Wow. Over 1,000 reviews. Do I have the best readers/reviewers or what? You all rock!

Since the last few chapter have been more serious, I thought I'd put in some fluff. Tell me if you like it.

I don't own it, so stop asking already.

Rose POV

Before I even open my eyes, I know where I am, the beach. I can smell the sea air as the warm wind blows my hair around. I can hear the waves rolls up to the shore and the birds squawking about. The sand below my feet is rough and almost hot as I dig my toes in. The sun shining on my face feels me up with peace and security knowing they can't get to me out here. I can feel him coming up behind me before I can hear him. Adrian. He slides his arms around my waist and pulls me into his hard, warm, shirtless body and holds me tight. The world suddenly makes sense when I'm in his arms, like nothing bad will ever happen to me again. I want to stay just like this forever. He rests his chin on my shoulder and whispers into my ear. His warm breath caresses my skin sending shivers down my spine. I love it. "Please don't ever leave me again." he pleads. I can hear the desperation in his voice. I hate that he had to go through the pain he did when I was locked away, under the thumb of a madman. I turn around to face him, still in his embrace, and look him in the eyes. Those emerald green eyes that are burned into my psyche. The image of them kept me going in my darkest times. They keep me strong, knowing I have something worth fighting for. As I look into them now, the feeling of love and security and need wash over me.

"Never." I whisper as I get lost in those wonderful eyes. As much as I love those eyes, those lips are just too inviting to resist any longer. I reach my hands up to his neck and run my fingers through his hair. He leans down and captures my mouth with his. His lips are so soft and demanding as they suckle and caress my own. So tender. So delicious. So irresistable. Our lips move together effortlessly, gently caressing and feeling each other. The feel of his warm, wet tongue gliding over my lips and into mouth sends an achy sweetness throughout my body. The way is tongue is gently probing and sliding around my mouth, dancing with my own is glorious. He tastes so sweet, so delectible, I can't get enough. The heat in my core is growing and growing. In response, I pull him to me closer and harder and deepen the kiss with wild abandon. His reaction is immediate as his hands move to my hips to grip me hard and press out bodies together. God, I've missed him. He moves his lips away from my mouth and slides them over my jaw and neck, kissing and suckling tenderly. The moan of pleasure that escapes my throat ellicites a similar reply from him. The vibrations that I feel against his chest as he vocalizes his delight, sends a tingling heat all the way to my toes. That wonderful feeling curls my toes and my fingers as I pull his hair tight, which causes another moan from him. My heart beats faster, sending more blood to my center in anticipation of what is inevitable.

Adrian moves his firm, smooth hands up my sides leaving a trail of heat in their wake. It's now that I notice the little bikini top I'm wearing. And when I say little, I mean a couple squares of cloth kept together by string. His fingers run trails over my stomach and up to the edge of material covering my chest. Oh, what his talented hands do to me. His lips move back to mine, reclaiming my mouth. His kiss is ever so hungry as his hands slide under my top and roam over my breasts. The touch of his hands brushing softly over my nipples turns my body to Jello and my knees give out on me. Thankfully, he has quick reflexes and catches me before I fall to the sand.

"Whoa, are you alright?" concern dominant in his voice. Apparently he isn't aware what his touch, his mere presence, does to me. I can feel my blood rushing to the surface of my skin in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little weak in the knees. You seem to have that effect on me." I reply with a light laugh. A huge grin spreads across his face at my confession.

"Well, that isn't surprising. I always knew I made you melt. Just the way you make me feel." he says as he leans in again for another kiss, which I eagerly oblige. Without breaking contact, Adrian leads me down to lay on a towel on the sand so I won't have to worry about falling again. As he lays on top of me, I run my hands over his chest, taking my time to appreciate every inch of his toned, firm chest. I love the way his muscles feel under my touch, strong but not bulging like a weight lifter. They always look like they're about to burst.

