Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy.

Ch. 14 Dreams

I flew at him and gave him a hug. Adrian staggered back but hugged me back. "That's the first time I've ever gotten such an enthusiastic reaction from you, little dhampir," he teased, holding me away at arm's length so he could look at me. "You still look as hot as ever."

I shrugged, looking up at him. His emerald green eyes seemed even greener than usual, which didn't seem possible. He was dressed in a simple white v-neck shirt (guys in v-necks did look good…), and dark jean that were probably designer brand. "Well, it has been a week since I left. Not much has changed."

In the week since I'd left, he hadn't talked to me in my dreams. I wondered briefly if it was because he didn't want to intrude on my dreams while I was with Dimitri.

I looked down at myself. I was wearing a black tank top with some lace along the neckline, shorts, and flip-flops. It was practically what I was wearing when I'd gone to bed, and I was glad I wasn't all dolled up. There was no saying how I could appear in these dreams.

"When are you coming back?" Adrian asked, trying his best to sound nonchalant.

I knew that he missed me, and he wished I would come back soon – even if I wouldn't be with him. "In about two or three days. Didn't you read the dates on the tickets when you were booking them?"

Adrian shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "If I did, I forgot. Besides, you know I usually have some alcohol on hand and…"

I shook my head. "At some point in life, you're going to lose your liver at the rate you're going at. Do you keep a bottle of vodka in your nightstand?"

He smirked, running his hands through his already messy dark hair. "Of course, little dhampir. Gotta keep something on hand to calm my nerves."

"Or you could always just look into trying to control spirit instead of blocking it out with alcohol," I remarked. He was almost always drinking, so that he could block out the unpleasant effects of spirit. However, I sincerely doubted that it was really helping him, and he'd probably be drinking. The sun gleamed against the promise ring, which had somehow made its way into my dream. Something occurred to me, and I looked at him again. "How's Lissa?"

Astonishment crossed his face. "Don't you have your bond?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "She…well, she seems kind of mad I would skip out on her like that without telling her anything. I didn't really want all of her feelings in me too much, so I would just check up once in a while." And by once in a while, I meant every few days or so.

Adrian said, "She'll get over it. As long as she never realizes where you really are."

I grimaced. If anyone besides Adrian found out I was in Russia…with my mentor, no less…things could get very ugly. God knew what would happen to me and Dimitri.

"Besides," Adrian added, "she can't stay mad at you forever. You guys are best friends for life. Besides the whole bond, of course."

I smiled when he said "best friends for life," remembering the first day we'd met.

We'd been in kindergarten, and the teacher was trying to teach us how to write our names. Forcing us to write Rosemarie Hathaway and Vasilisa Dragomir over and over was cruel, or so I'd thought at the time. I'd chucked my book at the teacher, and called her a "fascist bastard." Of course, I hadn't known what it meant and I got in huge trouble. But afterwards, me and Lissa became best friends.

"I guess. But still, when her negative feelings sort of seep into me…" I shivered. I still wasn't sure why I absorbed her dark feelings.

Adrian scrutinized me closely. I frowned, but realized he wasn't actually looking at me – he was looking the area surrounding me.

"Your aura…"

"Is it dark?" I asked him.

Adrian cocked his head, his green eyes puzzled. "Interesting. Your aura's still dark, for whatever reason…but it's definitely lightened up. It's the colors that it should be, with only a hint of the darkness."

"What's even causing the darkness you see in my aura?" I asked him.

Adrian shrugged. "I don't know. I still haven't learned everything about auras, you know."

I sighed, staring off at the flowers around us. "You know, whatever you feel…I still do miss you. As a friend, I mean."

A slight smirk crossed his face, and he smiled. "It's nice to know that. You haven't just ridden off into the sunset with Belikov and completely forgotten me."

I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "That's ridiculous and you know it. Even though I'm with Dimitri in Russia, I can't forget everyone back home."

"That's good to know," Adrian murmured. There was a strange look in his eyes, and I involuntarily took a step back.

