A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. Here's another update, I feel like things are easier to write now that I'm back in the swing of things. Hope that you enjoy it, if you read it please leave a review, I love hearing good things. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

Chapter 13

The breakfast hall was running full force when she entered. Rose had sent Cooper a text message to meet her there since she knew Christian wouldn't be up so early. He'd managed to get them a table and had already ordered her a glass of orange juice. They sat quietly for a while, before he broke the silence. "I'm sorry you were unable to go with Adrian. It would have been a nice distraction for you I'm sure."

Rose smiled, "it would have been but it's cool. There will be other trips were maybe I won't be the target of some psycho Moroi gone rabid."

He laughed, "Hopefully. I would have told you once I found out but he insisted on telling you himself."

She felt her phone go off insider of her pocket, it was a text from Adrian. Just landed in Chicago. Changing planes. - A

Thanks, breakfast and contemplating going back to bed and staying there for a few days – rose

"I can understand that," she finally chimed in once replying back to his text. "Adrian insists on a lot of things, especially when I'm involved but sometimes you've just got to do what you want to do."

"So I've noticed. I wasn't sure what you wanted so I didn't order for us yet."

"No worries, they're always a little slow this time of morning."

Our waitress, Cheri, was a donor and had been for a while according to the degree of scaring on her arms, neck, and legs. Rose was a little sickened by the marks, but knew she'd had them before and felt a bit hypocritical judging her. "Morning," she replied looking first at Cooper then to her. Cheri's face lit up with excitement, "oh my god, you're guardian Hathaway aren't you?"

Rose blushed and looked awkwardly over to Cooper. "Yeah but no one calls me that. Guardian Hathaway is my mother, I'm just Rose."

"You're like my hero! I've heard so many stories about how you've killed so many strigoi and then when your friends died, I'm so sorry about that by the way. Anytime you want a free breakfast you just come and get me okay?" She'd clearly had a few too many coffees that morning, but it was obvious that she was being sincere when she gave her condolences. "What will you guys have then?"

Cooper ordered chicken and waffles, and I got eggs over easy with toast and bacon. "I'll have that right out for you." She gave us one last bright smile and turned to leave.

Rose looked over to Cooper, "You didn't put her up to that did you?"

"No, why would I?"

She shrugged, "I don't know but I'm rarely anyone's hero."

"You don't hive yourself enough credit."

She thought that over for a second, "maybe you're right but I don't think I deserve to be anyone's hero after what's happened."

Breakfast came at warp speed. If anything, Cheri was a great server. "Can I get you anything else? Coffee, water, pie?"

"I think we're good Cheri, thank you."

"Don't worry about the bill, you've been taken care of. If you want to Rose, you should stop by sometime. I'm working in the morning but I have the afternoons free. We could hang out or something."

Rose smiled up at her, "Yeah that'd be great."

"Oh wow! That's awesome. I'll you then," she replied before smiling once more and turning to help another group of guardians.

"She's nothing if not persistent."

"I thought she was nice," replied Cooper.

"Nice? She wouldn't go for you Cooper."

"And you know this how?"

"You don't have fangs and go bump in the night." She brought her hands up and made some fake fangs with her fingers while making a sort of hissing sound.

"Yeah, well I could still try."

"mmmmhm and when you get rejected let me know how that worked out for you."

"Since when did you become the know it all of relationships?"

"I just know women Cooper, don't doubt me."

He laughed as she gathered her things. The two of them walked back to their apartments, stomachs full of warm food and the promise of another day. Once they got back inside, Rose attempted to get some more sleep but was unsuccessful. She'd gone into her bedroom when they arrived so she went to join Cooper who sat on the couch watching the Golden Girls on syndication.

"Cooper can I talk to you frankly about my situation?"

Cooper propped his feet up on the coffee table, "Sure, just let me turn the volume down." He felt around both legs until he found the remote and turned the television off. "What's your situation?"

"So it's like this…I'm concerned about my situation with Adrian. Not so much the romantic part, but the part where someone wants me dead. The thing about it is it's not just the one person that wants me dead, it's a whole group of people who want me dead. I just don't want to die; it doesn't bode well with my future plans."

"I see."

"What I'm saying is I just want to know what's going on in my life. I want to be able to help, I feel so stupid just sitting here on my ass all the time making googly eyes at Adrian. I know he wants me safe, but I can't take this anymore."

"That's just the thing, we don't really know anything about the hit. We know about Tasha because she's not been as secretive as she should have been about her movement. She wants you out of the picture just because you were with Dimitri and essentially cock-blocked her. Now that she's finding the others who are willing to take you out just for who you are, I think we're going to find it harder to get rid of her. While there are certain parts of her plan that is appealing to many of the younger Moroi, especially those who are not from prominent families, I think she'll still find it hard to overpower the Moroi who are in charge. From what we've gathered they're essentially forming a coup. Tasha's coming one last time to talk to Tatiana about her plans and ideas for the Moroi in the future and if she doesn't agree I think there might be a scuffle. With Adrian gone Tasha will find it harder to talk to Tatiana. Adrian's got some ideas that help Tatiana along but I'm just concerned, as well as several of the other guardians. I think your mother and several of the other royals guardians are coming back sooner than expected because of Tasha's decision to give the queen one last ultimatum."

