A.N: Hey Guys!

Here is chapter 13, the one were you'll get some Dimitri. I hope you'll enjoy it, I know how much you are missing him.

So now on another note I MIGHT not be able to update next week. Work is really crazy these days but I will do my best for you, my faithful readers and reviewers, you are just so awesome.

Well I really hope you'll like this chapter. don't forget to review and tell me what you think.

Take Care

Steffy.

Chapter 13:

When I slide into Lissa's head she was lying in bed with Christian and I thanked my lucky stars I didn't slip in her head a few minutes before. I had viewed way too many sex scenes of the two of them for a lifetime! The first had already been too much.

Christian smiled looking into her eyes; it was such a sweet loving smile. The kind of smile I only saw when I was in Lissa's head, the kind of smile that showed how much he loved her. He was a different Christian then…Almost 'human' no pun intended.

Lissa reached for his hand and kissed it before stirring in the bed ready to get up.

Christian kept her hand in his and pulled her to him. "Where are you going? Aren't you good here with me? It's barely morning, we still have time."

It was true, the sun was about to set now, the Moroi world was coming to life.

"I—I just want to check on Dimitri before going to the meeting with Tasha."

Christian sighed with clear annoyance and let go of Lissa's hand. "I don't understand why you keep doing that!" He said not even trying to conceal his aggravation. "We're good together and you leave me to check on him. You've been doing that for the last couple of days. Hell! You've been doing that for the past month!"

"How—how can you say that? He has been through a lot you know!" Said Lissa getting mad, she was thinking that Christian was just being selfish and inconsiderate.

I would have loved to agree with her, I already thought most of the time that Christian was an ass for anything that was not related to Lissa, but unfortunately, I could see his point. It hurt me too, when Lissa protected Dimitri and when he chose her over me. The fact that he was hurt and destabilized didn't make any difference.

"You don't know how hard it is on him!"

"Don't I? And you do?" He asked his icy blue eyes boring in hers. "I'm sorry Lissa I do feel bad for the guy I do but…"

"But?" She tried as her anger increased.

"He brought it on himself." Added Christian and I had to admit I was impressed by him right now. I knew he could see Lissa getting mad, he could have dropped it. Tell her that it didn't matter but he stood his ground, just like I would. Maybe it was true what people said, sparks flew as soon as we were together because we were just too similar.

"He brought it on himself? You've got to be kidding me! Like he asked to be turned Strigoi." She got out of bed and slid into her robe.

"I'm not talking about that. It has to be terrible for him to deal with his memories, but I'm not an idiot I know that being away from Rose is not helping. That's what I meant by he brought it on himself." He added sitting on the bed, his back against the bed frame.

Lissa sat back with a weary sigh. Her anger vanished and she felt a bit sad just at the mention of my name.

Christian ran his hands on his face. "You know I would deny it if it ever became public, but the one I feel bad for is Rose."

Lissa was taken aback, she eyed him curiously.

"What?" He blushed slightly.

"No it's…it's just…I…"

"You may have set the final stone in the process of bringing him back, but Rose fought her hardest for him. She went to the end of the world to save him. She LITERALLY brought him back from the dead. She managed to accomplish what everybody, including ourselves, thought was impossible." He shook his head. "By going after him, she knew she was sacrificing her spot by your side and it used to mean everything to her. We both know how much it had to cost her to walk away."

"I know," she replied softly looking at her hands that were crossed on her lap. She felt both sad and guilty for me.

"And then he is back and he is acting like what she did was nothing, like all her sacrifices and pain didn't mean anything so…" He shrugged slightly. "I know the guy is hurt and I'm sorry, but my allegiance goes to Rose here even if I rather get stabbed than say it to her face."

"Yes but he feels…"

"Lost? Broken? Guilty? Whatever it is, it doesn't justify the way he's been to Rose. But whatever, it's not of my business. But if you want to go, just go."

"He needs someone on his side too you know." Said Lissa quietly. She was feeling like she was betraying me in some way.

I did feel that way at first, I couldn't deny that, but it was not the case anymore. I understood, if not liked or approved, of the link that Lissa built with Dimitri and she could help him get better, and if he could keep her safe, who was I to deny them that? I would talk to Lissa, let her know it was okay.

Lissa had flashes of Dimitri yesterday, he came to see her, he was the one who told her about the persisting rumors concerning my imminent wedding with Adrian. He was the one who convinced her to give me a call and ask me about it.

"Yes I'll go." She said taking the direction of the bathroom.

