Incomplete (A VA Fanfic One-Shots & Shorts Collection)

He Confronts Her First

DPOV
"Get out!" screeched Alto at Rose. As usual, she threw her backpack over her shoulder and walked out the door with a too self-confident air and shot a haughty look over her shoulder before stepping out of the classroom.
I itched to go after her. Sure, she'd overstepped the line yet again and I couldn't help but be amused by her outrageous logic. But I was unsure in my motives for going after her. Were they personal? Or professional? I really wasn't sure.
"Don't," whispered Celeste from beside me as if reading my brain. "Just let her cool off on her own."
I knew she was right, yet a small part of me feared I was wrong. "She'll only listen to me," I said calmly, "you know she'll only listen to me."
She shot me a sympathetic look. "She doesn't always."
I shook my head and rechecked that the class was more than supervised enough then slipped out of formation, abandoning my post.

I found her sitting just outside the door. She looked up at my approach. Her deep brown eyes nearly flamed at the sight of me. "What do you want, Dimitri," demanded Rose in a tone that was colder than I expected... especially when directed at me, she usually couldn't direct such a tone at me. It set my alarms off as I was reminded of her slamming the car door after the destruction of the Badica family we'd gone to meet. I shouldn't have been worried, I told myself. But it did no good. There'd always be a part of me that, no matter how hard I tried, couldn't not react or respond to her, worry about or be affected by her... and it scared me, terrified me, even.
"What was that, Rose?" I asked calmly, much more calmly than I felt. Offering her my hand, I helped her back onto her feet as I so often did in practices. Damn it! I didn't need those images, let alone the accompanying flashba— enough! I chastised myself yet again.
Rose placed her small hand in mine and, as usual, it felt as if it was sculpted for mine to hold protectively, and I hoisted her up effortlessly. "What was going through your head, Rose?" I repeated.
"Hell if I know," she huffed, not meeting my eyes.
"Rose," I warned.
This time she met my eyes with a glare. Not going to work on me honey. I immediately caught myself on the term of endearment. I really had to be more wary, but she haunted my every thought, my every action, my every word.

Janine'sPOV
"Rose," I heard Belikov say as I slipped out of the classroom to deal with my daughter.

I swear she was too much like me. She had, unfortunately, made some justified arguments that were questions I constantly asked myself. And she'd been especially right when pointing out it was a Theory class. Yet her attitude had been wrong, completely disgraceful and all too much like mine when I was a teen. True, I loved her, but I hadn't stood a chance at raising her the way I now more than ever wished I had, since she inherited Abe's looks and logic. And general insufferable charisma and that talent to piss you off while being unable to avoid her presence.

Wanting to know how he handled her, I did something I despised. I hid and eavesdropped. "What's going on, Rose?" Belikov cautiously but firmly asked.
"Nothing, Comrade," she responded defensively.
He sighed then measuredly looked at her for a few brief moments, it was only for a few moments. Not even a full minute, yet even I seemed to sense time slowing, if not stopping. "This isn't you, Rose," Belikov said in almost a whisper as he took a tentative half step towards her. "You're a little too carefree unless it relates to guarding, you're defensive and impulsive, but not this..." He looked at her again, as if trying to see through her, understand her. "You're not this ... dark, Rose. You're not this hateful, vengeful. You aren't the Rose I met, at least not back there, and certainly not back at the Badica's. Upbeat, determined, reckless, insubordinate, and yes still vulgar. But not resentful, jealous, and vengeful. Rose Hathaway, Princess Vasilisa's best friend and should-be guardian, doesn't slam car doors and threaten to rip seven Strigoi heads off in blind rage, and certainly wouldn't talk back to her mother in class like that."
Rose locked onto Belikov's eyes as she seemed to fight some internal battle. "Don't assume you know me, Dimitri."
And again, he let slide her blatant lack of respect by not addressing him by his title. "Don't assume I don't, Rose," he returned quietly, fixing her with a powerful, indescribable look.