So this is my first story on FanFiction, but if you see any mistakes please let me know. I've been writing for a while now, so I'm decent, I hope, and I also wish that you enjoy my work. This story pretty much takes place after Dimitri's restoration and follows (some; not much) of the same path the original story did. He still rejects her, still tries to lie to her that he doesn't love her. He still kidnapped Rose when he was a Strigoi. But what's different is that Dimitri was a Strigoi for a year and a half instead of a few months, and something happened to Rose in that year and a half. This is a werewolf story mix with Rose being the heiress to the Werewulve throne (yes, I know, I spelled that wrong, but to me that's a different way to do things) with an acception. That will come later in the story, if you chose to read so. Pretty much, Rose was never a true Dhampir, and neither was Dimitri. If you're interested, then read on my fellow FanFictionaires!

I will warn you, this won't be very well protrayed as the actual Rose and Dimitri, since it's not really my main goal. My main goal is to get out my story that has been locked in my head for a long time now after great debate. I do not own any of the Vampire Academy characters, but those characters in this story that are not in that series by Richelle Mead belong to me and my own imagination. They are based off of no one, and any similarities are purely coincidental.

Pain wracked my body; it felt like my heart was breaking all over again. I was back in my apartment at Court, leaning against the side of the kitchen island with my hand over my mouth to quiet my sobs. Hot tears rolled thickly down my face as I stared blankly out the floor-to-ceiling windows on the opposite side of the living room. Being the accompany of the Queen and last Dragomir princess had its perks so I was living on the finer side of the apartments here. Not that that mattered. Not much mattered right now except the fact that my soul was being crushed all over again. Really, couldn't I ever get a break? Sure, I was Rose Hathaway and I had a track record for never bowing down, but even I had my limits.

I don't know how long I stayed there, but eventually there was a persistent knocking at my door. Standing up and wiping my eyes briefly, I walked over to it and peered through the peephole to see who it was before opening it. Lissa stood there, looking as beautiful and prim as ever in jeans and a white blouse with her hair in a nice french braid. Noting my appearance, she gave me a soft smile and drifted in, gently closing the door behind her. She didn't say anything. She already knew the reason for my tears, as it had happened plenty of times since his restoration.

She sighed in her motherly way, brushing some damp hair away from my face. It was a dark brown color, almost black most of the time, long and thick, running down my back in slight waves. "Are you still up for the masquerade tonight?"

I nodded, putting on a strong face to stop her worrying. I wasn't dead, just hurt. Badly hurt, but I wasn't dead. "Definitely. When are the dresses going to get here?" She'd had them made out to be ordered to my room tonight, something that I'd fought against but really hadn't been too into it.

She shrugged, dropping her hand. "Soon, I'm assuming. I don't remember the actual time I jotted down on the paper. But it should be enough time for you to go get ready." I took the hint of her last sentence and grudgingly trudged up the stairs to the second floor. My bedroom was down the narrow hallway, and I closed the door three-fourths the way before walking to the bathroom, stripping out of my drab clothes on the way. It didn't take long to get the bath started, and soon the water was almost at the edge of the tub. I slipped some frangrant bodywash into it, watching it swirl and mix in the the hot water before climbing in myself.

The water scalded my skin at first, but I ignored it and slipped all the way in, letting the heat form around me and relax my tense muscle. I sunk lower into the depths of the water, the heated liquid coming up to the base of my neck. I felt my long hair swirl around me under the water before letting out a soft sigh of contentment. Baths and special oils always manages to make a woman's day. I could hear Lissa rummaging around in my room, looking for God-knows-what in there. I ignored her and sunk even lower into the water.

