A/N: So I don't think a lot of people read chapter four so if this seems out of place, I'd suggest you read that then come back to this one. I'm pleased with this chapter, but I'm not sure how it will be perceived by all of you. Let me what you think in reviews, and if you've got any questions feel free to message me. Adrian and Rose are just beginning to test each other out, so give them some time if things seem a little shaky right now.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, Richelle Mead owns it all. Except Cooper, I think he's pretty cool.

Chapter 5

"You did," he sighed rolling over onto his back as he reach into his pocket to grab his flask. Rose went to take it from his hand but then stopped, allowing him to finish its contents unhindered. "Thanks," he said when he finished. "I know that took a lot for you not to do."

"Whatever," she stretched out trying to touch the bottom of the bed with her feet but she couldn't quite reach. "Why'd you do it?"

"Why did I do what exactly?"

Rose sighed, "why did you save me when I didn't want saving?" She wanted to know the answer and if she's have to ask the question a thousand times before she got an answer she would.

"Because I'm selfish, I'd lost Lissa and I couldn't lose you too. Whether you believe me or not Rose, I truly do love you. Life without you would have been pointless for me."

"But life without them for me is pointless, don't you get it?" She was so tired of fighting with him, and they didn't even fight that much. She rolled off of the bed and walked over to get a tissue from the box to dry her eyes off with. "I know you love me, I just…this is going to take some time for me to get used to. I'd resigned myself to taking care of her the rest of my life and now that she's gone I just don't know what to do. Not to mention Dimitri, I know you don't want to hear it but I really did love him."

Adrian nodded, and motioned for her to come back over to him. "I'm wondering if you'll let me try something. I've been practicing since this morning, but I haven't been able to get it quite yet."

She thought about it for a moment, but knew there was no point resisting him. He'd just do it anyways if he'd been trying for that long. "Why the hell not," she replied as she sat down and closed her eyes. "I'm not sure what you're planning on doing, but I won't fight you whatever it is."

He sat up and placed his hand on her knee before starting. Even though her eyes were closed she felt him staring into her. Her skin began to tingle but nothing else seemed to happen. He eventually gave up and cursed himself under his breath.

"I was so sure I could do it."

Rose looked over at him, "What were you trying to do anyways?"

"Talk to you mentally."

She turned around and laid her head down in his lap as she stretched out once more. "Do you really think we're bonded?"

"I do, even though I'm sure that upsets you."

"Only a little, but at least that explains why I've been wanting to see you so much."

"It couldn't be just because of my charm and good looks?" He smiled a genuine smile for the first time that night.

"I suppose it could but I highly doubt it."

He grabbed his chest, "That hurts. I thought it was just on my part at first. I knew that with you and Lissa that it was you who felt everything that she was feeling which was why it was so strange at first for me."

"Is that why you didn't come sit beside me on the plane?"

He brushed her hair out of her face, "I guess I was so overwhelmed with what you were feeling on top of what I myself was feeling, and don't get me wrong I still am. I just didn't know what to do and I know it hurt you. I've just got to figure out a way to learn to control the emotions so that they don't become too much."

"I can help you with that," she replied as she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry about earlier."

He leaned down and kissed the end of her nose, "don't worry about it. However, I don't want you to confuse my kindness for ignorance either. If you do it again you'll have to pay the consequences."

She cracked a smile and looked back up at him, "I'll try." She moved to sit back up feeling restless, taking his hands in hers as she did, "Can you do me a favor?"

"What would you have me do for you little Dhampir?"

She blushed at the way he'd said that, making her even more nervous that she already was. "Kiss me?"

Adrian didn't need encouraging, leaning in he pressed his lips against hers. She had wanted to feel something and she did. A deep swelling came over her as she kissed him back. Rose pulled him closer to her deepening the kiss and after a few minutes they detached from one another. It was hard to describe what this new kiss had felt like. Similar to the kisses she'd shared with Dimitri, there had been a connection on a deeper level, but there was also something more, a rightness about it now that hadn't been there even in her dreams. She'd never admit it, not now anyways, but she was sure he knew what she was feeling so she wouldn't have to put it into words for him to know anyways.

"There that wasn't so bad was it," he replied as they sat there her head on his shoulder.

"No, I guess not. Can we go get something to eat? I can't remember the last time I ate something. I mean if you're alright with that, if not I can just wait till later or something I don't really want to go by myself, but then maybe I can get Cooper to go with me…but I guess he's going to have to go with me anyways?" She was rambling, the kiss had made her lightheaded and anxious, which was something she rarely ever felt.

Adrian smiled and helped her get ready. "I'll get you some make-up if you'd like. I know you don't usually wear it, but since we're going to be at court for a while I don't want you to feel any less beautiful than anyone here."

