Author's Note: So I read a very interesting guest critique to this story: that the dialogue of the characters did not reflect the way Ms. Mead portrays the characters speaking in the story, nor does the story line or characterization follow that of the novels. This upset me a bit, because one of the things I look for in writing, and strive for in my own fanfiction, is to keep character consistency. As a fandom, we are lucky enough to have such a fantastic, well-written series with which to go off of when we write our own fan fictions. I always thought that I had a great grasp on Rose Hathaway and the way the thinks and speaks- she reminds me so much of myself. I think she's brash, outspoken, and not very concerned with what others think of her: she is focused on protecting her loved ones and prides herself on a job well done. Around Dimitri, she feels no judgement and she feels free to be herself and express herself in any way. Director Marc Waters put it well: "She's got a lot of personality, and that fun, brassy energy is what makes Rose interesting...She has a wicked sense of humor and is openly sexual — when she likes a guy, she goes after him. It's not at all like the shy, demure creatures you'll meet in the YA novels."

So if you don't like my work, don't read it. Although not to toot my own horn, but I like to think the quality of writing and characterization is up to par with the best writers on this site. We all know that this site has a tendency to lack in gramatically correct and well-written stories. The VA fandom on here is lucky not to suffer from such a problem.

So I need your input, because if it is true, I'd like to work on it: is my dialogue and characterization out of character?

I was hesitant to post this, but I've had the idea in my head every since the OVERWHELMINGLY AMAZING RESPONSE to the first chapter. It's short and sweet, but I have another oneshot, much longer, in the works. So I hope you like this=)

I was curled up in Dimitri's arms after a very satisfactory few hours in bed- summer was over, and Lissa and I had returned to Lehigh for senior year. Christian, despite much cajoling, had never expressed any interest in attending himself, and thus during the school year Dimitri's and my's time apart was a bit more frequent than I liked.

Thus the jumping-his-bones thing I tended to do every time he and Christian visited or Lis and I returned to court for a long weekend.

It was one such long weekend home at court, and Lissa had kindly given me the night off, which was a welcome relief to both see Dimitri, and to rest, since I was exhausted from a week of classes and the sorority rager we had attended the night before. Said party had led to a drunkenly rousing game of "Never Have I Ever." One sister, Molly, had said she had never learned who her boyfriend had lost his virginity to- everyone had put a finger down except for Molly and I. Lissa had looked at me like I was crazy.

"You never had that conversation with Dimitri?"

"You and Christian did?"

"I thought everyone did!" The Phi Beta Kappa girls had all agreed.

"Who did you lose your virginity to?" The question was out of my mouth before I even thought about it, the way things usually are with me (my filter was notoriously nonexistent).

Dimitri looked down at me like I had just expressed my desire to get drunk with Yeva (we still hated each other).

"I-Rose- what?"

I rolled over to rest my chin on his chest, playing with the cross that hung from a chain around his neck. "I'm serious. I want to know the story."

Dimitri moved his hands from the small of my back up behind his head so he could prop himself up to better look down at me. "What story?"

"The story of how little Dimka Belikov discovered the female gender for the first time, and women were never the same," I teased. "You already know my story."

"Roza, I am your story," Dimitri reminded with a grin. "And I'm more than happy to remind you of it." I blushed, as only he could make me do.

"C'mon, Comrade," I said, pushing myself further up on top of him. "Lissa said she and Christian talked about it, like, a week after they met. And Sydney knows all about Christian's exploits-"

"Everyone knows about Christian's exploits," Dimitri reminded, toying with the ends of my hair. He was trying to distract me.

"Dimitri, I'm serious!" I slapped his chest playfully. "Couples talk about this! Or so other normal couples say!" I gave him a puppy dog pout.

Dimitri sighed- I knew he was giving in. I was stubborn and could keep up this argument all night. And he couldn't resist my pout.

"How about this: since you already know the story about my first time, I'll tell you the first guy I ever gave a blew job to," I offered.

Dimitri's brow furrowed. "And why on Earth would I want to know that story. Really, Roza."

"It was Jesse Zeklos."

"Remind me to kill him next time he's at Court." He was scowling now. "And I don't get why you want to know this."

"Insane, masochistic curiousity!" I said. I sat up, the sheet falling from my front, and I saw Dimitri's eyes darken at the sight of my bare chest. I rolled my eyes and reached down to pick up his t-shirt off the floor and pulled it over my head. "Like, okay, so we've been together for what, almost two and half years? And you know everything about me. And I want to know everything about you and that's one thing I don't know. And you know me."

