~ROSE~

"I don't answer to them," I offered him a bittersweet smile and a mocking curtsy to solidify my point.

"I know you don't. You're welcomed to refuse. I wouldn't recommend it, but that's up to you." His demeanor seemed completely unfazed and I hated that I couldn't see past that stupid guardian mask right now.

"What? You aren't going to drag me kicking and screaming? What happened to the Dimitri I met in Portland?"

He smiled and I felt my stupid heart race for a beat or two. I used to live for those smiles, but I tried to tell myself that I couldn't get too attached to them. Another twenty minutes or so and he'd be gone again.

"This isn't the same situation, Rose. You aren't the same reckless teenager, and I'm not the same workaholic guardian."

I looked at him disbelievingly. I couldn't imagine Dimitri as anything other than a workaholic guardian. It was part of what made him...well, Dimitri.

"Okay, so I'm a guardian with some workaholic tendencies," he admitted with some reluctance, "but the fact remains that I'm not the same person I was that night. I've changed. A lot of that has to do with you. You changed me, Rose."

I looked away, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth and gnawing at the soft flesh. His admission made me uncomfortable and I wasn't sure what to say. What could I say? He was the one that told me to go. Now he wants me to come back? No, not him. The Guardian Council.

"Do you know what they want me for?"

"Your marks. You earned them and they would like to officially offer them."

I laughed bitterly. "This seems like something I could have easily declined over the phone. You think I want a reminder of how I failed Mason and barely escaped with my life? Trust me, I'm starting to wish I could just forget it all again."

"None of us want to remember how we got our marks. They aren't badges of honor, they're memorials for those we couldn't save."

I stared at him, and wondered how many of his marks came with the loss of a friend, a peer, or someone completely innocent. Many people died at the reception, dhampir and Moroi alike; perhaps I did owe it to them to brand the reminder of that on my skin.

"And they just sent you as the messenger?"

"I volunteered."

Huh. Well, that had to count for something. And to be honest, I was curious about what they wanted. Curiosity didn't pay the bills though. "I have a job, Dimitri. I can't just pick up and leave because some group of mythical creatures beckons."

Before he could reply, I pulled the handle to the alley door – propped open by nothing more than a small rock between the door and the jam – and disappeared through. I gave him one last smirk as the heavy steel separated us.

– DIMITRI –

Why couldn't she ever just make thing easy for me? I knew that she wouldn't come quietly when I offered to come get her, but I didn't expect her to make things quite so difficult. I weighed my options of waiting for her out here or actually venturing inside. In the end, I reluctantly decided to go in. I had no idea when she got off, and now that she knew I was out here, she would probably try to throw me off. Since I didn't know where she lived, my best chance of talking to her again was to keep tabs on her in the club.

Paying the entry fee was no easier today as it was several weeks ago, and perhaps it stung a little bit more since I was doing so now as a desperate measure to talk to Rose again. She must have been back stage at the moment but someone else caught my eye.

I started for the bar, taking one of the stools at the end and waited for Princess to notice me. It only took a moment or two, before she slid a shot of Vodka my way with a grin.

"Need some liquid courage?"

"More like liquid pain relief. Rose didn't exactly seem thrilled to see me."

"Well, IVY has been trying to figure out quite a few things right now. Maybe you should try talking to her rather than jumping out from the shadows in the alley."

I cocked my eyebrow, both at her scolding tone and the fact that she seemed to know what had happened literally minutes ago. She patted her hip pocket of her shorts where the thin outline of a phone straining against the tight fabric.

"We'll you are the one who's been telling me that I needed to come see her."

"I was hoping that you'd do it like a civilized human being rather than a stalker."

"When does she get off? I'd really like to talk to her again."

"She has a few more numbers so it will be a few hours. I'll text her and let her know you're here, but whether or not she's up to talking to you again is her choice."

"I'll respect whatever she wishes."

'Princess' Marie smiled sending me a wink and another shot which I downed as quickly as the first. "Just what I was hoping to hear."

With a nod of her head, she urged me towards some open seats close to the stage and despite my better judgment I complied. I was fairly certain that if I didn't, Marie would personally make sure that I was too wasted to speak clearly, in either English or Russian.

