Anna, who was usually more observant because... well... she was trained to fight strigoi and they usually attacked from stealth, nearly jumped out of her skin. "Shit!" She took a breath, her eyes landing on Rae and groaned, "Really... you?" She sighed, "I knew letting Jace talk me into this was a bad idea." She rubbed the back of her neck, god she was out of practice. She'd have to train with some of the other guardians. The quiet life of Guarding a ward that stayed at home the majority of the time had dulled her skill despite all the time she'd spent training on her own to try and stay sharp. She straightened, wishing she weren't wearing just a tank and some tight fitting work out pants and a jacket. Still, getting dressed into anything else this morning with a broken wrist would have been near to impossible. "So, is this some kind of joke? You two decided to screw with me now that Gunner and I...?" She ran a hand through her hair, realizing she was being overly hostile. She took a breath, "Sorry..." She stood there awkwardly for a moment, "I'm not trying to be a bitch... it just seems to be my go to lately." She rubbed the back of her neck, "How did Jace rope you into this anyway? Compulsion? It seems to be his thing," she muttered. She sighed, "I think he's crazy... if you want honesty." She eyed him, aside from Gunner he was one of few able to get under her skin. The Moroi had been teasing her since gradeschool... Pulling hair, making jokes, pointing out her coming from the commune, anything he could do to irritate her. She'd usually had an okay grip on her temper but Rae could bring it to the surface in a heartbeat when he wanted. They'd been butting heads since forever, it was like a hobby for them.... Then, around freshman year he'd started chasing skirts and had mostly left her alone aside from a few pranks in class... and Anna and Gunner had started growing closer too... She wanted to ramble but for once managed to keep her tongue in check, she wasn't exactly sure what Rae and Jace were up to but Jace did have one thing right... Worrying about the two of them might keep her mind off of other things... ~*~ Seb exited the class and smiled brightly... till he saw Serena's face. A soft hiss escaped him and he cupped her chin, turning her face to the side so he could get a better look at the bruise. "I'm going to kill Gunner..."

"Ross," Rae said loudly, holding up a hand, "Could you shut up.... for like a minute?" He shook his head, "I owed him a favour and he said there was a damsel in distress in need of a distraction," he looked her over again, "Although, I'm not really seeing the whole damsel thing." He took his hand out of his pocket and scratched his nose, "But... I know if I leave... I still owe Jace one and I don't want that and there's a reason you're here... I mean, I thought you and Marks were a thing but I'm assuming that's what you need the distraction from," he sighed like it was a big deal, "So, I suppose it is in both of our best interests to just.... hang out until curfew." He looked at her for a moment, "I mean, I'm a pretty distracting guy." ~*~ Serena laughed a little as Sebastian reiterated Gunner's fears when he saw what he had done. She let him turn her head, taking in the bruise, "Pay back for four years ago," she teased. She took his wrist and moved it away from her jaw, "It's okay. We were sparring... He's angry... I don't think he even realized how angry he is. He just lost his temper, he didn't mean to. I just wanted him to blow off some steam." She kissed the palm of his hand, "He didn't mean to.... promise."

Sebastian sighed, Serena could calm him down even in his worst moods and he really did want to at least make Gunner have nightmares for a few nights but that was assuming the Guardian got any sleep lately and Seb doubted it. He ran a hand through her hair, "Alright... I won't kill him." He kissed her lightly, healing her lip as he did so. "Only because you asked me not to," even though she technically hadn't but who was keeping track? He glanced back at the classroom and grinned, "Soooo, orientation is out of the way. You want to grab some lunch... off campus? I haven't gotten to take you anywhere nice in a while." ~*~ Anna glared at him but she did stop talking, shoving her hands into her pockets as he spoke. She scoffed, "I don't know whether that's a compliment to my Guardian training or an insult to my feminism..." She rolled her eyes but an actual laugh escaped her at his words. "Fine, it can't be that bad right? At least you aren't a strigoi..." She needed, wanted, to feel better and talking to someone other than Seb and Serena might just be good for her. So, instead of doing what she'd usually do and turn down a pity date... or whatever this was, she caved. "This is the last day before classes start... Unless you want help learning self defense there isn't much to do on campus, should we go elsewhere?" Besides, there was less of a chance of running into Gunner with Rae around if they were off campus. She didn't really feel like hurting him more and she knew Gunner wouldn't like her hanging with Rae... He'd never really liked the Moroi either though she'd never asked Gunner why. She'd always just assumed it was over his teasing. She eyed him, he was showing some classic Moroi signs that he hadn't fed yet today. "Maybe we should stop by the feeders first though..."

