A Friend and a New Future (A VA Fanfic)

Chapter 5

DPOV
Adrian had caught wind of Christian and Rose's possible location. So, he'd dragged me along to sus it out. And as his sanctioned guardian I had no choice but to follow.

Over the past nearly four years I'd slowly but surly gained all my emotions back. The most significant one's stimulus was missing. I wanted her in my arms. I needed her in my arms. I needed her, full stop.

I didn't want to know if anything had developed between those two. I didn't want to see her only to be ignored and shunned by her. I most certainly did not want to see if the rumours of her having moved on and starting a family were true. That would be torture. Absolute torture to see her happy with another man, to see evidence of her sleeping with another man.

Fate, however, had other ideas.

Adrian rang the doorbell of the rumoured beach house in Florida. I heard shuffling just before Adrian began knocking.
"Okay! Okay!" called a voice I'd know anywhere. Roza.
"Little dhampir," greeted Adrian when the door was opened slightly. We'd found the runaway guardian Hathaway apparently. I could make out her even more mature facial features. But the rest of her hid behind the door.
"What on earth?" She paused momentarily. "Never mind, won't you come in?" she stepped aside, opening the door to let Adrian in. I soon followed and saw the heartbreaking sight I never wanted to behold. Rose, my beautiful Roza was six months pregnant with another man's child. Rose barely registered my presence before her face brightened as she swung the door shut, her now-free hand moved to lovingly rub the baby bump. I could tell by her stance, even at six months pregnant, she was concealing her stake behind her.
"Who is it, love?" Christian Ozera called from the kitchen. Oh. My heart fell into my stomach hearing Lissa's ex-boyfriend call my ex-lover 'love'.
"Adrian and his guardian!" she called back. The affection for the recipient of the information for plain as day. As if that didn't hurt enough, she had to be able to say Adrian's name but not mine. It seemed to indicate she hated me. Or that she at least didn't want to acknowledge that we had any shared past. Rose looked at Adrian (completely ignoring me) when she suggested, "Come through, Chrissie's cooking lunch." Usually that nickname for Tasha's nephew held distate or friendly animosity. Now it held affection... And... Love. That stung. I kept musing as we were led into a massive kitchen, her whole demeanour backed up the strong affection, the love, she now felt for Christian Ozera- her best friend's ex.

"Annie!" Rose giggled and rubbed the baby bump again as we stepped into said massive kitchen.

The sound caused Christian to rush over and wrap her in his arms, and his entire embrace. The sound that once made-and still does make-my heart race, clearly had the same effect on the young Moroi male.

"Did I miss something?" he pouted against her lips.
"Not at all!" she sarcastically retorted with a playful slap to his shoulder.

The two were touching foreheads and noses. And lips, I added uncomfortably. The young and happy couple gazed at each other lovingly, with his arms barely encompassing her expanded waist and hers locked around his neck. It was a sickly sweet sight to behold. I couldn't help thinking about how good they looked together, the happy and carefree lovebirds who were expecting a child. They looked every bit the excited young family. The child being one I'd never been able to give her and the happy, carefree relationship I'd never been able to have with her. Christian had provided Rose with the exact same situation Tasha had offered me a handful of years ago.

And, as I watched them kiss, I now understood Rose's pure and unadulterated jealousy and envy she'd harboured on the ski trip. I was feeling those exact emotions bubble up inside me. It didn't help one bit that Rose was getting a family with the nephew of the woman who'd offered me one. I had had no clue Rose ever wanted anything or anyone else but me. Those four words I'd said to her after barely being restored now assaulted my mind. I was the cause of the pain I was now feeling. I'd caused her to run with Christian. In doing so, I'd given Tasha's nephew my Roza to make better. And he'd done more than make her better.