A looooong time ago, I wrote a two-part story (chapter 2 and 3 of this collection) and I had this little companion piece planned but never finished it. It was still sitting in my documents and it seemed like a waste to leave it there where nobody could read it. So I present: Vodka Night.

It's short, taking place over less than 24 hours.

While it's definitely connected to the earlier chapters, it can be read as a standalone one-shot. In this story Rose and Dimitri decided not to act on their feelings. Dimitri wasn't turned. This story takes place sometime during the first year after graduation, while they're both Lissa's guardians.

Part 3

RPOV

"So you both have the night off! I know it's very last minute, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. And you don't have to start until late afternoon tomorrow, so you can sleep in too!" Lissa was very excited when she told Dimitri and me the news and explained her plans for today and tomorrow. Apparently the Queen was going somewhere and wanted Lissa to accompany her as part of her royal training. Or as I liked to call it: Queen-Bitch's attempts to make Lissa into her clone.

"Are you sure you don't need us to come Liss? You shouldn't leave Court without at least one of us."
She shook her head vehemently. "No, no, you can stay and enjoy some time off. I know how busy I've kept you lately. Tatiana was even the one who suggested I'd give you the night off. The entire Royal Guard is traveling with us, they're perfectly capable of keeping both of us safe."

I wasn't sure if that was the real reason, or if Tatiana disliked me so much that she simply couldn't stand the sight of me, but she wasn't wrong. They weren't going far, and with the entire Royal Guard accompanying them they really didn't need another two guardians on top of the twenty-ish they already had. The both of us would just be pushed aside and made to walk the perimeter or something. "Well, if you're sure."
"I'm sure Rose, you deserve some free time." She turned to the tall Russian standing beside me. "And you too Dimitri."
He thanked her, not questioning her decision any further, and I finally accepted it as well.

Soon after Lissa ran out of the room to pack an overnight bag, I said: "Well, that was unexpected."
"Yes, Lissa didn't have to do that. And it's very thoughtful of the Queen to suggest it."
I shrugged, convinced as I was that being nice was definitely not the Queen's motivation. "Sure. So what're you gonna do with all that free time? Read another western? Watch a John Wayne movie? Listen to your favourite eighties tape?"
He chuckled. "I think I'll hit the gym, and yes, I'll probably read a book after that."

I shook my head sadly. "Better be careful all the fun and excitement won't kill you comrade."
"I'm never short on excitement with you as my partner Rose," he replied drily. "A quiet night would actually be nice. What are you going to be doing then?"
I dropped onto a chair. "Not much really. Lissa and Christian aren't here, obviously. Mia told me yesterday that she already has plans tonight, and Meredith and Eddie are both working."

It was disappointing to say the least. Nights off were rare, and not having to report for duty early the next day was even more unusual. I wanted to make the most of it, but I didn't want to go out by myself.

Then inspiration struck.
"Hey Dimitri, how about I make you a deal?"
He raised his eyebrow. "And what kind of deal would that be?"
"I'll join you in the gym for an hour, and you join me for a drink?" I gave him a winning smile, hoping to convince him.
"Thank you, but I'd actually like a quiet night."
"Ahw come on! Live a little comrade!"

He put aside his book and considered me. After half a minute he resigned himself to the inevitable, knowing I wouldn't give up until he said yes. "Fine, make it two hours at the gym and you've got a deal."
I tried to negotiate. "An hour and a half?"
"Two. If you're going to be drinking, you're probably skipping your workout in the morning." I rolled my eyes. Why did he always have to be so damn responsible?
"We're drinking. But yes, you're probably right," I admitted grudgingly. "Two hours it is. But you better not bail on me after one drink."

A couple of hours and a grueling workout later we were sitting in a booth at one of the more quiet bars at Court. The corner we were sitting in was fairly dark and nobody would see us when they walked in, but I liked it that way. Dimitri and I had never gone out for a drink before, and I liked the idea of spending some time alone with him. It was almost like a date.

Except for the fact that it wasn't.

Dimitri had ordered our drinks, or rather, a bottle of something with two glasses. I couldn't read the cyrillic script on the label and I eyed the clear liquid warily. "What's this comrade?"
"You wanted to drink, so I ordered us a drink."