Rae smirked when Anna mentioned heading to the feeders to let him get a drink before they headed out. He nodded and stuffed his hands back into his pockets, "Alright." He pulled out his phone and dialed a number as he motioned for her to follow, "Rauri... Can you pull the around?... Yes, I'm stealing you from Jace. Just for the day... He won't be leaving and if he wants to too bad.... Thank you. I'm just dropping by the feeders and then we will be out front. .. Yes, we... Stop questioning me and be out front in 10....," He said with a laugh, "Thank you." He hung up the phone and stuffed it into his pocket, "There we go, a far guard and a car are waiting," He walked to the feeders and stopped outside the door, looking at her, "Uh... You can stay out here," He said before he disappeared into the building. As Rae was gone, Gunner walked by as he made his way to the cafeteria. He had hardly had enough to eat and decided it best to just go and get more. As he made his way though, his eyes fell on Anna. His lips tightened as he tried to keep the array of emotions under control, "Afternoon, Ross," He said simply before he continued on his way as though he had said nothing at all. Rae reappeared shortly after, pulling on his suit jacket. He looked at her before his eyes fell on Gunner's retreating figure before the suited man walked into the cafeteria. Rae fixed his own suit and looked back at her, his lips pursed, "I'm not doing to great at this whole distracting thing so far, am I?" He shook his head and placed his hand on the middle of her back before he lead her to the driveway and a very nice black car, "Alright, anywhere you want to go," He said as he opened the door. ~ Serena smiled his kissed her and leaned into him slightly when he pulled away, "Grazie." As he spoke, she rose a finger to her lip, no longer feeling the sting, to find that it had healed up entirely. She sighed and smacked Sebastian's chest lightly, "Sebastian," She said quietly, "You can't heal every little thing... It is all going to come back at bite you," Her eyes glazed over for a moment as she went in his head and inspected the darkness. As of right now it wasn't too bad but it was worse than she liked it. Carefully taking a small piece, she returned into her head and sighed before smiling at him, "Butgoing out does sound nice... especially since I will be seeing less of you now..." She leaned against him, ignoring how unprofessional it was as she wanted to just be his girlfriend in the moment. There were thirty some odd fully trained Dhampirs that could be his guardian for now, "Somewhere nice? What did you have in mind?"

As Rae hopped on the phone, Anna listened with some small amusement at his conversation. She was all for stealing Jace's car, it was a small payback for setting them both up and she liked it... though she wouldn't say so. She was still a little wary around Rae, not because he thought he'd try laying fangs on her like Jace... but because he'd never really went out of his way to be polite to her before. It must be some favor he owed to Jace, that was for sure. "Well, that was handy," she said as he hung up. She followed him to the feeders and laughed somewhat when he turned sheepish about the feeders. Yeah, he was definitely not Jace, even if the two were friends. "Sure thing..." As he headed inside, Anna occupied herself by counting the bricks on the wall across from her and standing in the typical Guardian stance. She might not technically be on duty but she was determined not to keep making herself look unprofessional. As she stood there she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced up to see Gunner. Her heart hit her ribcage and seized up painfully, but she grit her teeth and kept her face blank... Not just impassive... blank. Like she didn't even see him. He surprised her by speaking to her though, and her resolve faltered and some of the pain flashed through her eyes. He'd called her Ross, but there was none of the warmth in the old nickname. She struggled to keep her face calm and casually lifted a hand in hello before he walked off. She jumped again when Rae came out and spoke, she'd yet again been caught wallowing in her emotions and she hated it. The sympathy in his tone set her off kilter and soothed some of the pain in her chest, "No big deal... I'm bound to run into him sometimes, right?" Still, there was that pained look in her eyes despite the smile she was forcing onto her lips. When his hand touched her lower back she blinked, surprised and a little flustered. No one but Gunner had ever touched her that way even if it was just a simple guiding gesture to be kind. She found herself actually smiling a little again and let him leave his hand there when before she might have socked him in the arm. As they left the building, Anna was tempted to make sure Gunner wasn't watching... she felt nervous and she was irritated with herself for even caring. He'd made it clear he didn't anymore... So, why should she? Instead of dwelling on it, she promptly decided to have fun... Rae could be fun, fighting with him had always been fun... a battle of wits of sorts and he'd never actually hurt her feelings. He'd always seemed to just want to irritate her instead of upset her. "Thanks for getting me out of here," she said. "Even if it was because you got roped into it," she teased. As he let her in the car she slid in, feeling oddly pampered when she saw how nice it was and the fact that apparently he was letting her choose where to go. She shifted somewhat uneasily all of a sudden, "We'll have to go somewhere cheap... I don't have much money. I send everything to family..." She rubbed the back of her neck, "Sorry..." ~*~ Sebastian sighed as she hit him and stole some of his darkness, he'd tried playing tug of war with her with it before and it just served to cause it to be worse on both of them. "It was only a little... I hate seeing you hurt." As she leaned into him he kissed her forehead, "How about we go to Le Club Ciel? I hear they have a piano I can play for you," he wiggled his eyebrows playfully. "Plus they're new and their chef is one of the best... and we don't need reservations since..." He straightened the cuffs of his suit jacket and smiled, "Since I'm future prince." He'd never really been one to take advantage of this future status, he had never wanted it... but for Serena, to make her happy, he would pull out every trick in the book. He knew she'd like the place, they had a menu that basically let you travel the world with food and he'd heard their italian cuisine was made to the letter. He wanted to impress her, mostly because he planned to do something crazy tonight... Something his parents would absolutely hate, but he didn't care.

Rae slipped into the car beside Anna and looked at her as she explained that they would have to choose somewhere cheap due to her lack of money. He looked at her for a moment, trying to see if she was joking before he started to laugh anyways, "Ross, you do realize I have a fortune... Right?" He smirked and leaned forward, "And what kind of distraction date would I be if I let the... thing pay?" He teased before leaning a little bit more to whisper something to the girl in the front seat. She nodded her head before the car set in motion. Rae leaned back again, resting into the seat, "Don't you worry your moderately attractive head, I've got this all handled." He looked out the window as they drove, pointing out random crap that he thought was interesting because he didn't want to let either of them dwell in the silence, especially if he was supposed to be keeping her out of her thoughts. It didn't take long before they arrived a stunning flower garden with large trees in the early process of turning orange. He climbed out and held her hand out her, "Come along, Ross, and let me show you what it is like to have more money than you can spend." ~ A smile spread across Serena's lips at the mention of their being a piano. She loved it when Sebastian played, he had played for her quite a lot in their time together and there were very few times outside of their bedroom that he looked as content as he was playing for her. She nodded, "That sounds lovely... But... It also sounds fancy," She looked down at her attire and laughed a little, "I think I need to clean up a little if I'm going to dine with a future Prince," she teased. She looked up at him, "Why don't you get us a car and I'll go get changed into something a bit more fitting for the evening? I'll meet you at the front," She said before she kissed him. With that, she turned and left heading back to their room. She was quick to change and made sure to cover up her scars. She didn't do it very often any more but she always made sure to when there was a possibility of being around humans, just to make sure. She made her way to the front in a short red velvet dress that was loose enough around her legs that she'd be able to fight if needed and she put on a pair of booty shorts just in case. However, she did wear a pair of black heels that were completely impractical for fighting in, although, she could easily discard of them. Despite being Sebastian's Guardian, she knew both of them liked it when she had a chance to be his girlfriend. Sometimes that included dressing up for something other than kicking Strigoi butt. She smiled when she saw him and ran her hands down her front a little, "I didn't make you wait too long, did I?"

