A/N: Well… this was supposed to be a one shot, but I guess I'll write one more chapter. BUT THIS IS THE LAST ONE! I have an even better idea of how Rose and Dimitri's story end, but that will be for another time. Of course, as always, everything belongs to Richelle Mead. *sigh* Here we go…
The next time I opened my eyes, I saw the world in a new light. Not in grey, but in bright colors.
I was no longer on Dimitri's lap in the middle of Portland, but lying on a bed, his long brown duster carefully lying over my legs and hips. It was a quite comfortable bed, but he wasn't in it. I sat up, and let out the breath I seemed to have been holding. There he was.
He was sitting in a chair at the foot of my bed reading a cheesy western novel. Without looking up, he said, "You realize that that is the last time you will ever wake up. That was the last wink of sleep you will ever get."
It took me a moment to find my voice. "As long as I never have to be away from you, I don't mind," I said. I looked at him. He looked even better now then he did when I was mortal. My eyes were so much better. Everything was so clear.
He smiled. "Amazing isn't it, what the world looks like through awakened eyes." I nodded.
Lissa. Was she ok? Where was she? My only thoughts were to keep her safe. "She's none of your concern," was all he said. He was right. I was a Strigoi now. She was Moroi.
I got up off the bed and, finding the bathroom, looked in the mirror. I was slightly frightened of what I saw at first.
The first thing that hit me was my eyes. They were no longer golden brown, but bright red. It was disconcerting at first, but oddly it seemed right.
The next change I saw was my pasty white skin. I sighed. I would never have that beautiful golden tan ever again. But somehow I didn't care. I had Dimitri forever. He was like me now. Or I was like him, considering he was Strigoi first. He didn't care that I was pale, because so was he. I never had to impress a guy ever again.
He walked up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders and kissed my cheek. "This is you now, Rose. This is the beginning of our new life together. Forever."
"I know," I smiled. "Forever."
And so it was.