He poured us both a glass and threw his back immediately. I looked at him in surprise, not used to seeing this side of him, but he just smiled. "Try it."
I took a sip and regretted it immediately. I coughed and spluttered and my eyes watered. "What is this stuff? Rocket fuel?"
He chuckled. "Vodka."
"I've had vodka before comrade. This isn't anything like it."
"This is Russian vodka Rose, the good stuff."
"This isn't good, this is a health hazard. Don't you have any food safety regulations in Siberia?"
He smiled at me, making me forget for just a moment that my throat was on fire. "I'll admit it takes some getting used to, but trust me, once you get over the burning sensation it's really quite enjoyable."

Once I stopped coughing I carefully took another small sip. It didn't burn as much as the first one had, and I had to admit, once you got over the whole oh-my-god-my-throat-is-on-fire thing, it actually wasn't that bad. A warm glow was spreading through my body that wasn't altogether unpleasant. Dimitri was watching me in amusement and I couldn't resist saying: "So do you Russians drink this stuff to keep you warm or just to make you feel numb enough not to feel the frostbite?"
Dimitri didn't bother responding, instead refilling his own glass.

I emptied my own glass, hardly feeling the burn anymore. "You know, if I do find myself in the arctic wastelands of Siberia one day, I can only hope I've got a bottle of this stuff with me. The fumes alone will knock out any polar bear in a ten-mile radius, so at least I'd be perfectly safe while I freeze to death."
"You wouldn't freeze to death Rose." He said in exasperation.
"No you're probably right. If I drink enough of this, I'll probably end up breathing fire. Which would be good, because then I'd be able to defrost my toes before they fall off."
He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. I continued: "You know, the vodka would still be useful even if my toes do fall off. It'd be a perfect disinfectant. I bet it kills anything. Is that what turned Siberia into a wasteland? Too much vodka?"

That finally earned me an outright laugh. "Oh Roza, the image you have of Siberia really isn't even close to reality. I hope to show you some day."
I smiled. "I'd like that. As long as you bring your own vodka, I mean survival kit. I'm not sharing mine, I'm too pretty to be turned into a dhampir-icicle."
He chuckled. "I'd never let you freeze Rose, I promise. I'll keep you warm."
I blushed, thinking about all the ways I'd like him to keep me warm, which would definitely involve sharing body heat. I hid the rush of feelings by responding with another joke. "Ah so I'd get my own personal 6'7 Siberian survival kit? So much better than a bottle of rocket fuel."

After a couple of drinks I came up with the brilliant idea of playing a drinking game. One of us would ask a question, and the other either had to answer honestly or have a shot. It was a creappy idea really because if there was one person I trusted, one person I would be willing to tell anything, it was Dimitri, so there wasn't much drinking involved. Apparently it was the same for him, because half an hour later we were once again completely sober and the bottle still almost full.

We had a shot just for the sake of it, and another one five minutes later. Soon the game was forgotten and we talked about anything and everything, sometimes taking a break to enjoy another shot. I told him more about the two years Lissa and I'd been on the run, the strained relationship with my mom, how Lissa's parents had always treated me as part of their family and how much I missed them. I also told him about the idiotic dares Mason and I used to come up with, including the time I jumped from the roof of the school onto a tiny air mattress, which, for the record, I totally pulled off. In return he told me more about his life with Ivan, what his witch grandmother was like, and the time when his sister made him get married to all of her dolls.

At some point we started playing the game again, and after a few innocent questions, without thinking about it, I asked: "How many people did you sleep with?"
Oh my God! It was a question I might've asked one of my friends, but I couldn't believe I actually asked Dimitri. Apparently neither could he, because his mouth fell open in shock. He remained silent and I backtracked immediately. "Never mind, shouldn't've asked. You don't have to answer or drink. Your turn."

Damn my habit of speaking before thinking things through. The alcohol didn't exactly help either.