Sebastian chuckled as he watched her take off to get ready and when she came back he raked a hand through his hair. She was beautiful, she didn't get the chance to dress up as much as they'd both like because of her Guardian duties but when she did she took his breath away. He moved to her and pulled her close to him by his hips. "It was worth the wait..." He took her hand and led her out and to their car he'd called to have waiting for them when he'd been waiting for her. He was surprised when he could have sworn he saw Anna getting into a vehicle with Rae Costa, more likely it was some poor Dhampir fallen fool for his charms. Anna knew Rae was a player, there was no way in hell she'd give him a shot... Right? Either way, he was too distracted by Serena getting into the vehicle as he held the door for her to take a better look. He slipped in the vehicle beside her and gave directions to the driver. They were off in a matter of moments and they arrived only a short time later in front of a blue and black building with fancy lettering spelling out the name and a red rope barring the way. He gave his name and the rope was moved and he took Serena's hand and guided her inside. The place was beautiful, most everything was crystal... blue or black and the lighting was just bright enough to keep it from looking like a night club. There was already live music being played by a violinist and he kissed Serena's hand before leading her to their table. He'd made sure to get one in the VIP section where they'd have their privacy. "Are you hungry?" ~*~ Anna blushed a little and swatted his arm lightly when he called her 'moderately attractive'. She was surprised he'd go through so much trouble but she was beginning to understand why he was such a lady's man. If he pulled out on all the stops on all his dates it was no wonder the girls fell at his feet. It was sweet, even if most of the time it was a means to an end. At least the lady got a good meal and some pampering out of it... Obviously Rae wasn't stingy with his money. "Well, I'm glad you find me 'moderately' attractive. You're... cute... yourself," she teased, putting emphasis on cute... as in cute not hot. Then, to add insult to injury she added, "Like a teddy bear, a shady teddy bear with occasional ulterior motives." Though, she softened the blow with a cheeky smile to show she didn't actually mean it... really. Obviously, he wasn't quite as bad of a guy as she'd always guessed. A player maybe, but not really a bad person per say... Unless you made the mistake of maybe actually falling for him. Then you were in trouble. As he struggled to find things to tell her about she hid her amusement, "You're going to die of boredom if you keep spouting off history behind these buildings." As they pulled to a stop Anna blinked as he held a hand out to her before hesitating only a moment and taking it. Sheesh, all this was going to go to her head... She might actually start feeling like a girl if he kept on this way. She wasn't sure how to feel about it... She was flustered and out of her element but... she was enjoying herself... which was nice and something she hadn't had much of in the past few years. His words did something funny to her insides, was it nervousness... being flustered... feeling sheepish? She wasn't sure but she went with it all the same. She couldn't help but smile, "You do know I wouldn't know what to do with that much money even if it was thrown at me don't you?" She shrugged, "What the hell, spoil me Mr. Costa... I suppose I'm at your mercy." She had no idea what she was doing, how to be girly... how to be on an actual date that didn't involve some sort of training exercise or guarding. She wasn't used to being treated, she was used to being on duty... It was an odd... but nice change of pace. As she looked around she smiled, slipping her jacket off and tying it around her waist. He'd picked the perfect place to take her... The woods were beautiful and so were the gardens. For a moment she was speechless, which was rare for Anna, then she gave him a genuine smile... the sadness gone from her eyes at least for now. Sarcasm failed her so she went with honesty, "Its... beautiful Rae." She glanced at him again, "Thank you..."

Serena blushed slightly as Sebastian pulled her in close to her. Four years and she was still blushing when he called her beautiful. Silly maybe... but she liked how it always felt like the first. She climbed into the car when her opened the door for her and rested her head against his shoulder as they drove, enjoying the time to be off duty, even if she had to be alert all the same. She allowed him to take her hand and guide her into the building, laughing a little when they moved the rope when he gave his name. She walked with him into the building, looking around in awe at everything. Her amazement was similar to that of when she first saw Sebastian's house... She never really understood how much money Sebastian's family actually had until she saw their giant house. She pulled her attention away from their surroundings to Sebastian when he kissed her hand. She smiled at him and followed him over to their table that was a short ways away and managed to be close to the music but also secluded enough to give them their privacy. She sat down in the booth and leaned against Sebastian again, "Does this mean I have to start calling you Prince Sebastian Lazar," She teased him before taking the chance to look around again, "This place is lovely, Sebastian," She kissed his cheek and smiled, "I love you." ~ Rae helped her out of the car and turned, placing her hand on the inside of his arm. He walked over to the garden and laughed a little as Anna thanked him, "You haven't even seen anything yet, Ross." He reached the gate to the garden and punched in a code before opening it. When they were on the other side, he looked over at the Guardian with them, "Hey, Rauri, could you grab the lights?" He asked and the girl nodded before she moved quickly through the dark and disappeared. A moment later, the lights flickered on displaying the garden in all its glory. Thousands of fairy lights hung in the air above them and around various trees and bushes. He smiled and started to guide her through the layout of the garden, "My mother loves flowers, so my father built this place from the ground up for her. It cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to build and for the yearly upkeep. Even when business wasn't doing well, he always makes sure that her garden is thriving with new and living flower that, of course, only bloom at night."

