A/N- ...Yeah, it's been a while. And to be honest, most of it was just being lazy but Hey! I'm here now. So here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for your patience!
For the next chapter, I'd like to remind everyone that I own none of the actual dialogue-That's taken right out of Frostbite.
Chapter Six
"Know why they call it a crush? Because that's how you feel when he doesn't feel the same way"-Anonymous
A chirp. A tweet. A bird flies solo once more. The winter has set in fully now, and the bitter cold reaches through his downy feathers. Behind him, a pitiful keening echoes through the howling wind. He stops and turns his head around, facing the source. His stalker had returned.
On a snowy branch, two birds huddle together, reeling in each other's warmth. The silence has become unbearable, he chooses to break it and she joins in. Together they sing.
The blue glass swings on the fragile chain, pacing the nervous steps of its carrier. Janine Hathaway can only hope that this gift will help her mend her relationship with Rose. There is no guarantee that Rose will accept it, only a mother's intuition that Rose needs her as much as Janine needs her daughter's love.
Rose may never know the significance behind the nazar, the evil eye in Janine's palm. That is fine with her; Janine will tackle that insecurity later. For now, she is pacified with the thought that her daughter will at least have something of her father's, even if she does not recognize the significance. This was Abe's parting gift to her, a spell to guard her and Rose. It has served her well, kept her inner demons at bay for long enough. She can only hope that it will do the same for Rose.
A knock…An answer…Rose is surprised. Why? Has Janine been absent, that cold and unforgiving? She knows the answer to that. But she is here to fix her past mistakes.
She hands over the present…Rose accepts with almost disbelieving grace. Perhaps there is hope for them…The dress in the corner catches her eye…A comment…A compliment…The conversation digresses from its course…She mentions Rose's mentor…A bitter voice rises…This conversation is over.
Janine knows that look, she knows that pain. Her daughter is in love. And with her twenty-four year old mentor no less. She doesn't want to believe it, believe that Rose could be this foolish. But she cannot judge, reminding herself of a time when she had done the same. So she twist the knife in a little deeper, speaking of the happy couple Tasha and Dimitri would make. Janine reminds Rose of her duty, reminds her of what she cannot give Dimitri. Rose's hoarse dismissal confirms that she has done her job.
She knows what she has said is cruel but she knows better than her daughter. It is best that Rose gets over this silly childish crush before she gets in any deeper. The pain will only be worse when it comes time for the inevitable. Janine is only trying to spare Rose from the pain that Janine has come to know so well. The search for a Happy ever after always ends in disaster in a world where you don't come first.
A chirp. A tweet. A different winter now; the birds will not fly south anymore. He has remained with his companion, desperate for the warmth she provides. The music grows louder below him and he feels compelled to join in. His companion follows his lead. Together they sing.
A different kind of scene awaits those who meet below the trees. An angry redhead storms out of the room into the hall, dragging her teenage daughter behind her. Two irrational minds race at the speed of light, beyond the reach of understanding.
Janine Hathaway has only part of the picture, but that is all she needs. She has seen Rosemarie and Adrian, seen Adrian's lustful expression and lost it. Within them, she sees the past, the mirror images of her and Abe. She will not let history repeat itself.
Rose snaps back at her and she responds appropriately. Five minutes later, she has stormed off, angry at the situation. Janine stares hopelessly after her. She knows whatever progress she has made with Rose, she has just erased.
Dimitri watches from the shadows as Rose storms through the doors. An internal debate sparks underneath him. To follow Rose would crumble his defenses, make his goal of avoiding her impossible. But his heart refuses to obey, his feet move forward of their own volition.
She shivers. He sits down beside her, and shrugs off his coat.
"You must be freezing," He murmurs, staring at the rising sun. It does not affect him the way it affects the Moroi, one of the few benefits of walking both worlds. She follows his stare, the rays of sunlight already beginning to warm the snow around him.
"The sun's out." Her longing look mirrors his desire. Few guardians were given the chance to enjoy the sun, a downside of swearing their lives to vampires who found the sun painful. For the first time in a long time, he questions his duty. What good has come out of his sacred mantra, every guardian's sacred mantra?
"My life is a disaster," she finally says. His brain switches to autopilot for a few seconds as he responds with an instinctual negatory rebuttal.
The conversation continues down this path as he realizes how much these past few weeks have aged them both. Silence falls upon them both as he contemplates his decision to accept Tasha's offer. He would rather live his life without love than live with another life weighing down on his head. Especially since Rose is infinitely more important to him than Ivan was. That admission stings with guilt, but he knows it is the truth. Then she breaks the suffocating silence.
"You should take it." His head snaps to her in shock, certain he has heard her wrong.
"What?" His shock has reached into denial. As she speaks, he barely registers her words. All he knows, all he has believed is beginning to crumble around him.
She leaves, the enigma of her parting words hardly disturbs him. Once again, Rose has confounded him, surpassed all his expectations. He shouldn't be surprised, Rose has a way of getting to the heart of what troubles him. Her words from the gym echo through his head.
You're always fighting for control. You're the same as me. Wasn't that what he was doing now? The loss of control Rose kindled within him terrified. He was running, just like he had after Ivan's death. Tasha was just an excuse, a reason to justify his fear. Dimitri Belikov was nothing more than a coward and he hated it. Not enough however, to change his mind.
But life is neither kind nor fair to most and Rose is no exception. As she mourns her friend, she seeks comfort in her mother, determined to become independent of Dimitri. Janine is elated that Rose needs her but saddened by the events that have led to this. But she does not care about the reasons that Rose sought her out, only that she can finally mend her relationship with her daughter. She had hoped Rose would not have to experience this until she had graduated. Killing Strigoi is never as glorious as the Moroi make it out to be. Behind every pair of red eyes is a lost soul, one that can never be regained.
Back in his room, Dimitri sets his phone back on the table. He has made his decision but he cannot follow through. Tasha Oreza will be disappointed-it appears Rose's noble sacrifice has not been in vain. He slings his jacket over his shoulder and heads out the door to meet Rose. For the first time in a long time, Dimitri is not running from his problems.
Rose had told him their love was worth fighting for and it was high time he followed that advice.