So I am finally updating...sorry it took so long...school kicked my butt but it is Christmas break so I plan on updating a lot more and finishing this fic soon. Thanks for sticking with me!

Unbeta'd as always and I own nothing...

Please review!

Stop Being a Coward!

Chapter 22

It had worked so far. Christian had kept his mouth shut and Rose was playing along, not mentioning anything at all about Abby meeting them. They hadn't even brought up the subject of the house except as a simple reply when Adrian had asked what they were doing there.

Rose had simply replied that they had found a house and wanted a drink to celebrate. While Rose normally did not drink around Lissa or much at all for that matter, she figured that just one wouldn't hurt. Since they were at court, they could legally drink at the age of 18. It took a lot to get moroi and dhampirs drunk so they didn't adhere to the rules of the human world where 21 was the accepted age.

Rose had cheerfully steered the topic to safer ground and the quartet were currently laughing about how Eddie had slipped while chasing after some royal's 5 year old little girl who had kicked him in the shin for 'being a meanie' when Eddie refused to let her into the gym the day before.

"So he fell into the fountain?" Adrian asked, laughing.

"Yeah, the little kid had gotten up on the edge of it and Eddie followed and fell right into it. You shouldn't have seen it!" Rose chortled as she remembered the scene unfolding before her. Adrian hadn't heard about it as he had been at some function for his aunt. "He stud up with this pissed off look on his face. He was soaked."

Christian piped up over his laughter, "and the kid, she just ran off. We had to hold Eddie back from going after her again."

"She was just a little girl." Lissa giggled.

"I can imagine." Adrian laughed, feeling better than he had all day. It was nice to sit and talk to his friends about meaningless stuff instead of having to fight with and avoid them.

Just as those thoughts past through Adrian's head, none other than Abby Badica walked into the door of the bar. She spotted the group immediately and walked towards them. Adrian stiffened at the sight of her.

"Hi guys." She smiled her gentle smile as she looked from Lissa and Christian to Rose and then spotted Adrian. Her smiled faltered for the briefest moment as she scanned over his stylishly messy brown hair to his perfect white smile.

She was lucky to get a glimpse of his smile for a second before it pulled into a grimace. Abby, seeing this as a sign of disappointment, did not even acknowledge Adrian but instead turned to Lissa and Christian.

"I have the paperwork. If you just want to sign it really quickly, I can get it back down to my office. That way I won't disturb you." Her eyes briefly flashed towards Adrian again but he didn't look as though his mood had changed.

"Why don't you sit down so they can go over the papers?" Rose smiled and nodded to the empty chair by Adrian. They had moved to a table away from the bar when they had joined Adrian and only one seat remained unoccupied.

The old wooden table had five mismatched chairs sitting around it which rubbed against each other in an attempt at seating. The dusty bar was run down and the furniture that seated guests seemed to be random pieces collected here and there by the owner. No two pieces matched in the entire place. It gave the bar an eclectic funky feel that seemed to be popular with the moroi at court.

Abby nodded, sliding the chair out from its secure position between Adrian and Lissa. She stepped around the chair, brushing Adrian's arm that was resting on the chair as she did so.

As her bare arm touched his for a brief moment, sharp tingle ran down Adrian's spine causing an intake of breath to whistle through his lips.

Abby, obviously feeling similar effects pulled her suit jacket back on the moment she was seating, hoping to cover the chill bumps running up and down her arm. She mumbled an incoherent "sorry" before turning to Lissa and Christian.

Adrian had dropped his arm into his lap and leaned away from Abby, her body being this close to his had put him on edge and he could feel heat radiating through her body and into his. It was a familiar warmth that he had never felt around anyone but her.

Rose had watched the interaction with interest and a huge smile spread across her face towards Adrian as his face immediately turned towards her. He narrowed his eyes at her grin and abruptly stood up from his seat, toppling the fragile chair over in his wake. "I've got to go." His words came out harsher than he had intended and his voice seemed to scratch in his very dry throat.

The people surrounding the table as well as its occupants turned to face the tall moroi. Abby's eyes caught his for the briefest of moments and Adrian registered what he thought was hurt flash in them before he turned on his heel and stormed out the door.

"I told you this wasn't a good idea Rose." Christian chimed in, watching the door slam shut after the upset man.