Anna's breath caught and where usually she'd try to hide her amazement, try and play it cool, she was too star-struck to worry with it. She ran a hand through her hair before he took her other one and looped it through his arm. Yeah, she was starting to see why Jace had though Rae would be a good distraction. She suddenly wished she'd had the forethought to put on something nicer... but it had been Rae. She hadn't expected... Well, all this. "That's really sweet, Rae..." She took in the beauty of the lights around her and the blooming flowers... The trees that swayed in the light breeze. She felt less like a Guardian and more like someone dropped suddenly into a fairy tale though she stayed alert... It was so drilled into her that she couldn't help it. She felt momentarily guilty when she realized that in all their time together, Gunner had never really made her feel like a GIRL... Well, there'd been a few rare occasions... Like at the party when they'd both gotten drunk off their asses... or the night he'd basically carried her back to the room. It wasn't his fault really... She'd always been one of the boys because she'd always liked it that way, wanted to fit in, and as a Guardian she had very little time to let herself BE a girl... She'd never even thought to hold it against Gunner, hadn't even really thought she'd LIKE being treated like this... Pampered. She'd always thought it was just pointless flattery. Still, Rae was kinda blowing all her hard work out of the water without even realizing it, making her feel more like a female than she had in ages... "It's amazing... I don't think I've ever seen so many flowers blooming in one place at night," she noted. She stopped and knelt down to inspect one of the flowers, brushing her fingers against the petals. The whole garden smelled sweet, it was going to her head... and she loved it. She'd always loved it outside. "You know, I suppose you aren't so bad Costa..." She heard her stomach growl and grimaced, "Sorry... that was loud." She sighed wistfully, she supposed that at some point they'd have to go elsewhere and eat. She didn't want to leave, she felt... better here. "I don't know how you knew this would be my thing," she said softly as she inspected the flower. She wanted to take one with her, this would probably be one of the few times she'd have something like this that she wanted to remember... "but... thanks. You have NO idea how much I needed this." She stood slowly and turned his way, "I think I owe you one." ~*~ Seb smiled, happy that she was happy. "Wait till you see the menu..." He frowned, "And don't do that thing where you worry about the money I spend, I have plenty... tonight is for you. Get whatever you want, I want you to." He kissed her back on the lips, softly. "I love you too, Serena..." He waved over a waiter and after leaving them menus and setting a bottle of wine on the table and taking their orders for drinks, the man walked off. "I... have something I want to ask you." He took a breath, "I was going to wait till later but... my nerves are all screwed up and if I don't do it now I'm worried I'll mess it all up later..." He took her hand across the table, brushing his thumb across her semi-bruised knuckles... wanting to heal them but not wanting to ruin the moment by getting scolded for doing it. "I don't think I've ever been happier as I am with you... Gunner and Anna used to try so hard to keep me out of my own head but there was only so much they could do. With you, you give me something bright to push back the crap that tries to weigh me down..." He shoved a hand through his hair, loosening his tie... Shit, but it felt like it had gotten way too hot in here. "Serena, I-" "Sebastian Lazar," a voice asked. Sebastian groaned and glanced up at the pretty blonde waitress he had absolutely no interest in, "Yes." The woman beamed, "I'm here to take your order... Would you like me to list the specials this evening?" Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck, flustered... This wasn't going as he'd hoped. "No thank you, we'll go with the menu for now... Can you, um... give us a minute?" She nodded, "Of course, I'll be back in ten minutes." The woman walked off and Sebastian sighed and dug around in his pocket, "Maybe it'd just be better to show you..." He pulled a small black case from his pocket, debated on how he wanted to do and and decided that for Serena's sake he'd go with the route that drew less attention. He took her hand and placed it over the case, "I love you... and that's never going to change. Open it..." Inside was a ring and he again ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I didn't want to get you something with a fancy diamond since it would get in the way when you fight... Do you like it?" He hoped she liked it, "If not, I'll take you to pick one out that you do..."

