A/N: Wow, it's been honestly too long since I've wrote anything to do with this! It makes me sad to think that I've let it go, but a lot has happened during my summer and not all of it has been good. I'll update this when I can and I'm glad to see that there are still some people around. I feel like this chapter isn't the best but I hope that I can get back into the swing of things. I'm going to re-read all of the chapters so that I can make it better for you guys. Thanks for hanging around I really do appreciate it!

xoxo – Sophie.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

Chapter 14

"You know I don't want to be alone." Rose replied with a frown. "I've never wanted to be alone, I just want to be in charge or at least aware of what's going on in my own life. Maybe I've just let you take charge of things for too long because I've been so confused. I just feel so lost Adrian that I don't even know how to put it into words. Even as I've spent all this time with you I just…I feel so empty. I know why people would want to have me killed, but it's of no real concern to me. Maybe I'm depressed? Do you think that's just it? That I'm depressed and I've let you take care of things? That I'd be happier and know more of what was going on if I wasn't depressed?"

"Maybe, but I wasn't just taking care of you because I thought you were depressed."

"But I don't want you to. At least be willing to help me. Oh I don't even know what I'm saying anymore, I just wish Lissa were here, alive and well and not how she is now. I wish Dimitri were here too so he could take care of Tasha and you and I could just be."

"How exactly would we be?"

She'd never really spoke what she thought about their future besides wishing to be his guardian now. What would she say? She had feelings for him yeah, but was afraid to say anything about what she wished to know. Should she bite the bullet and just tell him? Rose looked over at him all blue coats and brown hair. She wanted to fall into him and as the thought ran across her mind she sighed, "We would be a couple, more than we are now…"

"Married?" He looked over at her curiously.

"What did you say?"

He sat staring at her, stone-faced, "I said would we be married?"

Rose cleared her throat as she felt herself start to blush, "well I guess, if you asked me and I agreed to it. But then we'd also have to get the ok or hell if we just went ahead and did it but yeah, maybe."

"Hmm…I'll have to keep that in mind." Adrian reached out for her, grabbing hold of her feet and pulling her over to him. She slid easily across the floor as the pillow drifted over the marble floors. "Is this the only room in this place?"

"No, but it's my favorite. It's much more comfortable than the bedroom."

"You have a room in your house that's more comfortable that your bedroom? I don't believe you!"

He planted a kiss on the bottom of her foot, "well you should. I'd never lie to you."

"I love how you just glazed over everything that we were just talking about like it didn't just happen."

He smiled down at her, "you're asleep what would be the point? Besides, I'm allowing the information to sink in. You've given me quite a lot to consider my love."

"Consider away then, by all means." He smiled down at her as he bent her knees and crawled in between her legs, wrapping them around his waist. "Oh I will."

"What are you doing?"

"Shhhh…" he replied bringing a finger up to her lips. "It's a secret." Soon her sweatshirt was gone without either of them removing it.

"Unfair!"

"Hardly, you were the one sleeping in it. Teasing a man so, you shouldn't do that."

"You nosey, little cheater!"

Adrian smiled, "Better than a sore loser!"

"The least you could do, is take your jacket off. I am being held against my will here half naked on a cold floor." She replied coolly up at him.

"Nope, not until you give up the goods."

"I'm not having dream sex with you creeper," she replied sticking out her tongue.

Adrian shrugged, "Whatever, you're about to wake up soon anyways."

"And you know this how?" she asked curiously.

"Call it a sixth sense."

But before she could say anything, Rose woke with a jump. It took her a minute but she began to recognize Cooper's light rasp on the door. "Rose? There's someone here to see you."

"Give me a second alright?" she mumbled as she rolled out of bed.

"Alright," Cooper turned to shut the door.

"Hey Cop?"

"Yeah," he asked in reply.

"Who is it?"

"Christian Ozera."

"You find anything out yet?"

"Strangely enough, yeah I did."

"Awesome. Ok tell him I have to get dressed ok? We'll talk about this later?" She was instantly awake, the thought of new intel excited her, but she'd have to get rid of Christian as soon as possible.

"Sure thing," he replied with a smile as he shut the door behind himself.