Rose gave Christian an evil glare and abruptly left to follow Adrian, "I'll be back."

Her legs fell right back into their familiar routine as she ran after Adrian. He was fast for a moroi but was no match for the strength and endurance she had built up in her guardian training. Quickly, she was by his side and actually slowing her strides to match his.

"Go away Rose." Adrian pushed himself as hard as he could to out run her but both of them knew his attempts were futile. He finally gave up as he neared one of the courts fountains. Most moroi were at home during this time so the area was private. Adrian slumped down and put his hands in his head, gasping for breath.

Rose stopped just in front of him. Her breath was not remotely hard and she winced as she saw how labored Adrian's breathing had become. "Smoking will do that to you." She clapped a hand on his back, trying to lighten the situation.

"I said go away little dhampir, I don't want you here." His cheeks were tinted pink but Rose somehow knew that was more from embarrassment then from the run.

"I don't get it Adrian. Why don't you want to be around Abby? This isn't the lady's man that I have always known." Rose questioned, taking a seat beside him as she listened to the water run from the mouth of a cherub into the pond below.

"You wouldn't get it Rose. Abby is the one girl that has always terrified me. I think she is a big part of why I over compensate with every other woman I meet." Adrian said, a little bitter that one woman could make him act so irrational and so childlike.

"Maybe there is a reason for it. If you would just talk to her, I know that there might be more there and you…"

Adrian quickly cut her off, "no Rose, I have told you time and time again. I do not want to be around her but you just don't listen. You think because you have found "the one" that everyone else has a soul mate out there too and it is your job to force them into it." Adrian got to his feet; anger started leaking into his words that surprised Rose. He had never been flat out angry at her.

Before she could say anything, Adrian continued, "it is not your place. I have told you time and time again to back off. If I decide to talk to Abby then that will be of my own doing, not yours and your selfish need to make things right between us. I get it, I do, you have your 'one' and that makes you feel guilty for how you treated me. I know! I see it in your aura. But that doesn't give you the right to continually butt into my business."

"Adrian, I'm sorry, I didn't know…." She trailed off, not sure how to explain. It might have partially been out of guilt that she wanted to see Adrian happy with someone but more than that, it was that he was her friend and something about the look in his eyes a few minutes ago when he saw Abby had been familiar to her. It was the look she saw in Dimitri's eyes when he looked at her. If she could just make Adrian see what was right in front of him.

"Of course not. You are too busy trying to look out for everyone else to stop and think that not everyone needs saving, least of all by you. You wanted to still be friends with me but you won't leave me alone. At least when you were messed up you didn't hound anyone. Now that Dimitri is away for a few days, you are back in Wonder Woman mode trying to fix things that aren't broken. I thought catatonic Rose was bad but this Rose just might be worse. I thought we could be friends but maybe we just can't." Adrian glared down at her. He had stepped directly in front of her and she had looked up to see the mean glare on his face. His eyes reflected the truth behind his words.

Rose was shocked. Adrian had never spoken to her so callously before, least of all tell her she had a savior complex that she needed to get rid of. That's what she did though, she save everyone else. She owed them all for being there for her when she was lost.

Rose looked down at her hands and let the realization that he was being with his words sink in. Adrian didn't want her around; he didn't want her trying to fix his life when it was working find as it was.

The thought of losing Adrian made her heart hurt. He was only a friend now but the thought of not even having him as that left a pain within her chest.

Still fragile from what had happened before, Rose stood up. "I'm sorry. I was trying to help." A tear escaped her eye as she turned from Adrian and ran towards her room.

"Shit." Adrian cursed, he hadn't meant to be so mean to her, it was just that she pushed too hard. The old Rose could have taken it and he had thought she was back but maybe she hadn't made it all the way back yet. "Rose, I…" Adrian called after her but it was too late. She was already gone.

Still spent from running so hard to get away from her, he knew there was no way he would catch up with her. Instead he turned to go back towards his house. He had to think of a way to make things right with Rose.

Dimitri walked down the aisle towards the infamous Janine Hathaway. As he neared her, he looked over her features, so different but so similar to Rose's.

He could tell that Rose got the shape of her eyes and lips from her mother but the coloring of her hair, skin, and eyes was all her father. At the thought of Zmey, Dimitri's eyes scanned the small interior cabin of the plane. The personal jet no doubt belonged to him as little extravagant touches of gold and plush velvets befitting the moroi man adorned every surface that wasn't a dark cherry wood. Said wood was so high polished that you could see your reflection in it from across the room.

