Hello my darlings! Much thanks for all your love on the last oneshot! Sorry sorry, I know I've been gone for ages, but in that time, my brother has managed to break his hand which resulted in him having to stay at the hospital for surgery. He's home and doing well, still as miserable as ever but my grandma was in the hospital too because there was a bacteria in her blood. They're both ok, though. So yes, Christmas was a little weird on my end, but that's changed and I am determined to make yours as awesome as I can with my holiday oneshots!
Summary: When a hormonal, very pregnant Lissa decides to drag everyone out of court to go Christmas shopping, no one thinks to tell her no even though the weather's not the best. Rose and Dimitri have their doubts about the trip, but when tragedy really does struck, will that be enough? Will the dhampirs be able to keep Lissa and her unborn baby as well as the other moroi safe? Read to find out and don't forget to drop me a review on your way out!
I don't own VA!
Dec the Halls with Screams of Horror.
It had been raining for ages, persistent, thick downpours, the kinds that drenched you completely in seconds. I would know, because I'd experienced it while walking Lissa home. The only umbrella we had was used to shelter Lissa, something that made her so furious she started swearing at me. I hadn't let up, not when we were weaving through crowds of people, most of whom were here to spend the holidays with their family and were more than a little curious every time the queen walked by.
"It's just a little rain, Liss. It's nothing I can't handle." I'd told her. Lissa's glare froze me right to the spot.
"I don't care," She said stubbornly. She fell into step beside me thus sharing her umbrella. It didn't seem to matter to her that I was already drenched, but the fact that she'd done that right in front of all those royal snobs made pride swell in my chest.
Lissa was a different leader entirely, nothing like the monarchs that ruled before her. Thus, she played by her own rules and never shut down what she believed was right no matter what anyone else said or did. That was why she made such an awesome queen, but that was also the reason why people opposed her and had killed her sister Jill in order to take her throne. Things had simmered down now and Jill, Adrian, Eddie and Adrian's new wife Sydney, a former alchemist, were back in court where they belonged.
The rain had not stopped until sometime in the early morning, human time, and way before I was even out of bed, but it had given way to snow. This wasn't the kind of snowflakes that just dusted the ground white; no this was the kind that blanketed the entire world in a winter wonderland. It had only gotten worse the more it fell until it dam near bordered on closed roads and possible blizzards.
If all this crazy weather wasn't bad enough, we actually had to go Christmas shopping. Oh let's not forget that it was happening out of the court and in a human runned mall too, which meant no magically infused protection against strigoi. The darkness of the sky and lack of sun did not rule them out today. If anything, we had to be even more careful. Not many strigoi would risk the chance of the weather suddenly changing, but there was no way to know for certain, and I was not going to be caught off guard.
If all of that wasn't bad enough, the fact that we were running on a human schedule in order to pull this one off was fucking horrible. Everyone who even remotely knew me knew I despised mornings, and yet Lissa was dragging me out of bed in what was supposed to be night time for me. Apparently, the fact that she was the queen of the moroi meant little or nothing to Lissa. It was either that, or she trusted her guardians to keep her and her unborn baby safe.
"Dimitri, do we absolutely have to go?" I asked my fully dressed, sexy as hell Russian God. He didn't look any more pleased than I was, if the way he was flipping his stake in the air and wearing a hole in the carpet was anything to go by.
"Yes, Rose." Dam, the use of my name shot whatever doubts I may have been having about how he was feeling in that moment right to hell. With a sigh, I twisted my hair up into a bun and secured it with a black scrungy, not really feeling very dressy.
"As Lissa's guardian, you don't really have a choice," Dimitri reminded me. I swore and slipped on my boots before shoving 2 back up stakes into them.
"You don't really have 1 either," I noted. "But at least we know Christian will be on look out if we tell him to be." Dimitri nodded and grabbed his duster and my hand as he led us out the door. At least I knew Dimitri shared my feelings, something which would make him even more lethal and stoic if the need arose.
"I thought you were getting dressed up, Rose?" Lissa asked as she opened the door for Dimitri and me. I shook my head trying to get the few snowflakes that were clinging to my boots out.