Rae smiled as Anna knelt down looked at the flower that was in front of her. As she thanked him and told her that she believed she owed his one, he pulled his pants up a little before he crouched down beside her. He moved his hand behind her own and in a quick movement, plucked it from the flower bed. He took it in his hands and sniffed it before he pushed her hair away from her ear and tucked it in there, "Perfect. You look more like a girl... I guess." He pat his legs and took her hand again, "Now, you're stomach is basically screaming to get fed," He started to guide her further into the garden until they reached a little gazebo with a table all set up for dinner, right now to a little bread basket. He smiled and walked her over before he moved in front of her and pulled out her chair. Once she was seated he grabbed a bottle of wine from the bucket and popped open the cork, pouring it into the glass. He looked at her, "Let Rauri be the Guardian. You need a distraction so... try to be a girl," He teased before he took his own seat. He gestured to the basket of bread, "Have as much as you'd like," He pulled out his phone and text someone before he put it away again, "Food will be here in a bit. I figured I'd let Rauri order, her appetite should match your's better than mine and I'd hate if you left hungry." He leaned back in his seat and looked around the lit up garden for a moment before sitting forward and shedding his suit jacket. He turned to place it on the back of the chair. He sat back and rested his elbow on the arm on the chair and rose his fingers to his lips, "Hm..." He thought before shaking his head, "You know, Ross. As much as I'd love you having to owe me one, I'm having a surprisingly good time. I think you're good, little Dhampir." ~ A coy little smile spread across Serena's lips when Sebastian told her not to worry about expenses. She supposed that just something that all Dhampirs dealt with in ways that the Moroi never had to. She had always liked to think about what she would buy for herself when she was out with Sebastian but she sighed and nodded, "Alright. I'll get the most expensive thing on the menu," She said with a small laugh. She placed her hand on his chest as they kissed and her smile grew when he told her he loved her. She loved hearing those words from him, just telling her that everything was alright. Although, she could tell most days that everything was alright between them, she could almost always feel love radiating off of him. Of course, that always made it very hard to remain angry at him.... She looked up when someone came along with the menus and turned to pick one up. She hadn't even had the chance to look at it when Sebastian was stealing away her attention again. She looked at him and rested her hands in her lap, "What is it?" As he continued to talk about wanting to ask later, she felt him growing more and more nervous. She placed her hands on the table and looked at him, "Sebastian, are you all right?" She watched him as he ran his thumb over her finger, she was getting worried as she felt his nerves jumping around inside her head but what he was saying didn't seem to match them. However, he was cut off a moment later by a waitress asking to take their order. Serena tried not to laugh, since neither of them had had a chance to even look at the menu let alone decide on something to eat. Her eyes fell back to Sebastian when he mentioned showing her something. She watched him as he pulled out a little black box and blinked a few times as he placed her hand over it. She took it into her hands and moved it closer to herself before she opened it. Her eyes widened a little at the sight of the diamond encrusted gold band with a little bow at the front. She looked up at Sebastian as he mentioned not wanting to get her a large ring with a fancy diamond that could get in the way. She didn't know what she was more amazed by the ring or that Sebastian had managed to keep it all a secret, closing it off in his head without her even noticing. Most times they could tell when the other was hiding something because they could sense a part of the brain being hidden away when they came to it. Although, she didn't really comb through Sebastian's head the same as he accidentally brushed her brain on a bad day. Either way, keeping a secret was quite the feat. She looked down at the ring again before her eyes moved back to her, "Sebastian," She said quietly, a small smile on her lips, "Was the question that you wanted to ask if I like the ring? Or is it... Will I marry you? Because if it is, the answer is yes."

When Rae put the flower in her hair and said she was finally starting to look like a girl, Anna blushed again... Apparently, that was going to be a recurring thing with him. "Thanks... I guess," she laughed. As they made their way to the table Anna smiled wryly, "I'll do my best." The fact was, letting go of being a Guardian, though nice, was difficult. She'd strived so hard to become one that even with her current depression it was hard not to go into default Guardian mode... Well, less hard lately since she'd been so distracted with other things. As she and Rae got seated Anna laughed at his mentioning he had no idea how much she'd eat. "Good idea," she noted. She watched as he shifted in his seat, getting comfortable and took him in for the first time in what seemed like forever. Sure, she knew he was good looking... why else would all the ladies fall for him? She'd always had eyes for someone else though, so she'd never really paid attention to what exactly made him so appealing. It wasn't really hard to see... Now that she was looking... As he dismissed her offer of paying him back she struggled not to blush again, and failed. "Ah, thank you... You're doing a great job at distracting me. I'm having... a sort of great time." She shrugged, "It's been a while since I've felt like a girl. It's oddly nice," she smiled. She chose a piece of bread from the basket and nibbled at it sheepishly, "So, what's to eat?" ~*~ Sebastian let out a laugh as some of the tension left him at Serena's teasing. "That was the question, yes..." He leaned across the table and kissed her again, "You're amazing... I would love for you to marry me. I know it's a little soon... and sudden... but I wanted to give my parents ample time to get over the engagement and ready for the fact that we're marrying... Whether they like it or not." The waitress came back and Seb laughed, "Just in time... We'd like to hear the italian specials actually." The woman smiled and listed off a few different dishes and Seb blinked, he had no idea what the majority of them were. "I'll let my fiance order for me... She's the expert." He winked at Serena, he liked calling her that... hoped she liked hearing it.

A smirk spread across Rae's lips under his fingers when Anna said that she was also enjoying herself as well as the chance to feel like a girl. He leaned forward, grabbing the wine bottle and filled his own glass as well as her's before he picked his up. He held it out in a silent kind of toast, "Well, the day is still young, Ross," He turned his wrist over to look at his gold watch, "We've still got a few hours before curfew and, of course, we don't exactly have to be back at curfew." He took a sip of his wine and looked at her when she asked what it was that he had asked to be ordered for them for dinner, "You seem to me like a girl of simple tastes, so I figured I'd show you want food could really taste like," He laughed a little, "There's a nice Thai place not too far from here that Rauri is ordering from. If we were closer to some large oceanic body of water, I'd have ordered sushi. I'll have to take you to Japan sometime," He took another sip, trying to pass it off like a joke, not having realized before the words were out that he was basically saying that they should do this again. Despite them both seeming to enjoy themselves, that didn't mean that Anna would like him anymore than she did to begin with. He placed his glass back on the table and pointed to a portion of the garden that they had yet to explore. Of course, there was a lot of garden that they had yet to explore due to the sheer size. He smiled, "We can head over that way later. My parents set up a little movie viewing thing over that way... That might distract you from your things and my wildly good looks," He joked as he grabbed his glass again, "That is... Unless there is something else you want to do." ~ Serena leaned in as he kissed her across the table and looked at him as he tried to explain why it was that he chose to do it now. She didn't get anything out before the waitress returned and was asking about their orders. She perked up more at the mention of Italian food. They didn't eat if often due to not many places making it to Serena's standards and when it didn't, it often made her a little homesick. She quickly opened the menu and read over what it was that they put into the dishes, smiling all the while due to the waitress mentioning that they chef was indeed Italian. She quickly ordered a few things for the two of them before she looked back at Sebastian. She smiled at him before she kissed him again. When she pulled away, she placed her hand on his, "It wasn't too soon or sudden... We've been dating for four years... And well..." She put the ring on her finger and smiled at it, admiring how it looked on her finger, "It makes me feel less like a Dhampir whore," She blushed slightly before she looked at him, "I know you've never seen me that way... but I see how people look at me when we are together. They don't expect it to last or they don't think you really love me and... I know you do," She held his hand, "I think this was the perfect time. Not to long to seem like we are never going anywhere with this relationship and not to short to seem like we are doing it for other people," She pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it lightly, "And we aren't. It isn't for your parents to get used to it... It isn't to prove to people that we really do love each other... It is for us... To promise to be together even when the world is against us."

