Hi guys! I've been absent for so long because of my crazy busy course, but I'm finding an hour or so to get back into writing. I've started with a short story, just to ease back into things, but keep your eyes peeled because I will hopefully be updating my other stories too. Anyway, this is just a drabble, probably 2 or 3 chapters. Hope you enjoy!

The Dreaded Age

1

I took off, racing as fast as my legs would carry me, through the trees that surrounded the boundary. They had been planted for privacy, but the moroi clearly hadn't consulted guardians as they were a bitch to guard. I felt the blood pumping through my veins, my nerves singing as the cold, winter wind ripped savagely against my face, which was the only part of my body with skin showing. Pennsylvanian winters meant wrapping up warm, and by God, I had.

I urged my legs to move even faster as my dhampir hearing heard someone enter the glen of trees behind me, and focused on ignoring the dull ache that was beginning to grow in my legs. I loved that ache, always had. It meant I was working hard, improving, becoming a better guardian.

A small smile appeared on my chapped lips as I raced away from my pursuer, my arms and legs pumping to maintain the pace.

Before long, the welcome sight of the large square came into view. I forced my body to keep the punishing pace, not relenting until I passed the grinning guardian stood there.

"Nice job Hathaway" Hans drawled, passing me a bottle of water that I gripped tightly as I paced in the hope of not being stiff tomorrow. It probably wouldn't work.

I flashed Hans a toothy grin, too out of breath to respond, and resumed my pacing, waiting for others to come in.

Today was the monthly running competition, and I had won it for the umpteenth time. I had honestly lost track now, and I think everyone else had too.

The next person to come in was my friend Vasily. He clearly had a considerable lead, yet just like me, he wanted to get the best time he could and so pushed himself to the limits.

"Nowhere near," I said in a sing-song voice as I handed him a bottle of water. "What's my lead Hans, 2 minutes?" I asked, turning to the man.

Hans gave me another wry grin before looking down at his sheet.

"More like 2 and a half".

I threw my arms in the air and whooped loudly, earning an eye-roll from Hans.

Once Vasily had recovered enough to grunt words, I started to gather my things from the pile we had all left at the starting line.

"We still on for tonight?" I called over my shoulder.

"Yep," Vasily grunted. "8".

I laughed breathily at his brief answer but gave him a nod, returning with our things.

"Hans?" I asked, looking over at the man who was suddenly very interested in his clipboard.

"Erm," he stuttered. "Won't I… intrude on things" he stammered.

"For the last time!" I groaned rolling my eyes. "We're just friends, and will only ever be friends. Guys and girls can just be friends."

"I know, I know," Hans said, holding his hands up in the air. "I just heard a rather…sordid... rumour about the two of you recently".

I didn't bother with a response other than an eye-roll. These rumours had been going around for years, each more outlandish than the last, and they honestly didn't even bother me anymore. I found it quite funny.

"Right. Well. 8 am. Smell ya later" I said gruffly, eyeballing the two men before twisting dramatically and stalking off in the direction of my flat, whilst thoroughly enjoying the idea of other guardians finishing and seeing that I had already gone home.

"Yo. Liss. Where are you?" I called as I walked into the private area of the palace. "If you and sparky are doing the deed you had better warn me now because I'm coming up".

There was a high-pitched yelp that made me think that they were in fact 'doing the deed' but a startled (and fully clothed) Lissa walked into the living room, holding a hand on her chest.

"I don't know how you still make me jump," she said breathily, slumping down on the sofa in a very un-queenly manner. I flashed her the well-known Hathaway smirk that made women want to hit me, guardians want to retire me, and men want to…well, jump me. The smirk that had no effect whatsoever on Lissa.

"Where is he?" I asked, but my question was answered before Lissa could even open her mouth.

"He," Christian announced, walking into the room, "was trying to get some work done before he was rudely interrupted. Man, you stink" he added, grimacing as he got closer.

I flipped him off.

"I presume you won?" Lissa asked, ignoring him.

My insides burned to give Christian grief about his 'work' but I held it in, knowing Lissa wouldn't appreciate it. She had refused to speak to either of us for a whole day a few years ago because it had gotten so bad, and we had quickly learnt that we could only verbally abuse each other when she wasn't around.

"Yeah, I did," I said, finally answering Lissa's question after holding Christians eye for a little too long, giving him a look that perfectly portrayed my feelings. He only smirked.

