Apparently, a lot of you guys weren't a big fan of the last chapter.
But I promise that now that Dimitri's had his climax of being an ass with his ass-y reason for being an ass, he shall mellow out ass-wise (is anyone counting how many times I said ass in that sentence?)
I just figured that before things could get better, they had to get a hell of a lot worse.
Oh, and a shout out to everyone who gave some ideas. You fuelled the break down of my writers block. If only to give me something to work towards.
And thanks to everyone else who supports me with my story! I literally sit at my desk refreshing my inbox for reviews after I post a new chapter. Seriously, sometimes I think I have no life.

And so we begin

Disclaimer: I am not Richelle Mead and own no characters except Jas who is a figment of my imagination, not Richelle Mead's. Someday, I hope she's as jealous of him as I am of Dimitri.

I was grumbling over my stack of pancakes cursing my life, Dimitri, my lack of progress, Dimitri, the not-so-bright future of my love life (Adrian and I had had a fight again last night. Apparently I hadn't been thinking straight and spilled the whole story to him… including the kiss… and me initiating it) and, of course, Dimitri. Honestly, I should have kicked him in the nads for what he had said. I should have hit him over the head and spat on his unconscious figure. Hell, I should never have agreed to coming with him.

Fortunately, for Dimitri's well-being that is, I hadn't seen him this morning. Apparently, he had gotten up mega early for some run that had lasted, what? 3 hours now? At least he saved me the effort of avoiding him.

I angrily shoved another syrup soggy piece in my mouth and looked up as Viktoria came through the front door, giggling, with a happy Jas by her side. "Raaachyyy," Viktoria cried out, coming up beside me. "Guess what I have planned?"

Not even looking up at her, or Jas, I said, "Don't want to hear it." I thought about it for a second, "Unless it involves destroying Dimitri for the near future. Then I'm in."

She shook her head. "Oh, Rach. It's too early to be so… morbid." Didn't she take the same lessons in killing Strigoi as me? How was that morbid? "Anyways! Here's the plan: When Dimitri comes back, he'll walk in and see you being all chummy with Jas here," she touched his shoulder to make sure I knew who she was talking about. Like I hadn't noticed he was standing beside her, "And then he'll invite you spar with him." She glared at me to prove her seriousness, "You will say yes." She said it as an order. Viktoria brightened up again, "When you spar, it'll probably last a while if you are both trying," I raised my eyebrows at that.

"You are aware that I graduated top of my class, have killed countless Strigoi and am a total badass right?" I eyed Jas, "He wouldn't last five minutes with me."

He smiled arrogantly, like he was totally up for the challenge. "Now, now, Rach, I graduated top of my class too."

I snorted. "Now, if you graduated, why aren't you out protecting some royal Moroi? They never waste the best ones." Except me of course.

He shrugged. "Didn't want to." He left it as that. "What about you? They never waste girls, especially if they're the best."

Damn. I needed a cover story. "I'm on vacation." Oh, brilliant Rose.

Viktoria, budded back into the conversation, annoyed at the interruption. "Anyways, you guys can get to know each other later, you'll get all hot and sweaty and tension shall be created as he straddles you to the mat and then you guys start making out." She sounded like one of those hopeless romantics. "What do you think?" she asked, hopeful.

"I think it's crap." I said bluntly, turning back to my pancakes.

Jas smiled. "Told you it was crap, Viktoria."

She humphed. "Well, it wasn't on my best top plans list. But come on it could work."

"Yeah, if I normally threw myself at men I just met or if Dimitri was a special in the brain. Or if he cared."

Jas came up behind me, placed his hands on my shoulders, and bent down so that his lips were almost touching my ear. "Oh, Rachy," he whispered, his breath tickling me and making me shiver, "you don't have to throw yourself at me. Just… have some fun. Hell, it doesn't even have to be for the results you want… or don't want from Dimitri." He lifted his head back up from my ear but kept his hands on my shoulders.

