Of all the fictional pairings I've ever read about in books, Romitri are probably the one I connect with most. Their love is so pure, and so honest, and so enjoyable to read. I haven't read any of the Sydney books for that very reason - the lack of Dimitri and Rose - so this is canon up to Last Sacrifice, but no further.
Enjoy.

I Melt With You

'In a fight, they're lethal. Around each other, they melt.'
– Sonya Karp, The Golden Lily.

Lissa was sitting in one of the same high-backed armchairs I'd seen Tatiana sitting in not so long ago. I couldn't sit down. I paced, looking like a good guardian, when actually, I was anything but. The pots of herbs and vases of flowers Lissa had added to the décor were all giving off soothing scents, but I'd pretty much figured there was no chance of my being soothed today.

"How long?" She asked.

"Less than an hour. Okay, half an hour. Okay, twenty three minutes."

"You're acting like he might stand you up."

"I'm acting like they might stand you up," I told her. "You're the queen, not me."

Life at Court was good, maybe even better than good. Most of the permanent guardians were now friends or at least colleagues, and I got to take college classes with Lissa, and get pedicures with Lissa, and spend my days with Lissa…my nights however, were all my own – or rather, they belonged to someone else. That was the problem. Now completely alienated from his aunt Tasha, Christian Ozera had decided to take a trip to his family's birthplace, and had been touring Eastern Europe for nearly a month. I knew Lissa missed him, but to me, it felt like nothing more than a drop in the ocean of my own sadness. I was sad because Christian had taken his guardian with him, and his guardian was…

Don't think about it, I told myself. The only way I could protect Lissa was if I kept his name out of my mind, hide the Western novel he'd left on my nightstand in the back of my closet and train hard, running miles every day with a bunch of other guardians. I think some of them got it and sympathised, but most probably just wanted to get in with me, the queen's personal guardian.

"Rose," said Lissa. "We should go. Remember, the Ozeras have requested that they be allowed to welcome Christian back from their family home with a proper welcome ceremony."

I snorted. "Oh yeah? Funny how he stops being a Strigoi wannabe the minute you're crowned."

"Rose," she repeated, always calm, always tolerant. She was the perfect queen. I felt so proud of her sometimes, I thought I would burst. "Christian needs his family just like you do. Understanding your mother and getting to know your father better has done wonders for you."

"Sure it has."

"Rose."

"What?"

She smiled, amused by my quick temper. "It's time."

Christian had to come to her, of course. We'd decided on one of the bigger ballrooms, since the entire Ozera family seemed to have RSVP'ed, and someone had refreshed the gold paint and put down a fresh carpet. The whole place sparkled, the chandeliers tinkling in a light breeze drifting in through the open windows. Lissa sat absolutely still, beautiful and serene at the centre of all this, when it was all I could do not to hop from foot-to-foot and glare at the Ozeras royals who beamed at me, overjoyed to welcome Christian, the blackest of black sheep, back into the fold.

She'd said it was time, but it felt like hours before they finally appeared. I kept my gaze focused on the Moroi, who looked tall, handsome and smug in a black parka. Christian always knew which of my buttons to push, but I liked him just fine now, and we'd been through enough together to make us friends. Ignoring his cousins, uncles and aunts, all pushing forward to try to be the first to speak to the queen's inevitable consort, he bowed before her without taking his eyes off her face. Lissa, glowing with pleasure, played along, extending her hand for him to kiss. He did, and the kiss went on longer than was strictly appropriate. I couldn't help but be happy for them both.

Then he kissed her properly, and that went on much longer was appropriate. What the hell, he'd been gone a long time.

And didn't I know it. My stomach twisted like I'd swallowed live snakes, and my palms tingled. I felt sweaty. I felt that if I turned away from Lissa and Christian, even for a second, I didn't know what the consequences would be.

"Guardian Belikov." Lissa's voice rang out, dignified but sweet. "Welcome back."

He said something. My heart was beating too loudly in my ears to hear what, but I heard what Lissa said next.

"Guardian Belikov, I'm so glad to have you back. Certain security matters have been worrying me lately – I was wondering, would you mind finding somewhere private to discuss them with Guardian Hathaway?"

I was trying to be good, I was trying so hard to be good, to be a good guardian, to still be good when Dimitri wasn't around (screw it, I'd thought his name, but it was too late now in any case). My heartbeat was still so loud that I didn't hear his answer, only felt the lightest of touches on my shoulder when he came forward to obey her. Following his lead, I allowed myself to be guided out of the ballroom. The room seemed to throb with silence as we crossed it, everyone knowing or guessing what was going to happen next but everyone too polite to say anything.

Once the massive double doors had closed behind us, Dimitri dismissed the two guardians on patrol in the hall. He spoke Russian and one of them laughed, and the other clapped him on the back.

Finally, we were alone.

"Roza," he said gently. "Why won't you look at me?"

"I can't." I really couldn't.

"Why not?"

"I'll…I'll break, or something."

"Rose." He sighed. Slipping two fingers beneath my chin, he tilted my head up until there was nowhere else for me to go, no one else but him. I had to take him in, to drink him in: the chin length brown hair, tied back in its usual ponytail; the brown eyes, not as dark as mine but softer, stronger; the gorgeous face, almost stern like a teacher, like when he had been my teacher.

I melted. For the first time in my life, I felt my knees give out from something other than exhaustion or pain, and when he kissed me, they kept right on buckling and we kept right on going towards the floor. His hands tangled in my hair, bringing me even closer to him. My hands, weak and useless, hung onto the back of his neck, nails digging in. I was pretty sure that if I let go, or if he did, I'd die. I'd missed him so much. It had hurt worse than being shot– and I'd been shot not so long ago, so it was an easy comparison for me to make. I didn't want to be one of those whiny Stand by Your Man types, by my love for Dimitri was so consuming, I couldn't help it. It felt like I was falling apart without him. It felt like I was falling apart right now.

After a long time, he broke the kiss. I was so breathless, I couldn't tell which parts of me were me, and which were him.

"Hey, comrade."

He smiled. "I don't know how many times I've asked you not to call me that."

I couldn't help the shiver that ran through me in response to that smile.

He was all mine, and he made me melt.

Fin.