"No surprise," she said, before looking away, a flash of uneasiness filling her features. Being her best friend, I picked up on it immediately even though we hadn't had a bond for over 10 years now and urged her to speak with a hand gesture.

"How did you guess? We haven't had a bond for…"

"10 years" I blurted, feeling creeped out that we were both thinking the exact same thing.

"Oh god," she moaned, sinking back into the sofa. "How have we gotten so old".

I chuckled.

"Don't try to distract me, Liss, it won't work".

She sighed again, loudly, and sat up, rubbing her temples as she rested her head in her hands.

"It's…Well. There's no easy way to say this. Dimitri's coming back to court."

"What!" I screeched, jumping up from the sofa. "When. Why"

She shook her head and threw up her arms. Now that I looked closely, I could see big bags under her eyes, a clear sign of the stress she was currently under.

"I don't know Rose. All I was told is that he has been recalled from his position and signed onto court duties. I'm sorry".

I was momentarily speechless as I paced in their living room. Dimitri and I had parted ways a few months after our engagement, much to everyone's surprise. They still didn't really know why, but I did. It had been a mutual decision after months and months of unbearable bickering. Arguments. Resentment. Why it had happened, we had no idea. Just that it had. The engagement had been a last-ditch attempt to fix things, one that hadn't worked. I still remembered that night when we went to Adrian and Sydney's for Christmas. We had to pretend everything was great, I even showed off my ring, joked, and smiled. In reality, we decided to finish things that night. He left court soon after that, taking a job with a non-royal family, both of us finding it too difficult to see the other.

"It's fine. Thanks for the warning" I said, forcing my mind from the old pain that lingered. Time was a wonderful thing. I'd moved on. I had a great life and rarely thought of him, or what we had. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt if I did think about it.

I groaned, realising my stupidity. Dimitri was 7 years older than me.

"His birthday is in December" I groaned out loud. "He turned 35 last month. He's being recalled back to court for a team job".

When guardians turned 35, they were no longer allowed to solo-guard. This meant that you got recalled to a place like the court, or an academy, so you could be put on a rota as part of a team. I understood the reasoning, that families needed the fittest and best guardians they could when there was only one protecting them, but I imagined it just being protocol with Dimitri. I bet he was just as fit and able now as 10 years ago.

Christian and Lissa glanced warily at each other, and I rolled my eyes.

"Right. I'm off to clean up" I said, wincing slightly as I stood up. My body needed a hot bath before I could walk normally again.

I strolled back to my flat in the royal guardian's area. However short the walk was, it did feel good to stretch off my quickly stiffening legs. My room was on the bottom floor for ease, and so I was quickly in and stripping off as I walked towards my bathroom. Our flats weren't as big as any moroi housing, but being a royal guardian did get you close. Lissa had gone a long way in improving things for Dhampir's in the 10 years of her reign; removing the age law and even creating legislation to protect Dhampirs against sex offences, blood whoring, and made our jobs much safer. She was currently planning a mandatory pay-rise, but that had to get past the council first.

I walked into my bathroom completely nude and paused in front of the mirror to take my hair out of its tight knot. I gently let it down, wincing as I pulled out the tangles, and stared into my reflection. My hair just went past my shoulders now. I had cut it off a few years back, being sick of the work it took and preferring it in fights, not to the short length most female guardians did, but short for me. Perhaps I'd grow it back when I retired. I ran my fingers through it, trying to comb out the tangles, and winced at the few silver strands that I noticed. I was only 28, but it was definitely becoming thinner and greyer as the years went on. I huffed loudly. No-one would notice for a few years, but I could tell the difference.

I set my bath running, and returned to the mirror to wash my face. Once again, I stared back at the reflection noting the tired eyes that had very little sparkle and even some laughter lines. I had a few wrinkles around my face despite the copious amounts of cream I used. That's just what this life did to you.

Dropping my flannel into the sink, I padded over to my bath and got in, wincing slightly at the heat. Once my body adjusted, I leant back fully and let the water embrace my body wholly, sighing as it caressed the tight knots I had formed running.

After some time, I glanced at my watch that lay on the sink. 6 am. I needed to get out. I shaved, washed, shampooed and conditioned, taking more time than usual after seeing my haggard self, and emerged red and shining. I took the time to moisturise my whole body, especially my face, and then went to grab some food from the kitchen. Christian often stocked up my fridge with homemade ready meals (threatened by Lissa of course) and I took out a simple curry, before throwing it in the microwave. On second thought, I added another cup of rice in a pan to boil. Guardian nights out often got rather messy and eating lots of carbs beforehand was always a good idea.

