A/N: Hello there! It seems the more chapters I write, the bigger they get. This chapter's told in multiple POV's. Nobody really commented on my POV idea. I wonder if anyone actually reads the author notes... Anyway, shout out to Moonchilde, your review inspired the DPOV. : ) Hope you like it.

RPOV

My eyes bulged out of their sockets when I saw the car Ambrose picked out. It was an Aston Martin One-77. "Ambrose! What the hell are you thinking! We can't take this one! You're supposed to seem unsuspicious, and not attraction attention! Rolling out of here in a million dollar car isn't doing that!" I tried to keep my voice down, but this moron was really pissing me off.

"Hey I've got to benefit from this some how. Why not take one of the guardian cars? This beauty needs some fresh air too", he argued all whistle petting the hood worshipingly.

I couldn't believe this car was reserved for the guardians. You'd think the queen and the queen alone would be the only one to even sit in it, let alone drive it. But I guess it was just another perk of being a royal guardian.

Protect the royalty and you're rewarded with the chance to drive a sweet ass car. I only wished they'd focus more on raising the salary of guardians instead of bribing them with flashy super sport cars. But I guess that's the world of politics for you.

I rolled my eyes, I was starting to salivate from the sight of this vehicle, but three facts remained. "Okay one, sport cars never have a whole lot of trunk space, two this attracts attention, and three they'll never let you leave with this, it's too valuable", it pained me to say it all. More than anything, I wanted to roar this gorgeous beast to life and experience the mind blowing ride, but I needed to be practical and this wasn't it.

After a bit of arguing, we both settled on a metallic gray Chevrolet Camaro. As I climbed into the trunk I distantly heard him grumble should of been the Corvette... What's with it in men and cars?

I'll admit the cargo area wasn't too roomy. It reminded me of when Mikhail had stuff me, Eddie and Lissa into a Dodge Charger when we left to break Victor out. My pulse quickened as the car roared to life and the reality of what I was doing suddenly hit me.

I. Was. Leaving. I quickly brushed the nervousness aside. I needed this...

DPOV

After Rose's 'outburst' I was escorted back to my room. Well, apartment seemed to be the proper term. I was grateful to not be caged in the cell they had kept me in, but to actually give me a one bedroom apartment in the guardian housing section of court was far too generous then what I deserved.

I shouldn't even be allowed at court. After what I've done as a strigoi, they should of sent me straight off to Tarasov. I was a murderer, so I should be treated as such. But I was hardly in the position to argue my living arrangements. I cringed at the word living. I didn't deserve to live after all the souls I tortured and lives I had taken.

I was lying on the couch in the main living area. Three guardians were inside the apartment with me, wearing bored expressions. Without a doubt believing that guarding me was a complete waste of their talent as well as their time, and I couldn't agree more.

Who really wants to watch a broken man brood all day long when they could be protecting lives and fighting off threats? There were two stationed outside the front door as well, and again, I thought, complete waste. Our numbers were dropping and wasting time using guardians as security to a potential threat was incredulous.

But as I laid down I couldn't help but keep running through the last few moments over and over again in my head...

Rose turned from me, trying to keep her control. But as she turned her leg brushed up against mine and my hand possessively twitched towards her. I balled my fist and moved my hand back to my lap. But as she glanced back at me, my soul couldn't help but beg for her touch. My entire body hummed to life as the familiar electricity coursed between us. The heart that I had now believed was solid ice seemed to melt in her gaze.

And just as my body had reacted, her hand stretched out towards my balled fist. I don't think she had meant to do it, but nonetheless I abruptly jumped away from her body, and successful catching the attention of my guards. I tried my best to compose the tone of my voice and facial features as I said, "Rose. Please stop. Please stay away".

Why couldn't she understand? I can't be around her. I can't be with her. It's just too much to bear. She sprang up, frustration flaring in her face, "This isn't over. I won't give up on you." she whispered. The next few words I spoke was the biggest regret of my life-entirely because it was a complete lie.

"I've given up on you," I said. I tried to keep my voice low in the hopes she couldn't hear it. "Love fades. Mine has." She backed away from me completely taken off guard from my comment. But as the poison of those words sunk in, hurt colored her face.

I immediately wanted to erase what I'd just said. I've done so much to her already, and here I was still causing her pain. All I wanted to do in this moment was grab her in my arms and tell her I didn't mean any of it and that I was so so sorry.

But I couldn't, no matter how much my soul yearned for her, I could never forgive myself for what I'd done as a monster. I didn't deserve her comfort and love and I never really did. She was unearthly, a goddess. No man could ever be worthy of Roza... my thoughts came to a halt as I sensed something change in her.

