Vampire Academy One-Shots

Flashback

Just a little idea.

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RPOV

I was panicking, there was no putting it lightly. I was full on, frozen against a wall, unable to speak panicking. All because Lissa and Christian wanted to go on some romantic walk at some park away from Court.

"Rose. Rose. ROSE!" Lissa was right in my face and trying to snap me out of my current state, but I was barely registering what she was saying.

"No, no. I can't. You should have taken the others." I didn't recognize my own voice and I was terrified. It was then that one of Lissa's many guardians broke from his position, and brought me to the car that was parked nearby. He hesitated to leave me alone in the car, but duty won out and he returned to his post.

I tried taking calming breaths, but I could barely breathe. I'd never had such a strong reaction to anything in my life. Eventually, I found my breath and was able to steady myself. Not five minutes later, the door opened and I went on the defensive until I saw who it was. I threw myself into Dimitri's arms, crying into his shoulder.

"Hey, you aren't there anymore. I'm right here. Nothing's going to happen to you." He murmured in my ear. It was obvious he'd guessed what my reaction was about.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I should be reacting so strongly to some stupid flowers and shrubs." I choked out between my sobs. 

He squeezed my close to him and undid my hair so he could run his hand through it. It was such a small but sweet gesture, and it did more to soothe me than anything else so far. Dimitri lead me back into the car, pulling me back to him as soon as we were both sitting.

"Where are the others?" I asked, once I'd calmed down a bit more, "Did I ruin Lissa and Christian's date?"

He let out a single soft laugh, "No, after Jones called me Christian was able to convince her to go for the walk and give you some space."

"Good. I'd feel even worse if I did put a stop to it."

A moment passed between us before Dimitri spoke, "Do you want to talk about it?"

I bit my lip. It wasn't something either of us liked discussing but in times like this... "I was fine when we first pulled up. The hedge maze itself wasn't the problem, I didn't even think about Novosibirsk at first. But when I stepped out and that smell hit me, it was like I was in a different time, and I was terrified. I wanted to bolt but I couldn't make myself move, I just froze."

"I felt the same thing when I got here." He said, "I knew it was what you'd reacted to as soon as I got here."

"I hate that it got such a reaction from me. I hate that this is even a problem in our lives."

He pulled my chin up so I was looking him in the eye, "You have every right to react that way. What happened to you... What that monster did to you... It's okay for this to happen. But we'll get past it. As long as I'm here I won't let anything happen to you again."

I smiled and gave him a small kiss, "And I won't let anything happen to you either."

We sat in a comfortable silence for a while, and this time, I was the one to break it, "Figures. The great Rose Hathaway brought down by some strong smelling flowers."

Dimitri laughed, and the sound filled the car. He sighed and kissed the top of my head, "You never cease to amaze me."

We sat together until I spotted Lissa and Christian coming out of the maze. "Well, time to get back to work. Remind me to thank Jones later."

Dimitri nodded and kissed my cheek before returning to his car. I felt bad he had to come all this way on his day off but I doubt he minded.

"Hey, Rose. You alright?" Lissa asked once we were next to each other.

"Yeah. I'll be okay." I gave Jones a quick nod of acknowledgment before returning to my position beside Lissa.

"Good, because we're going out for ice cream."

I grinned, she certainly knew how to make me feel better.

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SUPER short, but the idea wouldn't leave.