Dimitri stopped in front of Janine and looked carefully at her, not sure how she would feel towards him since their last conversation. Her guardian mask was firmly in place, revealing none of the feelings that were whirling around in her head.

"Guardian Belikov." Janine nodded, defaulting back to formalities as she always seemed to do. Dimitri's thoughts ran over the title in his mind. He wasn't a guardian, at least not officially. He didn't have a charge and had left court to fly halfway across the world.

"Guardian Hathaway, please call me Dimitri." He reminded her of their conversation that had really just days before but felt like weeks.

"Dimitri." Janine nodded. "I am glad we are meeting on better terms this time. Please have a seat. Ibrahim is in the back, he should be up shortly."

Dimitri nodded, "thank you."

"Does your eye hurt?" Janine asked, nodding to the still bluish bruise coving half of his face. He had almost forgotten its existence in the rush to get back to the states.

"It's fine. I had forgotten about it actually." Dimitri's fingers skimmed the still tender skin just under his eye. He managed to keep from wincing as there was still some pain left. Out of sight, out of mind seemed to be the case with injuries.

Janine nodded, knowing all too well the difficulties that they sometimes faced. A dhampir such as Dimitri would be able to ignore the pain with no problems. It was more of an eye sore than anything.

They sat in silence, waiting for Abe to join them in the seat beside Janine. Dimitri had taken one of the seats that faced where Janine was sitting in a sort of alcove towards the back of the plane.

After only waiting for about two minutes, which felt like much more to Dimitri, Abe joined the group with his bodyguards taking the seats towards the front of the cabin. Dimitri narrowed his eyes at the pair, noticing his handiwork still displayed across both men's faces.

"Dimitri, so glad you could join us." Abe smiled as he took the seat by Janine. He extended his hand in a show of goodwill towards Dimitri. It seemed that now Dimitri was going back home, Abe had no problems with the man. Except for the fact that he had slept with his daughter who happened to be a minor at the time. Dimitri accepted the handshake and tried to squander any ill feelings he still had toward the man.

"Thank you for getting me back sooner." Dimitri replied, not really sure what to say to the parents of his girlfriend. Is that the right word? Dimitri questioned himself. Girlfriend? That sounds too unimportant for what she means to me.

Drawing his attention back, Abe laughed. "I told you, it is where you belong. If I can facilitate getting you back there then I have no problems. Rose wants you close and she shall have what she wants. I am lucky to have recently purchased this fine jet. My prior means of travel were lacking and most depended on the human world but now I can come and go as I see fit. Janine and I plan on visiting Rose much more often." Abe smiled at Janine who had carefully been scrutinizing Dimitri since he began his conversation with Abe.

"I believe that you are clear and what Ibrihim and I both want for our daughter. While we do not approve of how the relationship started seeing how she was a minor, we are going to do whatever we can to see that it continues as long as that is what Rose wants. If, at any time and for any reason, Rose decides she no longer wants you then you have also been told what will happen. You hurt her and you will be dealt with." Janine usually didn't default to threats but it seemed as though her time spent with Abe seemed to be rubbing off on her. She might not have been there for her daughter when she was younger but she was going to do everything she could for her now.

"I understand. I love her. She's my everything and if the day comes where she wants to walk away, I would let her but believe me when I say that I would never do anything to hurt her or force her down that path." Dimitri replied, more at easy since Rose's parents seemed to have said their peace again.

"Not intentionally. But if you do, even accidentally, we will not hesitate to take actions. Now, you must be tired, feel free to take a nap. The flight from Novosibirsk was very long and there is still quite a journey ahead of us. You haven't contact Rose to let her know you are coming home have you?" Abe asked, obviously done with the unpleasant topics and prepared to move on.

"I haven't had time. Is there a phone I can use?"

"How about we keep it a surprise?" Abe asked.

Dimitri nodded and leaned his head back against the plush reclining seat. His eyes were already starting to droop; he really did need some sleep.

Sorry I took so long to update! Please review... I am already working on chapter 23 and hope to have this finished soon! Again, school is out for Christmas so I will have time to write! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed :)