Prompt: Cold Cover

Word Count: 821

Entry for Dimitri's. Smexi. Shewolf's' Frostbite2015 1.5 million Words Challenge' to support the official Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. With your donations, the producers will give Frostbite the movie the greenlight for production. Please spread the word as much as possible, and donate whatever you can.

AN: Thanks to SarahBelikova99 for helping develop this plot idea! I was a bit iffy about the last sentence... It seems right, but it doesn't, if that makes sense... Either way! I hope you enjoy it! And please review! I'd love to hear whatever you have to say about it (but, please, no flames)! :)

WARNING: Contains spoilers for Shadow Kiss!

~Ginevra Annabeth Herondale

It was time for training. At least, what would've been training had the events of a few days ago not transpired.

No. She refuses think about that. She can't.

She pushes her memories of that day to the far corners of her mind, and continues to walk briskly across campus. She needs to do this now, before she loses her nerve.

She wasn't sure she could go back there. Back to where they had spent so much time together.

She used to look forward to going there every morning and evening, knowing he'd be there when she arrived.

But now it only served as a haunting reminder of what had been, and what will never be again.

She doesn't want to go back, but she knows she has to in order to gain some sort of closure. At least, as much closure as she can get for what she intends to do.

A memory floats to the surface of her mind, and the words spoken strengthen her resolve…

If I became strigoi... I'd want someone to kill me.

So would I.

She already broke one promise. She won't break another.

It's those thoughts that give her the determination to enter her destination. She opens the doors to the gym, and steps inside the room she knows all too well.

She scans the eerily silent space, searching. There's a nagging thought in the back of her mind that tells her that something's missing.

It takes her a minute to realise that she's looking for him. That she still expects him to be there, to reprimand her for being late.

She wouldn't have been late now. Heck, she would've been early, if it meant she'd get to spend just one more minute with him…

And it would've been different this time. This time there wouldn't have been the lingering feelings of bitterness and sadness at the fact that they couldn't be together, because they'd figured it out. They'd finally figured out a way to be together.

Yet it wasn't even a day later that he'd been torn from her. Leaving her cold and empty.

Lonely.

She pushes those thoughts, and the urge to cry, aside as she steps into the middle of the gym.

She recalls every smile, every banter and every spar between them.

She recalls how they had shared their first kiss in this gym (charm-induced kisses not included).

She recalls the time he told her he had chosen her over Tasha, had chosen her over the chance to have children.

No. I told her no. Tasha.

I couldn't return that...couldn't give her what she wanted. Not when... Not when my heart is somewhere else.

And it's that last memory (along with the fact that clearly she loves to torture herself) that draws her over to one of the supply rooms. The supply room.

Tears build behind her eyes, and threaten to spill over, as she walks through the doorway. Pull yourself together Rose, she mentally scolds herself. She needs to be strong if she intends to keep her promise to him. If she can't handle a few memories, how is she going to handle facing him for the last time?

She's about to leave, as she feels the last semblances of her control start to slip, but is momentarily distracted when something on the floor catches her eye. She frowns slightly in confusion, unsure as to what it is. She walks over to it and bends down to get a better look-

And immediately wishes she hadn't.

She falls to her knees as her mind comprehends what she's seeing. And all pretences of her control shatters.

A sob bursts from her, wracking her body, followed by another and another, as the tears stream rapidly down her face.

She picks up the object and hugs it tightly to her chest, rocking softly as she murmurs over and over. Her words barely comprehensible through the grief and sadness that has taken over her mind and her heart.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't keep my promise. I didn't keep my promise. I'm sorry…"

The promise she'd made to him after they'd made love echoes in her mind, harsh and clear. Ringing in her ears as though being said out loud.

And I won't let anything happen to you. I love you. And I won't let anything happen to you. I love you. And I won't let anything happen to you. I love you. Won't let anything happen to you. Won't let anything happen to you. Anything happen to you. I love you. Anything happen to you. Won't let anything happen to you. I love you. I love you. I love you…

And that's how, hours later, Lissa found her.

Sobbing and clutching an old book to her chest.

A Western to be exact. One of hisWesterns. The only thing she has left of him.

The cover of it cold.