A/N: Hey guys! I am in the process of writing an original, which will be longer, so just hold on a little, please! Thanks to all who have reviewed my other three, you guys rock!!! This is the scene in VA where Dimitri goes running with Rose. As always, none of these lovely characters belong to me. Richelle Mead is one lucky lady! Enjoy!
It was early morning, almost time for the extra practice I gave to Rose. It had been one of conditions that Headmistress Kirova had set in order for Rose to continue at St. Vladimir's. I had been developing a routine. We'd always begin with a lot of stretching, and then she'd go out and run. Stamina was important; she would need to be able to run far and fast if caught with Lissa without a weapon.
I put in one of my CD's and laid across some of the mats on the ground. I had just gotten to the best part of my book, written by Louis L'Amour when Rose came walking in.
"Whoa, Dimitri," she said as her bag hit the ground. I was still concentrating on my book, until she again interrupted my reading. "I realize that this is actually a hit in Eastern Europe right now, but do you think we could maybe listen to something that wasn't recorded before I was born?"
My eyes flicked up to meet hers. I was use to her witticisms and just sidestepped her question. The song playing was actually one of my favorites, called "When Doves Cry" by Prince. "What does it matter to you? I'm the one who'll be listening to it. You'll be outside running." I shot back. I could see that she wasn't understanding why I was having her run.
"Hey," she asked, switching to a new stretch. " what's with all the running, anyway?" 'Score one for Dimitri.' I thought. "I mean, I realize the importance of stamina and all that, but shouldn't I be moving on to something with a little hitting? They're still killing me in group practice."
"Then maybe you should hit harder." I said aridly. She and I both knew that if she gave me the sarcasm, then I could give it right back.
"I'm serious." She replied, and I could tell that she was. It was really bothering her that others were still able to score on her in the ring. She didn't like being the weak one, for once.
"Hard to tell the difference." I told her. I set my book down beside me. "My job is to get you ready to defend the princess and fight dark creatures, right?" I asked.
"Yup." Such a typical response from her.
"So tell me this: suppose you manage to kidnap her again and take her to the mall. While you're there, a Strigoi comes at you. What will you do?" I knew she would give all of the usual answers; staking, beheading, and blazing. She wouldn't think about running, because it was retreating, something she never did.
"Depends on what store we're in." she gave me. I just looked at her. "Fine. I'll stab him with a silver stake." She told me.
I sat up, moving in one motion, crossing my legs. "Oh? Do you have a silver stake? Do you even know how to use one?" I asked. Silver stakes were not given out lightly.
"Ok. I'll cut his head off." She said, as if it was that simple. Beheading was actually quite difficult. You had to sever the countless muscles, tendons and bones that made up the spinal cord. You also had to get over the fact that you were indeed taking someone's head off.
"Ignoring the fact that you don't have a weapon, how will you compensate for the fact that he may be a foot taller than you?"
Giving up on that strategy, she answered "Fine. Then I'll set him on fire." Again, she failed to see the logic.
"Again, with what?" I kept waiting for it to click with her. She was a smart girl, but sometimes had a one track mind. I really wanted her to be able to participate in field experience in the spring, and I wanted her to graduate on time.
"All right. I give up. You've already got the answer. You're just messing with me. I'm at the mall, and I see a Strigoi. What do I do?"
I just looked at her, and said "You run." She looked like she wanted to throw something, and probably at me. I repressed a chuckle. She finished stretching, and I did something that surprised her. I offered to run with her. Her times hadn't been getting any better, and I was curious as to why.
The sun was casting beautiful shadows across the track. The cool Montana wind blew, chilling the air. We ran in silence, a comfortable one, not one in which you feel the urge to say something. She was lagging behind be, so I slowed my pace to match hers. She obviously didn't like me doing that, for a few minutes later, she picked up the pace, pushing herself harder. We were on the ninth lap around, when I saw some of the other novices coming towards the gym.
"Good form, Rose!" one of the boys called. I think it was a kid named Ashford, Mason Ashford. Something in me came out when he called out to her. Jealousy? I think it was more disproval. I let her know.
