I've been trying to get this story out of my head for a while, and I've finally figured out that the only way to do that is to simply write it. Being that I'm in college it might take me a little while to update, but I'll do it as often as I can. I would really appreciate reviews, whether it's positive or constructive criticism. Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: The plot belongs to me. Anything you recognize, including characters and dialogue, belong to Richelle Mead. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prologue

I swung my closet door open with enough force that I was surprised it wasn't ripped from its hinges. Bending down, I pulled out my duffle bag and threw it over onto the bed. Tugging the majority of my attire from their hangers, I quickly shoved them into the bag. As I continued packing my most important things, emotions pulsed through me. Rage and anguish seemed to be fighting to be the most dominant feeling. My head pounded, aching directly above my eyes. I guess crying will do that to you.

Not that I was intentionally crying, it just sort of happened. After everything I had been through, I couldn't believe that I had thought things would begin getting better. If anything, they had merely gotten worse.

"Rose", said Lissa through the bond. "Go away. Leave him alone."

"The hell I will."

"Make her go away."

It had never crossed my mind that Dimitri would ignore me when I changed him back into a Dhampir. I just figured that he would run to me and kiss me and together we'd disappear for a couple of hours. It had been a shock to my system when he had completely turned away from me, turning to Lissa instead. After all, she washis savior. It had been her and only her that had broken Victor Dashkov out of prison and figured out how the hell to turn him back. Right.

The way he looked at her now sickened me; almost like she was an angel from Heaven itself. He was completely in awe of her, while I stood off to the side and was ignored.

That's not to say that Lissa ignored me, or at least she didn't try. It was just she was so busy seeing to him that she neglected to see to me. We hadn't really hung out in the past week since we'd returned, but she had all the time in the world for Dimitri. I could tell that Christian was getting pretty pissed off by this too.

Swiping a tear from my cheek, I tried to calm myself down. I hadn't been overly cheerful with the way things had turned out so far, but I was managing. It wasn't easy to see them together all the time, especially now since he had promised to protect her for the rest of his life and never seemed to leave her side. The breaking point for me had been a few minutes ago.

"Rose. Please stop. Please stay away." He was working hard to stay calm.

In an undertone, I murmured, "This isn't over. I won't give up on you."

"I've given up on you," he said back, voice also soft. "Love fades. Mine has."

I collapsed onto the bed and covered my face with my hands. It had felt like he had slapped me when he said it. Even now, the sting had yet to leave.

Walking out of the church, I had made a drastic decision. I would not remain at court and watch Lissa and Dimitri go everywhere together. I simply could not stomach it, especially if I was going to be pushed off to the side. I figured that I had nothing left to stay for. Lissa obviously didn't need me; she was way too preoccupied with the happenings of court and taking care of her precious Dimitri. And Dimitri himself didn't want anything to do with me. The two people I cared about most in the world had abandoned me, so what did it matter if I left?

And it wasn't like I was going to be assigned to a Moroi and made a guardian. I would probably be given a desk job and my training would go to waste. Thinking about that had made up my mind for me. I could do so much more for the world if I was off somewhere killing Strigoi. I was damn good at it and it might even save a few lives. And that was always better than sitting around and pining for something I apparently could never have

As I got up and returned to shoving clothes and toiletries into my bag, there was a knock on my apartment door. Wiping my eyes, I slowly approached it and peered through the peephole. Christian Ozera stood looking back at me, his usual smirk nowhere to be found.

Opening the door, I asked, "What's up, Fire Boy?" He stepped inside, taking in what must've been a very disheveled appearance.

"You look like hell."

"Thanks, Ozera. Now if you'll excuse me…" I walked back over to my duffle, zipping it closed before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What happened?"

"What do you think happened?"

"Probably about the same thing that happened to me." Looking up at him, I realized that his eyes looked somewhat red, as though he had recently been crying.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Belikov keeps hanging around with Lissa and I never get to see her alone. I brought it up to her today in one of the only times I've had her alone since we came back to court. You know what she said?"

"Surprise me." Normally I would've made some witty comment at Christian's expense, but I just wasn't up to it. I didn't really think he was at the moment either.

"She said that I was just going to have to accept it because that's how things would probably be for a while. Well as you can imagine, it turned into one huge arguing session, ending with her telling me I was a cold-hearted bastard who refused to understand what Belikov was going through and that I should get the hell out." Coming from Lissa, that seemed a bit harsh.

"What did you do?"

"I left. What else was I supposed to do?"

I sighed, not really able to help him with his relationship problems. After all, mine was pretty much down the drain. What could I possibly say to make him feel better? While I sat there thinking, he must've noticed the bag behind me.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm not really sure yet. Maybe Russia or Turkey." He didn't have to ask me why I was leaving. I was pretty sure that he was the only person who understood what I was going through at the moment. What he asked next surprised me though.

"Can I go with you?"

After the shock wore off, I said, "Are you serious?"

"Sure, why not. My girlfriend obviously doesn't need me here and I can visit Tasha whenever I want."

It would be a much nicer trip if I had someone along to share it with me, but Christian? He and I had never really gotten along, although we had come to an understanding over the course of my field experience.

"I'm leaving in ten minutes. If you can be back by then with everything you want to take with you, then you can come."

He nodded before leaving, quietly closing the door behind him.

I walked over to my desk and pulled out a blank piece of paper. I figured if I wasn't going to say goodbye in person, I should at least leave a note. I didn't want anyone to worry that I had been abducted or anything, not that they would. In the end, I made a short and to the point.

If you are reading this, I have left court. Do not try to contact or find me. I do not want to be found.

When Christian came back, I did a final sweep of my room before pulling my duffle onto my shoulder and leaving the royal court and all my friends behind.

After all, I had nothing left to lose.