She showered quickly and when she came back in the room Christian was gone. He left a note on the table telling her he was in his room and that he'll meet her at the 'Fight with magic' Committee meeting.

She sighed, she knew things were still not as good as they once were between them, but she hoped to go back on the way it was soon. She was also scared that her protectiveness toward Dimitri might create a chasm between Christian and her as it did with Adrian. But she also knew she couldn't let him down, she felt the extent of his suffering, the extent of his guilt. She had felt his heart breaking…Nobody knew his pain as much as she did.

When she made it to Dimitri's room he opened almost immediately like he was waiting behind the door.

"Princess," he said bowing his head slightly.

What the fu- I sighed. That guy was always so much into the protocol it was not even funny.

"Please come in," He said moving on the side gesturing her in.

After she walked in, he closed the door and hurried to his small armchair where an overused copy of a western book was lying flat on the seat. It was so Dimitri, it was almost painful for me to see that, but of course…it didn't mean the same to Lissa. For her it didn't mean anything.

She might know his pain now, but she didn't know him. She didn't know what made him tick…what made him mad, happy or sad, but I did and that was maybe the main reason for which he was rejecting me.

"Rose is not getting married," she said looking around his room noticing how bare and 'cold' it was.

"Is that good news?" He questioned gesturing her to sit down but she just shook her head negatively.

"How would I know?" Asked Lissa finally meeting his eyes.

He really looked tired, he was still muscular and everything but he looked weaker somehow, like something… what made him strong vanished.

"I can't believe she would just go there to have fun that is just so…not her," he said sitting down on his bed looking thoughtful.

"We all change. She is there with Adrian and Liam doing whatever she has to do," said Lissa trying to sound smug but I could feel the immense curiosity eating her up inside.

"She sure has a lot of men around her," said Dimitri trying to sound detached but he didn't fool Lissa or me.

"Well it's not like you have anything to say about that." Started Lissa and I could feel the anger and frustration she felt, switch, and hit target on Dimitri.

"Excuse—What?" He asked apparently taken aback.

"You know I don't even know why you mettle on her business here." She started to pace the room. "You know you keep saying how I saved you, but I didn't and I'm sure you know that!" She swirled and locked eyes with him. "Do you have any idea of everything she did…Everything she sacrificed to save you?"

"Yes," he let out in a whisper however, he held her eyes.

"So you know that I might have put the last brick on the wall but she is the one who built everything. I—I'm sorry but anything which has to do with her as nothing to do with you."

"I just don't want her to get hurt; I'm just trying to look out for her."

"Don't worry, nobody can hurt her as much as you did." She let out almost immediately regretting it when she saw the look of agony on his face. "I…" She cleared her throat hating herself for pointing that out as she knew it was probably one of the things he beat himself up the most for. "Are you coming to Tasha's meeting today?" She asked trying to change subject.

He shook his head. "No I rather not, I'm still not get used to the sideway glances I get."

"Yea… Well I'll come and see you later okay?" She asked even more sweetly trying to make up for the fact that she had snapped at him.

Dimitri nodded again and moved from his spot on the bed to the armchair taking his book on the process. I managed to read the title through Lissa's eyes it was 'Ride the Wild Country'by Chap O'Keefe. I knew it was one of Dimitri's favorite, one book he really had to read when he wanted to evade reality for a while.

He was reading it one day during one of our training session and he was so engrossed in it that I almost, and I mean almost, managed to sneak up on him after running my laps.

"What is so fascinating about those old lame stories?" I had asked him then

He had chuckled, placing one of my rebellious strands of hair gently behind my ear. "In these books Rose, you always know who the bad and good guys are. There is just black and white, right and wrong. There is no confusion, no deceiving and no pretense. I would love for this world to be real," he had added then with an unmistakable edge of nostalgia in his voice.

I only understood too well now what he had meant then. He had been the person I believed in the most, the person I trusted the most, and voluntary or involuntary, he was the person who hurt me beyond words.

"I don't want her to love me anymore," he said as Lissa reached for the door. Those words surprisingly still managed to hurt me even if I should know better by now. "But I don't think I could ever live with the thought of her hating me," he added simultaneously breaking Lissa's heart and mine.

Lissa stopped, hand on the door knob, but she didn't turn around. "I'm not Rose, but I know her well enough to confidently say that will never happen. She could never hate you." I'm not even sure she could ever stop loving you she added to herself.

I decided it was the right moment to slip out of her head. I looked around and Liam was nowhere to be found. I looked to my right and Adrian had pushed his seat down and based on his quiet breathing he was probably sleeping. It was true that we didn't sleep much last night and Adrian always needed lots of sleep.