"This is not a formal event, you know." She reminded me. She was wearing a pretty pink sweater and fuzzy pink pants. Boots and a fancy up do completed her outfit.
"True, but I am still your guardian, you know." I told her stepping inside the toasty living room. Lissa rolled her eyes, looking as angelic as always though the huge baby bump only added to her softness. I rubbed her belly as she pulled me in for a hug and was rewarded with a kick. Lissa grimaced and rushed off, grumbling about always having to pea because the baby always kicked her in the bladder.
"Are we ready?" Dimitri asked glancing around the apartment. I bet he was looking for Christian, trying to put him on alert without Lissa noticing.
"We are now," Christian said coming in from the kitchen. I eyed the coffee in his hand, wishing that I could get some of that in my system. Maybe it'd make me feel more awake and alert than I felt in that moment. I didn't drink the stuff very often, but sometimes, say like when you had neglected your schedule to run on someone else's in order to please your hormonal best friend, some coffee was an absolute must have. Unfortunately, Christian handed the Styrofoam cup to Dimitri who adored coffee.
"Come on then," I said desperately trying to not glare at Christian.
"Wait, Rose." Christian said, suddenly stopping. He produced another cup and handed it to me. "I think you may need this." His smile was warm and for a second, I hesitated.
"Christian, I swear, if I suddenly get sick or something after drinking this I am going to kick your sorry ass!" He rolled his eyes knowing full well that I was only teasing. Dimitri and I fell into step behind Lissa and Christian as we made our way down to the parking lot where we met up with everyone else.
…
"You ok, Roza?" Dimitri asked suddenly glancing back at me in the mirror. I blinked and nodded. I'd been staring absentmindedly out the window, trying to distract myself from the hammer pounding inside my head and, to dispel the phantoms blurring my vision. Lissa glanced over and understanding flooded her features.
"Crap," She grumbled. "Here, Rose. I forgot to give this to you before we left." She slipped something cool onto my finger and I glanced down to find a silver ring there. Instantly, I glared up at her. There were a thousand words on my tongue just waiting to be hurled her way, but the tenderness in her eyes killed them before I could utter a single 1.
"Thanks, Liss," I said instead. She shook her head.
"Adrian charmed it, not me." I flashed a grin in Adrian's direction.
"Thanks, Adrian." He locked gazes with me and nodded, and we spent the rest of the ride making small talk.
…
It seemed my paranoia had been unfounded. We'd been here for hours now and nothing had gone wrong. No strigoi, not even some pushy human thug who was trying to make some fast money, nothing. But if everything was fine, why the hell was I strung up so tightly? I glanced anywhere and everywhere, forgetting that I should be playing casual until Dimitri nudged me.
"Roza, relax." He whispered. "It's ok." I shook my head. It didn't feel like everything was ok, but I knew better than to say that to Dimitri. Besides, if something was wrong, wouldn't he feel it, too?
"Can we please go eat now, Liss?" I pleaded as she and Christian made their way out of a baby store. Christian looked exhausted, I mean the poor guy was carrying all of Lissa's bags and she had a lot.
"Sure we can," She said. She linked arms with me and pretty much dragged Jill and me to the food court.
"Um, Rose?" Sydney said suddenly. I glanced up only to find her staring at me, a concerned frown tugging at her lips. "Are you ok? You would usually be all over that." She kept her voice low even as she gestured to my food.
"You and Liss aren't somehow bonded again are you?" Jill asked joining our conversation. Noticing that everyone else was distracted with their own conversations though I saw Dimitri and Eddie scanning the area, I decided to let Jill and Sydney in on what was going on in my head.
"No we're not, thank god. I really can't deal with her morning sickness!" Jill and Sydney giggled. "But I have been having this weird feeling since I woke up this morning."
"What kind of weird feeling?" Jill asked but Sydney locked her eyes on mine, a question swimming in her golden gaze. I nodded at her and she grimaced.
"Oh god, please tell me you're not thinking what I think you are?" Jill said seeming to catch on. I nodded once again and she glared down at her own food.
"It doesn't really have to be anything, you know." I said trying to ease Jill's anxiety. It was radiating off of her in waves. "I mean maybe it's just because of the weather or something."
"Whatever," Jill grumbled. "You know I'm always willing to help."
"Me too," Sydney said. "I nodded at them both, glad that I'd have some back up from the girls if I needed it. Jill's element was water and, though it wasn't lethal to strigoi, could pose as a distraction if used correctly. Thankfully, she knew exactly how to use it defensively.
Sydney was a different matter entirely. She was human, but the girl hurled fireballs as well as Christian or any fire wielding moroi. She could also do some crazy spells that she could perform on hand or with some amulets made from natural herbs and things. "I don't suppose you have any amulets on hand?" I asked her.
"Of course I do, Rose, no witch ever goes out unarmed." I grinned at that. When I'd met her a couple years ago, she was a totally different Sydney. We were evil, unnatural creatures of the night, and now she was married to one of us. Oh things certainly had changed.
"You guys, we should get ready to head back," I said checking my phone. The sun, what little of it there was, would be disappearing soon.
"Ok, but one more store Rose, please?" Lissa pleaded with a pout. Even Jill had an excited look on her face and though I didn't really know why, I decided to let them have their fun.
"Ok, but only for a couple minutes." If I'd known the repercussions of those words, I never would've said them. All we girls ended up going into that store which turned out to be Victoria Secret. At the end we all emerged with several bags. I loved buying new underwear and lingerie and skimpy things which were supposed to be nighties were always considered a bonus.
…
By the time we actually made it outside, the street lamps had already come on. In spite of the flickering lamps, it was pretty dark. Dusk was usually illuminated by headlights of passing vehicles, but not tonight. The snow and freezing temperatures was probably the reason, or maybe the unsuspecting humans were smarter than us tonight.
I felt the nausea in my stomach just a second before it lunged at Lissa, red-rimmed eyes blazing and fangs bared. Stake in hand, I pushed her behind me, screaming for someone to get her to the car
"You stupid bitch, you are going to pay for that," The strigoi snarled. I was painfully aware that Lissa was still behind me. Everyone else was engaged in their own battles. Goddamit, I needed to keep her safe. It was that fact which had me lunging forward and scratching my stake across the strigoi face. She howled in pain and hissed at me. She came at me again, fangs bared and aiming straight for my neck.
Suddenly, I was no longer battling 1 strigoi. I was surrounded and they were all coming at me. I heard Lissa's horror-filled scream. Determined to keep her and her baby safe, I shut my mind off and just fought. I fought hard, the familiar mantra ringing out in my head as I tore through strigoi after strigoi. My stake slid into their undead hearts like a warm knife through butter. I was on a high, but it all came to a tragic and sudden end when a strigoi grabbed Lissa.
"Move and she gets it," He growled. Everyone froze. I had been fighting a strigoi, but now that I was no longer allowed to move, he was advancing on me, nearing my neck fast.
"You smell so good," The strigoi purred. "I bet your blood is going to taste even better than you smell." I felt the tips of his fangs on my skin and closed my eyes. That was it. I was going to die here and now and so were Lissa and her baby.
His fangs pierced my skin. I knew there was initial pain, but I felt none of it. I found Dimitri's eyes across the parking lot. His gaze was strong, unflinching, so unlike the absolute hopelessness I was sure mine reflected. He seemed to tell me to hang in there, that I couldn't give up. He was lending me his strength I realized, and I was not about to let it go to waste.
In one fluid motion, I grabbed the strigoi's head. He was so busy draining my precious blood that he didn't react until it was too late. I wrenched his head back, certain that there was going to be 2 bruises there tomorrow. Gripping tightly, I stared into his undead eyes and saw the future I would've had if I hadn't pulled away. The prospect of being dead and leaving Dimitri and my friends behind, and by strigoi no less pissed me off to no end. I twisted the strigoi's head hard and heard a violent crack. I let his head hit the ground just as his body did.
The sound sounded like gun fire to my ears, loud and echoing, but it seemed to bring everyone back to life. Lissa screamed again and then so did the strigoi as he erupted into flames.
"I am sick of you undead unholy creatures ripping lives apart!" Sydney screamed, lighting up the place in a cloud of blue fire. She held it for a good while, even after all the strigoi were nothing more than a pile of dust. When she finally let it go, she was swaying on her feet and her eyes were unfocussed and dull. Lissa caught her in a hug, talking so fast that I don't think anyone understood what she was saying.
