(This is my second story. Queen Tatiana is alive by the way. I hope you all enjoy and I won none of the characters but the fabulous Richelle Mead does.)

Chapter One

Rose POV

My life officially sucks ass. Want me to tell you why? I'll tell you why. First of all, the love of my life, Dimitri Belikov dumped me for that damn whore, Tasha Ozera, my best friend Lissa Dragomir doesn't want to be around me because I put Dimitri before her, Adrian Ivashkov hates me and now he is fucking my best friend, and not to mention Mason is dead. I feel like they betrayed me though. I gave everything I could to them all. I risked a lot for Dimitri. I almost didn't graduate and died for that motherfucker and how does he repay me? He sleeps with somebody else. I gave my life for Lissa and she hates me for not loving her more than Dimitri. Adrian hates me because I didn't give him a chance to date me and I used him. He basically called me a money grubbing whore. So where does that leave me?

I'm still at court because I have nowhere to go but it's hard. Lissa lives here under Queen Tatiana's wings and she is basically everywhere. Dimitri lives here with Tasha because Tasha and Lissa are very good friends. Adrian is here because well… the queen is his aunt. Court may be big but it's not big enough. I cannot go anywhere without hearing or seeing them. It's a nightmare. So where do I go to get rid of all the hype? I go to the records room and work there during the Moroi daytime and I basically keep my head down. I am a guardian but I don't have an assignment yet. They want to give me one but I didn't have any takers yet. Guess they don't want a troublemaker for a guardian. I just mostly hang around here and do nothing. I do spend time with Ambrose but not a lot because Lissa visits the spa a lot.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this. In an attempt to get rid of any memory of Dimitri and to change my image, I cut my hair. Its short in the back and long in the front, well mostly the sides are long. I like it because it can show off the tattoos and it's easier to manage. When I first cut it, Ambrose almost didn't recognize me. To say that he was shocked would be an understatement. He thought I looked more adult and sexier that way. To be honest if Ambrose wasn't banging Queen Tatiana or other Moroi women (Adrian's mother), I would've dated him, maybe even slept with him. I still enjoy having him around though. Speaking of which I have to get back to my conversation with him, he just asked me something.

"What?" I asked. We were in one of the café's at court. I was having a turkey sandwich with a small cup of coke and he was eating the same thing. I recently found out that he has the same appetite as me.

"I said how are you?" He sighed and shook his head. He hates when I just blank off.

"I'm fine, why?" I asked. I took a bite out of my sandwich and stared at him.

"I'm just asking. I know you've been through a lot of shit lately and I'm worried about you," He said. He knew all about my shitty life right now. He was there with me through it all (Again if he wasn't banging the queen, he would be boyfriend material).

"I'm fine. There is nothing I can do to reverse it. What happened between me and Lissa was bad but I cant change it," I sighed. I was still hurt by Lissa but I got over it. It was Dimitri that really hurt me though.

"You know good and damn well, that I'm not talking about Lissa. I'm talking about Dimitri," He said. Why the hell does he know me well? That's what I get for spilling my guts to him. Oh Well, I guess that's what happens when you have nobody else to turn to.

"I'm still healing. I mean he was my first love and everything. I gave a lot to him but I guess that wasn't enough. What he did, cut me very deeply and I don't think I'll get over it anytime soon," I finally said. When I spoke those words, I realized that it was true. It's going to be hard to get over what he did to me. The day he told me that he was leaving me for Tasha will forever be burned into my brain. All of a sudden, Ambrose grabbed my hand and started stroking it.

" I understand. I know it will be hard to get over it but you're strong. I know you will move on," He said convincingly. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah right. If I cant even keep the love of my life, what makes you think that I'll be able to keep any other guy?"

"Oh come on, a hot, smart, sexy, strong girl like you? I'm surprised that you aren't- shit!" He suddenly stopped speaking and his eyes drifted to the door. I looked behind me and I immediately regretted it. Coming in the café was Dimitri, Tasha, Adrian, and Lissa. They were talking amongst themselves and joking around away like they were the best of friends. Then all of a sudden, Dimitri glanced up from Tasha and saw me. That triggered a domino effect. In the span of 2.5 seconds, Lissa, Adrian, and Tasha all looked at me. I should've looked away but I didn't. I'm never one to back down from a challenge and I won't start now.

We stared at each other for a while. We waited for the other to say something but we never did. While the silence was still there, I studied all of their faces. Lissa looked shocked and a little sad. Adrian looked disgusted. Tasha looked uncomfortable. Dimitri's face was unreadable. I expected nothing less. Finally someone said something.

"Do you have a staring problem, Hathaway?" Adrian spoke as if my name was poison.

"I don't know. Do you have a drug problem Ivashkov? Last I checked it's a free damn country," I spat. I don't care if he didn't like me. He was not about to get all bitchy with me. He was about to say something else but Lissa butted in.

"Don't be rude, Rose. He was just asking a question and that's all. Why cant you be more nicer?" She lectured me. Oh hell no! The only reason she said something to defend him was because she getting some dick out of this. I was about to tell her off when Ambrose squeezed my hand. I looked at him and he shook his head no. I sighed and turned back to Lissa and the others.

"I'm so sorry Princess Vasilisa. I forgot that you even existed and that you are in sexual relationship with Prince Ivashkov. I'm sorry if offended you in anyway but I personally don't give a shit," I said in a very apologetic and respectful tone. Lissa and the others gasped. They never heard me talk to Lissa like that before. Dimirti was about to say something but I got up and pulled Ambrose with me.

"I'm sorry Guardian Belikov but I really don't give a shit about what you have to say either. If you forget, I have no connections with you at all. You made sure of that with your choices. Well, I would love to continue this game of wits but I have more important things to do. Come on Ambrose," I said. The others looked at me with a shocked expression as I walked out of the café with Ambrose in tow.

When we got far enough away from the café, I started laughing. Ambrose looked at me like I was crazy. After a few minutes, he started laughing too. We were laughing so hard that we were crying and we couldn't breathe. When we finally stopped, Ambrose got up and pulled me up after him.

"You are one crazy girl, Hathaway," Ambrose chuckled. I gave him my man-eater smile and winked at him.

"You know it. They deserved it though. They may not want anything to do with me but they should know by now that I don't hold my tongue for anyone," I shrugged. It isn't my fault that they decided to disown me and abandon me. Ambrose and I started walking around court until it was time for him to leave.

"I would love to spend more time with you, but I've got to get back to work. I'll see you later," Ambrose then hugged me and kissed me on the forehead before walking away. I watched him until he disappeared around a corner and I sighed. What was I going to do for the rest of the day? Hans has nothing for me to do and Mikhail was busy with Sonya (don't want to think about it). So in the end I just decided to go back to my room.

When I reached my room, I took off my shirt and pants. I was in my bra and underwear and I lay down on my bed. I got my ipod and turned up the volume as loud as my ears could take. That was my daily routine nowadays. I soon passed out to the song Misery Business by Paramore.

All of a sudden, I heard a banging sound. At first I thought it was a dream but it wasn't. The banging sound was real. I looked at my clock and it read 3:00 am and then I looked at my ipod. Apparently it died because I forgot to charge it. I shrugged and got out of bed. I walked to my door and slowly opened it.

"What?" I grumbled. I looked up and was shocked to see a pair of familiar brown eyes looking back at me. The eyes looked straight through me and sent familiar chills down my spine. His massive body covered my door frame and I felt like it was covering me at the same time.

The person at my door was my ex lover, mentor, and boyfriend, Dimitri Belikov.