It took me twenty minutes again to see her again, but the situation was hardly conducive to continuing our conversation. She walked onto stage, one of many, but standing out to me as if she was alone, and captivated me as the music started. I don't think she actually expected me to come inside, which might have accounted for some of the surprise on her face when she finally noticed me near the stage.

The shock wore off quickly though, and I could see the determination in her eye to control the situation. The song was quick in its pace and loud in its beat and while I didn't recognize the melody, I could definitely get the base of its intent: temptation.

She watched me as she danced, and I couldn't help but stare at the way her muscles flexed as she moved. I licked my lips, remembering the way her skin tasted, and how she had felt both above and beneath me. The rational part of my mind told me to look away, that I shouldn't be staring at her and thinking these thoughts, but the more vindictive part of me justified my brazen gaze by saying that this was what she did. She danced for these people. She danced so these men and women would watch her, would want her. What difference did one more pair of eyes make? She would dance whether I looked or not, so I might as well.

And she almost seemed pleased to see me watching her, and she stared me down with equal fervor. Unlike the first time I had watched her dance like this, I wasn't her distraction; I was her focus. She wasn't dancing for the room as I had initially thought. She probably couldn't care less about every other person inside this club. As far as she was concerned – as far as we both were concerned – it was just me and Rose.

I allowed my guard to drop, smiling as I accepted her taunting. Without me realizing it, she had moved close enough that I could almost reach out and touch her. The bouncers around the room were a clear sign that doing so would be a grave mistake, but the desire to do so was strong enough to make me shift in my chair due to discomfort.

The movement didn't escape her notice and I could see her lopsided smirk for just a moment as she reveled in the little victory. I assumed she would make the most of the moment by enticing me further, but instead, she moved away. I barely had time to register the sudden change when I saw her stop in front of another man.

He was human, and a pitiful excuse of one at that. I could see that he was already well on his way to not remembering the evening, and his entourage slipped another drink into his hands. He and the others called to her, apparently trying to lure her with promises of misguided devotion and questionable pleasure. I expected her to turn away, as appalled by their drunken behavior as much as I was, but she encouraged them with the sway of her hips and wink.

My blood boiled at the names they called her. Beautiful. Sexy. Goddess. Each compliment sounded vulgar from their tongues. I downed the last quarter of my drink and slammed it to the table a bit harder than I intended, imagining that slack-jaw cracking as easily as the glass.

I had to remind myself over and over that I had no claim over her. Rose was here of her own free will and as long as her patrons didn't cross the line to harassment or assault, there was no reason for me to step in. Even if they did, it wasn't truly my place to protect her. I wasn't a bouncer here, I wasn't her guardian, I wasn't her boyfriend or anything even close to it. Honestly, I wasn't even sure she considered me a friend at the moment. Her radio silence would seem to suggest that I was nothing more than a memory.

I wasn't even depressed about the fact. I was almost angry. I knew some of it had to do with the alcohol in my system, but it also didn't help that my wrath towards the unnamed stranger easily blended with the anger I felt towards Rose and myself. I could feel my temper mounting to dangerous heights when I realized that Rose was hardly oblivious to the whole situation.

Her glance flickered towards me every few moments, watching my reaction as much as those of the men in front of her. The more frustrated I got, the more her eyes came alight. Every time I clenched my fist, she would sway her hips. And every time I bit my tongue, she would bite her lip.

She was getting off on my jealousy.

I shook my head, still frustrated but feeling a slight amusement at her antics. She had me playing right into her hands, and damn her if she didn't know it. As I rolled my shoulders back, relaxing into my seat, I knew two could play this game.

As hard as it was, I pulled my eyes away, taking out my phone and pretending to check my messages. I could almost feel her stare burning into me but I refused to look up. I didn't allow myself to look away until I felt her presence above me.

~ROSE~

I thought I had him, but of course I came in second to his precious guardian duty. They come first. The moment I saw that stupid phone come out, I could feel my rage building. To hell with the routine, this meant war.

