Revised 1.2.2021

Disclaimer: Richelle Mead is still the rock star behind VA. I just enjoy playing in her sandbox.

Rose

Lissa was slightly agape when she turned to me. She had not missed the double entendre of his words either. I was suddenly reminded of how little Liss had actually seen Dimitri and me together. She knew us only as mentor and student, and then what I had told her following the whole breakup debacle, or more accurately, what I had decided to tell her.

I couldn't quite hide the blush that was now heating my face. Lissa's eyes narrowed suspiciously and I did not need the bond to know that she had come to the same realization.

Oh shit, indeed.

However, taking Tasha's sputtered coughing fit for shock did give me some small amount of satisfaction.

Instead of meeting Lissa's gaze, I jogged to meet Dimitri at the mats, dodging one bullet for another. Keeping my head down while I found a comfortable foot placement on the outer edge of the sparing circle, I tried to clear my mind of all things Lissa and confusing Russians. I still couldn't help but note that in the two hours since they'd been here that he had called me "Roza" no less than three times. I had been lucky to hear it every other week when we had actually been together.

Focus, Rose. I reminded myself in aggravation. Now's your chance to channel your aggression.

Smiling somewhat, I finally looked up and was not disappointed to find his dark irises already trained on me. His expression was guarded for the first time today, and for that I was thankful. It allowed me to center myself more firmly. We didn't need to think. Sparring was our second nature.

Nodding that I was ready, he dipped his head in acknowledgment wasting no time in swinging his leg in a wide arch that would have leveled me if I hadn't rolled out the way with only seconds to spare. Not allowing him to push me to the offensive I threw out two quick punches, aiming for his ribs, before bouncing out of my roll. Trying not to over correct and lose my balance, I rolled once more bringing my elbow into his thigh forcing him to back away momentarily so that I could rebalance and bring myself to full height.

My stature gave me advantage against his tall frame and made rolling and ducking my most useful defenses. He was quick though. Quicker than I had remembered. He spun, looping his foot around my ankle-dragging me out of position just enough to be able to land a hard hit to my shoulder, knocking my jab aside he spun around once more so that he was at my side delivering another blow this time to the underside of my ribs. I grunted with the hit and blocked his next punch sending my knee into his side. On and on we went. Battling from hit to hit, trading kicks and jabs. Neither of us really gaining the upper hand for long- our moves mirrored the others with precision. We knew exactly what the other was going to do before they did it. It was both frustrating and exhilarating.

It was like being back at the Academy. We were mindless of our spectators. For the next few moments, we were the center of each other's world, lost in our rhythm. As the minutes drug on I knew we were both becoming winded and that it wouldn't be long before one of us had the opportunity to bring the other down. I just had to make sure it was his body hitting the mat before mine because I knew he would out muscle me if he got me down first.

With that in mind I made as if I was about to make an uppercut so he would attempt to dodge my fist allowing me to roll and bring my knee into his thigh hoping to finish with a jab to the ribs- hoping against hope that I would have enough momentum to bring him down. Instead, Dimitri caught me by surprise.

He had anticipated my fake out. The fucker.

Catching my wrist, he held it tightly near his face and used his new found leverage, also known as my arm, to spin me so that my back was pressed firmly against his front. Using his knee to press into my thigh, he forcibly lowered us to the mat in a rather compromising position. With one wrist trapped within his vise grip, he had my left arm extended over my head and both of his legs locked around mine so that my body was trapped firmly against his with no room to wiggle free. Not going down without a fight, I was able to dig my right elbow into his ribs once before he pinned my forearm against the mat. Now it was game of force, how long could I hold out until I gave into his superior body mass? With Dimitri breathing heavily in my ear, I found that a small part of my brain was very aware of how firmly his body was pressed into mine and how right it felt. In a last-ditch attempt of desperation, I bucked my body up against his, knowing it was fruitless… Until his body suddenly gave.

He had hesitated and relaxed his hold for only a millisecond, but it was enough that I was able to swing my legs from under and then over his. Suddenly it was him who was pinned under me. His thighs were pinned under my knees and I had just enough momentum to yank my wrist from his grasp. Just as I was grappling for a clear shot of his chest I noticed it again, his hesitation. Sensing that something was wrong I looked up only to find him staring intently at me. Gone was the will to fight. Gone was the emotionless Guardian. In that moment I could read him clearly and for the first time in ten months I allowed myself to see what was right in front of me without worrying about what the next moment would bring. To truly take a second and just look. And what I saw nearly broke me. On our run I had convinced myself that it was pity that I had saw. For ten months I had been telling myself that I hadn't meant anything to him because how else could I justify him leaving? But looking at him now, I knew that couldn't be further from the truth. Because the way Dimitri Belikov looked at me now was the same way he had looked at me that first night in our cabin. It was the look of a man who loved fiercely in spite of the fear that surrounded him. It was the look I had given him when I had finally managed to drag his body over the wards and into the safety of campus just as day broke the morning after the attack.

