Drabble:75
POV:Third Person

A few weeks after Lissa's coronation (after Rose's stitches were removed and she returned to her peak physical form) Rose and Dimitri had a weekend off, together for the first time…..and Dimitri had this nagging suspicion that it wasn't a coincidence but was more due to the Queen's interference.

In celebration of their mini-holiday, they woke up early (really early) Saturday morning and drove to a quaint town on the outskirts of Pennsylvania with a minor moroi population. Reaching their destination, Dimitri checked them into a motel while Rose reassured Lissa and her mom that yes, they had travelled safely and no, she wasn't going to do anything stupid or reckless.

Depositing their minimal luggage in the room, the duo went to a road-side inn for breakfast, after which they walked about town, hand in hand, shopping for kitschy souvenirs for their friends back at Court while ignoring the shocked looks of the local moroi and dhampirs at seeing a dhampir couple roaming around publicly.

After that, they had a lunch of steak, mashed potatoes and greens (Dimitri insisted on the greens) before returning to their motel and spending the afternoon in each other's company, just relaxing and enjoying the picturesque scenery over hot chocolate and butter cookies.

Come evening, they were out of the motel with hiking supplies and onto a trail leading into alpine woods. They hiked for a few hours, Rose singing in a slight off-key tune all the while, convinced that her singing would be enough to keep away predators of the carnivorous variety. Dimitri only shook his head at her absurd reasoning, but didn't dare argue, in fear that she'd coax him to sing too, a result of which would be that she'd run away from him in the opposite direction as fast as her legs could carry.

Anyways, after hiking for some time, they decided to stop at a nearby peak and set camp. Rose built a mini-bonfire while Dimitri set up their tent and then, they shared a dinner of marshmallows and beef jerky before retiring to their tent.

In the morning, after watching the sunrise, they decided to hike a bit before breakfast and to their immense surprise came across a little stream, where they fished to their heart's content. Well, Dimitri fished, while Rose splashed in the water before throwing a handful at him, which started an epic water-fight. Hours later, wearing their sun-dried clothes, they ate a meal of fried fish with a loaf of rye-bread and a can of tomato soup, which Dimitri had the foresight to bring.

They hiked a bit more, Dimitri trying to identify some of the rare and exotic flora and fauna, while Rose snapped picture after picture of them and their surroundings. It was evening before they decided to head back to civilization, satisfied with their alone-time. They were walking leisurely, Rose's head deposited on Dimitri's shoulder and his hand resting around her waist, when they heard a guttural scream. Instantly alert, the duo exchanged a look and a nod before drawing their stakes and soundlessly, heading in the direction of the noise.

In a little clearing, they saw about five strigois draining two morois, who had undoubtedly wandered away from the village and who looked pretty close to being dead. There was nothing that Rose or Dimitri could do for either and it would only be logical for them to walk away. Dimitri had almost decided that when he realized something. He looked back at Rose and saw the same realization in her eyes. This was the first time they would get to fight side by side. Sharing a grin and a fierce kiss, they silently dropped their luggage and jumped into the clearing, ready to blast the strigois to the afterlife. After it was all done, they picked their stuffs, washed away the strigoi blood and continued their walk to the town, stakes still drawn. They'd had a fantastic, relaxing vacation, ending with the added bonus of killing strigoi.

Little did they know then that most of their future vacations would end in the exact same way…..

Thank you for reading! Please Review! Cheers!

PS-I'd like to take this opportunity to thank guest reviewer kitty, roza-dinka-reader, fantasyaddict24, jgdnam, fiera hathaway, madamerozabelikova and genesis chi for reviewing so many of my past drabbles and for sticking with me so far. Y'all are awesome!