Had Wonderland run under a different club license, I might have been willing to pull out the big guns, but the pole would have to do. I gripped the cold metal, feeling the smooth pull of it underneath my palms as my legs kicked up, twisting my body around the fixed point. I used Dimitri as my spot, centering myself on his image.

He was just as focused on me, his back straightening as he continually tried to look away... unsuccessfully. I smirked as he coughed to cover his discomfort. I knew that look. It was the one I saw on the shy and barely legal boy sneaking in for his first taste of the sin city. It was the one on the groom-to-be as he enjoyed his last bit of freedom amongst the rambunctious cheers of his friends. It was the man who was debating between the proper decorum and the primal urge. Dimitri was giving into Wonderland. Dimitri was giving into me. His eyes followed my hand as it traced past my thighs, my hips, my waist, my breasts, up and up until our eyes met. I could practically taste him on my lips again, and feel his heavy breath on my neck.

I could hear the catcalls from the men a little ways away, obviously enjoying the show not meant for anyone else but him. I had danced on this stage a million times, I had heard men like them call after me night after night, and I had never felt embarrassed about who I was and what I did. I thrived on it some nights, using their energy to fuel mine. But something had changed. I felt...exposed. Maybe even violated. Not by them so much, but by the fact that I had been so focused on myself and my own issues that I had forgotten everything and everyone else.

Thankfully, the music ended as my revelation set on, so my sudden shock didn't show as I froze right there on stage. I only came back to reality as the lights around me dimmed. I stepped off stage in a daze, walking right past the other dancers, our stage manager, and straight into the dressing room. All it took was a lone folding chair under the handle to successfully barricade myself in while I needlessly hid behind a rack of skimpy clothes in the corner.

I could feel my breath coming in desperate pants, my mind swirling with so many thoughts and colors that I couldn't make out anything besides my panic. What was I doing? I was done with Dimitri. I was done with Court. I was done with Dhampirs, and Moroi, and anything that was even remotely vampire related. It's my life. I was going to live my life how I wanted and on my own terms.

That's what I had decided. That's what was best. Even he had agreed.

But that moment, the moment he looked at me, I felt more alive in that one moment than I had any other time in the past two weeks since coming home. That night with Dimitri, the one I useless tried to forget every moment since it happened, was by far the most memorable night of my life and it didn't matter if I was Ivy or Rose. Either way, I wanted him, and more importantly, I wanted us.

And it wasn't just him. As much as I loved Marie, who had taken me in and kept me going, the bond with Lissa was like a magnet pulling me towards her. Now that it was open, it was impossible to close. I could feel her pain, no matter how hard I tried to push her emotions away. I could hear her calling out to me. I couldn't help but check in with her now and then, and while I tried to tell myself that it was just for my own peace of mind, I always came back into my own head feeling worse than before.

When I wasn't miserably lost, trying to get some direction in what I was doing in my life, I felt guilt. Overwhelming, suffocating guilt. I had promised Lissa that I would always be there for her and I basically abandoned her. It had hardly been my choice after Mason's death, but now I was leaving her willingly. I was leaving them all.

I drug my wrist under my nose, wiping away the tears and more that had accumulated, before pulling out my phone. The screen showed one missed message. With one quick message of my own, I steeled my resolve, took a deep breath, fixed my hair and any traces of my breakdown, and opened the door.

The show must go on.

Author's Note

This scene was a bit difficult to get exactly right, but I'm so glad it finally came together. I'm working on my visual imagery and using emotions to create a picture rather than specific technical details. Rose dancing for Dimitri made a great test of that and I'd love to know how you think I did. Did it paint a picture in your mind, even though I didn't go into specifics?

There's a whole lot of tension between Rose and Dimitri here, in various forms. I know you all love a little jealous Dimitri and I hope that this made you happy. Also, it seems like quite a few of you are excited about Dimitri and Marie teaming up to help Rose. Let's hope that her little break down at the end does us some good.

Thank you again for all your continued love and support! It was a long week last week filled with both highs and lows, and I wasn't able to finish SK in time. The good news is that I have an EXTRA long chapter coming at you this Saturday so hold on tight :) Don't forget to favorite, follow, review, and share this story! Thank you again!