Fun did sound kind of nice… especially if it was with a really hot Russian guy. He was nowhere near as hot as Dimitri, no one could replace the God, and he definitely wasn't as bad ass but, really, what did I have to lose? I'd already lost Dimitri, Adrian currently hated me and I had to wait on Sydney before I could actually do anything productive so, why not have some fun? I nodded, smiling, about to tell Jas to not push it, when I noticed Dimitri standing in the doorway, staring at Jas and I, a mixture of disbelief, sadness, anger and… jealousy? on his face. He must have witnessed that close contact. Before I, or anyone else could say anything, he was out the door for another run.

"Anyone else find anything promising out of that reaction?" Viktoria asked, stealing a piece of my pancake.

I glared at her for her thievery before answering, "No. He probably didn't think I'd still be in the kitchen, so when he saw me, he ran off." I really couldn't afford to be hopeful anymore where Dimitri was concerned. My heart was still in taters. I looked around to see that Jas had a goofy smile on his face. "What are you smiling about?"

He shook his head, smile still permanently etched to his face, "Nothing, nothing. Rach, let's go spar, shall we?"

I had the urge to smack his head off right then and there. "I'm not going to get all hot and heavy with you, allow the tension to build and then make out with you if that's what you think."

He ruffled my hair, damn him. "I know, just want to see your 'skills'." What, did he doubt that I could kick his ass.?

Viktoria, ever pleased that at least some of her plan was going into play, immediately ushered us out the door to the backyard. Guess I was doing this weither I wanted to or not. But that didn't mean I couldn't try. "I didn't get to finish my pancakes!"

"You already ate 10 pounds worth of them!"

"But I wanted that last pound!"

Viktoria rolled her eyes at me. "You ate the last pound in the form of syrup, so stop whining."

I took a deep breath, accepting my defeat and took a fighting stance in front of Jas. He smirked and did the same. I waited for him to make the first move but after a few moments, I realized he was doing the same so I quickly moved forward and threw a punch, which he blocked, and then managed to knee him in the thigh since he saw it was coming for his stomach. He flinched, my knees are quite bony, and took a step towards me to try to hit me in the stomach. Hit, block, hit, block. It seemed we were well matched until I jumped to the side from one of his attacks, slid my foot behind his and moved it forward in a quick motion, causing him to fall on his butt. Immediately, I leaped on top of him to stake him. He rolled, pinning me under him, breathing hard. He moved his face towards mine and for a heart-stopping moment I actually thought he was going to kiss me but instead he moved his mouth to my neck and, realizing that I was almost dead, I did what I always seemed to do now in life-threatening moments (or fake ones), I called in some darkness. With new found strength and fury the lead on the battle I swiftly found a way to wiggle my arm out from under his, which had just recently been completely unmoveable and moved my hand in a quick upward thrust at his heart. "Dead!" All this happened within the slow moving moments of his mouth inching towards my throat, his mouth now gaped in shock literally a centimetre from the "dead spot".

He pushed up, still on top of me I might add, and asked, completely in shock, "How? When? Impossible!"

I laughed, pushing him off before he regained his senses to use the position to his advantage and answered, "Guess I'm just better then you."

His smile returned to his face. "You badass minx. You're the first person to beat me since I graduated."

I raised my eyebrows. "How long ago did you graduate?"

"Last year." Bah ha ha ha. I can't even give him slack for being a newbie. He's a year older than me.

I fist pumped the air, "I beat your single year undefeated streak!"

He scowled at that. "Yes, you did, and now I have to beat you in order to win my pride back."

I laughed. "Don't think it will happen any time soon. I'm the best," I said, matter-of-factly.

Jas shook his head. "No, I heard that Rose Hathaway is the best. Beat her and I'll start giving you credit." I laughed inwardly to myself. I'm just badass. No big. "But she broke out of jail, so I hope you have good tracking skills." Well, at least my badass stunts are well broadcasted.

XXX

Jas hung out with me for the rest of the day, much to my chagrin. No matter how many times I told him to go away, he insisted upon staying and being all touchy-touchy with me. "What, is Viktoria paying you or something?"