Once I had eaten, I trudged back to my room to read a book before it was time for me to leave. I lay on my bed and began reading (a sordid romance that would make Lissa gasp) and couldn't help but glance over at my dressing table. I had stacks of makeup that I had never used and had just bought because I could. I threw down my book and decided that tonight would be the night to dazzle them all. It had nothing to do with me feeling old and wizened.

I put a light layer of foundation on, a smoky eye with eyeliner and lashes, and topped off the look with a dark-red lipstick. I even went as far as to curl my hair, giving my natural waves more definition and bounce. I admired my look in the mirror, feeling hella proud of myself, before walking to my closet. I usually wore skinny jeans and a slutty top to these things, but tonight they were getting the full thing. Pray for them, I thought.

Precisely half an hour later (at 8:30 am) I strutted down the street in a tight minidress to the bar we were meeting at. I had no doubt Vasily had invited others (we always enjoyed a big crowd) and I was looking forward to this night a lot. The bar was packed when I walked in, and I had to shoulder a few guys until they noticed who I was and parted like the red sea. Vasily and about 15 other guardians (all of whom I knew well) were stood about chatting at the bar. They all stopped immediately when they saw me, and a few even parted their lips.

"Hiya boys" I purred, flipping my hair over my shoulder and giving them the Hathaway smirk paired with a wink. To my pleasure, a few of them shuffled slightly and looked down to the floor.

"Get me a drink then you moron!" I said to Vasily, laughing and breaking the tension I had created, and like that, I was one of the boys. Even if a few stared at my ass.

Vasily handed me a beer, and the evening began. The alcohol started taking over, voices got louder, and antics got sillier. The bar eventually began playing loud music, which normally signalled our time to leave, but it seemed that everyone was in for the long-haul tonight.

We all moved onto the packed dance floor when Mitch staggered through the crowd with a huge tray of shots. It was a wonder he didn't spill them, but then I supposed that guardian training did have its uses.

"2 each" he called loudly "in celebration of another victory for Rose!".

A huge cheer went up from our crowd (no doubt for the appreciation of free shots as well as my victory) and we all quickly downed them, grimacing at the burn of the Russian vodka. Bars on court didn't bother with the American stuff, and I knew I would regret this in the morning.

"Rose, come dance over here" Vasily slurred, and I shoved my way onto the more crowded part of the dance floor. Vasily was the only other person I had found that shared my love of dancing. Lissa and the others enjoyed it, but always bailed after a while. Vasily and I had gained a reputation of being the last in the bar, a hard-earned reputation I might add.

We swayed, bopped and jumped to the beat, revelling in the feel of the bass beat going through us, the pressure of other bodies pressed against us, the alcohol coursing through our veins. I twirled to find a handsome moroi guy next to me, who gave me a big grin. Even in the dark lighting, I could make out that he was attractive. I flashed him my smirk and he put his hands out, raising his eyebrows to ask for permission.

I gave him a nod, and he pulled my body deliciously tight against his. We swayed to the beat, bodies pressed so tight that I could feel his every movement, and he leaned down, pressing our lips together. The kiss was ok, good, but without that spark. In my state, however, it didn't matter. I felt like I was flying, drowning and burning at the same time. There was nothing but the music and this strange man's kiss as his tongue flicked and danced with mine and our bodies rolled together, creating delicious friction. I pulled back after a while, giving the guy a wink, and turned back to my group of friends.

"Having fun?" Mitch shouted across over the loud music.

"More than you are," I retorted with a wink, before returning to my spot next to Vasily (who gave me an eye roll) and resumed my sensual dancing. I threw my hands up in the air, swaying, and rejoicing in life, loving the feeling of having good company and feeling completely content with my life. I could be who I wanted. Do what I wanted. Do who I wanted.

My spinning brain barely recognised when the lights came on in the bar, signalling it was closing time. There was a collective groan from the massive crowd that began slowly shuffling out, spilling out onto the pavement outside. People gathered in clusters, and my group were the same. We still had about a third of guardians left, mostly those who were single, and they were deciding on which house party to go to. Young guardians who weren't on shift often got a lot of invites and were popular amongst women for their athletic physiques. I knew those in my circle had a lot of wild stories.