"Thanks, I really don't know how I'll repay you for all of this Adrian. I've nothing to offer you. So don't go around buying me every little thing you see, I'd feel even more pathetic than I already do." She had always felt that way even with Lissa, but without her now it was even worse. She felt like she was being bought and paid for, just like the whores of the blood camps.

I won't have you saying things like that.

"OH MY GOD," she yelled jumping away from him. Cooper came running in the door ready to attack as Adrian stood there smiling. "You did it!" Rose screamed in excitement.

"I know," he smirked. "Your guard dog looks like he's ready to rip me apart."

"Adrian, you forget that I'm a guardian too don't you? Besides he's my body guard I won't have you bad mouthing him."

"Or you'll do what little Dhampir?"

She punched him in the arm, "you don't want to know what I'm capable of."

They gathered their things and headed down to the dining room. Opting to eat in the kitchen instead of the hall where everyone else was, they ate in silence for the most part. Dinner was simple and as hungry as she was, Rose couldn't stomach much of anything. After dinner Adrian had offered to take Rose to a Pre-Queen tribunal cocktail. Rose had weighed the pros and cons of having a drink before meeting with the queen and all the pros seemed to outweigh the cons.

The bar was empty minus the occasional guardian scattered throughout the room. She'd seen a few of them from when she had visited before but she didn't stop to speak to any of them. They knew who she was and who her mentor had been and they seemed to all be on some sort of silent understanding that things weren't okay but that nothing needed saying. They just knew.

"Ahh…Adrian! My eyes have missed that gorgeous face of yours."

The female bartender who stood reclining against the wall smiled over at him. She was human and from the marks on her arms, was obviously a feeder as well. Her leather tank top clung to her upper body a little too tightly, pushing out an unnecessary amount of cleavage. Rose felt a wave of jealousy form deep down inside of her.

"Charlotte, how have you been?" Adrian took a seat at one of the barstools and patted the seat beside him, "This is my friend Rose." Rose smiled reluctantly and knew it came out more like a grimace than anything else.

"We don't get a lot of female Dhampirs around here," she replied fixing Adrian a drink without asking him what he wanted. "They usually go off to those blood whore camps; you know what I'm talking about don't you?"

Rose gritted her teeth in order to refrain from saying something she'd regret later. Anger ran rampant through her body as she continued listening to what the girl had to say.

"You know I can't blame them or you if you chose to, the feeling you get when they're biting you is just so hot. It's like nothing I've ever felt. You're lucky to be here with Adrian, he's one of the sexiest men around. He's pretty good in bed too isn't he?"

Adrian seemed amused which irritated her even more, "No I can't say we have so I'll take your word for it."

"Well from the rumors I've heard you were already pregnant. Well when you two do it, you'll be in for a treat. So you were one of the guardians at that school right? Like did you fight them or something because you look like you've been through hell. I hear they killed Dimitri Belikov, if they did that's a shame because that's one man I would have loved to have gotten my hands on."

Charlotte just wouldn't shut up and as she sat the drink down in front of Adrian, Rose stole it from his grasp and downed it in one gulp. "Look Charlotte, as stimulating as this conversation is, would you mind too much if I told you to shut the hell up?"

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were so insecure you couldn't handle some competition."

The other guardians were clearly mortified at the thought that someone would be so stupid as to say something like that to her. Rose stood up, followed by a mirrored response from Cooper. "Bitch, if I were you I'd shut your mouth."

"Oh, I'm sorry did I touch a nerve. Maybe you're a lesbian, or maybe you're just like all the other little Dhampir whores nothing but a tease."

"Charlotte," Adrian threatened finally getting in on some of the action, "stop it."

"Or what, is she going to run off to her blood whore mother and tell on me?"

Rose snapped. Clearing the bar was easy enough and as she backed Charlotte into the corner of the bar she wrapped her hands around her throat and began choking her. "My mother isn't a blood whore you dumb bitch."

Cooper and two other guardians had to pull her off of charlotte before she had the chance to kill her. It was a stupid move, she knew that much, and one that would no doubt get back to the queen, but she'd been unable to control herself. Listening to her talk about Adrian in bed, as well as what she'd wanted to do with Dimitri, it was just all too much for her to handle.

Adrian had walked over to Charlotte after it was all over and done with looking pissed off at the world. He placed a hand on her arm and Rose knew he was healing her. Maybe she'd been wrong to trust Adrian? Maybe he couldn't change his playboy ways, but he loved her and that had to count for something at least for a little while.

"We're so sorry that she said those things to you Guardian Hathaway she was out of line but we didn't want to interfere and make it worse for you," replied one of the older male guardians.