The palm of my hand made a smacking sound as it fell limply to his chest. I had, officially, staked him. Dropping my gaze from his, I shifted off him before turning and walking away without a word. I ignored the looks of my friends and shouldered passed Adrian as he tried to stop me. I didn't even bother to see what Tasha's reaction to all this was. Without looking back, I made a beeline for my room then the shower. Stripping off my clothes, I turned the shower all the way to hot before stepping in and sliding down the tiles so that the stream poured directly over me. I had managed to staunch the flow of tears until that moment. The grief consumed me as the bathroom filled with steam. It was as if no time at all had passed and I was once again hiding behind the gym. This hurt was different than before. It stung all the more fiercely. He loved me and he still choose to leave. It was my worst fears imagined.

Lissa

Everything had been fine until it wasn't. I found that to be true for many different moments in my life. This was one of them.

They had been sparing, and, dare I say that, Rose had even been enjoying herself. Like actually enjoying herself. Her smile was genuine as she landed a kick to Dimitri's thigh, and not for the reason you might believe. She seemed to come alive in those moments, they moved as if they had always been made to move with each other. Seeing it up close, I finally understood what all the novices had been muttering about after seeing Dimitri and Rose practice. It was spellbinding.

I noticed the change in him first, he had had Rose trapped beneath him and Rose had tried to twist away. He seemed to wake up in that moment, breaking away from whatever trance like state they seemed to share while practicing. It wasn't until she landed on top him, smiling with victory so near, that the trance was broken for her too.

None of us truly knew what happened. Everything had been fast paced and high energy until that moment. They paused for a moment, sharing some kind of look, before Rose slapped her hand down over his heart, ending the match before walking away without a word, her face betraying no emotion. They were fine, and then they weren't.

Dimitri wasn't much better off. He simply stood up, righting his clothes. Christian had attempted to ask what had happened, and Dimitri responded in that ever politely reserved way of his, "She won."

That was all that was said on the matter. He did not meet anyone's direct eye contact, did not show discomfort with the situation, he simply went back to being a Guardian and requested to be shown the wards and perimeter.

Taking his lead, we all fell into silence. None of us quite sure what we had witnessed, but somehow feeling the gravity of the situation.

I considered all of this as I looked over to Dimitri, the sun was just about to set and we, the moroi of the household, took to the shade that the patio covering offered. He was silent, contemplative, and completely unreadable as he walked with Darren, learning the perimeter of the wards that lined our house. He did not look particularly different to me- sans the duster, but maybe that's what had made Rose so upset. To be so familiar with someone only to have to pretend as if you were strangers. Oh, Rose. Why wouldn't you just talk to me?

I knew why, I was both her best friend and her career. She had sworn an oath to protect me. And more than that, Rose deserved something that was just hers. The bond made that troublesome. I longed for a time when were able to share things with each other because we wanted to.

But this. This was burning her alive from the inside. It was only a matter of time before something drastic happened, and all any of us could do was wait.

Tasha sat just to my left, but she too seemed lost in her own worries. Christian stayed at the grill tending to the vegetables, only occasionally casting glances to me, with Eddie's watchful eye not far behind him. I would be fielding many questions from him later tonight. Adrian puffed quietly on a cigarette. I knew he was close to emptying his carton by this point. He had only just gotten it this morning.

Not for the first time, I considered if I had caused more hurt than good in welcoming them back into our lives. Because that is exactly what I had done, and I knew it. It was more than just the trip. Now that Tasha had found us… I couldn't do that to Christian. This would have happened eventually at any rate. I had known all along that my plan was temporary. I was only trying to buy Rose a little more time. Dimitri working for Tasha made things complicated, to say the least, with her connection to us. Which is what I assumed to be the exact reason he chose to work with her. There were, apparently, many reasons. I cast a covert glance back to the woman in question. She didn't look up, but I could tell that she had a lot weighing on her mind. I wanted to throw my arms out and scream in frustration. I liked them. I like Dimitri. I like Tasha. And that was the worst part of it all. If Rose and Dimitri were somehow able to move past this … this thing, it would be, not only Tasha who suffered, but Adrian as well. No one was coming out of this situation a winner.

