– DIMITRI –

Around 1:30, Adrian suggested bringing the party back to the hotel room. Nobody had any objections or better suggestions so we called a cab. I was honestly ready to be done with the evening and was looking forward to winding down with a few pages of reading before bed. We had only been there about 10 minutes before there was a sharp knock on the door.

Both Eddie and I jumped up, hands on our stakes and ready for battle. The timing alone was odd enough to elicit such a reaction. I nodded Eddie to the door and he took a quick look through the peephole before relaxing and sounding an extremely put out groan. The look that he threw Adrian was full of venom while Adrian just sat back with an expression of knowing glee.

"Aren't you going to answer the door?" he smirked playfully.

Christian gave him a perplexed look before Eddie – rather reluctantly – pulled open the door.

The girl on the other side left little to the imagination, both in her dress and as to what her profession was. She stood with her hand on her hip, resting only a few inches above her tight dress's hemline.

"Adrian..." Christian warned carefully, "Lissa had only one instruction for you. Just one. You couldn't even handle that?"

"What's the saying again? What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?" Adrian looked towards me as if I would offer some sort of back up but I wasn't helping him out on this one. I had never been one to take interest in strip clubs or their draw, so to speak. I had no desire to sit through the madness that was sure to ensue here.

"Well, that is my cue to leave. You got this Eddie?" I didn't wait for his reply as I started to get up and head towards the door, snatching my jacket in the process.

The stripper shot me a little pout before turning her sights on Eddie. She made her way into the room, leaving only an inch or so between them as she brushed by, if that.

Poor Eddie looked terrified. The boy could take down Strigoi with the best of them, but a half-naked girl and he froze. He shut the door in a slight state of shock and followed the woman into the room. Well, she was more or less dragging him behind her. She had a finger hooked into his shirt between two buttons, but he didn't put up any resistance.

As the pair passed me, I gave her a nod.

"Ma'am."

"Cowboy," She flirted back playfully, looking me up and down before turning her sights on Eddie again.

I laughed, leaving the party behind me. I trusted Eddie could handle anything that came their way, though I suspected that the most dangerous thing that would happen would actually come when Lissa heard about the sudden twist in the night.

I hesitated in the hallway outside of the suite. We had been occupying the one that Eddie was sharing with Adrian. He had drawn the short straw on that one. I could easily return mine and Christian's room next door. I had packed a small paperback and could spend more than a few hours reading. Heck, it was late enough that there was no shame in turning in for the night either. However, a face from earlier kept haunting me.

We had seen Ivy perform several more times that night, albeit at a distance, and I couldn't get her similarity to Rose's appearance out of my mind. So instead of turning left towards the well-worn Western in my bag, I turned right towards the elevators.

It only took me a few minutes to walk the distance from the hotel back to Wonderland. I idly pondered if the cab ride earlier in the night had actually taken longer than I had on foot. As I reentered the club, I decided to take a seat closer to the stage in hopes of seeing Ivy a bit better. There were only a few seats open, the closest being at the end of one of the radiating spokes, near the dancer's pole.

Perhaps it was some form of self-induced torture masquerading as therapy, but I had to see her again. Even if she wasn't Rose, she looked close enough that for a moment, I could pretend. I could pretend she was my Roza. I could pretend she was alive. I could pretend she was safe.

Granted, this wasn't the life I would have expected or wanted for her. I glanced around and the dozens of hungry eyed men. I couldn't really pass judgment however. Even if my reason for sitting here now was slightly different than theirs, it still didn't quite make this acceptable. Plus, it wasn't like I had put up too much of an argument before when Adrian dragged us here earlier.

I had only sat down for a moment or two before a waitress, who apparently went by 'Mystic', handed me a drink. I didn't have time to protest it before she spoke.

"On the house. Compliments of the bartender."

I looked towards the bar where 'Princess' gave me a small wave.

I felt slightly awkward taking the drink, wondering if perhaps I had really misinterpreted the earlier encounter and she was actually making a pass at me. Until I saw the small note written on the napkin that accompanied the glass, that is.

She gets off at 3am.

I looked at her again, and she gave me a sharp nod before returning her attention to another patron.