A slight flash of pain crossed his face when I stepped a little further from him. "I'm surprised you haven't been begging me to end the dream yet," he said, quickly composing his features into a pleasant smile.

I laughed, tilting my head up to the sun. "You don't annoy me the way you usually would if I was back at school, so I might as well. Besides, having an almost real dream is kind of cool."

"Who said it wasn't real?" Adrian asked, amused.

I stared. "You said it was a dream once."

He made a red rose appear from nowhere. The thorns didn't seem to hurt his skin, and with a bow, he offered it to me.

I took it, smiling as I inhaled the sweet scent. A crimson red rose. Just like the rose that was my name.

But then as I stared at the rose, I remembered that its meaning was "I love you." I stared up at Adrian, my eyes going wide.

He gave a half-smile, and stepped closer to me. "I know that you're with Dimitri, and that you both love each other. But remember…I will always be waiting for you."

"You'll be waiting for nothing," I murmured, staring down at the ground as I twirled the rose around in my hands.

He was now right next to me. I felt my breathing come a little faster at the lack of space between us. Dimitri, I reminded myself. You love Dimitri.

He came closer, putting his arms around me. I stiffened at him being so close to me. Now that we were close, I could smell the hints of a slightly heady cologne on him. "I know you do. But it is possible to love two people at the same time."

I shook my head, trying to look away from him and ignore the fact we were so close together. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to walk away from Adrian. "It's not. At least, not for me. Adrian…I'm just not interested in you like that."

Silence hung between us for a moment, thick as fog. Finally, I spoke, and was surprised to see that he was still so close to me. "Could you…could you end the dream, please?"

The sad look in his green eyes deepened and he sighed wearily. "Alright. Sweet dreams, Rose."

With that, everything went black around me, and I went back to my own normal dreams.

I woke up around sunrise – or "midnight," technically. I was now used to waking up on a human daylight schedule.

A slight feeling of guilt washed over me as I remembered last night's dream visit with Adrian. Although he hadn't directly told me that he loved me, like Dimitri had many times, the rose he'd given me was pretty much of his way of saying it…

I felt something in my hand and I looked down.

It was a single red rose – just like the one that he'd given me in my dream! I stared at it for a moment, in complete shock, before forcing my mind to work again.

What the hell was going on? Why were things from spirit dreams mysteriously starting to carry over into my waking life?

I glanced at the clock, wondering if Adrian would be awake. He probably would be awake, but this hardly seemed the time to be calling him and asking him about spirit dreams.

I rolled over onto my side, studying Dimitri. He snored very quietly, looking peaceful as he kept sleeping. It was one of the few times he seemed truly at peace and not constantly on guard. Whenever he was awake, it seemed like he was always wary and on guard for any threats out to get us.

I smiled over at him although he wouldn't see it, leaned over, and kissed his cheek very softly. I lay back down beside him, and fell back sleep.

Once we woke up and got dressed for breakfast, things got pretty awkward with questions.

"So where'd that skank go?" Viktoria asked, forking up some eggs and putting them in her mouth.

"Well…she left," Dimitri said rather glibly.

"For good?" Olena asked as she bustled around the kitchen and the family room to make sure that everyone had something to eat.

"Yeah," I said, hoping I was right and that Tasha wouldn't be paying an unexpected visit to the Belikov house anytime soon.

"Good riddance," Yeva muttered, banging down her needles very loudly.

"Wait, what happened last night?" Karolina asked, her voice carrying a slight steel note in it as she spoke.

I exchanged a look with Dimitri as he got up to put his plates in the sink. He nodded, but I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about it. "Dimitri, you tell them."

Dimitri gulped, looking at me warily. He then turned to the rest of his family and started speaking in Russian to them. I picked out my name a few times.

Sonya gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. She looked absolutely horrified.

The rest of the family had somewhat varying, but similar faces. Yeva kept her emotions off her face and kept on knitting.

Viktoria let out what seemed to be an expletive in Russian. Olena looked absolutely stunned, and sank onto a wooden chair.