A cold air blasted her skin as she walked over to where the thermostat was. She turned the air up in her room surprised that it had gotten so low. Maybe ghost Lissa likes it cold like the ghosts in the movie? The thought weirded her out as she put on the jeans from the night before. She looked rough but she didn't care. Rose ran a stray hand through her hair and smiled at her reflection. "I guess this is as good as it gets." She thought she could shower but it wouldn't be worth it, she did however go brush her teeth and threw on a layer of chapstick.

Rose soon emerged barefoot and haggard to meet Christian. He looked clean, in a pair of skinny black jeans and a black The Strokes t-shirt. Walking over to him, Rose embraced him in a warm hug as he kissed the side of her head.

"You didn't let me know you were coming. I would have gotten up and showered."

"I thought you'd be awake by now." He looked at her appearance, taking her in making her feel self-conscious. "Adrian isn't here is he?"

She shook her head, "not at the moment. We parted ways earlier this morning; he's doing some diplomatic work for his aunt."

"And you didn't get to go with him?"

"Does it look like I got to with him," she replied sarcastically.

He laughed as he looked her in the eyes, "No I suppose not."

"What brings you to mi casa?" she asked spreading her arms out encouraging him to take a seat.

Unsurprisingly, Christian sat down on her couch so she opted to take the chair beside it to avoid any uncomfortable situations. "Eddie wants to go to some pool party and he wants you to come with us."

Rose looked over to Cooper, who was pretending to read that day's Moroi newspaper. "I don't know if I should."

Christian looked taken aback, "What do you mean you don't know if you should?"

"It's just I have a lot of work I need to get done tonight and I don't know if I'm going to be able to go with you. I would have got it done this morning but Cooper and I had a lot to do last night getting Adrian ready for his trip."

"So you sacrificed your health for him again? You've been so under the weather lately; he should have been more considerate and packed beforehand." Christian seemed upset that she'd declined his offer, and the old Rose began to show her head.

"Look here mister! It's my job to take care of Adrian, my health is of little concern in comparison to his life and besides, I've been doing much better than I have lately, and maybe it's because some people very close to me have died lately. I'm suffering from bereavement, I thought of all people you would understand what it's like to lose someone you care about."

"I do, you forget they were my friends too. I just think you should have a little fun that's all; I mean seriously, what's one little pool party going to hurt you? Nothing! You can get all of your paperwork, or whatever excuse it was that you gave me done. If you just didn't want to be seen with me you could have said so."

"Jesus that's not even it, I've gone plenty of places with you Christian or have you already forgotten that?"

"No, but I really want you to go tonight!"

She huffed, "I thought it was Eddie who really wanted to go."

"He does, but I thought it might be a nice change for us."

"Mr. Ozera," Cooper replied casually. "I'll help Rose get her work done as soon as possible and we'll meet you there later on in the evening how about that?"

Christian looked over at him. Cooper had placed the newspaper in his lap and dawned his serious face. Rose often described this face as something that would insight fear into even the most wicked strigoi to walk the earth. Christian knew he'd hit a brick wall and Rose watched as frustration spread across his face.

"That will work, just as long as you can come I'm sure Eddie and I will both be pleased. You know Cooper, she could come on her own?"

"I can't allow that to happen, you see I'm her guardian where she goes so do I." Rose almost laughed as she watched him talk, his face barely moved when he had his serious face on but he sounded the same. He was so weird.

"Rose is truly lucky to have you, I think my aunt is looking for a new guardian, I'm surprised she'd not tried to get you being the best and everything."

"Who says I didn't turn her down?"

"HAHAHA, well this is getting a little to tense for me. So we'll see you later then?" She asked Christian as she stood up to walk him to the door.

"Yeah sure, see you then."

He went to hug her and kissed her gently on the cheek.

She shut the door behind him, giving him a few seconds to clear the hallway before turning around to Cooper. "You know I shouldn't have to take that crap from him. I get it enough from you and Adrian."

"Don't worry about him; we'll just make our appearance later. I'm surprised at how persistent he was."

"Me too, he's never like that with me. Well I mean he used to be, but lately he hasn't been. You don't think it has anything to do with his aunt do you?"

"No, there's very few correspondence between the two of them. They e-mail one another, mainly from their blackberries. But it's always just to check in with each other and make sure they're alright. She treats him as though he were her own child now that his parents are no longer with us." He pulled out a packet of papers from behind the bar and walked over to the couch spreading the contents of the envelope on the table before them. "Come and take a look at this."