I was waiting for his next question, but instead he said: "Three."
I was surprised he decided to answer, and I instantly felt jealous of the three women, somewhere in the world, who got lucky enough to share his bed. I'd have given anything to be one of them. A part of me, which was either morbidly curious or a sucker for punishment, was tempted to ask him to tell me more about them, but I knew it'd only hurt me and besides, it was his turn. So I just nodded and looked at my glass, wondering whether another drink would make me feel better.

"Rose?" He asked quietly.
"Yeah?" I was still thinking about Dimitri in bed with some faceless woman and trying to ignore the bile rising in my throat. I wondered if he'd been with any of them in the past year. Not that it really mattered, we weren't together or anything, but still..

I was drawn out of my thoughts when his hand touched my cheek and I couldn't help but look at him. His eyes were soft and he looked apologetic.
"The first was a girl I dated for most of senior year, and we broke up shortly after it happened. The second was a girl I met when Ivan and I were on holiday after graduation, celebrating that we were finally free. It was a one-time thing and next morning I decided that casual sex just wasn't for me." He paused for a moment and then continued: "The third happened after he died. I was looking for a way to make me feel better. It didn't work."

Dimitri had never told me when exactly Ivan had died, but I knew it had to have been around three years ago. I blurted out: "You haven't been with anyone in that long? Seriously comrade?"

While it was painful to imagine him with anyone else, it was just as difficult to accept that he was living a celibate life, no matter how much I wanted to believe it. I mean, the man looked like a god and I was sure he had needs like everyone else did. He must've at least been tempted at times.
He just nodded. "Seriously. It didn't feel right to do something like that with someone I didn't have feelings for." He seemed to hesitate for a moment before adding: "I've only gotten close to doing it again once.. well.. you know." He blushed, actually blushed, and I knew he was thinking about the same night I was. The lust charm.

For a moment I was thrilled, until he asked his next question. "What about you?"
Crap, I should've seen that coming. I couldn't just ask him something so intensely private and not expect him to retaliate. "I've only gotten close once as well," I said, hoping he'd leave it at that.
But of course, I wasn't that lucky. "And before that?"
To answer or not to answer. After a moment I decided I might as well. He was enough of a gentleman to drop it if I didn't, but he'd been honest with me as well, and my answer wasn't something to be ashamed of. "Uhm... zero?"
"Really?"

His look of surprise, and possibly relief, kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, I knew what everyone else thought about me, but him too? "Yeah, really. Why is that so hard to believe? Did you really think all those rumours about me were true? I thought you of all people knew me better than that at least."
"No, I didn't mean it like that!" he assured me instantly. "It's just.. You're a beautiful woman Roza. I'm sure there are plenty of guys who'd want to.. And with all those guys Lissa was setting you up with lately.." He didn't finish.
"Yeah well.. I'm not really interested in random guys comrade." At least I managed to stop myself from saying I was only interested in him, though if his warm smile and the tender look in his eyes were any indication, he might've guessed what I was thinking.

We stopped playing the game and went back to more innocent topics of conversation afterwards. I supposed it was a little sad to admit that it was one of the best nights of my life. Dimitri had never opened up as much as he did now, and we spent the whole evening talking, smiling, occasionally crying, or at least I did and he'd comforted me, flirting, and laughing again. At one point I realized we'd been sitting close together and holding hands for a long time already, and I pretended I still hadn't noticed, hoping he wouldn't move.

I woke up in the middle of the night, in my own bed, without any memory of how I got there. I honestly couldn't remember how the night ended or even if we finished the whole bottle of vodka though I guessed that wasn't too surprising. It was a miracle I didn't keel over after the first shot of rocket fuel.

I suddenly realized that my bed felt different. Warmer than usual, and harder somehow, but still very comfortable. And then I realized that part of the bed was breathing. Dimitri was beside me, his arms around me and his cheek against my hair. I briefly considered waking him, before deciding to enjoy it while it lasted, snuggling closer to him and inhaling the smell of his aftershave before going back to sleep.

When I woke up at my usual time he was still there, and I pretended to be asleep just to make it last a little longer. I knew I wouldn't fool Dimitri, but considering his breathing was just a little too even and his heartbeat a little too fast, I knew I wasn't the only one making the most of the situation. He left soon after, after giving me a glass of water and two aspirin to ward off the hangover, and we never talked about it again.

I never forgot either though.