With nobody but myself to feel responsible for, I swallowed the Jack and Coke as the music started and a few dancers made their way out amidst the stage smoke and flashing lights.

It was difficult to see for a moment through the fog, but I was aware that a figure had made their way towards the pole in front of me. A flash of skin and a whip of hair were all that I got while the young lady danced. Then the smoke cleared and time seemed to stop.

She paused in beat to the music, her eyes locking directly with mine. I would remember those eyes anywhere. My breath stopped as I took in the rest of her features. Her hair was nearly to her waist now, but appeared to have the same texture of silk that tempted me to touch. Her skin, though tinted by the stage lights, was still as smooth and tan as I continually dreamt it was. Even her curves rang a familiar bell in my mind as I remembered the night I had ran my hand down their length.

This girl didn't just look like Rose. She was Rose.

The last bit of doubt left my mind as I noticed her questioning look was laced with both surprise and recognition. Her expression was still off though. I wasn't sure what I had expected, but it definitely wasn't the confusion I was met with.

She broke the eye contact with me as she remembered what she was doing. The music suddenly seemed to come back, as did the lights and the other patrons surrounding us. I watched her as she gracefully danced, spinning and moving in time to the vaguely familiar song. I wasn't paying attention to the song however. A storm of feelings, both emotional – and yes, even physical – warred within me.

It had been so long since I'd seen her. How did she end up here? How did she end up doing this? Why didn't she return to the Academy? If she could somehow find her way to Vegas, then certainly she could have found a way to get back to St. Vladimir's. Why hadn't she reached out to anyone? Not her mother, not Lissa, not even me.

Even as these thoughts plagued me, the more primal side of my mind begged me to keep my focus on her. It wasn't difficult. She was beautiful. She always had been, but the past several years had done well for her and physically matured her in a way that I couldn't describe. It took a measured amount of self-control not to jump out of my chair, on to the stage, take her in my arms, and kiss her senseless. I felt a certain satisfaction as I appeared to capture her attention as well. I watched as she peeked back at me every moment she could. She ignored the other patrons around us completely.

The reminder that I wasn't the only one who could see her like this sent a wave of jealous rage through me, and I quickly suppressed it so I didn't cause a scene. I had to remind myself that this wasn't her first night here. She could have been here for years, as far as I knew. I had seen her dance several times tonight during our short stay, and it was inevitable that she had danced after we had left also. For all I knew, hundreds if not thousands of men had been given the privilege of watching her. There was nothing I could do to change that, and blindly fighting with those here in a misguided attempt to protect her now would only cause issues for us both.

As the music ended, she tossed me one last look. I knew I was openly staring at her and prayed that my face didn't betray my emotions. Without a word, she let her own gaze trace me up and down and with smirk that hinted towards approval and seduction, before she turned and walked away.

I saw her twice more that night. Once, again on the aerial silks where her strength, grace, and agility reminded me of the powerful girl I had once known. The second time was during a partner dance, where my blood boiled at the young man who so brazenly held her close to him. Part of it was anger, part of it was jealousy, and a part of it was despair. They pair looked so in sync, so natural with each other, that it was hard to ignore the sexual tension the built around them. Even the way she looked at him was like a knife to my chest, because it was so reminiscent of the way she had once looked at me.

I couldn't take it anymore after that. I knew I needed to confront her, to speak to her. I needed to know why she was here and why she never came back since it seemed like she was perfectly capable of doing so.

It was less than ten minutes until 3am. The single drink that I had enjoyed earlier hadn't even left a buzz, and I knew that I needed something to calm my nerves before talking to Rose. I walked up to the bar, waving 'Princess' over and ordering a shot of Russian Vodka. That should do the trick.

"You look a bit less chipper than when you walked in her," she noted.

I choose to ignore her observation, not knowing how to explain myself. "I need to see her. I need to talk to her. Please," I could hear the plea in my voice, "tell me how I can find her."

She puckered her lips for a moment. I don't know if it was the fact that she pitied me practically begging her for an answer, but she finally said, "Out the front entrance, down the alley to the left. It'll take her a few minutes to get ready, but she always leaves through that door. Don't tell her I told you and for the love of God...be careful."