Anna smiled, he kinda reminded her of Anya the way he was pushing her to try new things and be a girl. Anya used to beg her to go out with her to different restaurants and would fight to buy Anna nice dresses that Anna knew she'd never have the opportunity to wear... but she'd never been one to tell Anya no. When he mentioned going to Japan, insinuating that they'd do this again, Anna was caught by surprise. "You don't have to spend that much on me... but I wouldn't mind hanging out again." She didn't say 'date' again because there was a lot of guilt tied to that word, "If you wanted to." She flashed him another smile and when he mentioned movies she grinned, "It's been forever since I've seen a good movie." She glanced up when Rauri finally arrived with food and tried not to scarf it down too fast even though she hadn't eaten since this morning... or... whatever. She eyed the wine, something she'd never really drank... She'd always just stuck to cheap beer or vodka and mixed drinks. She took a sip and was surprised to find she liked the taste... "Wow... that's good." She glanced over at him, "So, you don't mind that I'm not really used to all this fancy stuff right? I mean, I enjoy it but I don't want you to think you have to go out of the way... or anything." She wasn't used to being tended to... ~*~ Seb grinned at her, "You know exactly how I feel love... Now let's eat. After we get done I'll play you the piano."

Rae thanked Rauri when she brought them their food and placed it all down in front of them. He watched Anna for a moment as she seemed to do her best not to shove the food into her mouth. He laughed a little and started to eat his own food. When he saw her pick up the wine glass for the first time, he watched her, his eyebrows raised. He took it as a good sign that she was going to drink, letting go of her duties a little. He chuckled a little at her response to the drink, coughing a little from food going down the wrong pipe. He grabbed the bottle and looked at it, "I'd hope so. They are a pretty prestigious winery." He sat back a little when she asked him if he was okay with her not being used to all the things he was presenting to her. He laughed again and nodded, "Yes, Ross, I am. Jace called me for a reason. I know how to pamper a girl. So long as you are enjoying yourself, I'm happy." He went back to eating his food and the two of them were done relatively quickly, Anna easily eating twice the amount he had. He helped her out of her seat and placed her hand on his arm before he gathered their glasses and the wine bottle. He walked with her through the garden until they reached a little clearing with two large cushions laid out and a white screen. He placed the wine glasses and bottle down on a wooden surface that sat between the two cushions before he walked behind the screen and picked a movie, "Alright, it you want to feel like a girl tonight, we're watching 'The Notebook' and you have to cry into my shoulder... at the part that gets sad..." He walked back around as the movie started to play, "You know for the amount of times I've watched this movie... I haven't an actual clue what it is about... or why it is so sad." He moved and took a seat on one of the cushions and looked up at her, "You're free to sit on that one if you want," He said pointing to the other cushion, "Of course, then you won't have a shoulder to cry on... and you might get cold without cuddling with the shady teddy bear," He said with a wink. ~ Serena was slightly drunk when they finished eating. She hadn't eaten much that day and she wasn't one to drink often if at all. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she drank since she avoided it entirely while at Sebastian's house. His family was judging her for enough that she didn't need to add any fuel to their fire. She leaned against Sebastian as he played the piano, enjoying the soft music he was making just for her. Well, her and the other thirty or so patrons but it was mainly for her. After his third song or so, she placed her hands on his upper arm and smiled, "I want to dance with you," She rested her head on his shoulder, "We haven't danced in so long." She kissed his cheek and laughed a little, "I think I drank too much," She confessed, "I'm not doing very good at guardianing you," Serena's accent came back as thick as the day she arrived at St. Vlad and her ability to speak English got just as sloppy. That always seemed to be the first things to go, her grip on the English language as well as her feet. Walking always seemed to be a challenge when she got tipsy.

