Thank you for all the reviews and I'm so sorry for the late update! Hope this chapter will make up for it :)
!WARNING!: There's a sort of M rated scene in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

CHAPTER 36

RPOV

On Thursday, Christian and I went back to the local college's campus after school. I'd given Mia some time to think, but now I needed to know what she'd decided. I hoped fiercely she would make the right decision when I showed up at her doorstep in a few minutes because I couldn't do this on my own. I needed her help.

Christian stayed outside, lingering near the girls' dorm building. We figured that Mia was less likely to freak out if I went alone.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on her door and waited. One, two, three… I counted the seconds in my head. Come on, open the door. Please. Ten seconds had passed when she finally appeared in the door opening, her eyes widening when she saw me. She started to close the door immediately, but I put my hand against it and pushed it back open.

"Mia, we need to talk," I said. "Please let me in."

"No!" she said in a high-pitched voice. "Go away. Leave me alone."

"I know you're scared, but-"

"I can't help you!"

"Yes, you can," I said, gritting my teeth. I gave her a fierce look and, finally, she let go of the door. I let out a breath. "Please, Mia. You're the only one who can help me."

She hesitated, glancing around the hall, and then gave me a slight nod. "Come on in."

"Thanks," I said, relieved she'd given in.

Mia closed the door and crossed her arms, looking at the floor instead of me. "I already told you I don't want to go to the police. I'm sorry I changed my mind, but I just can't. Nathan will hurt me." Finally, she looked up, tears in her eyes. "He will hurt you, too."

"For now, he has backed off. Dimitri scared him off. I don't know how long he'll stay away, but it won't be forever. Now is the time to go to the police," I insisted.

"His father works for the police! He's the Chief!" Mia cried. "They'll never believe us. Nathan has left me alone after he broke up with me. I'd like to keep it that way. If he knows I'm helping you, he might try to hurt me again!"

"I know you're scared. I'm scared, too," I admitted. "But we can't keep this a secret forever. If we don't go, Nathan will continue to do this to other innocent girls. Do you want that?"

Silence.

"No," Mia whispered at last, wiping a lone tear from her cheek.

I took a step towards her and put my hands on her shoulders. "It's okay to be scared. You have every reason to be scared, but… Don't you want it to stop? Looking over your shoulder every time to see if he's there, terrified he might hurt you again… Don't you want it all to end?"

She nodded, her bottom lip trembling.

"I want it to end, too. And this could've ended way sooner if I hadn't been too scared and ashamed of what happened. I should've listened to my boyfriend, to my friends… I should've reported Nathan sooner. But it's not too late," I told Mia. "It's not too late to tell them what a bastard Nathan really is."

Mia let out a shaky breath and stepped away from me. She looked away, avoiding my gaze. "I wish I was as brave as you are, Rose," she sighed. "But I am not."

My shoulders slumped forward. She wasn't going to come with me. She wasn't going to report him. She was still too scared that something was going to happen to her if she did. No matter what I'd say, she wouldn't change her mind. At this moment, I wanted to curse Andre for telling her that Nathan had almost run me over to scare me. But it wasn't his fault either.

"Fine," I said, trying hard to keep the bitterness out of my voice. "I understand."

I started for the door, but stopped abruptly. There was still one thing I could do. I'd forgotten about it for a while, thinking that I wouldn't need it if Mia would report Nathan, too.

"Can you tell me where Nathan's room is?" I asked.

Mia glanced up at me, alarmed. "Why? What are you going to do?"

"It's better if you don't know. In case, Nathan comes around…"

She flinched. "You're going to do something stupid, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. But I have to do it. Otherwise I won't stand a chance."

I knew I'd promised Dimitri that I would stop searching for evidence, but a small peek in his room wouldn't hurt, right? And I had Christian with me so I'd be safe. I hoped.

Mia told me his room number and where to find it. I thanked her and walked out of the building. I found Christian leaning against the wall and he jumped up as soon as he saw me. He looked around for Mia, but when he didn't see her behind me disappointment filled his face.

"She isn't coming?"

"No," I said sadly.

Christian cursed softly, then kicked against the wall. "What now?"

"Now we go to Nathan's room and find evidence," I told him.

His eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. I told you a few weeks ago I was going to look for the pictures. You said you wanted to come with me." I frowned. "Are you going to chicken out now?"

"No," he said, quick but firm. "I'm going with you."

