If Dimitri chose Tasha (Vampire Academy Fanfic)

Prologue - Frostbite

I'll start this story with a remake of the last part of last chapter in Frostbite. So Rose is just walking to Dimitri in supply room. Let's go!!!

I didn't even know if our practice was still on but went to locker room anyway. After changing into practice clothes, I headed down into a gym and found Dimitri in supply room, reading one of the Western novels he loved. He looked up at my entrance. I've seen little of him in this last few days and had figuret he was bisy with Tasha.

"I thought you might come by," he said, putting a bookmark between the pages.

"It's time for practice."

He shoke his head. "No. No practice today. You still need to recover."

"I've got a clean bill of health. I'm good to go,"I pushed as much patented Rose Hathaway bravado into my words as I could.

Dimitri wasn't falling for any of it. He gestured to the chair next beside him. "Sit down, Rose."

I hesitatet only a moment before complying. He moved his chair closer to mine so that we sat direcly across from each other. My heart fluttered as I looked into those gorgeous dark eyes.

"No one gets over their first kill... Kills... easily. Even with strigoi... Well it's still technically taking a life. That hard to come to terms with. And after everything alse you went through..." He sighed, then reached out and caught my hand in his. His fingers were exactly like I remember, long and powerful, calloused with years of training. "When I saw your face... When we found you in that house... you can't imagine how I felt."

I swallowet. "How... How did you feel?"

"Devastated... Grief-stricken. You were alive, but the way you looked... I didn't think you'd ever recover. And it tore me apart of think that happening to you so young." He squeezed my hand. "You will recover—I know that now, and I'm glad. But you aren't there. Not yet. Losing someone you care about is never easy."

My eyes dropped from his and studied the floor. "It's my fault," I said in a small voice.

"Hmm?"

"Mason. Getting killed."

I didn't have to see Dimitri's face to know compassion was filling it. "Oh, Roza. No. You made some bad decisions…you should have told others when you knew he was gone…but you can't blame yourself. You didn't kill him."

Tears brimmed in my eyes as I looked back up. "I might as well have. The whole reason he went there—it was my fault. We had a fight…and I told him about the Spokane thing, even though you asked me not to…."

One tear leaked out of the corner of my eye. Really, I needed to learn to stop that. Just as my mother had, Dimitri delicately wiped the tear off my cheek.

"You can't blame yourself for that," he told me. "You can regret your decisions and wish you'd done things differently, but in the end, Mason made his decisions too. That was what he chose to do. It was his decision in the end, no matter your original role." When Mason had come back for me, I realized, he'd let his feelings for me get in the way. It was what Dimitri had always feared, that if he and I had any sort of relationship, it would put us—and any Moroi we protected—in danger.

"I just wish I'd been able to … I don't know, do anything…"

Swallowing back further tears, I pulled my hands from Dimitri's and stood up before I could say something stupid.

"I should go," I said thickly. "Let me know when you want to start practice again. And thanks for …talking."

I started to turn; then I heard him say abruptly. "I accepted."

I glanced back. "What?"

He held my gaze, and something, sad and regretful and powerful shot between us. 

"I accepted" he said. "I accepted Tasha's suggestion. For us to... be together."

"Oh..." I felt heavy depression falling on my sholders. This was what I feared the most.

I put fake smile on my face. "That's... That's great. I mean, you'll guard her, and you'll have kids, and-" My voice cracked. I looked away from him.

I heard that he stood up. "God, Rose, why do you need to understand? It'd be easier if you'd start yelling at me and..." He sighed. I looked at him.

"Do you really want me to yell at you, like I don't understand?" I said calmy. He slowly shoke his head. "No."

He got closer to me. Time stopped as he reached out and cupped my face between his hands. He brougth his mouth down and brushed it against my lips. It was barely a kiss at first but increased, becoming heady and deep. When he finally pulled away, it was to kiss my forehead. He left his lips there for several seconds as his arms held me close.

I wished the kiss could have gone on forever. Breaking the embrace, he ran few fingers through my hair and down my cheek. He stepped back.

"I love you, Roza."

"I love you, too," I said. I felt tear falling down my cheek. "And I know that, that's what you gotta do." He smiled. "This is better for both of us." He put his hand in his pocket and gave me little paper with nombers on it.

"If you need anything, don't be afraid to give me a call."

He walked away.

~

I'm in my room. I am spining little, but sharp blade in my hand. I sigh. I grab my long hair and cut it in one swing. I feel hair falling on the floor. My face is covered in tears.

Now, I can forget.