Anna laughed, "That's probably because you were too busy doing other things to pay attention to what was going on." As he offered to have her set with him Anna hesitated again. She couldn't help feeling like snuggling up next to Rae would be a betrayal to Gunner even though they obviously weren't still together. She still loved him and cuddling up next to another man... it made her chest squeeze tight around her heart. She kept an amused smile on her face despite her inner turmoil. "Can the shady teddy bear keep his hands to himself," she joked. She took a breath, Gunner had made it clear he'd no intentions of letting her explain or trying to fix things. She could pine away over him forever and it wouldn't change a thing. So, she poured another glass of wine... downed it, and chased it with another before setting down next to him. "Hell with it," she murmured. Still, setting next to Rae wasn't the same... It held none of the feeling of 'home' as it had with Gunner. With him she'd curled into his side and fell asleep watching movies after training more times than she could count and it had always been easy... comfortable. She'd never been uncomfortable with Gunner the way she had always been with other men. With Rae she couldn't help feeling awkward, nervous, out of place. The wine, however, was going to her head and she relaxed a little from her rigid posture, leaning back against the cushion. She'd sat with Seb like this quite of few times also, it hadn't been a big deal, and she and Rae had made no promises to each other. She'd just have to look at it as spending time with a friend, granted... a new friend... but he'd been a gentleman so far. So long as he kept his hands in the appropriate areas she didn't think she'd freak out and bolt... at least she hoped not. What kind of Guardian was she if she could kill a Strigoi but run away from a handsy Moroi? She ran a hand through her hair as the movie came on, she still couldn't help the lingering feeling of guilt and though she knew another glass of wine might get rid of that too she was worried about her decision making if she got drunk. "You should know, I'm really unattractive when I cry," she joked. Still, for the first time all night she was beginning to miss Gunner more than she'd like to admit... She missed snuggling up into his chest. She missed the warmth, the way he'd always been a furnace whereas she was always freezing. She missed the way he'd smelled, the familiar scent of his bodywash... and she'd missed the way he'd played with her hair till she couldn't focus on the movie anymore and had drifted off in his arms. She bit her lip and tried not to cave in to the need to cry, obviously the wine had done more harm than good when it came to her emotions. She tried to focus on the movie instead of the torrent of memories. ~*~ Seb could tell Serena was feeling tipsy... Her english was failing her and so was her footing but he found it kind of adorable. "Here, let me help you out of those heels first. I don't want a hole in my foot when we dance," he teased her. He knelt down and helped her out of the shoes before lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the dancefloor. They got some looks but Seb didn't care, he wanted Serena to feel special tonight. He spun her around before setting her on her feet with a kiss. "Anything for you..." As he pulled her close, he put his hands on her hips and kissed her brow, "I want you to have everything you want... always..." He swayed gently to the music and rested his forehead against hers.

Rae laughed and nodded his head as he raised his hands, "The Teddy promises... So long as the lady wishes I'll keep my hands to myself." His eyebrows rose when she seemed to take a deep breath before promptly throwing back to glasses of wine. He chuckled a little at it, he was pretty sure that he had never seen any girl do that. He heard her murmur and noticed that maybe he wasn't doing as good as he thought at distracting her, the joy that she seemed to have throughout dinner was dampened by some mood that she was now in. He watched her as she seemed to have some kind of internal battle, unaware of his watching. His lips pressed into a flat line as her mood seemed to spiral for the worse the longer they sat in the silence. Except he didn't know what to say, how to get her out of her head. Maybe a movie wasn't the best idea, after all you couldn't really speak during a movie... Maybe he should have chosen some action packed comedy that they could laugh at. Now that he was actually thinking about it, that was probably better than a sad romantic movie when she was trying to get over Marks. He looked back to the movie and laughed at her comment, "I don't think there is such a thing as someone who cries beautifully." He turned his eyes back to her as he did quite a few times throughout the beginning of the movie, checking pointlessly on her mental state. He didn't know what to do! He wrapped his arm around her at some point, resting his hand on her shoulder and innocently pulled her into him. He stayed there for a while before his hand caught the bottom of her chin and tilted her head up enough for him to bring his lips to hers. He decided that this was the best thing to do. If she still wanted to hate him, maybe her anger with him would distract her and... if she didn't, well maybe some making out could. ~~~ Serena smiled when Sebastian agreed to dance but first removed her shoes. She wiggled her toes a little, happy for them to be out of their confinement as her feet were getting a little sore. She laughed when he lifted her into his arms and hid her face in his shoulder, knowing that people were looking. When he set her down and placed his hands on her hips, she moved her own to rest on his chest as she happily kissed him back. She closed her eyes as he kissed her between her eyebrows, a smile lingering on her lips. As he mentioned wanting to give her anything she wanted, she rested her head against his shoulder, enjoying their swaying, "I don't want to be your guardian," She said, the alcohol removing any kind of filter she might of had in place with the secret that she had been working so hard to keep, "I just want to be your wife," She looked up at him, "But I like being your guardian... I just always want to be able to love you..."

She knew she was ruining the fun they'd been having, but she was doing all she could not to give way to her depression. It wasn't Rae's fault or his choice of movie really... it was facing the fact that all of this was her fault and she couldn't fix it. She had laughed at his words but it had been half hearted, and as he kept checking on her she offered him small smiles that she hoped were reassuring. Soon, she felt his arm drift around her to pull her lightly against him. She didn't pull away, she knew he was just trying to comfort her. In a way it did, she felt less like she needed to hide her hurt. Rae obviously was seeing her struggling. As they sat there quietly, Anna wiped away a tear and then felt Rae's fingers on her chin. As he tilted her face to his, her heart raced and her mind gratefully went blank. When his lips found hers Anna made a small sound of surprise and her hands went up. There was a moment when she was stuck between pushing him away and kissing him back before the dam broke inside her. Her her hand slipped around the back of his neck and she was kissing him back. It started off slow, full of unsure hesitation but soon intensified. She turned her body a bit more so that she was facing him, before giving in and straddling his lap. She knew it was wrong, knew she would regret it... but tonight she just wanted to forget... to feel something other than the pain of lonliness. Still, Gunner's face floated behind her eyelids... taunting her. She opened her eyes, taking in Rae's face as she broke from the kiss... desperately trying to banish Gunner from her heart. Her hands slid up his chest and she kissed him again... slowly, trying to lose herself in the sensation of his lips on hers. The graze of his fangs on her lower lip and her need to feel better made the scar on her neck itch longingly.... and despite the wine still clouding her judgement she felt shame...

