Chapter 1: Going Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. This story is intended for fanfiction and entertainment purposes only. No monitary gain or copyright infringement intended.

So this is my new story. Please know that I am still going through a rough time and I will try to update as much as possible, but if a week passes without an update just know that I have every intention of finishing this story and I never leave my VA fans hanging. Enjoy=)

RPOV

It had been seven years since I'd set foot in my hometown of Baia, Russia. Seven years in which I'd done everything in my power to forget my sordid past and create a bright and happy future for myself. A future that did not include my former bad habits, my overprotective father and most importantly my soon to be ex-husband Dimitri Belikov.

I sighed as I looked out the window of the plane. We were about to make our decent and my stomach was full of butterflies. I'd spent the past seven years building a life for myself in New York City. I'd made new friends. I'd made a name for myself as one of the top runway models, having worked my way onto the cover of Vogue, Allure and Glamour and had just signed a deal to be the new cover girl for Chanel. Things in my life couldn't have been more perfect. I had everything I'd ever dreamed of and I was on top of the world when my boyfriend proposed to me last week.

Flashback

"Where are we going? I thought you said this party was uptown?" I asked checking my make up in the mirror as we drove down fifth avenue.

"We have to make a stop first," he said squeezing my hand over the consol.

I held my breath nervously as we cut down the back alleyway of a dark street. I was beginning to wonder what the hell was up with him tonight. He hated places like this and always insisted we stick to the well lit sidewalks.

"Seriously Adrian, I'm beginning to freak out," I hissed. The only sounds I could hear were my heels clacking on the pavement as he pulled me along with him.

"Relax babe, we're almost there," he assured me. He stopped a few seconds later causing me to run into him.

"Close your eyes," he instructed, placing his hands over my eyes as he moved me so I was standing in front of him.

He helped me walk forward slowly and I could feel the cool December wind whipping through my long hair which was becoming more and more tousled as we continued to walk.

"Okay, you can open them," he said removing his hands.

I gasped at the view in front of me. We were in front of the huge Christmas tree at Rockefeller center and in front of it was the entire cast of the Radio City Rockets. They were all dressed up and each was holding a letter lit up in bright lights. All together they spelled out Rose, will you marry me?

I nearly fell to my knees I was so shocked. We'd only been dating for ten months. I looked down in front of me where Adrian had sunk down on one knee. His beautiful green eyes were sparkling with excitement as he held out a small black velvet box with a huge diamond nestled inside.

"So what do you say Rosemarie Hathaway? Will you marry me?" he asked.

I nodded my head mechanically too stunned for actual speech.

"Is that a yes?" he questioned.

"Yes," I managed to squeak holding out my left hand. He placed the exquisitely beautiful ring on my shaky finger and pulled himself to his feet.

"Today is the best day of my life," he breathed pulling me in for a very sensual kiss.

"Hey hey we're in public now, come up for air," my best friend Mia called wolf whistling at us.

We broke apart guiltily and I saw that all of our friends were gathered around us with glasses of champagne.

"Here's to the happy couple," Eddie called out handing us both a glass. Eddie was Adrian's business partner and a good friend of ours.

"You are amazing," I told my new fiancé as we celebrated our engagement with our friends. As it turned out Adrian had rented out the space and had a tent set up on the other side of the tree so we could stay warm. It was decorated with white lights and beautiful poinsettias adorned the tables. He had our favorite restaurant cater and it was the perfect evening. I couldn't have asked for a more romantic proposal and I couldn't wait to have a beautiful wedding and a wonderful life together.

I was high on excitement and enjoyed the evening, but in the wee hours of the morning after we'd made love in the apartment we shared, reality came crashing down on me and I realized that marrying Adrian was going to be a lot more difficult that I'd imagined seeing is that I was technically still married to my childhood sweetheart back in Baia.

End Flashback

Adrian didn't even know I lived in Russia or that I was Turkish and he definitely didn't know I was married much less at the age of eighteen to my childhood sweetheart.

So here I sat on a plane descending in to the town I'd vowed never to set foot in again. I cursed Dimitri for making me do this. I'd sent him numerous sets of divorce papers over the years only to have them sent back to me unsigned. I didn't know what his problem was? We'd been separated for nearly seven years and the stubborn ass still refused to give me a divorce. This time would be different though. If he thought for one minute I was going to let him ruin my life for the second time, he had another thing coming. I wasn't that naïve little seventeen year old girl anymore. I was Rose Hathaway and I was determined to be in and out of Baia in less than twenty-four hours, signed divorce papers in hand.