Rose sat on the floor in front of her. There were pictures and conversation printouts, all of which involved Tasha Ozera. She picked up a group of photographs that showed Tasha showing a recent picture of Rose to what could only be a strigoi. The fact that she was willing to stand so close to something as wild as that showed just how far she was willing to go. Maybe the Moroi she was talking with wasn't a strigoi and just appeared that way because of their unkempt appearance, either way it was still more than she could handle. "Alright please tell me this isn't what I think it is."

"Those gems were taken not long after Tasha found out that there was a hit out on you. How she found out so quickly we still haven't been able to trace, but that man was looking for her in relation to you not long after she found out."

"What's his name?"

Cooper pulled out an index card that was hiding under some of the correspondence, "his name is Alexander Cortez and we're not really sure what he's doing why he sought her out. He is reported to be a United States citizen but he also has ties to groups in Portugal and Russia."

"I imagine he's got something to do with the hit out on me? Like he's contacting one of the many people who seem to hate me in order to get close to me? I mean that's the only thing that makes sense to me."

"You're probably right but I don't want to put too much stock into that. It might actually be that she's put the hit out on you. But we don't know that for sure. It would seem that like I said earlier she's just trying to find other people like her, but it bothers me that we can't pin the source."

"I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later, we always do."

He sighed, "but I'd rather it be sooner rather than later."

"So I guess we're really going to this party? I really don't feel like leaving this room knowing that at any point I could be shot or bleed or whatever it is these people want to do to me." She crawled out of the floor and onto the chair.

"I guess so. It's important that we act as if we don't know. That's what are orders are anyways. I don't even know if I have a bathing suit."

She laughed, "What did you do leave it on your mothership?"

"Very funny, I'll go look."

She smiled, "Good! I'll get take a shower and get ready to go."

The party was at the aquatic center on the castle grounds. Rose had decided to wear her one piece and a dress that covered her entire suit. She was frustrated that she even had to make an appearance but Cooper was right when he'd told her in order to keep up appearances she would have to go. Cooper's board shorts were covered in bright pink flamingos. It was hilarious to imagine someone as fierce as Cooper to wear flamingos out in public. "I'm going to check the perimeter," he replied before quickly fading into the crowd.

Guardians and Moroi alike were jumping in and horse playing with one another. There were even a few donors in the crowd as she took a closer look at the people who surrounded her. As she took a step forward a pair of cold, wet hands covered her eyes.

"Guess who," Christian whispered warmly against the back of her neck.

"Fang boy?"

"That's right Dhampir, I was afraid you weren't coming."

The smell of booze wafted over her. He'd been drinking and it became not only a question of how much he'd been drinking, but how long she'd be able to stay before it was too late for her to escape without a scene. Rose turned around and took in his eyes, "Sooo….tell me, how goes it?"

"Better now that yooooooooou'rrrrre here. Do you know how terribly boooooooooring this party has been without you?"

She laughed weakly, "Oh I can just imagine."

"Did you get your work done? You know the whole naughty secretary thing would be way hot for you. Or maybe a teacher, teachers are hot with their short skirts and long rulers." His hands began drifting up her dress and moving a bit too closely to the hem of her bathing suit.

"Whoa there Christian, not in public alright, I'm still with Adrian."

Christian scoffed, "Adrian Shmadrian, he's not even here."

"But that doesn't mean he doesn't know what you're doing."

Christian began laughing, "What does he have watch dogs here or something?"

"What do you think Cooper is?" she pointed over to him, watching from the opposite side of the room.

Christian mumbled something in Russian she didn't quite understand. But didn't seem deterred, "come have a drink with me."

"I don't really feel like a drink right now, maybe we can find a place for us to be somewhat alone?"

"Sure wait here, I'm going to get a drink I'll be right back." Christian left and Cooper was instantly at her side.

"Take him to one of the side pools, this pool hall is based off of the one at the ski resort you went to I can't even think of what it's called. Do what you have to do with him, Adrian is aware of the situation and has given you permission to do whatever it takes to keep you alive."

"But Christian's not…"

"But he knows Rose."

She looked up at Cooper upset. "Fine, tell him if you're in contact with him that I'm sorry it's come down to this."

"He really does understand Rose, he's a smart guy."

"I can't do this Cooper, even if this is the plan I just I can't do this to him."

The heat of the pools was getting to her. She hadn't had a drink but she could smell the alcohol lingering in the air and it was making her dizzy. "You have to."

"Fucking hell."