Her eyes that were full of so much pain, changed. Those beautiful eyes that always contained warmth suddenly lost all heat and froze over. Her entire face transformed into a cruel and sadistic tone. All trace of color was gone. Her gaze was penetrating and intimidating, at this point she looked eerily like a strigoi. The shear thought of it made my spine shudder.

And that's when I felt the sudden sharp pain as her fisted collided with my face. I didn't see it coming at all, the blow forced my head to knock backwards a bit. I stumbled in utter shock. Rose just punched me. This wasn't like any of our sparring lessons back at the academy, before it would have been written off as an accident, unintentional. But right now, this was all intent on her part.

I knew she had a temper, but she would never intentionally harm anyone. That was one of the things I loved most about her. She always put people before herself, and never inflicted harm unless there was a threat. Threat. The word echoed inside my head. That's exactly what I was at this moment. Something causing her harm.

I tried to resist it, but I couldn't block the memories that flooded my mind at this moment. Everything I'd done to her as a strigoi flashed before me and I mentally cringed from the images. Looking at her now, I deserved every ounce of damage she could inflict on me.

She locked gazes with me and my body froze at her words. "Never in my life have I ever felt so much regret. And not until this moment have I ever been ashamed of someone I loved", my mind was too shocked to process what she was saying.

"Do you think I like being put through misery when I could just choose a normal life? The answer was yes." I flinched from her tone. It was so cold.

But she just continued on, "I used to believed I could get back the brave, good man I once fell in love with. Now you're no better a man than the monster you were." The mask I was so desperately trying to hold in place, vanished. I was consumed with pain from hearing her say those words. I could never forgive myself for what I'd done, but I kept a small hold on hope that maybe I could get through this. And that hold was Roza.

She kept a faith in me when no one else would. She held the key to my soul. It hurt so much to see her disappointed in me. Whatever ragged thread of hope I had in me, slipped away at that moment.

I felt a lump in my throat as I felt my emotions of despair come running back. Without out her strength, I no longer held a purpose in this world. I had to tell her the truth, I needed to confess my true feelings. By doing this maybe I would somehow undo the damage I'd done to her. I cleared my throat and stepped towards her.

She raised a hand to stop me, but I foolishly ignored the gesture and instead grabbed her hand in mine. My body heated up from the simple touch. I had to tell her. Every fiber in my being was screaming for more. But she defensively withdrew her hand at once.

I suddenly felt cold without her touch. And once again, she tried striking me in the face. Unfortunately, my old guardian reflexes took control. I grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. I could feel my body pressed against hers, and the heat my body was longing for was back. I lowered my head, and in a voice I didn't recognize whispered "Rose, just stop."

Her response was to ramp her heel into my foot and elbow me in the gut. I didn't have a good grip on her, so she was able to flip her body around and face me. The proximity of our bodies only fueled the heat I felt for her and it raised into an inferno. I needed to complete the embrace. Right now all I wanted to do was capture her delicate lips in mine.

I wasn't expecting what happened next though, she gripped my shoulders with both hands and kneed my manhood with brute force. The pain was excruciating, my stance became uneven as I bit down on my tongue and stifled a groan.

By this time, Rose had broken free. But no sooner had she disentangled herself, her right leg collided with my stomach sending me back a few feet down the pew. I landed very disgracefully on my back.

She was a lot stronger than I remembered. Before I could even sit up Rose was hovering over me. When she spoke, it was authoritative, "'Love doesn't fade', she hissed using her fingers as quotations marks. "Only a coward could use such a pathetic excuse like that." Every word she spoke made my guilty grow darker.

"I'm beginning to wonder what it was I ever saw in you", she gave me a piercing glare, "You Mr. Belikov", it really hurt for her to use my name in a professional tone. She didn't even bother to use my old guardian title, and that made everything that much worse. I was an outcast to the guardian society now, she continued "have been the biggest mistake I've ever taken a chance on. I should have killed you when I had the chance-no, that makes me no better than you, I wish I'd never met you."

Every letter of every word in each sentence was like daggers to my frozen heart. Every wound permanently planted and never to heal again. I could tell she was struggling to grasp onto a calm composure, and her eyes were starting to water.

In an emotionless tone she said, "You want me to 'stay away', then that's fine. But if you ever touch me again or come within ten feet of me, I won't hold back next time. Your injuries will be so extensive, you'll be on bed rest for a month."

I was at a loss for words, she had become so vicious and not the humorous, optimist she usually was. I couldn't help but blame myself for this. I had turned her into this savage storm.

But a part of me wondered if maybe she was still struggling with the princess's spirit side effects. I was caught in between the two thoughts trying to decipher which was true, or if they both were.

As I mused, it was then that I noticed the group of guardians and moroi surrounding me and I looked up just in time to see Rose's retreating figure.

I was relieved I hadn't confessed my true feelings. She had obviously had enough with me and she was dating Ivashkov. She's already moved on. A voice in my head whispered, but the thought of another man holding my Roza was unbearable...