Rose put her hand up to silence him, "don't worry about it. It's just been a rough few days."

"We're sorry about your loss; we know how close you were to Guardian Belikov and Princess Dragomir. Our prayers are with you."

"Thanks," she mumbled. "Cooper isn't it time for us to go?"

He looked down at his watch, "yes ma'am. We're supposed to be there in 20 minutes. You'll have to excuse us; the Queen waits for our presence."

"Good luck," said one of the guardians. "I left her earlier and she seemed in a bad mood."

"Oh great," replied an already depressed Rose. "Did she seem upset for any particular reason?"

He looked afraid to answer her, "Not only was she upset about the death of Princess Dragomir, but she seemed upset also about the continued affair between you and Lord Ivashkov."

Rose sighed, "Go figure. I knew she wouldn't be happy to see me again so soon."

Cooper and Rose waited on Adrian while the other guardians went back to their charges before going to bed that night. He didn't take long, but Rose didn't miss the look of sheer terror on Charlotte's face as they left.

Rose lagged behind to walk with Adrian while Cooper walked ahead of them, "what'd you say to her."

"I just told her to leave you alone."

She scoffed, "I saw how she looked at you. You had to say more to her than that."

Adrian's face hardened, "Don't worry about it my little Dhampir. I've taken care of it so you won't have to worry about stupid shit like that from her anymore."

"Adrian, there's probably something I should tell you before we go talk to your Aunt."

"I feel how anxious you are, you really shouldn't worry since you know I'm her favorite. I've got this in the bag." He replied confidently. "But please do enlighten me."

She laughed nervously, "That's just it. You're her favorite and now especially since you'll be carrying on the Dragomir name she's going to want you to marry someone and be serious with someone other than a Dhampir, especially me. She's practically already said as much."

Adrian stopped and looked at her, "That's what she talked to you about isn't it? I knew she wasn't congratulating you on a job well done she doesn't do that. Tell me what she said to you."

He hadn't used compulsion, but she knew if she didn't tell him the truth he would. "She just said that I was supposed to stop seeing you. You were destined for bigger and better things and that eventually all relationships between Morois and Dhampirs were doomed and only caused us heartbreak. You'd use me and leave me like everyone else who had ever been in a similar relationship."

Adrian wrapped his arms around her, hugging Rose's body against his tightly. "I'm not going to do that to you Rose. As much as I love my Aunt she won't tell me who I can and cannot love."

A stray tear fell down the side of her cheek, "I wish that were true."

He looked down at her, "cheer up love. There's nothing to fear from her, she can't send you away. You're too important, besides I think if she did Cooper would go with you anyways he seems pretty intent on keeping you alive."

She smiled as best she could as they started walking once more. The queen ushered them in once they'd gotten there and seated them making sure they were both comfortable. She'd asked a series of questions watching the two of them very closely as she did. Rose noticed the way the Queen stared at Adrian's hand as he rested it on Rose's arm, she noticed the way Adrian left out how he'd saved Rose's life and how they were now bonded, and especially how the conversation drifted along but never really went anywhere.

"I'm sorry for your loss Rose, being so close to both of them must have been a serious hardship for you to lose them both so quickly."

She simply nodded in agreement; there was nothing she could say to the Queen that would help her understand the depth of her sorrow any more than if she didn't explain it.

"Adrian, I need to speak with you alone tomorrow sometime if you're available?" The way she'd worded her previous statement had made it sound like a question but really it was nothing more than her usual commands.

"Of course your highness, although I would be more inclined to meet you early tomorrow morning since I've already made plans with Ms. Hathaway and I'd hate to have to reschedule with everything that's gone on, I feel she needs some consistency to counteract any distress she may still be experiencing."

The Queen smiled, but this was obviously an answer she wasn't expecting, "but of course. Swing by sometime during the six o'clock hour. I'm getting my nails done during that time slot and it'll be a good time for us to meet and discuss your future."

"I already know what I'm doing, but if you'd like to hear my plans I'm more than willing to talk to you about them?"

Adrian couldn't have gotten his point across to her more if he'd slapped her in the face. The Queen looked stunned as she sat there simply staring at him, "we'll discuss this more in depth tomorrow, I can't wait to hear what you've got planned. Adrian, I warn you these are hard times. If you're to replace me you must think of your future in more serious terms than what I'm sure you've got set up in your mind for yourself."

"If I'm to replace you your highness, I'll do it whether I live by your rules or my own." He smiled and stood up taking the Queen's hand and placing a kiss on the back of it. "I'll see you in the morning then dear Aunt."

He turned and offered his hand to Rose. She took it cautiously as he helped her out of her chair. "It's always such a pleasure to see you your highness."

"As it is you, Ms. Hathaway."