I smiled at his face so relaxed and pushed my seat down carefully. I curled up, my back to him taking his limp arm and putting it on my waist. He almost immediately wrapped his arm around me, pulling me even closer so our bodies were almost one.

"Love you Rose, so much," he said kissing the back of my neck but it was clear from his voice that he was still sleeping.

I rested my hand on top of his and fell asleep counting his quiet heartbeats I could feel against my back.

We made it to Jill's apartment building just before 6. It would only be Adrian and I for dinner as Liam whined like a child until we let him out of it. Since we became 'family' I was seeing a much more human side to him and boy he could be annoying.

"Rose? Adrian? You're early." Said Jill as soon as she opened the door. She was wearing a pair of loose sweatpants, a gray 'St Vladimir' tee-shirt and a messy ponytail.

"Oh really?" I asked feigning innocence. In the email she told us her mother was working until 6:30 and to come around 7, but I told Adrian we were expected at 6. "I thought you said 6, my bad…We can come back later if you want."

Adrian threw me a dark glance, surely seeing through my little trick.

"I- No!" Jill shook her head vigorously. "Don't be silly, come in. I'm just not very presentable that's it."

"You're very pretty," said Adrian with his bright smile making her blush beet red. "What are you trying to do?" Adrian whispered to me as we entered the apartment.

"Do you guys want something to drink?" Jill asked after gesturing us in her small yet very cozy living room.

I nodded. "Oh yes thanks, anything will be fine," I smiled looking at Adrian.

He nodded. "Yes me too anything, thanks."

"I have some freshly made ice tea," she said tentatively.

"Perfect," I said as enthusiastically as I could.

She smiled back apparently pleased to be a decent hostess and left us sitting in the sofa.

"So what are you trying to pull here?" Adrian whispered urgently.

"What? Everybody make mistakes." I whispered back.

He shook his head with annoyance. "Yes we all do but not you, not now. You've got a secret agenda."

"Well it's not secret if you know about it is it? I-"

"Rose!" He snapped with annoyance.

"Fine…" I said raising my hand in surrender. "I was thinking that maybe we could ask her some questions concerning her life that we couldn't ask if her mother-"

I couldn't finish my sentence as Jill came in with a small tray and three glasses of ice tea.

We drank making small talk, explaining to her that we were here for a little vacation.

"Give us a tour?" I asked cheerily.

"Ye-Yes of course." She said seeming somehow embarrassed.

"I love your living room it's very charming," said Adrian apparently seeing her discomfort and it was probably because Adrian was a rich royal.

The flat was very little, but probably coziest place I had ever seen. It was the first time I visited and it almost felt like home.

"Fan of astronomy I see," Said Adrian as we walked into Jill's room.

It was insane, constellations posters all over the walls, there was even the Milky way painted on the ceiling.

"I always dreamed to be an astronaut." She smiled ruefully. "Silly dream I know."

"No, no dreams are silly. Dream on until your dream come true," I said quoting AeroSmith. Looking at a funny poster saying 'it's okay Pluto I'm not a planet either'. I wouldn't have pictured Jill as an Astronomy buff.

I just had time to see Adrian's 'what-the-fuck' face before I concentrated on the wall panel with lots of pictures. There was a lot of pictures of Jill with her mother, or of her mother dancing. There were also some pictures of Jill with some of her St Vlad friends.

"You don't have pictures of your dad?" I asked keeping my eyes on the panel. I knew if I turned my head I would meet Adrian's reproving eyes which would seem to say 'smooth Rose, VERY smooth'.

Jill came to stand beside me and stayed silent for a couple of seconds. "I-don't know my dad," she finally let out like she was revealing some big secret, like she was ashamed of that.

"Don't worry about it it's cool," I said resting my hand on her shoulder in my awkward attempt to comfort her. "You know I didn't meet my dad before I was 18."

"And sometimes I wish I didn't know mine," said Adrian trying to sound teasing but I knew that deep down he meant it.

"I'll never meet him," she continued barely louder than a whispered. "My mom told me he died in a car accident about four years ago."

I threw a 'See! I told you so' look to Adrian. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged dismissively. "It's alright, it's not like I knew him or anything." She said trying to sound brave ,but I could see through her pretense. She was hurting to have an absentee father. I knew it because I had been her not so long ago.

"And how-" I started to question when we were interrupted by a voice in the corridor.

"Jill honey I'm home! Are you ready for your friends?"