My spinning head, and sore feet, let me know that it was time for me to leave. I told the others, who shrugged and headed off to a party, leaving just me and Vasily on the curb. I sat down unsteadily, and unstrapped my killer heels, giving my feet blessed relief despite the cold ground. Vasily plopped down next to me (equally unsteadily).

"You had a good night?" he asked, bumping his shoulder against mine.

"Yeah I have. The best ever".

"You say that every time," he said snorting, which set me off laughing too. Once we had both recovered enough, he opened his mouth again.

"I always have the best time with you," he said smiling. I gave him a lazy grin, and scooted closer to his warmth, suddenly feeling the winter chill despite the alcohol in my system. He pulled me even closer and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"I'm so glad I have you Rose," he said deeply. I didn't respond, and so he gently turned my face to his. We were inches apart, and I was suddenly very aware of his attractiveness, his familiar scent, and warm body.

"And I you," I whispered, glancing down at his full lips. Very slowly, he ran a finger up my jaw-line and only my lips, before leaning down so that we were mere milometers apart. I knew that he wouldn't move any further, he was giving me control, and so I tilted up my head, meeting his lips. As our lips brushed, it was like fire igniting in the both of us. He roughly pulled me onto his lap, and I shuffled to bring our bodies even closer, not caring about my dress rising up. Our tongues fought for dominance, meeting each brush with a fierce one of our own, falling deeper and deeper into him. After some time, the kisses eased into gentle, open-mouthed brushes, and then ceased altogether. Our foreheads rested together as we both fought to catch our breath.

"Wow," Vasily murmured, his lips red and swollen. I imagined mine would look the same. I smiled and looked up at him.

"Do you want to… do you want to come back to mine?" he asked slowly. There was an undercurrent of confidence in his voice, the type of confidence that showed he would be ok with whatever answer I gave. It was empowering and sexy.

"I…I" I stuttered. Man, I wanted to go back to his. But I valued our friendship too much.

"I think I'll go home alone tonight," I said reluctantly. "I…"

He stopped me by resting his finger on my lips.

"You don't need to explain it, Rose, it's fine," and I could see that it was. Men usually got offended if I opted to go home alone, and it was sexy as hell that he took it in his stride.

"I want to," I said, moving my lips against his finger. "I just value our friendship too much for this to be a stupid drunken hook-up, and man am I drunk" I giggled. "Let's talk about this tomorrow when I'm sober, and then we could see what happens."

He gave me a grin and pulled back his finger.

"You can't blame me for trying!". I giggled and moved my face closer.

"No, I can't" I whispered, before giving him another gentle kiss before standing up rather unglamorously and adjusting my dress so I wasn't showing my underwear to whoever walked past.

"Right, I'm off" I announced, looking at the darkening sky and groaning that I had stayed out this late.

"Want me to walk you home?" Vasily offered.

"I think we both know that if you do, you won't be going home tonight" I replied winking.

"Alright then, stay safe."

"Always do" I called over my shoulder as I twirled (almost falling on my ass in the process) and headed off in the direction of my flat, my bare feet padding on the freezing ground. I should probably be feeling the cold more than I was.

I was about halfway home when I suddenly felt rather dizzy and nauseous. I really had drunk too much tonight. I flopped down onto the curb and rested my head against my knees, waiting for it to pass. The chill grew up from my feet into my whole body and my teeth started chattering, but I was now too unsteady to stand. I should have just pushed through. I would have been home by now.

"Are you ok?" A voice called from nearby. A voice that made the world stop for a few seconds. I groaned audibly. Wonderful. How could my night have gone so well and ended like this?

"Can I help you get somewhere?" Dimitri asked, stepping closer, and then I heard his breath hitch. He had recognised me too. Damn.

"Rose, is that you?" he breathed. Oh God, oh god.

"Yeah" I slurred, raising my head and instantly regretting it because of the increasing nausea.

"Are you… are you drunk?" he asked.

"Yes. Not that its any of your business" I spat. Or at least tried to. Instead, it was heavily slurred and feeble. Double damn.

"I…Come on," he said, voice quiet. "I'll walk you home".

"You don't need to. I'm perfectly fine, and no longer your responsibility".

