Friendship Is A Bond Too || Lissa x Rose friendship fluff || For Josie aka .com

It was unusual for me to be awake and functioning so early in the day. Everyone who knows me is aware of how much I value my sleep, so much so that they generally go out of their way to avoid waking me up for fear of incurring my anger. But today I had something that had to be done, and if everything went according to plan, sacrificing a few hours of sleep would be totally worthwhile. I was so determined to make sure things went off without a hitch that the night before I'd set my clock ahead by an hour and a half, in an attempt to fool myself into thinking I'd had my normal amount of sleep, and surprisingly enough, it seemed to have worked. For once I was out of bed before Dimitri—although I'll admit it was hard to get up and leave with him laying there sprawled out across our bed. Even asleep the man looked sexy as hell, making me want to crawl right back in beside him.

I was dressed and out the door in record time, scooping up the bag I'd prepared the night before and scurrying across the silent grounds of court, determined to stick to the schedule I'd made. No one knew about what I had planned except for one person, and he'd sarcastically dubbed my mission 'operation kidnap the Queen'. Christian was probably the last person in the world I would have confided in, but he loved Lissa too, and he agreed with my belief that she needed to take a day off, whether she wanted to or not.

Lissa never took time for herself anymore—something I could understand, seeing as she was the queen—and it was starting to take a toll on her. She'd been more excitable lately, her moods changing so quickly it often left people staring at her speculatively, and that was what had take action. Hell, even Queens deserved to kick back and relax once in a while, and it was practically mandatory for a queen like ours who lived with the threat of spirits darkness affecting her. Between the two of us, Christian and I had intimidated Lissa's secretary into rearranging her schedule, so now, unbeknownst to her, she had a whole day off with nothing to do other than enjoy some time with her best friend—something that we hadn't had a chance to do since running our world had taken over her life.

Approaching the Royal apartment, I pulled out my phone, sending Christian a quick text to let him know that I was almost there. We'd arranged it so that he'd be waiting near the entrance, ready to escort me in. After what had happened to Queen Tatiana, not even the queen's best friend was granted admittance into her residence while she was sleeping. Since it kept Liss safe I wasn't complaining, but I have to admit it irritated me at times—this being one of them.

"Took you long enough," Christian muttered as soon as he opened the door. "What'd you do, stop off for donuts on the way over?"

Shooting him a disparaging look I ignored his snarky question, brushing past him and entering the expansive entryway of Lissa's private residence. It was a beautiful place, just as elegant and classy as the woman who resided there. "Is she still in bed?"

He nodded, sliding on his jacket and giving me a typical Christian Ozera glare. "Of course she is—isn't that why you planned to get here so damned early?"

Resisting the urge to stick my tongue out at him, I smiled, knowing that he could probably tell I was fighting back the urge to suggest he go screw himself. I'd never admit it to another living soul, but he and I were so alike that at times it was almost scary. "Thanks for your help Sparky. Don't let the door slamming you in the ass slow you down on your way out."

Not waiting for a response—because honestly, if Christian and I started trading insults we'd be there all day—I made my way down the hall, nodding at the guardians stationed outside the door and letting them sift through my bag, biting my tongue the entire time. Even though Christian had filled them in on the plan, there was no way they were going to let me in that room until they made sure I had no weapons—never mind the fact that even without a weapon, I was deadly, having trained my whole life to kill, the same way they had. "Satisfied now? I whispered, glaring at them, "Or do you think I'm gonna attempt to kill her with a bottle of frigging fingernail polish?"

Zipping the bag back up I cracked open the door, tiptoeing into the room where the young Moroi Queen was sleeping. When I reached the bed, I couldn't help but be transported back, remembering all the times that I'd stayed with the Dragomir's growing up, and the way Liss and I had always started off each day. Without really thinking about it, I gave into the moment, unable to stop myself. Launching myself up on the bed I began jumping up and down, laughing as she shot upright, a startled expression on her face. It was only when she opened up her mouth to scream that I stopped, dropping down beside her so she could see it was only me and not some masked assassin.

"Rose! What on earth is wrong with you! I thought I was under attack!"

"Sorry, you looked so peaceful that I couldn't resist." Reaching over pushed a piece of pale blonde hair off her face, smiling at the sight of my normally immaculately groomed friend with a serious case of bed head. "It's time to rise and shine."

Rubbing at her eyes she glanced over at the clock, then did a double take and groaned when she noticed the time. "My first meeting isn't until eight—I don't have to be in the council room for another two hours."

Unable to keep a self-satisfied smirk off my face, I laughed. "You've got longer than that Liss—your first meetings been canceled. Matter of fact, all of them have. You've got the whole day to—"

"What the hell do you mean 'all of them have'," she snapped, cutting me off and narrowing her eyes.

"You needed a day off, so I got you one." I studied her expression, unable to hide my surprise at hearing her curse.

"Some of those meeting have been scheduled for six months Rose! You can't just—"

"Well I did," I interjected, "and it's too late to do anything about it now. Your relaxing is more important than those meetings. Besides, I never get to see you anymore—"

"I can't believe you!" She stood up, glaring at me as she pulled her robe on. "We see each other almost every single day!"