"Nah, I just have nothing better to do than hang out with a pretty, badass girl and have a free-for-all in terms of flirtation, since Viktoria's given me the all go no matter what you say. And she's sure that I won't let myself get too critically injured from you."

I rolled my eyes, "Where is the girl responsible for my suffering?"

He shrugged. "Shopping? Isn't that what all girls do in their spare time?"

"I don't."

"Right. You spend all your free time sitting on the front porch holding a cell phone in your hand hoping that some unnamed person will phone you while avoiding the big, bad Belikov brother. You gonna tell me who's call you're waiting for yet?"

"Nope. Thought you weren't suppose to ask questions?"

He sighed and leaned his head back on the wall. "Only about you and Dimitri. Can I at least hold your hand?"

"Nope. How do you know the call isn't about me and Dimitri?"

"Dimitri and I," He corrected. "And you live with him. Why would you wait for his call? How about we cuddle? You can sit in my lap."

"Good point and no-ope."

He sighed again. "How about I give you a massage? People say I have magic hands."

"No-," I stopped. I would love a massage… But from the guy that's suppose to make Dimitri jealous? "No thanks." I'd be falling right into Jas's hands… literally.

He smirked, having seen my want for a massage in my eyes. "Right." He patted to the spot between his legs. "Come on. I don't bite. Or, at least you won't let me," he scowled at his own reference to the fight earlier today.

I debated with myself for about five more seconds before giving in and sliding my butt to his pre-offered spot. A smile played on his lips at his small victory and he placed his hands on my shoulders, slowly rubbing them with his thumbs. They dug harder, working out the knots and I suppressed a moan at how good it felt, once I got past the initial pain. After my shoulders, he moved to my upper back, slowly down to mid and when he got to my lower back, I did in fact let out a soft sigh. "They're right. You do have magic hands."

I practically heard his ego grow with my words and he moved his hands to rest on my hips, rolling his thumbs in circles on them. I shivered at the close contact. The last time I had been touched like that had been in, well, a dream. And as much as Adrian's dreams seemed real, they weren't the same. It was exceptionally better if the said guy had a Russian accent. "I could show you much more magical things that I can do with my hands…," he suggested sexily.

"Mm, as tempting as that suggestion is, don't push your luck."

He laughed quietly. "You know you love it."

"No, I don't know that particular piece of information actually."

Using my hips, he pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around my stomach. "You sure? You know, we don't have to pretend to like each other. I'm more than happy to take it up a step and actually go out with you."

I pulled out of his embrace and stood up. "Now you're pushing it. I don't know if you noticed, but I'm not currently impressed with men."

He leaned back, hiding the sting of rejection on his face quickly. "Didn't seem too unimpressed just a minute ago."

I let out a heavy sigh and walked inside, closing the door behind me to come face to face with the Russian God of the house.

10 interesting facts about Jas:

He's actually on pretty good terms with his Moroi dad. He didn't use to but after his mom died when he was 9, his dad stepped in to make sure he and his little sister survived.

He's amazingly annoying

And persistant

And can't take "no" or "go the fuck away" as an answer

As much as it pains me to say it, he's actually a pretty good fighter. If not for my handy-dandy darkness, he might have beat me

He loves horse back riding

And something called "Manzana Lift", it's apple pop

After he graduated, top of his class, he decided he didn't want to be a guardian because he hated his assignment and refused to live in misery

He's actually got a nice side…

And is really hot. Not that I care.

Sooo, what do you guys think? I still feel like crap today so once again, if there's something not up tomorrow, it's because I'm slowly dying in my bed. It took me a whole day to write this, bit by bit, so sorry if it's utter… crap.

Not much Dimitri, I know, but I figured I'd give you a taste for Jas, even if it epically failed. If anyone has some tips on fight scenes or accidental intimate scenes…? PM me.

Ever heard of Jeggings? They're jean leggings. Saw them today at the mall and had to get a pair. I still don't own a pair of skinnys, but I own Jeggings.

REVIEW! Or Jas might just decide to sneak into your room and do things with his magical hands. Get your head out of the gutter. You won't like these things.