I don't now how long I stayed like that, but my peacefulness was ruined by the sound of my annoying doorbell ringing. Why apartments had doorbells, I had no idea. I personaly thought that it was a stupid notation, and I'd been very vocal in my want to crush the things to mere pulps, but no actions had been taken so far by anyone. The rummaging in my room stopped and I could hear Lissa's padded feet quickly moving away, leaving me alone up here. Not that I minded. Being a high-ranking guardian among other things definitely required a lot of time around many, many people. Most who are raging jackasses, but hey, no one can help that. Lissa soon returned when I managed to somehow relax even more, and I complained as such when she poked her head in to retrieve me. She laughed, shaking her head. "You can have a few more minutes, but the masquerade is in an hour, so it can't be too long." With that, she disappeared again, presumably to go slip into her dress and get all of her hair and makeup done.

I grunted, closing my eyes once again until Lissa called for me again ten minutes later. Groaning, I climbed out of the bathtub and drained it, slipping on my silky robe over my still-wet skin. The doorbell rang again, making Lissa swear loud enough for me to hear it before stomping off again. Grinning, I followed after her, curious to see who would have the guts to enduce the wrath of the last Dragomir princess.

Apparently Christian Ozera did, but I could hardly blame him. Being Lissa's boyfriend for almost two years now, he knew her well enough to know that no matter how pissed off she was she would always calm down in his presence. Sure enough, the second she yanked the door open to glare at the intruder her face melted into one of a softness only he could bring out. Rolling my eyes, I made my way to the kitchen, not bothering to look over Christian's shoulder at the tall Russian standing behind him at his shoulder. I could feel his eyes on me, but I ignored him as I grabbed a glass of cold water, throwing some ice in for good measure.

Lissa heard this and turned around, her face fixing into a scowl immediately. "Rose!"

I merely raised an eyebrow at her while I took a drink.

Her scowl intensified. She pointed to the stairs. "Upstairs. Now."

Rolling my eyes, I gave her a mock salute and half-wave to Christian before following her orders and disappearing again. What can I say, I have a knack for doing that.

I didn't realize that while Lissa and Christian evolved into deep conversation that I was being followed. Poor guardian and wulve instincts alike, but it was Dimitri, so it's not really that much of a surprise. I was about to drop my robe completely and change into my dress when I felt a presence in the open doorway. Really, I should learn to start closing that damned thing. I turned to see Dimitri standing there, looking at me silently in that mysterious way of his. I didn't say anything, instead returned the look with a blank expression carefully pasted on my face. But I couldn't block the emotions swirling in me from myself. My earlier pain hadn't gone away, but the bath had helped relieve some of it by its legendary comfort. Silence stretched between us so badly that I just wanted to tell him everything...tell him it all. Every pain I'd gone through this past year and a half, the newfound discoveries I'd made, how I could help him through this in one way or another, but I didn't. I knew he would listen. But he wouldn't be how he used to be, the Dimitri that comforted me when I needed it, no matter how small the matter. The one that would stand by my side through anything, anyone. The one that would love me unconditionally no matter what baggage I came with and how I came with it.

But that Dimitri was gone, or at least buried within somewhere deep inside of him.

Finally he broke the torturous silence with something I hadn't been expecting but should have with his honed senses. "You've been crying."

I turned around to face my bed, away from him, and pretended to study the dressing bags laid out there with great interest. "I need to get dressed."

"Don't change the subject," he countered. "Was it because of me?"

I sighed, turning my head to look at him. "You really want to know that answer?" He nodded. "Yes, Dimitri, I've been crying because of you. How could I not?"

Something passed across his features, and he flinched slightly. "I had to," he almost whispered. "I had to say those things."

"Why? Because you wanted the joy of breaking my heart again?"

This time he flinched full out and looked at me. "No. Because if I didn't say them then I would have broken. All of the walls I've struggled to build up would have come down. And I wouldn't be able to get them back up."

I sighed, turning to face him fully. "Then why delay the inevitable? Dimitri, it's going to happen anyway."

He didn't have anything to say to that, instead studied my silently. I was aware of his eyes following a small droplet of water running down the side of my neck and disappearing under the neckline of my robe. His eyes lingered there for a few more moments before he managed to drag them back up to mine. "Are you going as a guardian tonight or as a regular person?"