Before I could continue my agonizing thoughts, the door to the apartment opened. I stood up just in time to see Princess Valisa Dragomir enter the room flanged by two of her guardians. The voice in my head whispered that Rose should be with her, not these strangers. Brushing it aside, I bowed and greeted her "Princess Dragomir".

She held up a hand, "Please just call me Lissa". I just gave her a sheepish grin in response. The gesture felt foreign, I just couldn't accept displaying or experiencing any joy anymore. I didn't deserve the privilege.

The door closed and she sat down on the couch, she gestured for me to do the same and I obliged. "How are you? I just heard what happened." she questioned. "I'm fine Prin- Lissa. It was just a misunderstanding that's all." I tried my best to keep a calm exterior.

"Dimitri she attacked you! How could that be a misunderstanding? I swear Rose is so unstable..." she couldn't finish her sentence. And I didn't want her to, Rose had every right to do what she did.

"What happened exactly, how did this all start?" she quickly asked. "Well I was attending service when she came in and sat next to me, at first she didn't say anything, but towards the end, she started asking questions and brought up our previous relationship-" I was cut off by her outburst.

"Damn it Rose! Why can't she take a hint? I know you guys had something together, but why the hell can't she see you need time to sort it all out!" I'd never seen the princess this upset before. She was always the picture of calm, I distantly wondered if this was her dark spirit side seeping through.

"Lissa, it's okay really, just let it go." I said in a soothing tone. She seemed to calm down a bit and turned to face me now, "Okay, I'll drop it, but the least I can do is erase the damage she caused", and before I could even protest her hand was on my bruised eye. Waves of hot and cold washed through my senses. I was still amazed by the element of spirit and all the powers it held.

The soreness vanished, but as I glanced at her trying to send a message of gratitude, she ripped her hand away and jumped up. A look of shock plastered on her face. In a flash she had her cellphone out and dialed a number, a female voice answered, "Rose why did you push him! Can't you see he's still recovering!". I stiffened, I didn't want Rose blamed for what I'd provoked out of her.

Lissa's eyes grew wider, "What's that supposed to mean? Hello? ROSE!". She slid her phone back into her bag. "I can't believe she hung up on me", she muttered as she started pacing back and forth.

I couldn't take it anymore, I was causing a wedge in their friendship. "Princess this has to stop", I didn't want to address her by a nickname. "You've been jumping to the wrong conclusion." She stopped her pacing and gazed at me. "Then enlighten me, I thought you didn't want Rose anywhere near you", her tone almost sinister from agitation.

"I do, but what happened in the church wasn't her fault. It was mine. I said something I shouldn't have." I could feel my mask slipping.

"What did you say to her?", she questioned. "I told her my love had faded, that I had given up on her" I confessed. Her eyes, if it was even possible, went wider. "You, you said you didn't love her?" I couldn't bring myself to speak anymore, I was too ashamed.

LPOV

All this time I was too absorbed in myself to even realize how all of this would effect Rose. Dimitri never told me about their conversations they had once he was turned back and I never pushed him to. I thought it would just cause him more stress, but now I felt like an idiot.

My best friend just got the love of her life back, and he did nothing but just break her heart all over again. It suddenly dawned on me, that Rose's feelings probably mirrored what I felt for Christian. If anything, they were most likely stronger. Christian was my world, and time spend away from him was terrible. I couldn't even begin to comprehend what it would feel like if he suddenly died or worse, was turned strigoi.

The dark fog that had been clouding my mind just a few minutes ago, cleared away. It was like a breath of fresh air had swept into me. With that clarity, I started to become engulfed by anguish and guilty. What had I just done to Rose? Throughout the past few days, she's needed me more than anything and what have I done in return? Brush her aside and comfort the man who broke her heart.

I looked back at Dimitri now, his aura was gray with a few rays of light here and there, he obviously felt bad for what he did to Rose, yet I still believed he deserved much more worse. I grinned knowing despite her pain, Rose stood up for herself.

I glared at Dimitri now in disgust. "Maybe bringing you back was a mistake." I said to him, my voice cold, "I thought that if I could restore you, Rose could finally find peace and be happy again. But now I see that was a foolish assumption on my part, because the only thing this has brought to her is more pain. Something she's never deserved."

It was funny how I'm usually never the one to bring someone down or act on my emotions before fully thinking it through, that was always Rose's thing. But I guess now I could see the appeal. It felt wonderful to speak my mind in that moment and defend someone I love.

I started walking towards the door. I had to find Rose and apologize. She is my sister and I was treating her unfairly. I need to make things right.

A/N: The links for the pictures of the cars mentioned in this chapter are on my profile. So check them out if you want and don't forget to review!

~Fabulous