A shoutout to Brennaboo12 for an idea I used in this chapter. Thanks. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
I don't own Vampire Academy.
Rose POV
I'm sitting on the academy jet with my fiance, I love saying that, and friends. There is going to be a special ceremony to honor the Moroi that fought during the attack on our academy last week. Dimitri, Alex, Rose Ann and I already got our battle marks for the fight two days ago. It was a private ceremony only guardians can attend. Since this was the first time Moroi fought along side guardians to defeat the Strigoi, the Queen wanted to recognize their efforts. I didn't realize it at the time, but Tasha was fighting that night, too, and she is also coming to court with us. Thankfully she is on the opposite side of the plane from Dimitri and I. She makes it a point to stay away from us, more likely me since she probably doesn't want another broken nose. She is very involved in the issue of Moroi using their magic offensively, the only thing we agree on. While at court, the Queen has also requested a private meeting with Dimitri and me. Why? I'm not really sure I want to know.
I am leaning my head on Dimitri's shoulder as he is reading one of his favorite western novels. Suddenly, my head starts to hurt. I put up my mental blocks before the plane took off, but for some reason they're coming down. I start to see shadowy shapes flitting across my eyes. The pain behind my eyes is killing me. "Son of a bitch this hurts." I say as I press the heals of my hands to my eyes trying to push the pain away. This immediately gets Dimitri's attention.
"What's wrong Roza?" he asks while gently caressing my cheek.
"Headache. Ghosts. You know. The usual hell that is my life." I give a little laugh so he doesn't worry too much.
"Do you really think you're life is hell?" he asks with a cute smile.
"No." I say as I look into his eyes. "Some parts are absolute heaven, you and my friends. But, some parts are crap. Like the effects of being shadow kissed."
"Aww, Rose, I didn't know you felt like that way about me. I am a heavenly body, but I didn't think you appreciated it." Jacob teases.
"Jacob, I put you in the crap catagory." I say dryly. I lay my head back against the seat and close my eyes, trying to put the mental block back up.
Rose?
"Yes?" I respond.
Rose, can you hear me?
"Yes I can hear you. What the hell do you want?" I yell looking around to see who's interupting me.
This is great! I did it!
I look around to see who is shouting in my ear. It is so loud and making my headache worse. Everyone is just staring at my quietly with a confused look on their faces. Dimitri looks worried. "Why are you all looking at me like that and who is talking to me?" I'm getting pissed now.
It's me Rose. Adrian. I can talk to you now.
"Adrian? That's you? Oh my god you did it!" I'm very excited now. I start bouncing up and down in my seat and give Dimitri a big hug and kiss on the cheek. He smiles at me realizing what is going on. I get another shooting pain in my head and I groan. "Adrian, did you tamper with my blocks?"
Well, I had to put them down so I could talk to you.
"Oh. Could you possibly put them back up and I'll talk to you later? The pain is killing me."
Sorry Little Dhampir. I try again later.
We get to the court and we head to our rooms. Apparently someone messed up and put Dimitri and Rose Ann in the same room and me with Lissa. Hopefully just a misunderstanding. We quickly switch and I jump on the enormous bed in our room. I flop down on my back and Dimitri comes over and jumps on top of me. He teasingly gives me tender kisses along my neck and collarbone.
Hey Little Dhampir. Whatcha doin'? he sing songed.
"Adrian, now is not a good time. Go away." I say as Dimitri comes over to my mouth to kiss me. He stops and looks at me with a rather annoyed look.
"Adrian, unless you want a repeat of last week, I suggest you go into your hiding place." Dimitri warns. I laugh remembering how we tortured him.
Come on you guys. You can do this later. I'm lonely and want some company. he whines. Guilt gets the better of me and I sit up, stopping our fun. Dimitri just scowls.
"Sorry honey, but he's feeling lonely and neglected." Dimitri gives me one of his 'I don't care' looks. "How about a compromise. Adrian, you give us thirty min... one hour, and you can come out with us to celebrate after the Moroi ceremony. Deal?"
Can you guys seriously not keep your hands off each other until tonight? I mean, really. You're like rabbits.
"Well I guess that's better than chickens. And no, we can't. So you have ten seconds to hide before you get assulted by Dimitri's lips. Ten, nine, eight..."
Okay, okay, I'm going. Just wait until you fall asleep Little Dhampir. You'll pay for this.
I smile and Dimitri picks up where we left off. This is definitely going to get ackward.
After the Moroi recognition ceremony, we go to the little bar at the court. Jacob and Christian each got a medal for their role in the attack. Jacob is strutting around with the gold pin on his chest, showing it off to every female in the place. Christian put his in his pocket as soon as we walked in. It's not that he isn't proud of what he did, he just thinks the whole ceremony was just a way to appease activists like Tasha. God forbid he do anything government approved. Mia found us at the ceremony and told us about how she has been taking fighting lessons from some of the guards here at court. She is very impressed with what the Moroi at the academy did. She especially hangs on every word Jacob spews out about his part, most of it exagerated. Apparently, he not only lit them on fire, but karate chopped one of their heads off as well. I must have missed that. We all make a toast to our friendship and to the hopes of getting Adrian out of my body. I think Dimitri wants that more than anyone. Jacob is getting pretty drunk and starts going off about how he didn't get a tattoo like the guardians did.
"It's not fair. Yours is there forever. This medal could get lost or stolen and then what do I have to show the ladies?" he slurs. Poor guy can't hold his liquer very well.
"The reason we get tattoos and you get dime store medals is because you Moroi couldn't handle the pain. You're too delicate." I say as I stick my lower lip out in a pout as I pat his arm.
"I know the guy that does the Molnija marks here at court. Maybe he could give you one?" Mia tells Jacob. I think she has a little crush and is trying to impress him. I think it's working. His face lights up and he puts on arm around her.
"Really? Could you call him? I'm ready right now. I'll show you Rose. There isn't anything I can't handle." he glares at me. Yeah right.
"You can't get a Molnija mark because you aren't a guardian and you didn't actually kill any Strigoi." I retort.
"Then I'll get something else, then." This should be interesting.
"I know, why don't you get a tattoo of a rose on your ass?" That gets a good laugh out of everyone at the table, except Jacob.
"Only if you get a chicken on yours." he counters. Over my dead body.
"Okay but you go first." Not that I entend to go through with it. I'm not stupid. Mia makes a call and thirty minutes later, Jonathan, the tattoo guy comes in. Mia tells him what is going on and he sets up his stuff in the corner of the bar. I motion with my hands for Jacob to go first and he walks over and sits down. I shake my head at him.
"Drop 'em and bend over Jakie." I look over to Jonathan. "He wants a rose." He gives me a puzzled look but then just shrugs and starts the process. As soon as the needle touches his skin, Jacob lets out the girliest scream I've ever heard. We all bust out laughing. Alex gets his cell phone out and starts recording while Jacob starts crying and complaining about the pain. Adrian is laughing so hard in my head I can barely hear anyone else.
"Oh my god. Is he using a knitting needle to do this thing? It hurts like hell!" What a baby. I'm glad we have this all on video. When he's done, he pulls up his pants and limps over to Mia's sympathetic waiting arms. I try to walk away without being noticed when Christian stops me. The traitor.
"Where're you going Rose? Didn't you tell Jacob you'd get a chicken if he got a rose? It's your turn." he grins. I turn around and give everyone my best smile.
"You all didn't really think I was serious did you? I am NOT getting a chicken on my ass!" Adrian starts making clucking noises in my head. "Shut up Adrian." I don't know how, but the clucking was contageous because everyone else started doing it too. Peer pressure at it's finest. I look to Dimitri to save me from this humiliation.
"Sorry Rose but maybe next time you agree to something you should think about it first. Don't be so impulsive." Great, more Zen life lessons.
"Fine I'll do it, but I won't be happy about it." I glare at everyone. "And Adrian, you better not go hide. You need to stay and experience this too. I want to hear you talking to me the whole time." I walk over to Jonathan and whisper in his ear what I want. I pull down my pants just enough for the artwork he is about to impart. Dimitri stands guard so no one sneeks a peek. He can be a little protective, but that's what I love about him. I'm used to the pain from my other marks, but Adrian is having a little harder time dealing with it.
Rose, I am so going to get you for this. Do you enjoy pain? Are you a masochist or something?
