This story takes place after the famous Love fades, mine has. I obviously do not own VA and could only wish I did. Enjoy, please R&R.

Prologue

Love Fades, mine has

I closed my eyes as I remembered his voice saying the four words that broke my heart into a million pieces. I felt the tears well in my eyes and tried unsuccessfully to force them back, but I couldn't. All I could think of was the pain. The pain that radiated throughout my heart and soul. We were meant to be together I knew it and he knew it. Our souls called to each other and were so in sync that we could have a whole conversation without words.

But how could he say that to me? How could he turn his back on what we had and what we could be? I went to the ends of the Earth to save him. I broke my worst enemy out of PRISON to save him. How does he repay me? By ignoring me completely and of course telling me the four words I wished I could forget.

He couldn't be telling the truth. There is no way that after everything that we had been through together that he could just stop loving me. It didn't work that way, I had done the trials and I had managed to do the impossible. I proved that fairy tales do exist and I deserve my happy ending.

I wiped the tears out of my eyes and forced myself to remember that I am Rose Hathaway and I DO NOT cry. I would just have to show him that he still loves me. I could do this, I've already done the impossible multiple times so this should be a cake walk.

I got up off my bed and decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and put a plan into action. If he wanted to pretend like I didn't matter anymore that was fine, but I was going to make it damn hard on him. I got up and looked at my reflection in the mirror over my dresser. I groaned. I wasn't going to be winning anyone over looking like hell. There were bags under my eyes and my hair hung limply around my face I looked as if I hadn't slept in weeks. Well, I guess technically I hadn't.

I quickly took a shower and dried my hair making it fall in waves down my back the way I know Dimitri loves. I grabbed my black mini skirt that clung to my legs and a red lace tank that left nothing to the imagination. After slipping into some black stilettos, I quickly exited my room and went to hunt down Adrian.

It wasn't hard, after walking into the third bar at court I found him sitting at the end of the bar with an empty shot glass in his hand.

I slipped into the seat next to him and his eyes roamed up and down my body, "You know you look damn sexy right now little dhampir."

He was drunk already. I probably should have expected that since he had finally given up on me and our relationship a week ago, and I couldn't help but feel my heart ache and the pain that I had inadvertently caused him. "You know, it might be a good thing for you to hold off on a few rounds."

He laughed, "Or you could just join me."

"I might just do that." I said as I ordered us both a few more shots.

He looked over at me with a shocked expression on his face, "Since when do you drink? I thought that you always kept a clear head in case Lissa needed you."

"Well, obviously she doesn't since I haven't even seen her in three days. We're also in the middle of court so she has wards and court guardians to protect her here. I think I deserve a night off."

Adrian looked over at me and I could tell he knew that there was more to why I was here then just wanting a night off, but he kept it to himself and just took the shots the bartender had given us.

We spent the next hour taking shots and trying to avoid any talk of our pain mostly because I knew his pain was because of me and my pain would only cause him more. After about 10 shots, I noticed the world was beginning to seem a little less flat and took that as a sign that it was time to stop and move on to the next part of my plan.

I looked over at Adrian, "You want to go have a little bit of fun?"

He looked at me suspiciously, "What kind of fun are we talking about?"

"The type where we make a certain Russian wish he had never ignored me."

Adrian looked me over as if he was finally understanding why I was here and what I wanted from him. I felt bad because I knew that once again I was using Adrian's love for me to get what I wanted and it seemed as if all I ever did was cause him pain.

He laughed and with an almost sarcastic tone said, "I don't see how anyone could ignore you little dhampir, but I'm game. Lead the way."

I was almost surprised that he had agreed so fast, I had been expecting him to put up a good fight but maybe the idea of bringing pain to Dimitri also appealed to him. After all, he was the reason I could never return Adrian's feelings, even if sometimes I wished I could. Things would be so much easier for me if I could just love him.

We walked out of the bar towards the guardian's lounge where I knew Dimitri usually sat with Lissa while they talked about – well I don't know what they talked about. Lately I'd been trying my hardest to stay out of Lissa's head since she spent the majority of her time with Dimitri and I could stand to hear him say anything that could hurt me worse than I already was.

Sure enough when we got there Lissa was sitting around one of the tables with Dimitri, Christian, and Eddie. As we walked through the door, I stumbled and remembered that it probably wasn't the greatest idea to wear 4 inch stillettos while drunk. I laughed at my own clumsiness and took my shoes off.

"Did the bad ass Rose Hathaway almost fall on her face?" Adrian teased.

I laughed again a little louder than before and without even looking towards their table I knew that both Dimitri and Lissa had turned to look at us. I leaned up and kissed Adrian, "We've been over this, I'm off tonight so I'm not a bad ass. I'm just Rose."

He looked me over again, "There is no way anyone would ever refer to you as being 'just Rose'."