I shrugged. "Both. I'll have my freedom, but I'll still be keeping an eye out on everything. Tatiana wanted me to take the night off to relax and have fun, but how? Lissa's got to work her magic on the royals, and she'll be out in the open and vulnerable. Sure, she'll have the rotated guardians, but still. The point remains the same."

He nodded, like he understood. Which I knew he did. He seemed to know my thought process and agreed with everything my opinions were based on. "I'll be the same way with Christian, unless I find a real distraction."

"You're going to guard Christian? I thought you weren't even going at all." Not to mention that he wasn't considered an actual guardian again yet.

He mimicked my earlier shoulder movement. "I changed my mind." He didn't say anything on the guarding issue, and I didn't pester him.

There was more silence between us before Christian and Lissa came up the stairs together holding hands. Lissa was immediately about to get onto me for not changing already, but she stopped when she saw Dimitri standing in the doorway still. Surprise briefly flashed in Christian's eyes, but it was quickly gone. In its place was a cocky grin that he usually wore nowadays that (almost) everything was getting on the right track. "Dimitri, Lissa wants us to meet her and Rose at the masquerade." His rolling of the eyes was enough to let everyone know what he thought of that idea.

Lissa sighed. "Everyone thinks we spend all of our time together! If we show up separately it might help detain those rumors."

I snorted a laugh. "Who said they were rumors?"

Glaring, she threw a studded heel at me, which I neatly dodged while laughing even harder. Christian merely grinned and changed the subject to something safer. He pointed to the thick textbooks on my nightstand. "When do you have to go back?" he asked.

I glanced back at the beat up paper and wood and shrugged. "A week, I think. But that's only because I'm going to visit my family before I go back to the college."

Dimitri jerked his head up in surprise. "You're in college already? Family?"

Damn him for catching these things. Supressing a sigh, I nodded. "Yeah. I'm taking some courses at a local college somewhat near where my family lives."

"And I finally get to go with you this time!" Lissa said. I grinned, shaking my head. "Speaking of," I said, looking at Christian, "if she goes, are you going?"

"Only as long as I don't have to go to the college for any classes."

I laughed. "Lazy."

He shrugged. "Just not much that interests me."

"So all of you are leaving in a week?" Dimitri asked, apparently trying to keep up with the conversation. I flinched slightly, and I knew he'd seen it, but he didn't comment on it. His eyes flickered to Lissa, whom was nodding. She shot me a look asking the question, and I shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. He won't listen to me either way, so it's up to you."

"Yes, but do you want to put up with it?" she asked. I knew she was talking about the constant rejection and heartbreak, but I just shrugged again before grabbing my dress and walking into the bathroom. I closed the door with my heel, not letting myself listen to their conversation while I toweled off the dampness coating my body and slipping into the dress Lissa had found for me. It was a blood red color, form-fitting and strapless at the top with a little spike in the middle of the neckline with a gold jewel placed in the middle of it. The gemstone was polished and in a diamond shape with the many faucets glinting in different directions under the light. I knew it was real, partly because this was Court and partly because Lissa had spent a lot of money on it. Money that I'd given her, but a lot of money nonetheless. The bottom half of the dress was designed so specifically that it looked like it was a mermaid train, but it really wasn't. It flowed down to the ground, a small train flowing behind me with the soft fabric catching the shape of my legs elegantly.

A few minutes later, Lissa knocked softly on the door and told me that they'd left. I let her come in and she explained the situation to me while I quickly combed through my hair before blow-drying it. That only took me a few minutes, and she waited patiently for me to get done before continuing. Apparently she'd told him the brief version of everything, saying that while he'd been a Strigoi I'd found out a lot of things about myself, one of them being who my family was. She didn't go into any detail, and when she began to mention my brother he'd left, saying he'd meet us at the masquerade. Christian had quickly followed after him.

I don't know what had bothered him so much, but it's not like we can run after him and demand the answers to everything. So we stayed and got ready for the party tonight (or today since it was during the night for out nocturnal schedules) and by the time the hour was up we were ready.

Time to go face the music.