Don't Dream It's Over - Complete

Chapter 1

"The 40-Year-Old Virgin?!" Christian groaned. "I'm not watching that!"

"We've seen everything else here at least three times," Eddie argued, appreciating if they didn't pick a film, soon, Lissa would demand they see The Notebook. Again!

"It's a romantic comedy," Lissa said, weighing into the argument. "It could be fun?"

"It's stupid. Like anyone gets to the age of forty still a virgin," Christian snorted.

"Well, I'm over half-way there, aren't I?" Rose retorted with a bitter laugh.

All conversation in the room stopped, Lissa, Christian, Eddie, Meredith, and Dimitri looking at Rose in surprise.

"What? You're twenty-two and still a virgin?" Christian scoffed about to say something cutting when the wounded look in Rose's eyes stopped him.

Really, Rose? Lissa asked through their bond. Since they graduated, and Rose became her protector, their friendship had slowly morphed into more guardian and charge. Over time, Rose shared less and less of her life with Lissa. Whenever Lissa asked, Rose claimed there was nothing to tell. Still; Lissa assumed that sometime at Court on their occasional weekend visits, or during the long summer college break, Rose had found someone to have a little fun with but chosen not to say anything.

Rose stood up, blushing.

"It's no big deal. There's only been one man I wanted to do that with, but he didn't want that with me. Anyway... since there are a few hours of sunlight, I'm going to go for a run. Eddie, Meredith? I'll be back to clock on by 7:00 pm."

Usually, on a Sunday, the six of them would watch a movie together; a concession to their split schedules and lack of time together. But today, Rose needed to get out of the house she shared with her charge and colleagues.

Officially, Dimitri and Rose were Princess Vasilisa Dragomir's guardians, Eddie Castile and Meredith Edwards assigned to guard her boyfriend Lord Christian Ozera. However, since they were all living together at Lehigh, and the Moroi were running on a diurnal timetable, early in in the piece it had been decided that as the strongest fighters, Dimitri and Rose would take the night shift since that was when a Strigoi attack was most likely. Accordingly, Eddie and Meredith had the day shift, attending classes alongside their charges and doing the whole college thing while Rose and Dimitri slept during the day, waking to spend largely silent nights guarding their sleeping charges and coworkers.

"Do you think she is?" Christian asked Eddie after Rose walked through the lounge room in her running skins, setting out for her exercise completely unaware of just how beautiful she looked. Regularly spotted running around campus before sunset, other than the occasional appearance at a party where she spent the whole time glued to her housemates, no one knew anything about the stunning brunette on campus. But one thing was clear; if Rose was a virgin, it wasn't because of a lack of admirers. At college, and at Court, numerous men would have been by her side in an instant had she given them even the slightest encouragement.

"Maybe," Eddie said. "I don't think she had when we graduated... and it's not like she's exactly putting herself out there, is it?"

"What do you mean?" Lissa asked, her voice sharp. She and Rose might not have the same relationship they had when they graduated nearly four years ago, but she still considered Rose her best friend, and wouldn't tolerate anyone speaking ill of her.

"I mean, she sleeps during the day, trains every second day with one of us, runs by herself, and guards while everyone else sleeps," Eddie explained. "Even if she wanted to have a social life, we're the only Moroi and Dhampir on campus. Humans aren't likely to understand her weird hours."