Rose allowed this to sink in for a moment, "You don't think she'll turn if she doesn't get her way do you?"

"That's hard to tell. She clearly wants her agenda pushed, and we saw what happens when Moroi don't get their way with the whole Victor fiasco. I don't think she'll turn because I think she enjoys her life as a Moroi and she does truly seem interested in the fight against them. I just think she's going to physically attack the royals and make them fight her which she's counting on them not being able to do."

"Why would anyone want to do that? I mean it just doesn't make sense. I know about the problem, but there just seems like there should be a better way of going about things. This, whatever this is, that she's trying to do isn't working. I'd just hate for the whole restructuring idea to be ruined because she's too stupid to be in charge of it."

"There are many who would agree with you, but as for you. Don't worry, you're in good hands and believe me, there are more guardians watching your back that you know. Dimitri had a lot of friends and while he never formally admitted his intent for you, I think it was pretty obvious for the rest of us. The fact that he was willing to stick his neck out for you proved to a lot of us that you had a great deal of potential. I'm not new to the rodeo by any means, but I can tell you I'm honored to be watching you on such a close basis. Belikov was one of a kind, and I see a lot of him in you. So I wouldn't worry about the hit or who might be trying to take you out, because there are more people who want you alive than there are dead. Especially as long as you stay here, if that makes you feel any better."

She smiled and moved over to hug him, "Thanks you big oaf. I do feel better, but I'm not going to lie I'm still freaked out. I feel so on edge all the time."

"But that's not always a bad thing, it keeps you sharp."

"I guess, I just don't want to kill room service if he brings in my food and doesn't tell me he's bringing it."

They both had a laugh at that one. Cooper picked the remote back up and turned the Golden Girls on once more. "You know I really do love this show."

"Who is your favorite?" She asked curiously. Rose couldn't imagine anyone like Cooper being interested in Golden Girls. Rose had always associated it with old women in nursing homes and housewives who had nothing else better to do than watch television all day.

"I think I'm going to say Sophia. There's just something about her that I love. It's a sort of intensity in her personality that I really just love!"

"I wouldn't have guessed that, but I know what you mean." She stood up and stretched as if she were unfolding herself. "Alright, I'm going to try and go to sleep. Are you going to be hanging around here?"

"Yeah I'm waiting on some information about your hit so I'm going to be sticking by the technology until I get something worth sharing. Get some rest; I'll be here when you wake up."

"Thanks for having my back." With that she went back to her room. She grabbed her phone from her purse and looked to see if she had any messages. She didn't but decided it would probably be a good idea if she sent Adrian one.

Trying to go to sleep again, will let you know how it goes once I get up – rose

She slipped out of her jeans and shirt from the night before and crawled into one of her old sweatshirts and got under the covers. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was asleep. She slept for a while before he found his way to her. But sure enough there he was, standing in front of her as if he'd never left. They were standing in the castle's courtyard right in front of the water fountain that functioned as the center piece and relaxation area for the queen's guests. "Well don't you look lovely?" He replied with a smile on his face.

Rose looked down at what she was wearing. He hadn't changed it and was surprised she was actually wearing the sweatshirt she'd had put on before. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for the royals or something? You're just sitting around here invading people's dreams, it's not right."

"I could always leave if you'd like?" He replied with a smirk, as he walked closer to her. She breathed in the smell of him, his cologne hung to him like it always did.

"Please don't." He reached for her and pulled her over to him.

"Don't worry I hadn't planned on leaving. I've still got a few hours before our plane lands, we had a delay in Chicago due to some rain but I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you."

"Can't we go somewhere else? It's just I'm tired of seeing this place."

"Your wish is my command." She closed her eyes and there they were in his alpine escape. The wall of windows welcomed them as he encouraged her to come and sit with him on the floor. "Tell me what you've done thus far."

"Ate breakfast and talked to Cooper about some things."

"What sort of things did you discuss?"

"Well…we talked about Tasha and we talked about you and me and just things."

He sighed, "That tells me absolutely nothing."

"We just talked about what he's been able to find out about Tasha and what that means for me. You know nothing too serious. Apparently he's waiting on some intelligence from some of the other guardians."

"I know what he's waiting on I'm just surprised he told you."

"Well I finally asked him, I guess it never dawned on me to ask him because I thought you'd tell me."

He looked over at her with concern, "It's not that I didn't want to tell you. I simply wanted to be completely sure of all the information that I was sharing with you. I didn't want you to have to worry over something we weren't sure about."

"I still would have liked to have known." She said with an edge in her voice that she hadn't meant to be there. "I just, I just want to know so you're not doing all of this on your own. You've got so many other things to worry about than me I want to be able to take care of myself."

"But you're the only thing I care about right now."

"Exactly, that's my point. I'm the only thing you care about right now, what about later? You've got your whole life to worry about. I know you want me in it, but I need to do this."

"I just can't let you do it alone."

"But we're always alone."