Adrian moves his kisses away from my lips and travels down my throat, to my collarbone, over my chest, down my stomach, only stopping when he reaches my 'gift' from Bob. He lifts his head up and gently traces the outline of the rose with his finger. I watch his face as he looks down at the design. At first he looks curious, but then a scowl overcomes his features. "I can't believe they did this to you. I promise Rose, I'll never let anyone hurt you like this again." he says looking me right in the eyes. I can see the sincerety of his words reflecting in his gaze, even though I know it might be a promise he can't keep. With my line of work, danger and death are part of the package. But this isn't really the time or place to remind him of that.

"I know." I tell him, stoking his cheek. I know in my heart he would do anything for me. He's already proven that. I pull him back down to me so I can feel his lips on mine again. I'm an addict and he is my drug. When I look back at all the time I spent pushing him away to keep him safe, I feel cheated. I could've been tasting these sweet lips a long time ago if it wasn't for Stephan. At least he's dead and there is nothing stopping us now. Adrian's hands start to explore my body again, which I love, but when he gets to the edge of my little jean shorts, I freeze. I grab his wrist to stop him from unbuttoning them. "Not in a dream. Not our first time." I breath. He hesitates for a moment, watching my face, until he nods and lets his hand roam over my hip and down to my bare thigh instead. He kneads and rubs the back of my leg, getting farther and farther up under my shorts. He feels so good.

I try to reciprocate by rubbing and massaging his back from the top of his shoulders to just under the waistband of his board shorts. I let my hands roam a little lower when I hear and feel a growl coming from Adrian. His reaction causes me to laugh, which catches him off gaurd. He pulls away and quirks an eyebrow at me, wanting to know the punchline. "I'm sorry. The vibration coming off you tickled me." Apparently, he took that as an invitation to tickle me more. We start to wrestle with each other and I flip us over so that now I'm on top. I'm staddling his waist as I pin his arms by the side of his head. "Don't you know better than to mess with me? I always win." I smile down at him. He struggles to free his arms, but I'm putting all my weight on him, keeping him down. Then he shocks me when he bucks his hips up to mine. Hey, I invented that move! In the second that I'm caught off guard, he takes advantage and flips us back over. Crap, I'm losing my touch. Just as he starts moving down to kiss me, the dream starts to fade as I wake up.

I open my eyes to a very familiar, yet unwelcome sight. A hospital room. Not again. Why am I here? Lissa and Adrian healed me, so I shouldn't have to be here, right? I hear someone snore to my right, so I look to see Adrian asleep in what looks to be a very uncomfortable chair. I look around the room and see that he's the only one here. "Adrian." I say softly not wanting to scare him, but he doesn't even stir. "Adrian." I say a little louder. He shifts hands that his head is leaning on, but still doesn't wake up. Might as well pull out all the stops. "Adrian." I yell. His head snaps up and he looks around until he sees me smiling at him. He stands up and walks over to the side of the bed.

"You're awake. Good." he leans down and kisses the top of my head. I scoot over, inviting him to join me in the bed. He climbs in and wraps his arms around me as I rest my head on his chest. "How are you feeling?" he asks. I don't answer right away as I asses the way my body feels.

"I feel good." I say as I stretch out my arms and legs, moving them around searching for any signs of pain or soreness. I go to reach my arm around his torso when I notice I have an IV in my arm. "What the hell is this for?" I hate these things.

"You were pretty dehydrated when we found you. Plus, you've been asleep for over twenty four hours so it's feeding you too." he informs me. Wow, over a day asleep. Well, I was really tired, so I guess that makes sense. I'm about to ask him how the rescue mission came about and who else came and if anyone else was hurt, when Dr. Brown comes strolling through the door.

"Well, Guardian Hathaway, it seems we keep seeing a lot of each other. Are you stalking me?" he jokes.

