Never Too Late: A VA Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty-Three

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

The rest of our stay flew by. Rose mostly avoided Lissa and Adrian and, since I was with her every moment of every day (when I didn’t have a shift), I avoided them too.

One day, after my shift, I decided to finally talk to Tasha. I had more or less been avoiding her, using Rose as an excuse, but I knew I had to face her sooner or later. Since Rose was safe with her mother, I figured I could pop in to see Tasha without Adrian threatening her.

I reached Tasha’s room faster than I had anticipated. I simply stood there, staring at the door, for several minutes before I finally gathered the courage to knock on the door. Tasha immediately opened it.

“Dimka!” she exclaimed, her face brightening up. “What a surprise.”

Something told me she had been waiting for me for a long time.

“May I come in?” I asked politely.

Tasha nodded eagerly. “Of course, of course. Make yourself at home.” She opened the door wider, but only enough for me to squeeze through, causing my whole body to brush against hers. I tried to hide my shudder of disgust; she had really fallen low.

Tasha closed the door behind us and went to sit on the bed. I stayed standing.

“Well, sit down.” she patted the seat next her.

I sighed and shook my head. “I can’t stay for long; I need to get back to Roz-se,” I said. I’d gotten so used to saying Roza that saying Rose felt funny.

Tasha’s face darkened. “Of course you do,” she muttered, scowling.

I sighed again. “Look, Tasha,” I began, “you’re one of my best friends. You have been for a really long time. I really appreciate the offer you gave me and, at any other time, I would have said yes in a heartbeat. But right now, Rose and Lissa need me. I’m sorry.”

Tasha looked down, blinking rapidly. “You love her, don’t you? You consider it your own child.”

I swallowed. “Yes.” I couldn’t lie to her, not after saying no.

Tasha nodded, seemingly to herself. “Well, then, in that case, take care of her, Dimitri.” She finally looked up at me, eyes shining with tears. “That girl’s been through hell and back. Don’t you ever leave her alone, you hear me?” She stood up and glared straight into my eyes fiercely.

I nodded. “I will take care of her and never leave her, don’t worry,” I vowed in a strong voice.

Tasha smiled sadly. “Good.” She turned away. “You should go now, make sure she’s alright.”

I nodded again even though she couldn’t see me. “We can still be friends, right Tasha?”

After a moment’s silence, Tasha nodded her head. “Of course.”

I left then, knowing she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts.

On the way to pick up Rose from her mother’s room, I passed Lissa’s room. I paused in the middle of the hallway and glanced at her door, pondering. After a moment of deliberation, I walked over and knocked on the door.

LPOV:

I looked up from my computer at a knock on the door. Wondering who it could be, I opened it to find Guardian Belikov on the other side.

“Guardian Belikov, what a pleasant surprise!” I said with shock.

Guardian Belikov simply nodded. “May I come in, Princess?” he asked formally.