OMG! Okay… this one is all thanks to a great friend of mine called Faye. She never even read the VA books but got the fight scene perfect. It was even her idea to put Christian's cousin in there. She wrote the fight scene with me and I personally think it's the best chapter… Review if you agree!

Less action and more talking. Diimoziiana Belikov also helped with this as I had severe writers block.

Look, I'm so sorry for the late UD but had other things on my mind and school is now out so I will be UD'ing more. I also have another 2 stories getting pre-written as well as my Song-Fic Series. SORRY!

Chapter 9

Christian POV

Alberta winked as she said that and gently pushed Ivy and I out the door.

"I think we're going to get on great!" Ivy said to me, beaming as we made our way down the teachers corridor. I forced a smile and just nodded in agreement, not sure how true that was.

Ivy POV

I was so happy to have a cousin; I thought I was the only Ozera left! But he seems so preoccupied…

"Hey, urm, I don't want to pry but I was wondering what was up. I mean, you seem really quiet and I can tell you're not normally like that. I can sense this about you, almost like a voice whispering in the back of my mind," I paused, but I knew that this cousin already knew more about the average element. I know it sounds like Spirit but I'm only a dhampir. Also, I have one more secret if you tell me what's wrong…"

He sighed and looked away from me. What was with this boy! "Well, there's this girl and we were like soul mates. There's this weird thing that connects us but then one night I pushed for sex and she went to her ex for comfort." Relationship problems may have been the one thing I didn't expect.

"I didn't know about that last bit. The thing is, I wouldn't have minded if she told me, but she kept it a secret. She's also been meeting him for lunch when she said she wanted to be alone and that pissed me off so we got in a fight and I nearly killed him with my element – fire. She ran off crying and now she hates me. By the way, you're rooming with her."

"Oh, I suck at stuff like that – relationships and all. I've never been in a serious one before. That probably surprises you because I know I dress tarty. I mean look at me, but I only dress like this to fit in. I like getting looked at and stuff because I know I look good. I want to find a perfect person here. All I do know is that you're whipped and you need to get your girl back. Anyway, my other 'power' is that I can control fire. Like you, but probably weaker. I mean, the teachers at my old school used to think that I could do that stuff because both of my parents were Strigoi. But please don't judge, I'm not like that…"

Finally! Someone else who had Strigoi parents! Someone who understands! "Don't worry. Both my parents turned as we-" I got cut off when Ivy slipped and nearly fell. I grabbed her but I ended up holding her as if we were just finishing a passionate dance or I would lean down to kiss her.

She started laughing and I was just about to pull her up as I heard a quiet, "Oh God…"

Rose POV

I ran to my room faster than I ever had. Faster than when Dimitri told me he was leaving. I couldn't hear anyone following me so they probably didn't want to get their face caved in. I didn't really blame them to be honest.

A long time ago, Lissa or Adrian or even Dimitri would have followed me. I had no one now. Except Mia – she was probably tending to Adrian and calming Lissa down. Lissa really did love Adrian; he should give her a go. Forgive and forget – that's what I did with him.

As I reached my room, I found the door open. This morning I was sure I closed it properly...

I walked in cautiously, my head whipping from side to side, until my eyes landed on my intruder. No, no... this could not be happening...

There he was, my Russian God, sitting on my bed, smiling up at me. He was looking as sexy as ever in his jeans and baby blue polo. His wonderful duster was no-where to be seen.

I wiped my eyes to remove any trace of my tears over Christian as he stood up. Dimitri only had to take one step toward me to have me stumbling back, reaching for support from the door.

As I lost my footing momentarily, he out his arm up as if he was going to reach for me then immediately dropped it again.

He just stood there, waiting for me to say something, when I didn't and just stared, he said, "Roza?"

My eyes widened in disbelief. He was really here. I wasn't imagining it! His one word held so much that I nearly burst into tears.

"Roza?" he repeated hesitantly. "Roza, talk to me. Please, just say anything. Tell me to piss off if you want. Anything!"

He was pleading by now with his words and eyes. His cool Guardian mask was well and truly broken. His face was now showing how truly broken and worried he was. It still, however, showed some strange emotion I couldn't place.

He gave up and walked toward me again, this time not moving until we were unbearably close yet not touching. I couldn't back up any more though, because I was up against the wall.

My heart was pounding so hard and loud that I was sure he could hear it.

Dimitri put one long, soft finger on my chin and gently yet firmly lifted my face upwards. In doing that, he put my trembling lip in full show.