I sighed, bringing my knees up into my chest so that I could rest my chin on them. Wishing now more than ever that I was able to read auras. Over the past year I had been able to catch snippets. Nothing with true consistency but I could sometimes catch flickering colors from people. Today, for example, when Rose and Dimitri returned from their run both of theirs had been a bright, yet muted, gold. Until that moment, I had never seen colors so vibrant and didn't know that two people could have identical auras. I would have to remember ask Adrian about that. It had mesmerized me and I had been sure it could only mean something amazing for Rose.

Or, at least, I had before ten minutes ago. It would seem as if though I, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, had screwed up royally.

I had greatly underestimated the situation. Annoyed, I couldn't help but be just a little mad at Rose for withholding information. Okay. I was a little more than just a little mad. I was angry. Rose was literally all I had after my family died. I would be lost without her, and it made me angry that she didn't seem to understand that I was there for her too. Many things were coming to a head all of a sudden.

I considered our last ten months here in Pennsylvania studying at PSU, how easily Rose had gone along with it all, how little she had to say about any of it. After graduation she had disappeared into herself. She was there… but not. I am jealous to admit that Adrian has had the most success with her. He somehow managed to tap into the fun aspect of Rose's personality. The girl who loved to be the life of the party, but even those moments were short lived. Rose had also been incredibly studious with her school work, we had spent most of our time together studying. It was different, and a much more muted Rose, but I was thankful that she at least wanted to study with me. She had been making an effort where she could, but overall, I had been feeling as if I were losing a friend. Today I had seen more of the Rose I knew and loved than I had in the past three months combined. We were definitely heading into an uphill climb, and I was nervous more than ever about the drop.

Darren, Eddie, and Rose had their own special connection which was a little more understandable to me. They were Guardians and took extreme pride in what they did. I could tell that she had truly found a partner within Darren. Rose relished in being a Guardian and worked well within their teamship. She has wanted this for her entire life, and working so closely with the people she loved most was a dream come true for her. I knew it was why she was so sure that I picked the classes we took. She already had the career that she wanted.

Feeling Tasha's gaze on me, I broke myself from my thoughts smiling apologetically.

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" She asked, smiling back softly. I had a feeling that she understood, at least partly, of what the past year had been like.

Shyly, I nodded back laughing a little. "Oh, I would say so."

She wasn't looking at me as she spoke next, instead her eyes were trained on her Guardian, who stood observing the yard and discreetly watching over her, over us all. "If it's any comfort, I have no idea what I am doing either. I had spent months looking you guys up, but it wasn't until we showed up on your doorstep that it had occurred how complicated this might get."

Abashed, I ducked my head speaking partially to the table, "I hope that you aren't upset with me. We love you, you know, Christian and I both. I wasn't trying to keep you away…"

"No, dear," Tasha comforted, cutting my apology short. "I am not upset, especially not with you. And now I am even beginning to understand why." She shook her head as if in disbelief.

"But you know…" She paused waiting until I looked up again. "I don't regret bringing him here."

She laughed as my jaw popped open. "Yes. As much as I have missed both of you, I felt as though I had to do something." She explained, silently pleading with me to understand. And I did.

I related strongly to her conviction to help her friend, but with Tasha I could sense that there was something more. But her reasoning's were her own business.

Snorting in disgust, Adrian pushed out of his chair abruptly. "I need a drink."

The patio doors rattled slightly as he slid them shut.

"Don't mind him… he's just… Adrian."

"I think I understand Adrian better than I would like to." Tasha admitted softly, keeping the conversation between us.

Silence over took us once more, both of us mulling over the conversation. Both of us knowing that there was only one conversation that could truly fix this.

"Alright, Liss, I have the vegetables ready to go. It's about time to get the stakes going." Christian called over. Smiling crookedly as I made my way over to him.

With one hand tending to the grill, he brought one arm around my waist, pulling me into his side. I sighed contentedly, resting my head briefly against his shoulder. I had a feeling that Christian knew more than he let on, especially around Rose, but even still he never broached the topic with me. He respected my reasons for keeping silent.

I smiled before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, "I'll round up Rose and bring them out."

Darren saddled up next to me as I began making my way inside. Knowing that I was going get Rose, he politely kept to the front of the house.

Stepping into Rose's room I could see steam seeping out from under the bathroom door. I was torn over what I should do, but I got the feeling that she wouldn't appreciate me barging in.

Rapping my knuckles lightly against the door, I waited. Immediately the water shut off, but there was no audible response from Rose.

"Rose?" I call softly, resting my cheek against the door hoping to maybe better hear her response.

