. I smiled slightly as the adrenaline wore off, and the exhaustion from the mad dash here began to hit me, and I yearned to go back to bed.

Dimitri's Point Of View

"Okay, I get it." Adrian groaned, rolling his eyes as he stood. "I am a complete idiot for falling asleep here. I will not let it happen again, alright?" He asked, clearly annoyed by being yelled at by Rose and Kai.

"Do not act like we are wasting your time! We are the ones who jumped out of bed to come save your ass, after you made such a moronic mistake." Rose hissed, and Adrian just pursed his lips and glared his eyes at Rose. It was clear that he had enough of this conversation, and the fatigue was beginning to show on his face, it was obvious that he just wanted to go to sleep. That we all just wanted to go to sleep.

Rose looked ready to continue ranting, but Kai quickly cut her off. Despite the bags under his eyes, he looked alert and ready to take on any threat, but I knew he too must be growing weary of this lecture.

"I think he knows how stupid his decision was, and he will not do it again. But if he still hasn't gotten that through his head, then we can continue to drill it in tomorrow. We are all tired, and Guardian Belikov, you and I have an early training session in a few hours. We need our rest." Kai reasoned, putting a light had on Rose's shoulder. She just shut her eyes as she inhaled sharply, and nodded her head in agreement.

"So we're done here? Good, I'm off." Adrian began to step away from the group, and Rose's eyes shot open as she looked at him. I knew there was no way that she would let him go off alone again, she didn't trust him to get home without passing out on the ground.

"I'll make sure he gets back home." Kai assured, as he stood and walked over to an annoyed Adrian. Kai just grabbed his shoulder, and began leading him away as he struck up a conversation with Adrian.

They disappeared in the direction of Adrian's home, leaving me and Rose by the bench, not looking at one another. I knew that I should say something to her, that I couldn't let this moment pass me by, so I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Can I walk you home?" I asked, watching her brown eyes widen while she tilted her head slightly, causing her dark hair to fall away from her face. She was stunning, even in the middle of the night after the hectic night she's had, she was still so beautiful.

"Do I look like I need a escort?" She snapped, her fiery attitude never seemed to fade, no matter how tired she was. I knew that she was exhausted, she looked about ready to curl up on the bench and fall asleep like Adrian had.

"No, but you look like you're ready to fall asleep standing." I reasoned, taking a step towards her and gesturing for her to lead the way back to her room. I knew that she could easily turn my offer down, that she could simply say no and stomp away, so when she nodded her head and began to walk towards guest housing, I was baffled.