Once we made eye contact, he dropped his hand as if I had burned him so I immediately looked back to the carpet. I felt like an embarrassed, shy, upset little girl.

"Look at me. Don't you dare look away from me!" he said sharply. His tone and words were starting to scare me so I looked up to him. I stared at his nose because in that split second that I looked into his eyes, they were eyes of a stranger. Tasha had changed him in more ways than one.

"Dimitri..." I whispered. Suddenly, everything came crashing down on me. Christian... Adrian... and now Dimitri.

I had silent tears running down my face again so Dimitri pulled me to him and buried my head in his broad shoulder.

He gently rocked me and didn't even seem to mind me soaking his shirt. Gently, he picked me up and sat on my bed, laying me out so my head was on his lap. I wrapped my hands around his waist because I didn't know what else to do with them.

What was up with his weird mood swings? They were freaking me out more than Dimitri himself.

I had effectively buried my face but I was still crying insanely. Dimitri hushed me by singing to me quietly in Russian.

By the time he was done, I had stopped crying and was back to my usual state. I was, however, still clinging to Dimitri just because he was here. At least now, I didn't have to hide my face.

"Tell me." he demanded, reminding me that something was up with him. He never used to speak to me like that...

It didn't mean that I wouldn't tell him but I knew that I had to keep his emotions in check.

I told him everything. I told him how Adrian cheated on me and how Christian and I found out we were in love (through a Strigoi battle of all things!) then of Christian asking me to move in. I told him of how we fell out over sex but he didn't push me and then how Adrian and I became best friends. I said that Lissa and I hadn't spoken since she used compulsion on Adrian then about the boys fight and how I ended up back at my room.

What I didn't tell him, was of how he scared me and was still scaring me. That, I knew, would push him too far. For my liking, he was already too far, but you get what I mean.

Throughout the story, I had been staring at my hands and had moved to sitting opposite him on the bed. I wanted to see how he took everything so I looked up at him through my eyelashes only to find out I really shouldn't have.

Dimitri honestly looked like he wanted to murder something. He looked dangerous and I didn't want him to lose it with me sitting right here as the only thing he could hit so I did the only thing I could think of. I kissed him.

I only wanted it to be a quick friend kiss but he turned it into much more in a matter of milliseconds.

His tongue traced my bottom lip, begging for entrance. I automatically opened for him but as his tongue roughly massaged my tongue, I realised what I was doing.

This wasn't Christian or even Adrian. This was Dimitri – the guy that left me for another woman.

I pulled away, firmly placing my hands on his muscular chest, making sure I couldn't go back to him and he couldn't come back to me.

"What's wrong now?" he said in an irritated voice.

That just pissed me off. "You want to know what's wrong? Well, everything is wrong! I don't love you – you can't just ditch me then come back and use me as your play thing when you get bored! I hate you, Dimitri! I can't even stand to look at you any more. I love Christian with all my heart. Adrian is my best friend. They've taken up what you left behind and they treat me so much better than you!"

He had completely frozen when I said that last line then he said very slowly as if I was deaf or slow, "I need you to kiss me again."

I sat there and laughed. I laughed and laughed in his face. How stupid can a man get? If he were Moroi or Strigoi, I would say he was trying to use compulsion. But he wasn't – he was a Dhampir.

I still shook my head no.

He looked at me intensely, as if trying to figure out a complicated puzzle then suddenly exploded.

My ex-lover grabbed me by my ponytail that I had been re-tying just a second ago and dragged me to my feet. I yelped in pain and surprise. I never thought Dimitri would do such a thing...

My thoughts got cut off short when he punched me on the side of the head that I fell onto my back. Pain surged through me upon impact but that was soon over-ridden by the excruciatingly painful blows he was landing all over my body.

I didn't even try to fight him off because I knew he would over-power me. But, still, I refused to give in so I didn't whimper once throughout the whole ordeal.

I felt consciousness fading but as soon as I started getting grey spots in my eyes, he let off. Dimitri stood up, walked to my door, yanked it open, and then strolled off without a second glance to me.

I was left bruised and bloody on my bedroom floor.

A/N – I'm sorry Dimitri fans but it had to be done! Why is he acting all weird? You will have to guess but I already know...

Just to let you know, I have figured the story out and will not be contradicting myself. It may look like that is happening but the whole Dimitri meeting happened whilst Christian and Ivy were in Alberta's office and then talking x

Tara for now x

{Both of her parents were Strigoi – her parents were Chris's mom's older sis. Chris's unknown auntie was the one that turned Chris's mom. Ivy ends up with Adrian cos Lissa dies. Mia/Eddie.}