"You figured me out. I've been getting the crap beat out of me just so I can come here to see you. Seems to be working." I laugh. Dr Brown joins in but Adrian just glares at him. I elbow Adrian in the ribs and give him the 'lighten up' look. Instead of crackin a smile or laughing, he tightens his hold on me. Jealous much?

"Since you're awake, you can go anytime now. We just needed to get some fluids in you and let you rest. Any injuries you had were healed before you got here." Dr. Brown tells me. That's great news. A nurse comes right in and takes the IV our of my hand and I jump out of bed to change out of this stupid hospital gown. I see a bag on the floor in the bathroom with some of my clothes in it. After I change, I walk out to see Dimitri talking to Adrian. Dimitri turns to look at me when I open the door and about a thousand emotions show on his face, the last one looks like anger. I guess he's still smarting after I knocked him out. Great, just what I need right now, a lecture from him. I walk over to Adrian and hold his hand, hoping he'll stay with me while Dimitri bites my head off.

"We need to talk." Dimitrie says with his usual guardian cool and I reflexively squeeze Adrian's hand. Dimitri looks over to Adrian. "Alone." Not good. Adrian gives him a nod and pulls my hand up and kisses it.

"I'll be right outside the door to take you home when you two have finished talking." he says before leaving me alone with one very pissed off looking Russian. He doesn't say anything for what feels like an eternity, just stares at me as if trying to figure out what to say. My impatients is growing the longer our stand still goes on. Finally I can't take it anymore and I let the dam burst.

"If you're looking for an appology for what I did, you're going to be waiting a long time. I'd do it again if I had to." I tell him calmly. It seems that was the wrong thing to say by the expression on his face. He's always so good at keeping his face as expressionless as stone, except when it comes to me. I used to think that was a good thing. Not now. He's starting to scare me.

"Do you think so little of my ability to fight that you felt the need to hit me over the head rendering me unconscious? Maybe if I was with you that day, you wouldn't have needed to be rescued." he fumes. Okay, that just pissed me off. I thought I made myself perfectly clear why I didn't want him along. His ego must be hurting good at getting vested by me.

"You would think you'd be greatful that I did what I did or you'd be dead right now. My decision to keep you away had nothing to do with how well I think you fight. You're the best, Dimitri, but even the best can fall and I didn't want to risk that, risk you." I yell at him.

"Why spare me on not the others, then? Why did you let Guardian Conner go and not me?" he yells back.

"I can't believe you're asking me this." I yell again. I take a deep breath to calm myself down and look him in the eye. "Because you're special to me. You were my teacher, my first love, my first heartache. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have fallen in love with Adrian." I unburden. His face softens and he stares at me for a moment before running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Don't do that again. I'm a grown man and don't need you protecting me like that. I know the risks and have the skills to overcome them." That stupid male pride is rearing its ugly head again.

"If the tables were turned, would you let me fight along side you? If I had a baby and Adrian at home waiting for me? Would you?" He looks down at the floor and sighs.

"No, I wouldn't." He says in defeat. Finally, he sees my side. I have to use all the strength I have not to do my victory dance for winning this argument. Instead I walk up to him and pull him into a hug.

"I'm glad you understand. I didn't just do it for you, but for Tasha and Little Roza too." I get a snort from Dimitri for the last bit. He tightens his grip on me and kisses the top of my head before he releases me. If I wasn't sore before, I am now. Damn he's strong. We walk out of the room and see Adrian sitting in a chair halfway down the hall. He stands up and walks over to me and kisses my cheek.

"I'm glad to see you're still standing Belikov. Usually when someone pisses Rose off that much, they come out with a noticable limp." he smirks. He must have heard us. Hell, the whole hospital probably heard us. Oh well, I won. Dimitri smiles and walks away, leaving Adrian and I alone. He takes my hand and leads me to the exit doors. I intertwine our fingers and lean my head against his shoulder as we walk outside.

"Take my home, babe."

Thanks for reading. I've been 'researching' intimate scenes to improve my writing of them. Review and tell me how I did. Feedback helps.