Jill hurried out of her room with us on her trail.

"Hi Mom actually-"

Her mother looked up from the take out food she put on the kitchen table.

"Oh!" She blushed slightly. "Caught red-handed. I'm not so much of a chef," she admitted with a smile.

"Don't worry Rose isn't either," said Adrian, earning himself a discreet kick.

"Sorry we're early," I said extending my hand. "Thank you for the dinner invitation it's a pleasure to see you again Mrs. Mastrano."

"Please Rose call me Emily," she said with a kind smile.

"Well thank you Emily."

She nodded before concentrating on Adrian. "Lord Ivashkov," She said with a slight bow of the head.

"Oh no no please," said Adrian with apparent embarrassment. "Call me Adrian, just Adrian."

"Well it's nice to finally meet you Adrian, I've heard a lot about you. You've made quite an impression on Jill."

Jill blushed beet red when Adrian wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"She made quite an impression on us too. We enjoyed having her around."

Emily chuckled. "Jill honey why don't you take your friends in the living room and come back to help me set things for dinner."

"We can help," I volunteered.

"Certainly not! You are our guests," Said Emily already starting to move around.

Jill gestured us to the living room and hurried back in the kitchen as soon as we were sitting down.

"Maybe we should leave them alone," Adrian whispered in my ear.

I looked at him with surprise. "You can't be serious," I hissed back. "All the pieces fit."

He nodded, "True I give you that much. You are probably right but is it worth it?" He asked pointing in the general direction of the kitchen. "It seems clear they are not living with this money. She is probably keeping it in a bank account for Jill's University."

I opened my mouth to reply, but he stopped me resting his forefinger on my lips.

"I mean look at them Rose, they love each other. Apparently Emily did everything to keep Jill away from the Court. Do you really want to do that to them?"

"It's not about them or you or me here. Don't you want to finish what your aunt has started? It's maybe even why she was killed you know."

"Rose…" He said with a weary sigh. "There was much more at stake with my aunt than getting Lissa on the Council and you know that."

"Why getting me out of the picture then? I have to do what I have to do."

"Like always," he replied coldly.

At this instant Jill came to call us for dinner. I sat beside Adrian across from Emily.

"So how did you two meet?" Asked Emily when we were eating dessert. " I'm sorry but you seem a bit too old to be a student at the Academy." She added to Adrian's attention.

Adrian laughed nodding in confirmation. "Yes I'm 22, well I met Rose last year over Christmas holidays and as soon as I saw her I knew I was lost." He smiled reaching for my hand and squeezing it. Apparently we were good again. I followed her to the Academy, I didn't want to be away from her anymore."

"Oh you should hear all the romantic stories I heard about them mom! It was like a real life Cinderella story!" Jill blurted out before looking to her plate in embarrassment.

"Don't believe everything you've heard." I said teasing.

"Well you can believe the ones saying how fantastically romantic I am," said Adrian with a grin.

I snorted as Emily chuckled.

I gave Adrian a meaningful look silently asking him to get Jill away from the table. Now will be the moment of truth, either Adrian would support my plan even if he didn't condemn it and take Jill away or would he simply pretend to not understand.

"Oh Jill I meant to ask you…" he cleared his throat like he was trying to figure out what he would say. "Do you have the special computer program showing the Constellation progression?"

I could see her face light up. "Yes I do! Would you like to see it?"

Adrian nodded. "Yes please."

Jill looked at me as a silent invitation.

"You two go ahead, I'm not that attracted to astronomy myself."

"Do you want a coffee?" Emily asked when Adrian disappeared down the hall with Jill.

"Yes please, just black."

"So how are things at the Court? It has to be tense since…" She looked embarrassed.

"My almost condemnation for murder?" I nodded, "yes pretty much."

"Jill was worried sick about you, She wanted to come to Court, but-" She shrugged.

"Yes you have just fought so long for her not to have any business there, it would be foolish to go now wouldn't it?"

Emily looked at me curiously. "I guess…" she trailed off.

"Things are a bit crazy these days with the Quorum Law. Trying to get the last Dragomir to the Council she had supposedly no living sibling you know." I said keeping my eyes locked with her.

"Why-Why are you telling me all this?"

"Why not? You know she can make things move, not only for Royals, but for everybody. Lissa is the voice the Council needs to move forward if anyone go against that…is condemning us."

Emily who was still looking at me silently closed her eyes. She suddenly looked so weary…older...so weak. She sighed almost with despair. "I hoped that day would never come…How much do you know?" She asked clearly giving up.