I ran to Dimitri, suddenly aware that sticky, warm liquid was running steadily down my neck. I didn't give it much thought as I launched myself into his arms. Dimitri caught me easily, his lips meeting mine in a kiss that stole my breath. I felt light headed, but I wasn't sure if that was because of the blood loss or his kiss.
"Um, you guys, you're cute and all, but can we please not linger where we were just attacked?" Adrian said, gathering Sydney into his arms. Everyone nodded and we all piled into the van. Adrian set Sydney down and came over to me.
"Don't, Adrian." I growled in warning as he lifted his palm to my skin.
"You'll be a bloody mess by the time we make it back to court then," He said. Before I had a chance to say a single word, he had healed the puncture marks on my neck.
"Adrian," I growled. "What are we going to do with you?" He rolled his eyes but his smile was warm.
As we drove back to court that evening, I couldn't help but feel that someone had our best interest at heart. Someone was looking out for us. I had a pretty good idea of who that could be and oddly enough, it made a feeling of peace settle in my chest at the thought. What I saw as I rested my head on Dimitri's shoulder soon after only confirmed it. At first, I thought it was the ghosts again, but then I took the person in. He didn't look like he wanted my head. Instead, he looked like Mason usually did. He only nodded at me and then he was gone, but the rain soon started up again. It rained hard and long, exactly the kind of weather Mason liked. I saw a shooting star and thought I was the only one until Eddie's eyes found my own. We both nodded, and I closed my eyes.
"It's great to have a friend like you, Mace. I hope you're safe wherever you are." The words echoed in my head even as I whispered them. Dimitri's arms tightened around my waist as his lips pressed a kiss to my forehead.
…
"You know, this could've turned out completely different," I said to no one in particular. Every pair of eyes in that room locked on me, the looks of understanding and gratitude reflecting my feelings perfectly.
"Well, I sure am glad it turned out the way it did," Christian muttered from beside me. His smile was radiant even though he was running on a couple hours sleep. Even Lissa whose head was resting on Christian's shoulder even as she cradled their new baby in her arms had a huge grin on her face.
"I am thankful that we have a bunch of kick ass friends," She said. "Especially my badass best friend and her equally as badass lover who have developed a habit of literally risking their necks if it means keeping us all safe. You guys have a serious disregard for your own lives and though that's not at all right, I love you guys for it." She paused briefly and locked gazes with Christian who nodded.
"I guess what I'm saying is, Christian and I want nothing more than for you guys to be Marie's God parents." I gasped, but I felt a grin spread over my face.
"Geez Liss, isn't it bad that I'm her namesake?" I teased knowing full well that 'Marie' was also Lissa and Christian's way of honouring Mason.
"Of course not," Christian said. "You also have to spoil her, and, spend ridiculous amounts of money on her." I glared at him, but it was half-hearted. I was too overwhelmed by the huge honour.
"Of course, you guys. We will love nothing more!" I didn't even have to look over at Dimitri to decide. His happiness was radiating off of him in waves.
Oh Rose, you are so going to regret that when you also have to watch her when fire crotch and Liss are feeling particularly frisky," Adrian warned. Sydney smacked him upside the head.
"No Adrian, that job is reserved for the doting uncles." Sydney said smirking dubiously. I'm not sure if she realized that that also meant the doting aunts, her and Jill, but the look of horror on Adrian's face that her comment caused was enough to make everyone burst into laughter.
It was true that our little shopping trip could've gone completely different, but sitting in Lissa and Christian's living room surrounded by friends who had somehow become family along the way, I couldn't help but be happy it had turned out the way it had. We were an odd combination of human, half-vampires and full-fledged vampires, not that anyone of us cared about that. All we knew is that when it came down to life and death, we all had each other's back. Yes, even Christian and me, but if anyone tells him I said that, I will deny it and then come find you, and it will not be pretty.
Lol sorry guys, I just had to do that! I know I switched tenses and all, but what did you think? Loved it? Not so much? Let me know!
Oh and I am still gamed to work with anyone who wants to write one of these with me! Ideas and prompts are very welcomed!
XXX
Roza