Of course nothing in my life ever goes as planned and I'd forgotten just how bitter cold it could get in Siberia in the winter. It was only the first week of December, but the snow was two feet deep on some places and I'd stupidly attempted to drive my rental car through the snow covered streets and was now stuck. I was only five miles outside of Baia and I again cursed Dimitri as my tires spun in the snow. This was all his fault. If he had just signed the papers, I wouldn't be in this mess.

My phone rang for the third time tonight and I knew I had to answer it this time or he would begin to get suspicious.

"Hey Adrian," I said trying to sound cheery in the midst of my current dilemma.

"Where are you? You sound like you're a million miles away," he asked. I hadn't exactly told him where I was going. I just told him I was out of town on a trip for work and being the loving, trusting man he was, he hadn't questioned me further.

"Nowhere special, just doing some last minute hair and make-up before the shoot," I lied. I hadn't wanted him to find out I had lied when I told him my parents were dead and I was from Chicago. I was hoping to secure the divorce without him ever having to know. The only person who knew where I was really going and why was my good friend Sydney Sage. She and I had shared a small flat for a few years when I'd first moved to New York and I'd confided in her my entire history back home including the entire Dimitri drama.

"I miss you. How long did you say you'd be gone?" he asked. He was really adorable when he said things like that.

"Just a few days, possibly a week if the shots don't turn out," I told him, hoping I wouldn't be here more than a day or two at most, but with the looks of the weather that was highly doubtful.

"Well hurry home. It's not the same without you in our apartment."

"I know. I miss you too," I told him.

"Rose, I love you," he said making me want to cry for being so deceitful.

"I love you too," I whispered before hanging up.

I slumped my head over the wheel of the car trying to figure out what to do when there was a loud thumping on my window. I screamed bloody murder until I realized that I saw flashing lights on a huge pick-up truck with a snow shovel attached to the front.

"You look like you're in need of assistance miss," a man said. I could barely make out his figure in the blowing snow, but he sounded vaguely familiar.

"Christian Ozera?" I asked as I allowed him to lead me to the police vehicle.

"Well I'll be damned if it isn't Rosemarie Mazur," he cried out in astonishment.

"What brings you back to these parts?" he asked as we settled into the warm cab of his truck.

I shrugged. "You know why I'm here," I told him.

"Still won't sign them huh?" he asked. I think the entire town knew that I'd been seeking a divorce for the past seven years and that Dimitri had been fighting me at every turn.

"I don't see why you two called it quits in the first place. There've never been two people more suited for each other."

"No one asked your opinion Sparky," I muttered as we began to drive.

"Where am I dropping you?" he asked.

"Dimitri's," I told him not wanting to have a run in with my father while I was in town.

"You really aren't going to stop home?" he asked.

I shook my head. "This isn't a social call."

"While that might be true, you've got a father and a brother whom you haven't seen in seven years. I think they'd appreciate knowing you were in town."

"Please just drive me to Dimitri's," I growled not wanting his unsolicited advice.

"How'd you get to be the Sheriff anyways?" I asked chuckling at the sight of his badge.

"Some people change Rosie," he said smiling sadly at me.

"Not around here they don't," I muttered.

We pulled up in front of what used to be a dilapidated old shack that Dimitri and I had shared during our brief time as a married couple, only it didn't look quite the same as it had the day I'd left.

"What did he do fix it up?" I asked.

"Yup, did the work himself. The man has some skills in that department. He's helped build quite a bit in this town since you left."

I sighed grabbing my overnight back from the cab.

"You want me to wait?" he asked.

"No that's okay, I think I can manage," I told him.

It was already getting dark and although I didn't relish the idea of staying the night with him, I could always call a taxi to take me to the old rundown motel on route twenty-three when it was over.

I glanced down at my knee-high suede boots annoyed at myself for not remembering to wear flats.

"Damn stupid arctic wasteland," I growled as I dragged myself through the unplowed driveway to get up the front steps that also hadn't been plowed.

I was breathless as I set my bag down on the snow covered porch swing. I had just about worked up the nerve to pound on the door when I heard snow crunching around the side of the house.

"Can I help you miss? It isn't good weather to be out here selling things."