I got to my feet, my hands clenched into fists at my side. Her anger had ignited my own, and I was struggling to control my temper and keep my tone of voice low and even. Not because I was intimidated because she was queen, but simply because she was my best friend and I didn't want to fight with her. "Me standing on the wall guarding you while you meet with a bunch of Royals discussing stupid budgets isn't the same thing as us spending time together, and you damn well know it!"

"What I know," she said, her voice cold and emotionless, "is that you're still the exact same selfish, irresponsible girl you were back at the academy. I thought being with Dimitri was helping you mature, but obviously I was wrong."

I jerked back, her words having the same effect as if she's physically struck me. It stung to hear her say that, because the truth of the matter was, I'd given up a lot in order to surprise her with this. It was my day off, and Dimitri's too, and instead of spending the day with him, the way I normally would, I'd chosen to spend it with her. "Lissa—"

"This isn't like school Rose! I can't just fake being sick because you want to sneak off and have fun, for God's sake!" She was pacing now, her movements almost frenzied, and that in itself tipped me off almost as much as her uncharacteristic outburst.

I cautiously approached her, reaching into my pocket for the thin silver band that I always carried with me. As soon as I'd realized the bond was gone, I'd contacted Oksana, and she had kindly agreed to provide me with spirit charmed jewelry as often as it was needed. Lightning fast I struck, my hand darting out and catching hold of hers, sliding the ring on her finger and refusing to let go, not wanting her to remove it. "This isn't you Liss. It's the darkness."

"Goddamn it Rose! You can't blame the darkness every time I don't agree with you! You have to grow up and realize…" She let her voice trial off, looking slightly confused, as if she couldn't remember what she'd been saying. Realizing this was the only opportunity I might have, I launched into an explanation, keeping a firm grip on her hand the entire time, waiting for the ring to work its magic.

"I blame the darkness because I recognize it Lissa—I lived with it every day, remember? That's part of the reason I wanted you to take the day off—I could tell it was starting to get to you. As for the other part… well, it's because I miss my best friend." I stared at her, willing her to hear my, and to understand what I was saying. "It's been so long since we just hung out and had fun together—the way we did before Dimitri took us back to Saint Vlad's. Remember what it was like when we were out on our own? How on Friday's after school we'd stop off at Blockbuster and pick up some crappy movies, then stay up late pigging out on junk food and just… acting like normal teenage girls?"

I could see my words taking effect, working in tandem with the ring to calm her. Her angry expression was fading, her face softening slightly as the tension slowly left her body. "It was fun, she agreed, a small smile replacing her scowl. "Giving each other manicures and trying out new hairstyles while we gossiped about the people at school."

I nodded, releasing her hand and bending to pick up the bag that I'd dropped beside the bed. Unzipping it, I upended it, spilling the contents over the rumpled sheets. "Look—I brought movies… and gummy worms… junior mints… nail polish too. I just wanted us to have a day to ourselves. A day where we weren't the Queen and her guardian, but just Lissa and Rose, without all the bullshit that's taken over our lives."

She approached the bed, picking up a movie and gazing at it thoughtfully for a few minutes before nodding. "You're right. I do need a day like that. And… I'm sorry Rose .About what I said. I didn't mean it."

Releasing a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding, I reached over and pulled her into my arms, relieved that the ring had worked—at least for now, anyway. It wasn't a permanent solution, but until I could come up with a better one, it was better than nothing. "I know Liss. Forget about it. I already have."

We spent the day exactly like I'd planned, doing nothing other than enjoying our time together. After several hours, when the junk food was all gone, when I was intent on painting her toenails a bright, starting pink, I heard a noise that surprised me, because it was something I hadn't heard for far, far too long. Glancing up, I saw my best friend, her face contorted as she tried not to laugh. "Liss?" My confused tone must have been too much for her, because the next thing I knew, she was laughing so hard that her foot moved, causing me to coat half of her toe pink. "What the hell Lissa?"

"I'm sorry," she wheezed out, "But your face…. And… your tongue was out because you were concentrating so hard. God Rose… You cancelled my budget meetings because they were 'unimportant', but you're staring at my foot as if it will be a national disaster if you make a little mistake. It's just… so you Rose!"

"Well thanks," I said dryly, attempting to wipe the polish off her skin. "I'm glad you find my attention to detail so amusing."

"That's just it… only you would be so detail oriented when it comes to something like this, and so dismissive of the other stuff." She reached down and pulled me up beside her, still trying to control her giggles. "You keep me grounded in a way no one else can. You make me see that sometimes there are things more important than the meetings and the dinners and the endless politics. I need to make more time to spend with the people I love."

I glanced over at her, and was pleased to note the happy expression on her face. Lately she'd taken to wearing a regal mask, but right now, it was gone, and for the first time in a long time, I saw my best friend smiling back at me. "That's what Christian and I have been trying to tell you," I said gently.

"You may have to remind me again a time or two," she said, "but I promise I won't get quite so angry next time."

I grinned at her, knowing that when she found out I had the same thing planned for next week, she'd pitch a fit—but it would be worth it. "I'll hold you to that Your Majesty."

And I would too. The spirit bond that had tied us together was gone, but another bond existed between us—one that was far older and far stronger, dating all the way back to our very first day of kindergarten. Friendship was a powerful bond all on its own, and I'd do everything in my power to keep it in place and to protect her from the darkness, even if it meant incurring the Moroi Queens wrath on a weekly basis.

After all, what's a little anger between friends?