I didn't wait to hear anymore, laying down some cash on the bar and making my way back towards the front entrance. Her warning amused me a bit, knowing that the last thing on my mind was the fear of walking down a dark alley alone. Instead, I was elated...or at least I think I was. There was a part of me that was still angry and wanted nothing more than to yell at her. But there was also a part of me – a fairly significant part – that wanted to hold her close like I had wished to do for the past several years, the way I feared I never would get the chance to.

~ ROSE ~

The shift was practically boring. I knew my routines like the back of my hand. Everything was running smoothly. Even the customers were behaving themselves for the most part. While I was grateful for the easy night, I was vaguely curious as to why there wasn't more excitement. Usually there was at least something worth telling Marie the next day.

About an hour before the end of my shift, I found it. Well, specifically, I found him. It was during the routine to "Feeling Good" by Michael Buble. It was much jazzier than my signature aerial silk piece I had performed earlier tonight: Katy Perry's "Dark Horse." One thing I really appreciated about Wonderland was that it tended to use a verity of songs and styles. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Def Leppard as much as the next girl, but "Pour Some Sugar On Me" is a little cliché in places like these.

He was sitting at the end of the far right catwalk, near my pole. I didn't recognize him at first through the stage smoke, but it didn't take long after it started to clear. The men who came night after night generally blended into the background by now, but he stood out.

His height is what caught my attention first. Even sitting, he was taller than most of the men I typically saw. I recognized him almost immediately. I had seen him dozens of time in my daydreams. It was almost as if the mysterious man from those private moments had been brought to life before me. Well, perhaps not so mysterious. In those dreams, he was called Dimitri. The dark shoulder-length hair, the chocolate eyes, even the strong jaw that seemed to hold his tension though he tried to hide it. Every feature of his mesmerized me, but none more than the way he looked at me.

I was used to men leering at me lustfully. I could see a bit of lust in his gaze as well, but it was overshadowed by every other emotion that ran across his face. Shock, disbelief, curiosity, and above all else, a sense of awe. It was as if he was witnessing some sort of miracle before his eyes. Nobody had ever stared at me like that before. It made me feel...strange. Special, almost. The way he looked at me hinted at more than adoration, but I wasn't sure what.

I nearly missed my cue before I started dancing again. Somehow this man captivated me nearly as much as I appeared to enthrall him. I kept looking towards him throughout the song. By the song's end, we were both unabashedly staring at the other. He was like a riddle and I was dying to find out the answer. He both entranced me and perplexed me. Honestly, it was slightly frustrating. However, as I gave him one final once over, I had to admit that he was extremely attractive. He might just be worth the fight

Jason laughed at me as I walked off stage. He was already dressed and ready for our tango later, though I still had one more aerial silk routine before that. Partner routines were a new offering here, one that I had personally requested when I realized how much I missed them from my dance classes in Spokane. Thankfully, the stage manager happened to be a ballroom enthusiast as well, so now in addition to his usual duties, he performs once or twice a night with me.

I knew he didn't mind the job though. Jason had a slight crush on me that he had no issue making known. He'd been pursuing me since I started working here but I knew it would never really come to fruition. The chemistry was there, but the emotions weren't. Thankfully, it makes for a fairly convincing dance partnership.

"You looked a bit distracted out there, Ivy." His grin told me that he had seen the entire thing between me and mystery man out there.

"Oh shut it, Jason. I was just playing it up to the customer." Total. Bold. Faced. Lie.

"Hun, I've seen you play it up to the customer. That was not playing it up to the customer. That was flirting."

I could feel my cheeks burn slightly at his observation. I resisted the urge to hit him and instead rolled my eyes and tried to play it off like it was no big thing.

"Whatever. I have to be back in the silks in ten minutes and we have a tango in twenty. If you don't mind, I need to go get ready." I didn't wait for an answer before walking away.

I couldn't get him off my mind though. I had seen him so many times in my daydreams. I didn't even know how it was possible for him to be a real person, for him to be here. And the way he made me feel with just a look was...frankly indescribable. My heart started racing a bit just remembering it. I knew that I would probably never see him again, and that was probably for the best. Part of me wanted to get to know him better, and another part of me was worried that he just saw me as another pretty face dancing on a pole. The way he was looking at me though...No. If I focused on the sort of reaction he had on me, then I wasn't going to make it through the rest of my shift.