When it's all done, I show Dimitri first my loving little tribute to him. On my right cheek is a tattoo of a cartoon chicken holding up a big red heart that says 'Dimitri' in it. He smiles and gives me a kiss.
"It's beautiful Roza." Lissa, Mia and Rose Ann come over to see and they sigh. The guys want to take a look too but Dimitri says no. Rose Ann takes a picture with Alex's cell phone so you can't see anything but the artwork. The boys laugh. They just don't understand sentiment.
That night when I went to sleep, Adrian and I were on the beach. He wasn't really mad at me so we just had fun in the water splashing and dunking each other. I asked him if wanted to invite the others into our dream for a party, but he declined.
"I just want to spend some alone time with you right now." he leans in to kiss me but I pull away.
"Adrian, I can't do this. I'm engaged to Dimitri. You and I are best friends remember?" He looks hurt and disappointed. God, why does he do this to me? He knows how guilty I feel for the situation of him being stuck in my body and leading him on with that amazing kiss we shared. He is giving me those puppy dog eyes that I can't resist. I do love him, but I love Dimitri more, so I cling to that thought. Instead of a kiss, I reach out and pull him into a strong embrace. He pulls me in tight and we just stand there like that for quite a while. Why does life have to be so complicated? Right as the dream starts to fade, Adrian pulls back and before I realize what is happening, his lips are on mine, kissing me so intensly my head is swimming. I wake up in Dimitri warm arms wrapped around me.
Adrian!
Sorry Little Dhampir. I couldn't help myself.
That morning, Dimitri and I are getting ready for our meeting with the Queen. I don't know why she wants to see us, but I don't have a good feeling about it. I think it might have something to do with our relationship, but who knows. I put on the guardian uniform of black slacks, white shirt and black jacket. Dimitri puts on his uniform too and boy does he look hot. Of course, he looks good in pretty much anything. My butt is so sore, I have trouble sitting. This is going to look real good in front of the Queen. 'Don't mind me your Highness. I just got roaring drunk last night and got a tattoo of a chicken on my ass.' Yeah, that will impress her.
Adrian, stay with me okay? Help me out if you can.
Of course, Rose. You can always depend on me.
I know. Thank you.
We are lead into the Queen's parlor where we waited for her to arrive. She came in with at least six guardians. "Welcome Guardian Belikov, Ms. Hathaway. Please sit down." She motioned to the small love seat behind us. Please be soft. Please be soft. Ugh. Hard as a rock. I wince as my sore bottom hits the couch. I sit straight up with my hands in my lap and a fake smile on my face. I know she doesn't care for me at all and any mistakes I make might endanger my assignment as Lissa's guardian.
"I'm sure you are both wondering why I asked to meet you here alone today." You think. "It is my understanding that Adrian was kidnapped by that Strigoi because of you Rosemarie." She glares at me. My defenses go on high alert as I stiffen up even more and glare back at her. "And then I hear that he was turned to a Strigoi when you left him behind." My anger is boiling over inside me now. My hands are clenching into tight fists as I imagine punching that condescending look right off her face. Dimitri senses my rising emotions because he puts his hand on mine to calm me down.
Rose, you can't punch the Queen so relax. I know my aunt is a bitch, but she isn't worth going to jail. Breath, Rose.
I didn't even realize I was holding my breath. I exhaled and relaxed a bit.
"I was also surprised to learn that Adrian, now as a Strigoi, came to attack the academy with the sole purpose of getting you. It seems that Adrian still has a thing for you from what I was told of your 'confrontation' with him." She has a disgusted look on her face imagining me kissing Adrian I guess. I don't really blame her for that but if she only knew the reason why.
She looks over at Dimitri's hand that is holding mine and sees the engagement ring I forgot to take off. She has a confused look on her face that turns into a scowl. "I heard that you were engaged Guardian Belikov, but I thought it was to Guardian Rose Ann Popov, not Ms Hathaway." She says my name with as much distaste as she can muster. He just squeezes my hand tighter.
"No Your Majesty. Rose here has honored me by accepting my proposal of marriage." He is so good at being formal and kissing ass.