"Okay, let's go then."

"You want to go now?" he said, sounding incredulous.

"Yes. Of course."

"We don't even know where his room is!" Christian protested.

I smiled. "We do."

He looked at me, dumbfounded. "We do?"

"Yep. Mia told me," I said as I started walking again. "Come on. Let's go check it out."

Christian ran after me. "What if Nathan's there?"

"Then we turn around."

"What if he walks in on us?"

I grimaced. "Then I guess we're screwed. Are you still coming?"

Christian didn't hesitate. "Of course."

We were lucky. Nathan was nowhere to be seen when we arrived. Christian knocked on his door, then hid behind the corridor. No one opened the door. We waited two more minutes and then crept back to his door. I tried to open it, but it was locked.

"What'd you think?" Christian snorted. "That he'd leave it open for us? I don't think he's that stupid."

I shrugged. "It was worth a try."

Christian groaned. "This was a stupid idea. We don't have a key. How are we supposed to get inside? Do you know how to break in? I certainly don't-"

I stood on my tiptoes and searched for a key on the doorframe. Yep, there it was. I pulled my hand back and Christian looked at the key, incredulous.

"He is stupid," he said dryly.

"And a little bit too confident," I said, opening the door. "Hopefully he is also stupid and confident enough to leave his incriminating tapes and pictures here."

It was also possible he'd hid them at home, but I don't think he was really that stupid, to hide tapes and pictures of how he'd abused girls right under his father's nose. And if he had, then I wouldn't know what to do. Breaking into his dorm room was one thing, breaking into his parents' house, into the Chief's house, was something entirely else.

Actually, this is not breaking in, you have a key, I told myself. It made me feel slightly better about what I was doing.

"Warn me if someone's coming," I told Christian. "And if Nathan shows, call Andre immediately. We'll need the backup."

"Okay," Christian said.

I walked into Nathan's room and pushed the door half-closed. I stood there for a moment, stunned. What a mess. Clothes were strewn everywhere, school books lay on the floor, his desk and bed. His closet was open and more clothes were spilling out of it. There was a huge poster of a topless girl hanging over his bed. Figures.

Letting out a huge sigh, I started searching. I tried not to move anything, but honestly, if I'd put something back in the wrong spot, I don't think Nathan would notice. I crouched down on my knees and looked under his bed. I scrunched up my nose at the sight of several dirty socks lying there.

In the left corner, however, I noticed a box. It was big enough to hold a few tapes and maybe some pictures. Ignoring the socks, I reached out and pulled the box from under the bed. It was heavy.

"Have you found something yet?" Christian called from outside.

"Maybe!" I called back. "Hold on for a sec."

My heart accelerated as I opened the lid and peeked inside. And then my heart stopped beating for just a second.

"Y-yeah, I found something," I said to Christian with a wavering voice.

I glanced over several naked pictures of different girls. Most of them seemed to be unconscious as they lay on his bed, not even aware of what was happening to them. Some were tied to his bed. When I saw one of Mia, I had to look away. I felt sick and wanted to throw up.

"What did you find?" Christian asked.

I didn't answer. I had to take a few deep breaths to calm myself down. I could have been one of these girls. I would have been one of those girls if Dimitri hadn't found me. When my stomach settled, I looked into the box again and grabbed a video tape. I turned it over in my hands and glanced at the TV in the corner of the room. Did I really want to watch this? No.

I was pretty sure that this was one of the incriminating tapes, otherwise he wouldn't have put it in here with his pictures. I glanced under the bed again and noticed a video camera under a pile of dirty socks. When I turned it on, I found several videos on it of him assaulting girls.

"Rose, are you okay?"

Christian stuck his head inside, giving me a worried look.

"I'm…I'm fine," I said in a quiet voice. "I, um, found pictures and videos."

"Good. Hurry up and put it all back so we can leave," Christian said, agitated. "I don't like this. If someone comes…"

"Just give me a minute," I said.

I took pictures of the box and its contents. Then I put it all back under his bed, exactly in the way he left it. I got up and looked around the room, checking if everything was in place. Then I turned around and walked out, locking the door behind me. I put the key back on the door frame and then rushed down the hallway with Christian. We didn't speak until we were safely back in his car. Christian gunned the engine and we hit the road.

"So, you found pictures and videos?" Christian asked.

