Collateral Damage

- THREE -

It felt like as soon as I shut my eyes I was pulled into a vision. I sat in my dorm room when I attended the Academy, looking down at my clothes I realized I was in my old school uniform. Sat at the desk opposite me was Adrian Ivashkov. The green in his eyes never falters and I'm sure he is growing more and more attractive as the years go on.

"Evening little dhampir," he said. He voice sounded like honey, it seemed like a distant memory.

"Ivashkov," I replied giving him a welcoming nod. I looked around the room and then up at Adrian, "My room?" he puffed out the smoke in his mouth from the unnoticed cigarette between his fingers.

His features looked god-like in this lighting. "I've been waiting for you for hours, Hathaway," he said, flashing his all too familiar smirk. "How are you?" My smile turned into a frown at his question knowing all too well that he was referring to Matilda.

I sighed and stood from where I had sat on my bed, "I'm okay," I whispered, admittedly it was a poor attempt at sounding okay. Adrian wrapped his arms around me in a warm embrace. I breathed in his sent of mint and cigarettes, the one I had grown to love and cherish. "How is she?" I asked. Adrian's arms around me tightened before releasing me.

"Do you remember when I told you that her and Dimitri have been getting close?" he questioned, the memory sent a pang of sadness through my body but I nodded despite the hurt. "Lissa says that Tilly reminds her of you and that she sees the same potential that Dimitri saw in you," he must have read my thoughts because he went on to say, "They don't know, don't worry." I sat back on the bed and crossed my legs waiting for Adrian to continue. "Lissa asked Dimitri to train Matilda like he trained you."

"She is okay then?" I asked as Adrian inhaled a lungful from the stick of cancer he held between his fingers. He nodded and I released a sigh that I didn't realize I had been holding.

"How is Scott?" he asked, an edge to his voice. Adrian has never my Scott and I plan to keep it that way. They would never see eye to eye and I think that Adrian is jealous because when Dimitri and I broke up I lent of Scott a lot instead of on Adrian

"He is fine," I said, fiddling with the skin around my nails.

"When are you coming home?" he eventually asked, putting out the cigarette by squashing the tip into the top of the desk and disposing of it in the wastepaper basket.

"We have had this conversation before Adrian." I said, shifting over enough for him to sit next to me. He looked at me as if asking for me to give him a reason.

*FLASHBACK*

My eyes hurt from crying over leaving my infant child at the gates of the academy. Louise went to bed an hour ago but I just can't seem to sleep.

Eventually sleep overcame me and I was in a light slumber. As soon as I went to sleep I was dragged into a spirit dream. Adrian sat opposite me at a café at the court. "You have worried so many people Rose." That is the first time he has sounded worried about me in a long time. I am surprised he is even bothering to talk to me after everything. After I made it my personal mission to bring Dimitri back from the dead.

"Where are you? I'll come and get you." He said, I couldn't do this with him right now. I stood from my chair and faced the opposite direction from where Adrian was sitting. I felt the sting of tears threatening to spill over.

I held my breath hoping that it would subside the urge to cry out in deafening tears. My body won the fight, as I gasped for air, my throat made a sound that closely resembled a strangled sob. I fell to my knees, literally, as I sobbed into my hands. Instantly I felt Adrian's arms around me as I cried and cried.

By the time I had stopped crying, Adrian sat next to me on the concrete outside the café. "Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" he asked while I fiddled with the hem of my shirt.

"A baby came in to the academy tonight," I whispered. Adrian furrowed his brow as he nodded. I wished that anything would happen so I could wake up from this moment but I knew I wouldn't. "Her name is Matilda and she is my baby," I whispered. My eyes filled with tears again as I leaned my head on Adrian's shoulder.

I am sure Adrian avoided the inevitable question of who the father was and moved straight on to asking, "Why did you leave her at the academy?" Adrian wrapped his arm around me and kissed my head.

"She is a baby born from two dhampirs, her father is the man that broke my heart and left with another woman, I'm eighteen and I'm not ready to be a mother plus do you think that I would be the most appropriate mother? There is so many reasons Adrian. Take your pick." I sobbed into his shoulder and he comforted me as I spoke unclear sentences about her. "You have to promise me," I said, turning to look into his green eyes, "You have to promise that you'll protect her and be there for her. You have to be there to hold her hand as she struggles to walk. You have to be there to hear her first words. You have to be there on her first day of school and hold her tight when her heart gets broken. I want you there to walk her down the aisle. Adrian, promise me you'll be the parent she never had,"

"Rose," he said. I interrupted him

"Promise me Adrian." He looked down into my eyes, searching for the person I used to be.

"I promise" he whispered.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

"I know," he whispered in my response to me telling him that I couldn't go back to the academy. I closed my eyes tight, trying to imagine what Dimitri's and my creation looked like.

"What is she like?" I asked, looking at the ground and pushing my hair behind my ear.

Adrian though for a bit, "It's weird, Tilly is a mixture of both of you. She has your long brown hair but Dimitri's brown eyes. She cares like you do, she has your very inappropriate sense of humour and your need and want to be the best guardian she can be. Though she has Dimitri's love for literature and doing what is right. She is beautiful. You two would get along very well Rose," a tear streamed down my face at the thought of the utter perfection I had a hand in making.

"You should go Adrian," I whispered, he wrapped his arms around me in a smothering warm embrace, "Thank you," I said as he began walking towards the door.

He turned around and smiled at me, "Until next time little dhampir," Adrian opened the door and just like every time, as soon as he appeared he left again.