Be still my heart, the man's voice still sent chills running up my spine after all these years. I turned around adjusting my hat and scarf taking in the vision that was my gorgeous albeit frustrating as hell six foot seven muscular Russian husband. He was of course wearing jeans and a winter coat, but as usual was too stubborn to put on a hat, gloves or a scarf.

"Sure, you can help me. Sign these damn divorce papers and I can be on my merry way," I called in English not wanting to give him the satisfaction of speaking in his native tongue. I was originally from Istanbul and moved here when I was six. At home we spoke Turkish and I only used Russian with him and at school. In New York, I stuck mainly to English, but I'd been told by my fiancé that I mumble in strange tongues in my sleep.

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he set down the shovel he was holding and came closer to me.

"Roza?" he asked calling me by the pet name he'd given me the first day of Kindergarden.

"Of couse it's me, you ass, unless you have some other wife out there somewhere in which case there's no reason to keep refusing to sign these papers."

"Well well living in the states has done wonders for you. You must have lost what twenty pounds," he said smirking at me as his eyes perused my body.

"You're such a pig, Dimitri, now sign these so I can call a cab and get the hell out of this God forsaken town."

"You come all the way here on what was probably an eighteen hour flight, you most likely haven't notified anyone else you're in town and you want me to stand out here in the freezing cold weather and sign divorce papers while the snow is blinding us. You are unbelievable," he snorted.

"Oh come on, just sign them and you'll never have to see me again. I promise," I said trying to entice him to give me what I wanted so I could get on with my life.

"Look it's freezing out here. Come inside and I'll have a look at them," he said grabbing my bag and opening the front door.

I sighed heavily, but followed him inside.

I wasn't prepared for the barrage of memories that hit me as I entered what had been my home for a very short time. I swallowed back tears as I took in the photos on the mantle of the fireplace. One was of the two of us as children. We were playing on the jungle gym on the playground. Another was one of us with all our friends after homecoming Junior year and the last was one of us at senior prom. Why he still had any of them was beyond me. I hadn't kept any momentos from my youth. I left them all behind at my father's house the day I left and hadn't looked back.

His eyes flashed to me and then to the mantle. He smiled slightly and set my bag down on the couch. Seven years and nothing in the room had changed except that now instead of a small thirteen inch tv vcr combo there was a large flat screen television with a dvd player.

"I see you haven't changed anything," I said rolling my eyes.

"Not all change is good Roza," he responded.

"Whatever, can you just sign these?" I asked trying not to let him know how desperate I was. As much as I didn't want to be nice to him, I also didn't want to rub the news of my engagement in his face either. It was my hope that if I kept things civil, I would be out of here and on my way back to Adrian and my friends a whole lot faster.

"You seriously came all the way here just for that?" he asked incredulously.

"Well it isn't as if you gave me a choice," I said raising my voice.

"I thought that you would have got the message by now," he said. "I thought someone as bright as you would have figured it out."

"Figured what out? That you're a stubborn ass? Don't worry, the whole world knows," I shouted. He was really beginning to piss me off now.

"You can get a change of scenery, but deep down, you're still the same," he said looking me in the eye.

"I am absolutely not the same," I argued.

"I didn't settle for this small town, where I'd be trapped with nothing to do but wait around for you to come home from your stupid job at the factory. Instead, I live my life. I go out, I see people and I have friends. This town is poison and I won't stay here long enough to let it suck me back in again."

"Oh that would be the worst thing in the world for you wouldn't it? If you stayed and had dinner with your family or if you spent some time with the people you used to call friends before you up and abandoned them for the prestige of living in New York."

"Don't even pretend you know what my life is like now. You don't know anything about me," I cried. How dare he presume to know what my life was like?

"Oh, I don't? I know you're only here because you can't start planning your over the top wedding to your high society, rich fiancé Adrian Ivashkov until I sign those papers," he bit out.

I reeled back, stunned at his accusation.

"How do you know about that?" I asked.

"I may live in Siberia, but we do get the news here. You're all over the newspapers," he spat tossing a copy of the New York Times on the table. I let out a breath wondering how I was going to get him to sign the papers now that he knew the reason behind my urgency. If he wanted to be stubborn and make my life miserable, which I was convinced was his entire reason for existing, he could refuse and I'd be in deep shit.

Tell me what you think and if you want more. Can you guess what movie this is based off of?