"Yes," I mumbled, not looking at him. "I took a few pictures for evidence."

Christian asked me something else, but I didn't hear it. I was feeling sick again. I could've been in one of those pictures, I could've been tied up to his bed, I could've been in one of those video tapes if it weren't for Dimitri.

"Stop the car!"

Christian pulled up to the side of the road and I stumbled out, vomiting on the grass. I heard Christian's door open and close. He walked around the car and handed me a tissue. I wiped my mouth with it and stood up, my legs shaking.

Christian looked at me sympathetically. "Was it that bad?"

I nodded. My cheeks were wet; I hadn't even realized I was crying. Christian put his arm around me and helped me get back into the passenger's seat.

"Let's go home," he said.

He didn't speak anymore after that, for which I was grateful. My dad was home when I arrived. He looked surprised when Christian followed me inside our house, my school bag slung over his shoulder. Then his face clouded over when he took a good look at me.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm just not feeling well," I told him. It was only half a lie, seeing as I really did not feel well. "I'm going to rest. Thanks for driving me home, Christian."

"No problem," he said, holding my gaze. "Text me if you need anything."

I gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you."

He put my school bag down at the stairs and then turned around, leaving. "Good day, Mr. Mazur."

"You too, Christian," Dad said, looking a bit confused now.

I started for the stairs, but Dad stopped me, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I just need to lie down for a bit," I said.

He nodded and let me go upstairs. When I reached my room, I collapsed on the bed and buried my face in the pillow so my father wouldn't hear me cry.

DPOV

I looked up when there was a knock on my office door.

"Dimitri, someone's here to see you," Ivan said as he opened the door, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Can they wait? I'm a little busy right now," I said, looking over a few bills.

"No, she's pretty persistent," Ivan said.

Before I could react, Rose's mother stepped inside and strode over to the desk. Ivan gave me an apologetic look and scurried out of the office, closing the door behind him.

"Good afternoon, Dimitri," she said, sitting down in one of the chairs.

"Mrs. Hathaway, what a, um, nice surprise!" I said, forcing a smile onto my face. Oh God, what was she doing here? Hopefully, it wasn't for the same reason Rose's father had visited me. "What can I do for you?"

She looked around the office, then back at me. "I just wanted to see this place. Honestly, I didn't even know there was a gym so close to home. I always drive the other way to the hospital so I don't ever come in this part of town."

Okay... Was she here to chitchat? She really didn't seem like the type and I wasn't sure she even liked me. It couldn't be she was just here for pleasantries.

Mrs. Hathaway looked at me, then sighed. "Look, I know I'm not be the best mother in the world. I'm barely home and when I am I don't even spend that much time with my daughter. I don't know half of what's going on in her life and you are proof of it," she said, waving her hand at me. "I didn't even know Rose was interested in someone, let alone she had a boyfriend. I should make more of an effort to spend time with her."

"I'm sure Rose knows how busy you are," I told her, not knowing what else to say.

She nodded. "But still… I'm her mother. I should know these things. And it's not because I'm away a lot of the time that I don't care. I do care," she said firmly.

I shifted in my seat, starting to feel uncomfortable. "I'm sure Rose knows that, too."

"Abe seems to think otherwise," she snorted. "He says that I don't pay enough attention to Rose. That I'm too focused on my work to notice that something's wrong with our daughter." She paused. "He's right. I don't pay enough attention to Rose. But I'm not sure he's right that something's wrong. I mean, I know things are different for Rose, now that she's no longer friends with Lissa, but Abe thought she was in trouble. I told him he's overreacting. He told me I am oblivious to Rose's change in behavior."

I didn't know what to say to that at all so I didn't say anything. I wondered if Rose knew that her parents were arguing about her. Probably not. And maybe it was better this way; she already had enough going on. Knowing that her parents were having arguments about whether or not there was something wrong with her, would only distress her even more.

"Yesterday, he told me he came to talk to you about Rose," Mrs. Hathaway said after a few moments, her voice softer. "He had some questions…"

"Yes, he did," I said slowly.

"When I asked him what kind of questions, he said I didn't need to worry about it, that everything's alright now," Mrs. Hathaway said. "But now I am worrying. I know Abe is reassured now that he's talked to you, but what if he was right? What if there really is something going on with Rose and I really am too oblivious to have noticed?" She glanced away briefly before looking at me again. "So now I'm asking you… Is everything alright with Rose?"