Rae sat in the kiss for a moment thinking that maybe he made the wrong decision. He felt her hands linger on his chest for a moment before one of them moved to the back of his neck pulling him deeper into the kiss. He placed his hand on her hip, moving her closer but ensured that it wasn't anywhere that she might freak about. He was a little bit surprised when she moved suddenly onto his lap. As they kissed the thought of her in bed made him groan a little. He'd been with plenty of Dhampirs and he understood entirely why some Moroi made weekly visits to the commune. They were different in bed. They had more fire in bed, that's for sure. He looked up at her when she pulled away as he tried to chat his breath a little. He searched her face slightly, she was fighting something again... Then she was back to kissing him, her hands running over his chest. He let the kiss last for sometime, his hand in her hair before he pulled back and looked up at her, "We should stop," He said nearly breathless, "I mean... I like... I like this a lot... I like you," He said wincing as he let that slip before he continued on, brushing it aside, "But you're drunk and if we do anything more... You're going to regret it and... I don't want you to regret it because if you do we won't be able to do this again," He gestured to her sitting atop him and smiled, "And by Vlad, I want to do this again." He placed one hand on her back and he sat up a little, ensuring that he didn't knock her over. He scratched the back of his head, "What say you... We do this again tomorrow... We don't drink and if you still kiss me like that, we'll talk about continuing?" He checked his watch, "It's almost curfew.... If you want me to take you home..."

As Rae sat back, breaking the kiss and stopping her from doing something she might regret Anna took a calming breath. He was right, she'd had a little too much to drink and she knew it. As he spoke she felt her head spin a little, had Rae just admitted he liked her. Her emotions jumbled into knots again... a mixture between guilt for almost using him as a stepping stone to getting over Gunner and for betraying Gunner... At least the memory of Gunner anyway. She couldn't keep dying inside over him though, could she? She smiled some as Rae mentioned that he'd like to do this again but he wasn't planning on doing anything more till she was sober enough to decide if all of this is what she actually wanted. She'd never really taken Rae for the kind to not jump at opportunity, he always had before... leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. So, why was he treating her differently? Maybe he really meant it and he did actually like her... So, despite the ache in her heart she nodded. "Tomorrow then... but you're right... Maybe I should go home." She slipped off his lap and glanced at the movie screen behind them, "I guess you still didn't get to see that movie." ~*~ Once they'd gotten back to Academy, Anna slipped from Rae's car. He probably would have walked her to her room but she'd needed the time to think... reflect. Plus, she didn't need to run into Gunner with Rae at her side while she was half drunk. That would cause a world more problems in one night than she was looking to endure. So, with a polite thank you for everything and a warm hug that he definitely deserved for being such a gentleman after she'd thrown herself at him, she headed towards her room. On the way her mind spun with everything that had happened, she had no idea how to handle everything... not to mention her own emotions. What was the right thing to do? See Rae while her heart was still aching after Gunner... Leave things unresolved between the two of them? She climbed into her shower and then collapsed onto her bed... No, she couldn't leave things unresolved and be anywhere near alright with seeing Rae. She closed her eyes and turned onto her side, tomorrow... Tomorrow she'd go and see Gunner and make him listen. Then, maybe she could try and move on... at least casually... with someone else. With the alcohol still buzzing around in her brain... Anna passed out and didn't wake until her shift the next morning. ~*~ Seb smiled, her Guardian status was something that constantly worried him... Her putting herself into danger for his sake wasn't something he enjoyed the thought of. He kissed her lightly, "If there was a way to have you all to myself, to run off with you to the human world without getting dragged back... I'd do it." He sighed, "For now, just be whatever you want to be... Anyone who disapproves can jump off a bridge." As the night wore on Seb decided he should probably get Serena home as he was starting to get a buzz himself. He wrapped an arm around her and guided her back to their vehicle and slipped inside. He pulled her up against his chest and smiled at the sight of the ring on her finger. "Take a nap, Serena. I'll wake you when we get back to Academy..." He brushed her hair gently from her face, and enjoyed the feel of her resting against them as they drove home. Once there, he helped her up and into bed and curled up next to her. "Good night, my beautiful fiance... You're going to have a devil of a hangover tomorrow."

Sebastian had been right, Serena's head pounded the next morning and she just barely had a grip on what had happened the night previous. She groaned as she rolled away from Sebastian and buried her face into the pillow in hopes of ridding herself of the ache. She supposed the one good thing about all of this was technically she had no duties to attend to. Sebastian had been hired by the academy and she merely followed as his guardian and girlfriend. Well, now, fiancée. She rolled her head out of the pillow to look at the ring on her finger and smiled. Despite the ache in her head, she moved and kissed Sebastian, "Morning, my finace." She pressed her hand against her head and groaned a little more before she climbed her way out of her bed, "Punch me in the face and I'm fine but a bottle of wine hurts like no other." She made her way into the bathroom and grabbed a couple Advil and took them before leaning against the door frame and looking at Sebastian, "So... How are we going to tell our two heart broken friends that we are getting married and wish for them not to cause chaos at our wedding?" She asked with a small smile. ~ Gunner had gotten together that morning with a few of the guardians and asked if they had wanted to spar. Despite the majority of them being older than him, Gunner was quickly throwing them against the mat. He had most of his anger under control since yesterday and refused to accidentally punch someone in the face again... It didn't take long until the guardians decided that they needed to gain up on Gunner and began a four to one sparring match that should have allowed them to over power Gunner. However, his two years of basically just training nonstop with the best of the best made him far more of a challenge to take down than they thought.