It was few moments before she answered, "I'll be out soon." She answered in a rough voice.

Try as she may she couldn't hide everything. "Take your time." I called back, stalking out of the room – shutting the door firmly behind me. I had had enough. Someone was going to talk, and it obviously wasn't going to be Rose. Which left me with only one option.

Forgetting about the stakes, I was out the back doors with Darren hot on my heels seconds later. Motioning for him to stay back, I did not stop until I reached my intended target.

"I think we should talk." It was difficult not getting distracted by his height, even by moroi standards, Dimitri was tall.

Casting a quick glance over my head before looking back down to me, he nodded. Studying me from behind dark eyes he waited for me to take the lead.

Not having planned this far ahead I hesitated. "The front porch?" My suggestion coming out more as a question.

Ever a man of few words, Dimitri only nodded in response. He kept to my side as we made our way through the house and out the front door.

We had been seated on the porch swing for several moments before I finally spoke, my anger seemed to leave me in that moment. "I'm not angry." I simply stated, feeling slightly stupid as he raised an eyebrow in response. Maybe the lack of communication wasn't Rose's fault, my inner monologue grumbled.

"I'm not angry at you." I clarified.

With still no response I groaned in frustration, angrily tucking loose strands behind my ear.

"Look. I'm not angry, but whatever happened in the living room earlier and out there cannot keep happening." Unsurprisingly, Dimitri remained silent as I ranted.

"I meant what I said before, whatever is happening here is between you and Rose, but we are not at the academy anymore. You aren't seeing the same girl from graduation. She's… different. The Rose that we know is in there somewhere, but she is also this person now too. And I think we owe it to her to do this her way…"

I trailed off, meeting his gaze. Smiling slightly, I answered his unspoken question. "Yes, we, as in both of us. I haven't exactly been the most patient friend to her. She's more grown up in some ways, but exactly the same in others, but that's not the point."

"Then what is?" He had been silent for so long that the deep rumble of his voice startled me. Looking up I noticed that his eyes were kind, if not a little sad.

"The point is that whatever is unsaid between you two should wait until she is ready. It's not fair to keep catching her off guard like this. It's partly my fault," I admitted, "I should have told her that you were coming sooner. Maybe if I had… I don't know. Maybe things would be different now."

I was surprised to hear a humorless chuckle, pushing his own hair away from his face he shook his head in exasperation. "You could have given her all the time in the world and it wouldn't have been enough. This is about what I have done and is no one's fault but my own."

Looking up, I could see that he was going to continue, but I surprised even myself when I held up my hand, stopping him. "I don't need you to explain yourself to me. I don't even need to know what happened between you two, but I am making a personal request. Let Rose guide this one. I pushed her before she was ready and it has only made things worse. I don't want the same to happen to you." I admitted softly.

"Thank you, Lissa." He muttered, his Russian accent heavier than usual.

Patting his knee, I kept my head down, "I know you are hurting too. Thank you for being here."

We fell into a comfortable silence after that, neither of us having anything more to say.

It wasn't long before the door opened, and Rose herself stepped out. She seemed refreshed after her long shower, dressed in the new jeans and converse I had bought her with hair pulled up into a ponytail. She didn't look surprised to find us here either.

"Hey, Liss, mind if I speak with Dimitri for a moment? Christian is just putting the stakes on the grill and Tasha wants to help set the table…" She smiled softly as she spoke and was more at ease than she had been all day.

Agreeing easily, I patted Dimitri's knee once in a gesture of good will. He stood as I stood, unsure of where Rose wanted to continue their conversation.

"It is my turn to patrol the neighborhood. I was wondering if you would join me." She said speaking to Dimitri. "I cleared it with Darren and Tasha. They'll stay inside while Eddie and Christian finish up in the backyard."

Dimitri was nodding in agreement before she had even finished her explanation. "I would like that."

Rose offered me a small smile as I rubbed a hand across her back before disappearing inside.

I still couldn't help but feel hopeful as the two stepped of the front porch in sync, walking closely as they headed down the driveway.

A/N:

Yes, yes, my darlings. I am quite aware of how short this chapter is, but on the bright side I put out and TYPED a second chapter within a day. Also please don't be discouraged, this story has a direction. I am just setting the stage.

This is only a transition.

I hoped you gained some perspective with chapter.

That being said, you lovelies have a decision to make. Do you want next chapter to being in Rose's P.O.V. (Point of Veiw) or Dimitri's? It will set the tone for the upcoming trip and I would love get some feedback on how you all are feeling with the point of view switching. This is new for me