Her face crumpled as she said her daughter's name and, for a horrifying moment, I thought she was going to cry, but then she blinked and her mask was back in place.

A few moments passed and then, at last, I said, "Yes, everything's alright."

Her face still looked impassive, but I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was relieved. "So Abe has worried all this time for nothing? He really told me the truth when he said everything was okay?"

I gave her a slight nod. Don't look away. Don't look away or she'll know you're lying.

When Rose would tell them the truth, I'd be so screwed. If Rose's father wouldn't kill me already for all the lies I'd told, her mother sure would.

"I can assure you that Rose is alright," I forced out of my mouth, never breaking eye contact, when she studied my face carefully, looking for signs that I was lying.

"Okay," she said at last. She started to get up; I followed her lead. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said, relieved this conversation was over.

When she was at the door, she turned around and said casually, "Oh, one more thing. Don't break my daughter's heart." She held my gaze for a moment and I gulped. "Good day, Dimitri."

When she was gone, I let myself fall back into my chair and let out a relieved sigh. I jolted out of my chair when there was another knock on the door. For a moment, I feared Rose's mom was back, but it was only Ivan.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I responded.

"Was that Rose's mom?"

I nodded and Ivan raised his eyebrows.

"Looks like she's a stern woman," he commented.

"Yeah," I sighed.

"What'd she want?"

I grimaced. "The same thing as her father. She wanted to know if Rose is alright."

Ivan gave me a sympathetic smile. "Don't feel too guilty, Dimka. You're just doing what Rose asked you to do. It'll be all over soon, anyway. You won't have to lie anymore."

I nodded and Ivan left. He was right, but I didn't know if that would make this situation any better. Glancing down at my watch, I saw that it was almost time for my next self-defense class. I quickly got up and left my office, thankful for the new distraction.

RPOV

"Rose, I'm off to work! Call me if you start to feel worse!" Dad's voice floated upstairs.

I walked out of my room and called out, "Dad, wait!"

He stopped and walked back to the bottom of the stairs. "You need something?"

"Can you drop me off at Dimitri's?"

Dad frowned. "Shouldn't you stay here and rest?"

"I'm feeling better now," I told him.

Dad eyed me suspiciously. "Really?"

"Yes. I just needed to lie down for a while," I said impatiently. "I'm all good now. So, will you please drop me off?"

"I don't know, Rose," he said, hesitating. "I'm not sure you should be hanging out with him this late at night."

"It's only nine," I said, looking at him pleadingly. "I'll be back in a few hours, okay?"

I knew that if he didn't want me to go, I could go anyway as soon as he left. But I didn't want to lie about it. I didn't want to go behind his back. I'd already lied so many times to him; I wanted to be honest for once.

"How will I know when you're back?"

"I will text you when I get back. Or call you, whatever. I promise," I added.

"And how will you get home?" Dad continued like I hadn't said anything. "I obviously can't come and get you and your mom won't be home yet either."

"Dimitri will drive me home," I responded.

"Fine, I'll drive you," he said after considering for a few moments. "But I want you back home at eleven. It's a school night, after all."

I gave him a grateful smile. "Sure."

Dimitri was closing up the gym when I arrived. He was the only one left so I ran over to him and threw my arms around him and buried my face in his neck, taking in his comforting scent and warmth.

"Hey, Roza," he said, surprised. "I didn't know you were coming over."

I pulled back. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

He smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "Of course I'm happy to see you. I'm just surprised."

I grinned and cupped his face, pulling him in for a long, passionate kiss. After the day I'd had, I really needed to be with him. Just being near him made me feel so much better.

"Let's go upstairs," I said, tugging at his hand.

As soon as we were in his apartment, I threw myself back into his arms and kissed him as if my life depended on it. Maybe it did.

"Wow, you're eager tonight," Dimitri mumbled against my lips. He started pulling away. "Is everything okay? How did you get here, anyway?"

"My dad drove me," I said, pulling his mouth back to mine.

"Your dad?" he said, even more surprised.

"Yes. Now shut up and kiss me," I said impatiently.

"Rose, are you sure everything's alright?" he asked, a small frown on his face. "Did something happen-"

"No, I'm fine," I insisted. I didn't want to think about today anymore. I just wanted to forget what I'd seen in Nathan's room. Even if it was just for a while. "Everything's fine."