"You're slowing down." I snapped. Her head jerked away from the boys and back to me. "Is this why your times aren't getting any faster? You're easily distracted?" I knew she was embarrassed by the way she picked her pace back up. After we finished, I looked at her times and saw that we had cut her best time down by two minutes.
"Not bad, huh?" She said as we went back inside to do our cool down stretches. I could tell she was proud with her improvement, and she had every right to be. "Looks like I could get to The Limited before the Strigoi got me at the mall. Not sure how Lissa would do." She continued.
"If she was with you, she'd be okay." I said. I hoped the sincerity of my statement rang, because it was true. Rose Hathaway had been able to keep Lissa Dragomir safely hidden for two whole years, two years I spent trying to gather information and figure a way to get them back quietly. Her head jerked up in surprise. It was the first real complement I saw fit to pay her. My eyes glimmered with approval, and amusement. Her face said it all. She was happy.
And suddenly, it changed. At first I was terrified. She looked like she was in horrific pain. I leapt up, striding over to her. She snapped out of it, and full on ran out the door. Not jogged, not sprinted, full out ran. I was surprised at how fast she was moving, especially after the three miles we had just completed. I caught up to her, and tried to get a feel for what was wrong. She just ran faster and faster.
I assumed that it had something to do with Lissa, and when I saw Lissa running out by the Moroi dorms, I knew I was right. All three of us came to a sudden stop. "What's wrong? What's happened?" Rose demanded. But Lissa just sobbed into Rose. I stood guard, all instincts kicking in. While I was on duty, no one would hurt either of my girls.
A half hour later, three guardians, Kirova, the hall matron and I crammed into the room along with Lissa and Rose. In the confusion, no one told Rose to leave, and in my opinion, she had every right to be there, so I let her stay. I tried to control my expression, but after seeing what was on the bed, I couldn't. The disgust rolled over my features. Someone had dissected a fox, and left it on Lissa's bed. Both Rose and Lissa were staring off.
"It was still alive when I got back. Barely. Oh God, it was twitching. It must have suffered so much." I eavesdropped on Lissa's and Rose's conversation. If either of the m knew anything, we needed to know it too. I needed to know it.
"Did you…"
"No, but I wanted to… I started to…" This conversation was getting weird, and fast.
"Then forget about it. It's stupid. Someone's stupid joke. They'll clean it up. Probably get you a new room if you want."
"Rose… do you remember… that one time…"
"Stop it. Forget about it. This isn't the same thing."
"What if someone saw? What if someone knows?" I really needed to know what they were talking about. It was something that the two of them knew about, and just they knew about it. Both Natalie and I were staring at the two of them, and they were bound to realize it soon.
"No. It's not the same. It has nothing to do with that. Do you hear me? Everything's going to be ok." Lissa nodded to Rose, and even without the psychic link, I knew she didn't believe it. Kirova started ordering people around, and I soon found myself escorting an irate Rose back to her dorm.
We were almost all the way there, and I decided that if I was going to speak, I needed to do it now. "You know something. Something about what happened. Is this what you meant when you told Headmistress Kirova that Lissa was in danger?"
"I don't know anything. It's just some sick joke." I knew she wasn't telling me the truth. I just didn't know why, or how to get her to open up.
"Do you have any idea who'd do it. Or why?" I asked. We had so little information, anything she told me would help.
"No. No clue." She said, after thinking for a minute. I decided to appeal to her from Lissa's safety perspective.
"Rose, if you know something, tell me. We're on the same side. We both want to protect her. This is serious." She whipped around, and I could see the fury written across her face.
"Yeah, it is serious. It's all serious. And you have me doing laps every day when I should be leaning to fight and defend her! If you want to help her, then teach me something! Teach me how to fight. I already know how to run away." She was so pissed off At me, at the situation, but more importantly, at herself. The fox showed her that she was powerless, and she couldn't stand to be powerless. I stood there, looking at her calmly. She needed a place to rant, to let all of it go. If I was the one, better me, being someone who could handle it, then someone like Kirova or another student, who would just get her expelled.
I beckoned her towards me, with a simple "Come on. You're late to practice." I didn't say anything, and I didn't need to. She knew that I would always be there for her, no matter what.