He grabbed my hand and we wondered over to the counter to buy some coffee and slices of pizza since I was starving. After we paid we went back over and sat at a table close to one of the windows overlooking the terrace. The whole time I could literally feel Dimitri's eyes burning holes into my back.

Adrian grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into his lap and leaned in close to my ear, "Let's really make him jealous little dhampir. He will regret the day he let you walk out of his life."

I smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him. We sat there for who knows how long just making out in the middle of the lounge with him occasionally running his lips down my neck before returning to my mouth. He let his hand roam up and down my back under my camisole and I could feel the shock from my bond with Lissa. She couldn't imagine what I was thinking or why I would do this right in front of Dimitri.

I kept kissing Adrian, but slipped into her head to see how Dimitri was taking our little show and couldn't help but feel overjoyed at his reaction. His guardian mask was nowhere to be seen and his emotions were written all over his face. I could see his regret, pain, guilt, and desire. I could feel Lissa's anger at me for causing him more pain and I heard her tell them she was tired and ready to leave.

I ignored them all get up and walk out towards their own rooms before I got up from Adrian's lap and began eating my pizza slice.

He looked over at me and with a suggestive wink said, "You know, we could always go back to my room and finish what we started."

I laughed knowing he knew that I wouldn't say yes. I couldn't hurt him anymore than I already had and leading him on was bad enough without agreeing to sleep with him. Adrian, despite what most people thought, was kind and one of the best guys I knew. He deserved to find someone to be happy with and I needed to stop holding him back only to make myself feel better. I would never be able to return his love because no matter how hard I tried to get over Dimitri I knew that I would always love him, and it just wasn't fair of me to not be able to give someone all of my heart when I had all of theirs.

We sat there and talked for a little while longer, he told me about how they had found a few more spirit users at St. Vladamir's and how he was planning on going back with Lissa to help train them in a couple of months.

Afterwards we left and Adrian started wondering back over towards the bar. I went back to my room wondering if I had really had any effect on my Russian god.

I got an answer as soon as I turned the corner to my room and found Dimitri leaning against my door with his guardian mask firmly in place.

"What are you doing here?" I asked trying to sound indifferent.

"I'm surprised to find you here, I thought for sure you'd go back to Adrian's room tonight." His eyes flashed at Adrian's name and I suddenly hoped that Adrian would stay far away from Dimitri for a couple of days.

"What does it matter to you? You said that you wanted nothing to do with me Dimitri. You can't come waltzing back into my life every time you see me with a guy if you don't want to have anything to do with me."

Dimitri looked me up and down and I could tell he was undressing me with his eyes, "So, it's okay with you to just be a common blood whore?"

I snapped at that and slapped him across the face. "How dare you Dimitri Belikov. Is that really what you think of me?"

I shoved past him and unlocked the door to my room. While he looked over at me and let his guardian mask slip for a minute so that I could see the regret and love in his eyes. "I didn't mean it Roza."

I walked into my room and looked angrily back at him, "Then what did you mean, Comrade?"

He looked at me with a conflicted expression on his face as if he couldn't decide what he wanted to say, or probably if he wanted to lie to me and tell me he didn't love me again. Instead he did the last thing I expected him to do and he leaned down and kissed me.

It was a hungry kiss as if he couldn't get enough of me and he was afraid I was going to disappear and I kissed him back with all of the pain and hunger I'd had for him since he had been lost to me. I heard myself moan and stepped farther into my room while kicking the door closed behind us. He picked me up and carried me to the bed with his lips never leaving mine. I grabbed his shirt and tugged it over his head the let my hands move over his chest then onto his back to pull him closer to me. I felt like there was no way for him to be close enough and even the smallest inch of space between us was just too much.

He undressed me slowly and trailed kisses over my skin as he exposed my flesh and his hand moved up and down my body. He took it slow as if he was afraid that he was simply having a dream and it would end if he moved too fast, and when it was over he leaned down and kissed me sweetly on the lips as if he could hardly believe I was there and pulled me close to his side and we both fell asleep holding each other.

I awoke suddenly a few hours later as Dimitri began swearing in Russian while trying to put his clothes back on. I rolled over to watch him and asked, "Where are you going, Comrade?"

His back stiffened as he heard my voice and with a cold voice he said, "This was a mistake and it won't happen again."

I felt the world shift around me and I fought the tears that were coming to my eyes. I would not cry in front of him again. "What do you mean? Why was this a mistake? I know you love me Dimitri, you can't keep pretending like I don't mean anything to you."

He kept his back turned towards me and never looked at me as he pulled his duster back on and walked towards the door. "I don't love you anymore Rose. Look at what you've become. You may not be a blood whore, but you're not much better."

And with that he walked out my door never looking back and taking ever last piece of my broken heart with him.