"Stubborn as all hell?" Dimitri suggested wryly.

"Plus, you have all this experience and you're the only person I've ever slept with and you've probably had all these gorgeous exotic Russian women and I was probably so inadequate my first time." My voice dropped at the end as I voiced one of my darkest worries.

Dimitri sat up, which in of itself made me feel better because the sight of his bare chest is just a wonderful thing. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into his lap.

"Her name was Alina," he said, tucking my hair behind my ears. "We were sixteen, and at school together."

"She's a guardian?"

He nodded. "Not for a royal, but for a family called the Somovs. Pretty prominent businesspeople in Russia."

I mulled that one over. I kind of wished she didn't sound quite so impressive. "Was she pretty?"

He shrugged, and I shifted to straddle him and play with the short hairs at the base of his neck. I loved it short. He was still adjusting.

"She was tall. Quiet. Blonde."

"You fucked a blonde?" Dimitri winced at the language. "Sorry. Okay, so she's all Eastern European-ly stunning. And is a kickass guardian. And was probably amazing in bed and you had one of the stereotypical first times where it was perfect and romantic and not at all awkward."

"Like yours?" Dimitri teased, his eyes twinkling.

"Stop distracting me," I huffed. "So yes, I had a good first time. But you probably hated it because I had no idea what I was doing."

"Well, I had a horrible first time," Dimitri admitted. I'm pretty sure my eyes bugged out because he laughed. "It was awkward and uncomfortable. I had no idea what I was doing, and I could barely look at Alina after that."

I had to smile at that one, but than my thoughts turned sour because Dimitri was a fantastic lover and that kind of skill only came from having experience. With other women.

"You still slept with more people," I pouted. "That's how you're so damn good in bed." I buried my face in his shoulder. "And now I'm just going to compare myself to them all. How many are they, exactly?"

"Roza." Dimitri sounded aggravated, and I'm sure he was- I was being an annoying, jealous girlfriend. And I hated myself for it. I felt us shift, as he laid me back on the bed, and supported himself over me. "Roza. Look at me."

I opened one eye.

"Roza, I'm serious. I'm not going to make a list of all of the women I've engaged with."

I opened both and sat up upbruptly, nearly head-butting him the in process. "You make it sound like there's just a train of of your ex-lovers across Russia."

Dimitri ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes for a moment. He kept them closed as he said, "Roza. I lived in an all-boys dorm. Boys talk. Boys-"

It dawned on me what he was trying to say. "So your not a filthy man-whore with all this experience. You just slept with some people and than read dirty magazines as a horny teenagers to learn the rest!"

"Well I wasn't going to say it quite like that," Dimitri said wryly. He reached up to gently touch the tattoo behind my left ear, the one that matched his- the molnija mark intertwined with our two initials. "Feeling better? Confession time over?"

I leaned closer, pressing our foreheads together, turning my head to kiss his temple before I asked softly, "Was it that bad? The first time we were together? Because I was so self-concious, being so young and knowing you probably had so much to compare me to."

Dimitri pulled me closer, if that was even possible, and buried his head in the crook of my neck.

"It wasn't just about the sex, Roza," he murmured, keeping his head where it was. "It was about the intimacy and the trust, and the fact that you let me in and trusted me enough to take care of you. And that meant so much more than any lust-ridden night."

I lifted his chin and gazed directly into his eyes. I loved these times with him, when the walls came down and it was just us.

"I trusted you because I knew you'd take of me. And you did. And I plan on having you be my first and last."

Dimitri growled. "You are mine, and no one else is allowed to touch you, Вы понимаете?"

I laughed. "I understand, and I wouldn't want anyone else to." And because I'm Rose Hathaway and I'm always ready with a good quip, I added, "You've been the best mentor inside and outside of the bedroom."

HIs eyes twinkled and his hands came up my sides, pulling his shirt off as he did so. I felt his arousal grow as my body was revealed to him. "You've been a stellar pupil. I've seen tremendous amounts of improvement."

"It's all about practice," I whispered, shifting off of his lap. I pressed a kiss to his neck and than made my way down his torso. "Practice does make perfect, after all." He moaned loudly as I traced his abdominal muscles with my tongue.

"You've certainly..mastered certain things," he managed to get out before succumbing to his desire.

I may not have been his first, but I was certainly his last. And I was certainly the best.

The ending was inspired by a line from the season finale of "The Vampire Diaries," when Klaus tells Caroline, "Tyler was your first love, I intend to be your last. However long it takes."

Hope you enjoyed. Reviews are love.

xx Bells