Unfortunately, my assurances that I was ok were in vain, because just as I had finished speaking, I lurched and threw up. In front of Dimitri. It wasn't like he hadn't seen me like this before, he had when we had still been together and I would party with Lissa in the palace, but something about now seemed cheap. He was so put together and professional, and sure, I had a great job and it was perfectly ok to party, but I always looked down on people who ended up like this after a night out. It very rarely happened to me anymore.

I wiped my mouth and sat up, closing my eyes and breathing deeply, as if that would do something to restore my pride.

"You are most definitely not fine," Dimitri said gruffly. "Come on. Where are your shoes?"

I didn't know.

"I haven't seen them since I was at the bar".

"Who were you with?" he asked softly.

It wasn't any of his business, and normally I would have told him so, but I couldn't face it now.

"A bunch of guardians and Vasily" I replied with my eyes still shut.

"Is he your boyfriend?" he asked almost timidly as if he knew he shouldn't be asking me such questions.

"I…well…no. He's a friend".

Dimitri raised his eyebrows at my answer.

"Is he the friend who smeared the lipstick over your face?". His voice was gruff.

"You know what, yes, he is. Not that it is of any relevance to you" I spat, wiping my face with my cold hands in an attempt to shift the makeup. "Help me up or piss off".

I had realised by now that I wasn't getting up and home unless he helped me. Not saying another word, he leaned down and put his arms under mine, hoisting me up and keeping firm hold until I was stood. Once he was satisfied that I wouldn't collapse, he gently let go. I set off towards my flat but soon discovered my numb legs wouldn't do what I wanted. I staggered as my knees wobbled, threatening to collapse altogether.

"Oh god," he muttered under his breath.

Before I knew it, he had picked me up and into his arms, and began striding to royal guard housing.

"You still in the same flat?" he asked. I nodded, momentarily speechless.

Dimitri strode confidently, clearly remembering where I lived and how to get to it. We arrived quickly at the desk (thankfully empty) and strode to my door.

"Where are your keys?"

I blushed. Not a pretty pink, innocence blush, but a full-on beetroot.

"I… you need to set me down so I can get them".

He did, keeping an arm on mine ready to catch me should I fall. I used my other arm to dig down into my bra, grasping the key. His eyes went wide.

"It's so I don't lose my things" I stammered. "Its actually not as uncomfortable as guys think and I once went out and lost my bank card, keys and money and it was a nightmare to…".

He had already opened the door and picked me up again by the time I stopped stuttering like a schoolgirl.

He carried me into the apartment and set me down on my bed. Without speaking, he went to my dressing table and picked up my pack of makeup wipes, taking one out and handing it to me. I took it, also not speaking, and began cleaning my face. He left the room and came back with a large glass of water, some aspirin and a bucket, all of which he placed on my nightstand.

"I'm not going to throw-up again" I grumbled. He gave me an amused look.

"Need I remind you of that time after Lissa's cocktail party?". His eyebrows were raised, and there was a twinkle of humour in his eyes that made my heart clench. He had looked after me diligently that night after I had assured him that I wouldn't throw up.

He ran a hand under my pillow, looking for the pj's that I stored under there, clearly remembering. He found them and pulled out my sleep set. Thankfully it was one of my better ones.

"Need help getting changed?" he asked quietly.

"I'll be fine. I… thank you for your help. It's nice to see you again" I whispered, looking into his face. He certainly looked older, grey was visible in his hair and his eyes had laughter lines, but he was still Dimitri. Still made my stomach flutter. I realised he was inspecting me too, just as I was him. I hadn't wanted to ever see him again after the pain of the break-up, but seeing him was like coming home.

"It's ok. It's nice to see you too. It has been a while hasn't it," he breathed.

It had been years since I had run into him. Our paths very occasionally crossed but hadn't for a long while.

"Yeah" I whispered, my heart pounding. It must have been the alcohol, but somehow my old feelings raised their head.

He coughed loudly as if he was feeling the same, pulling me out of it, and turned abruptly.

"Well if you're ok, I'll head out".

"Of course," I said briskly. "Thanks again".

I watched his receding back as reached for my pj shorts, feeling an increasing feeling of grief and sorrow over what we used to have.

I hope you enjoyed it! The first chapter ended up being quite a bit longer than planned! I'm unsure whether to include lemon scenes in this, or whether to just keep it at a T rating. Please let me know what you want!

As always please follow, fav and review :)