"Two guardians married to each other is a very dangerous venture. Your charges lives will certainly be compromised with your distractions." I don't think I like where this is going. "But, I may have a solution for you." Wait, what? She wants to help us? What's the catch?
I wonder what she wants.
"The idea of my great nephew out there killing innocent people keeps me up at night. I have a proposal for you. Many of us here in our government know of the Prophocey and that you are the Chosen One, Rosemarie. If you really are to be the greatest hunter of our world, then your first assignment should be to find my nephew and free his soul." If she only knew. "Obviously I don't expect you to go alone. Guardian Belikov, your finance, will of course go with you as well as anyone else you deem needed." Wow. This is unexpected. This actually is perfect. We were planning on going to search for Adrian anyway, and know we will have unlimited resources to help us. Maybe I should tell her about his soul being trapped inside my body. Will she believe me?
Adrian, should we tell her about you?
I guess we better.
"Your Majesty, about Adrian and his soul, well, it didn't go very far away." She is looking at me confused. Well, I would too. "When Ezekiel bit him in the basement, I was holding him in my arms when he was dying and I kissed him goodbye. When I did that, he sent Spirit into me and his soul came with it. He is here, sharing my body. He can see and hear you just as I can. We are trying to figure out how to send his soul back into his body. I tried at the attack but something went wrong, the magic was being blocked somehow. We were planning on searching for Adrian anyways before your offer so we could heal him." She doesn't say anything for a few momemts, just stares at me as if trying to see if I was trying to be funny.
Tell her that on my tenth birthday, she gave me a gold pocket watch with the Ivashkov family crest on it that belonged to my great great grandfather.
I tell her what Adrian just told me and she gasped. Apparently she didn't believe me before. "Well, if you succeed in bringing Adrian back to his Moroi self, I will be forever grateful. Who would you like to bring with you on your mission?"
"Well, I guess Alex Black, Guardian Popov, Eddie Castile, Christian Ozera, Peter Badica, Mia Rinaldi, Jacob Zeklos and Lissa Dragomir." I know she is going to give me hell for the Moroi, especially Lissa.
"You want to bring Moroi with you? Royal Moroi? That is totally irresponsible. You can have the dhampirs, but not the others." Oh yeah.
"Lissa and Peter are Spirit users and we need them to heal Adrian. Christian and Jacob are fire users and you know how helpful they can be in an attack. And Mia has been training herself to fight. I wouldn't bring anyone along that I didn't need or I thought would be in too much danger." I stand firm. I stare at her as she stares at me, neither of us willing to look away first. Finally, she sighs and gives in.
"Fine. You will report back here the week after your graduation. Then you will receive everything you need to accomplish your task. Do not let me down Rosemarie. If you do this, I will not stand in your way of you two getting married. Oh, I do have one other request." Now what? "Since my nephew now resides in your body, you will need a guardian of your own. I would like Guardian Belikov to be that guardian. No one else will be as dedicated to ensure that you and Adrian are safe. You may leave now. Good afternoon." We walk out to meet the rest of the gang and let them know what is going on.
We tell them what the Queen proposed and they are all excited. Mia is jumping up and down thanking me for including her. Peter is quiet so I go sit next to him. With everything that has been happening, I haven't talked to him alone in a while. "Do you really think I will be of any help to you? Telling you how people are feeling isn't exactly usefull in hunting Strigoi." He needs a big boost of confidence.
"Peter, you are my friend, a part of my family. Lissa and Adrian and you will work together and figure out how we are going to make this work. That's why you are coming. If you want to."
"Of course. I wouldn't miss this for the world." he smiles. I reach over and push the hair that is always in his eyes to the side. It always bugs me. I smile and pull him up into a big hug. Jacob is way too excited about this adventure. He better not make me regret including him. I go over to Dimitri and sit in his lap and put my arms around his neck.
"Well comrade, I guess we found a way for us to be together in this world after all." I lean down and give him a kiss.
"We sure did Roza. We sure did."
I think I am going to end this story here. I am working on the sequal that will be about our favorite Guardians and Moroi on their adventures in searching for Adrian to heal him and bring him back. I plan on putting up one more chapter though with a scene that I didn't include in this story, Dimitri's little chat with Jacob. Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought of the chapter, the story overall and what you think of the sequel idea. Thanks for reading.