"I've known Tasha for many years. Why would she do something like that?" she gasped.

Dimitri's voice was grim. "She's so desperate to not lose me to Rose that she would do anything to have me. I'm afraid of what might happen if she tries this again. I barely escaped both times that she used compulsion on me. Factor in that I myself once had feelings for her, way back in high school."

"If she does it again…then clearly, there's a possibility you might not be able to resist it," Olena murmured, deep in thought.

Dimitri nodded. "We should probably plan on going home a little sooner than expected."

"You're going back in three days, right?" Karolina said, breaking the silence. Dimitri nodded.

"We'll exchange the tickets for tickets that are a day earlier," Karolina continued, putting her mug to her lips and taking a sip. "If Tasha does want to try to find you again, she'll have a hard time finding you. You'll be safe at St. Vladimir's."

"It's not like she's some Strigoi, trying to hunt us down," Dimitri said dryly. "But that's a good plan. I'll start booking the tickets now." He stood up, and left.

"What's going on?" Paul asked as he appeared from around the corner, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

I smiled at him, not wanting to worry him. "Nothing much. It's just that we might be going home a day sooner than expected."

Paul's face fell as I spoke. "But then you'll be going to the U.S. and I won't see you again, Aunty Rose."

I hugged him, still touched by how he called me aunty. "Don't worry. Someday, I'll come back to Russia and visit you."

Dimitri then walked out of…well, wherever he'd come from. "I've booked the tickets, Roza. We're going back home in two days."

That night, I had a really bad nightmare, the worst I'd ever had in my life. I dreamed that an unknown blond Strigoi bit Dimitri and started sucking away his blood before my eyes.

"Stop!" I screamed, running towards them. You know how it feels like in dreams, like no matter how hard you try, you can't run fast enough? That's what happened – it felt like my legs were stuck in mud.

The Strigoi sneered, lifting his fangs from Dimitri's neck. Blood – Dimitri's blood – glistened on his fangs and I had to fight from shuddering. "Come and save him if you can," he taunted.

I tried to keep running but I saw it was too late. The Strigoi had already cut himself and was feeding his own blood back to Dimitri, who was too weak to resist.

I yelled towards the blond Strigoi. "Leave him alone!"

Dimitri's tanned skin went as pale as a sheet. He stirred, and exposed his fangs. I shuddered in horror. When he opened his eyes…they were the dark red of a Strigoi.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed.

I sat up abruptly, my heart pounding, and my skin slick with sweat.

"What's wrong?" I heard Dimitri's voice whisper into my ear as he wrapped his arms tightly around me.

I couldn't help it, and burst into tears. It was only a nightmare, I thought to myself as I cried into Dimitri's chest.

He murmured soft soothing words in Russian while he hugged me tightly and gently stroked my back. When I finally stopped crying, I looked up at him. It was definitely the Dimitri I loved, and not the one from my nightmares.

"Did you have a bad dream?" he asked me.

I nodded.

"Want to tell me about it?"

I hesitated, but told him everything in my nightmare.

Dimitri was quiet for a moment, and didn't let go of me. "It was only a nightmare," he reassured me. "I'm still here, and I'm still a dhampir."

I gave him a wan smile. "I hope it's only a nightmare."

"Go back to sleep, Roza," he told me as we lay back down on the bed. He kissed my cheek. "Sleep, and dream sweet dreams."

I hope so, I thought a little darkly to myself.

Although he said it was just a nightmare, and I'd felt much better when I saw him beside me… I couldn't shake off the feeling that it could be a glimpse of the future. Which made no sense whatsoever, since I couldn't see the future for obvious reasons.

It was only a dream, I hoped.

Haha this chapter is sort of like a filler chapter...still trying to think of ideas for what else to write about so suggestions/reviews greatly appreciated.

Originally when I wrote this chapter, I'd planned to have Adrian confess his feelings to Rose and then have them kiss, but I don't think that really would've gone well with the rest of the storyline, so I re-wrote the dream part of the chapter. Enjoy reading!