I kissed him again and I felt him kiss me back. His arms wrapped around me and he pulled me closer. Slowly, I started to push him towards his bedroom.

"Rose, what are you doing?" Dimitri said when I pushed him down on his bed.

Grinning, I dropped my coat onto the floor and settled myself on top of him.

"Making out with you," I answered before pressing my lips against his again. Our kisses grew hungrier and his tongue invaded my mouth and I let out a soft moan. Yes, this was making me feel so much better. Dimitri was making me feel so much better.

I ran my hands down his chest and I started to push up his shirt. Dimitri pulled back slightly to help me remove it and then returned his lips to mine. His hands were on my waist and he rolled us over so he was on top of me.

I let out another moan as he kissed down my neck and sucked on my sweet spot. I closed my eyes as he trailed his lips down to my collarbone.

"Dimitri?"

He looked up at me, his eyes dilated with desire. "Yes?" he said, his voice hoarse.

"I love you," I breathed.

He smiled. "I love you, too, Roza," he murmured, moving his lips back to mine and kissing me sweetly. Soon, the kiss grew more heated again and I moaned at the feel of his body pressing against mine. Slowly, I ran my hands across his bare chest and over his lower abdomen. Dimitri let out a groan and I felt him harden against my thigh.

"Roza, we should stop," Dimitri whispered as he started to pull away.

"I don't want to stop," I whispered back, kissing him feverishly. I was only in my bra and jeans now and Dimitri was just in his boxers, the rest of our clothes in a pile next to the bed. We'd never gone this far before. And if it was up to me, we would be going much further than this tonight.

"Roza, you know we can't," Dimitri started.

I shook my head firmly and pressed my lips against his. "Don't say that we can't. My birthday is in two weeks. Does those two weeks really matter?"

Dimitri looked at me. I could see he wanted me – hell, I could feel it – but he was a man of honor. He wanted to wait until I was eighteen.

"Please," I murmured, leaning up to kiss him. "I want you."

Dimitri sighed. "Roza, I want you too, but-"

"No," I cut him off. "Don't say we have to wait." I kissed him again. "I don't want to wait anymore."

He didn't kiss me back right away, but after a few moments, he relaxed again and his lips started to move against mine again.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, pulling away from the kiss.

I nodded, not trusting my voice to speak without wavering. His eyes bore into mine and I smiled bravely, running my hand through his silky hair. Slowly, he leaned in and kissed me. I parted my lips and his tongue entwined with mine.

His hands crept up my back, deftly undoing my bra. I held my breath for a moment as he removed my bra from my body and looked at me. I started to blush and feel nervous under his gaze. But the look of adoration on his face told me I didn't have to be nervous.

Dimitri leaned in again and kissed me tenderly. Yes, this was finally happening. And it would be good and sweet, because it was Dimitri.

But when his boxers came off at last and we were both completely naked, I felt the nerves coming back. And it was ten times worse. Relax, Rose, I told myself. You can do this. You have to. You can't back down now.

But when I shut my eyes and tried to relax, all I could see was those horrible pictures I'd found in Nathan's bedroom. All those poor girls and I could have been one of them.

I'd come here with a mission tonight, to forget about Nathan and the disgusting pictures and videos I'd found. It had worked at first, but now it was all coming back and, suddenly, I couldn't stop my thoughts from replaying what had happened the night Nathan assaulted me. What the hell was wrong with me? Why was I thinking about this right now?

I heard Dimitri opening the drawer and then I heard the condom rip open. My eyes shot open and I sat up abruptly, breathing hard.

"Rose, what's wrong?"

I shook my head, blinking back tears. Breathe, Rose. Breathe.

"Roza? You look upset. What's-"

"I – I can't do this!" I choked out. "I'm so sorry."

I moved to the side of the bed and quickly pulled my panties back on. My hands were clammy and I was still breathing hard and uneven. What's wrong with me? A sob erupted from my throat as I threw on my shirt and ran out of the room.

"Roza, wait!" Dimitri called.

I shook my head, tears running down my cheeks, and locked myself inside the bathroom before Dimitri could stop me. I let out another sob as I slid down to the floor, buried my face in my knees and cried.

Poor Rose. She just can't catch a break. I know you're all impatient for the truth to come out. Trust me, it's going to happen very soon. ;)

Sorry again for the late update! I hope you all have a nice day/evening! :)