Eventually, my shift ended. I was able to make it the rest of the night without looking at him again. I could almost feel his eyes on me, not in a creepy way, but as if he was studying me so intently that his gaze became a physical sensation. Knowing that he was watching pushed me further into my routines, desperate to keep his attention.

As I finished getting dressed back into my street clothing and took off my makeup, I toyed with the idea of going out to introduce myself to the man. This was the first time I had ever had that temptation, and after several minutes of debating, I decided against it. As intriguing as he was, he was still a stranger. While it wasn't a strip club, my workplace still wasn't the ideal place to meet a guy.

I walked out the back entrance and started heading through the back alley toward the employee lot. Perhaps it wasn't so very wise to walk through this area alone, but most people were more concerned about what was happening on the main Strip with the lights, music, and street performers. I wasn't worried about anyone waiting for a girl walking through the alleyway.

Tonight though, someone was.

"Roza."

I turned towards the sound automatically. His face was slightly obscured by the low light but I was still able to see him fairly well. Even if I had only been able to see his silhouette, I would have recognized him. He was at least 6'6 and likely taller. But suddenly the mystery man was less intriguing and a bit more intimidating.

His voice was calm, non-threatening, but I was still on edge. I glanced behind me towards the exit I just came through. It locked automatically when closed. The man was blocking my escape towards the street. There was no way my coworkers or the pedestrians nearby would hear me scream. I was on my own. I really need to stop taking this exit.

"Roza. Rose. I...I can't believe it's you."

"I – I'm not sure you should. I don't know who this 'Rose' is you're talking about." I was trying to keep a distance between us, taking a step back with every step he took towards me. Unfortunately, his stride was much larger than my own.

His entire demeanor changed with my words. Where he had once been almost reverent, he was now almost offended. The sudden mood shift didn't ease my heart rate any.

"That's right. You go by Ivy now, don't you?" It was as if my name was a personal affront to him.

I was shocked that he knew my name. At the club, we were careful not to refer to each other by anything other than our stage name in front of patrons. I was beginning to wonder if this man was more than an over eager customer. Perhaps he was a stalker. One of the girls had to deal with one a while back and it had been messy.

"Look, Sir, I don't know who you are-"

"What do you mean you don't know who I am?" I was a bit surprised at the sincerity in his tone.

"I mean...I've never seen you before tonight." Technically that was a lie, but I could say that I never saw him face to face before tonight. Moving towards me, he had also moved significantly to the left side of the alley. It wasn't much, but if this man had any intention to harm me, then I needed to take any chance I could at escaping.

He saw my intention a nanosecond before I moved. I made it approximately three steps past him before I felt his hand on my shoulder. I reacted in self-defense, turning towards him as I brushed his hand aside and aiming a kick towards his knee to be followed by a strike to his throat.

The kick never connected though. He blocked it. Not only did he block that move, he blocked every other move I attempted. It was as if he could foresee everything I was going to do. He stopped everything but offered no counter in return. It became clear pretty quickly that he didn't have a single intention to hurt me.

After a couple of minutes of our one-sided battle, I just simply stopped. I stopped fighting him and stepped back. He dropped his guard as soon as I did and we just looked at each other, neither knowing what just happened or where to go from here. I suddenly noticed we had switched places during the fight, my back now to the open end of the alley, giving me an escape. Without a second thought...I ran.

Author's Note

Well, that didn't go as expected now did it? Oh well, at least they talked to each other. I wonder how Eddie did with the stripper? Poor boy probably didn't stand a chance.

How do you think Dimitri's going to react to everything? What about Rose? That had to be quite a shock to them both.

I also want to get your guys's opinions here. I'm so used to writing Dimitri, that I'm wondering if the Rose/Ivy perspective is coming out right. She's going to be a little different than the Rose we know and love, but that's only natural considering that she's lived a very different life. What do you think of her?

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! I'm so glad that you are loving this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Be sure to follow and favorite too! I always look for reading recommendations from my friend's "favorite story" lists so it's a great way to share the story.

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