So I don't own anything related to Vampire Academy just playing with Richelle Mead's characters while I wait for her next book. Please review, it helps motivate me to write more!

The next morning I walked into the front office. The secretary saw me and raised her eye brows. "Rose- what are you doing here?"

"I'm dropping back in."

"Dropping back in?"

"Yup, here's my form." I grin at her confusion.

Alberta steps in. "I'll take care of Miss. Hathaway." She takes my form and signs it. "I will expect you to resume your extra trainings before classes. You'll have an assortment of trainers, I'll arrange their schedule. You will be prompt to every training as they are being kind to donate their time to salvage your education. When you are not training you will resume your protection of Mr. Ozera. I know that the field training is over for the year, but you haven't completed enough time to pass. Three weeks should do it and then you may focus on your own studies and finals."

I wince as she says I will be spending all of my time with either flame boy or a teacher but a promise is a promise. "Sounds good."

"Very good. I'll assume you'll move your things back into student dorms and then find Mr. Ozera. I would hate to find him unprotected Miss. Hathaway."

"Yeah, I'll find him as soon as possible. Thanks."

She nodded regally and turned to head back into her office. "Oh, Miss. Hathaway? One more thing, welcome back, she said with a warm smile."

"Thanks, it's good to be back."

I rushed to the visitor dorms to gather my few belongings. I stepped back out and started to rush down the hallway, colliding with someone and spilling my belongings.

"Little Dhampir are you all right? Not leaving again so soon are you?" Adrian asked as he began to pick up my scattered things. He looked up and smiled, so I knew he was joking.

I snorted. "Are you kidding? Did you not see my mother last night? This is one promise I will definitely be keeping. I'm just moving back into the student dorms. Not that I'll see my room much. My second stop will be Christian's dorm where I will be living for the next three weeks."

He chuckled at my dismay. "Care for some company up to the dorms? I'll even be chivalrous and help you carry your stuff." I hesitated not wanting to hurt Adrian's feelings. He laughed again. "Don't worry, I have no intentions of doing anymore more than providing a little free labor." His eyes grew more serious. "I haven't forgotten your promise or my assignment, but you don't need to worry about fulfilling your promise until it's turned in. Just a friendly walk, ok?"

Feeling defeated I merely nodded and began to head towards the student dorms. Adrian caught up to me quickly. "So as the labor carrying it I am hardly complaining, but is this really all the stuff you have?"

I shrugged. "Chasing Strigoi rarely allowed me time to pack a bag. And escaping from being kidnapped? Even less."

Adrian nodded thoughtfully. "I guess it's a good thing I emptied my coffers for you," he said as he grinned.

Adrian was smiling but this was the second time he joked about giving me all his money. "You didn't empty them. Or at least you better not have," I said as I glared. "But that reminds me, hold on a second." I rifled through my belongings and pulled out a worn paperback of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His eyes went wide as he struggled not to laugh. "Hey it's the one place no one would have ever looked for this." I pull out a piece of paper and hand it him. "It's not all of it, but it's what was left. I'm working on the rest, it might take me my whole life, but I'll pay you back." I grabbed my stuff back as we were almost to student dorms anyway and handed him the cashier's check I'd had drawn of the remainder of the account he'd set up for me. I'd tossed in my meager savings which didn't even begin to dent what I owed him.

Adrian took the check and smiled sadly. "No, I didn't empty anything to give this to you. You don't owe me anything though. We had a deal. I'd ridiculously throw money at your mission and you'd give me a chance. I never mentioned getting repaid-"

I scowled, cutting him off. "The deal was for the loan. Not for the money. I'm not some kind of cheap whore, Adrian."

"Rose, you know that's not what I meant."

"Whatever, I have to go upstairs and drop this stuff off and track down flame boy. We'll talk about it later, after I graduate and can realistically think about how to pay you back. Ok?"

Adrian looked like he wanted to say something more but merely nodded and turned to walk away. Great Rose, alienate one of the few people willing to help you.

I ran up the stairs two at a time to drop off my stuff. I'd wasted more time talking to Adrian than I should have, and while there are only a few more hours left until training and my night off from guarding Christian, Alberta's insistence I find him quickly made me think I would be fending off an attack tonight. I opened the door to my room and was shocked to find all of my old stuff was still there but neater than I had left it. There was a note on my bed.

Wouldn't let them throw it away, made them store it and I unpacked when I heard you were on your way back. We so have to go shopping asap though. It's embarrassing that my future guardian would be dressed so shabbily. Welcome back to school, wasn't the same without you.
---Lissa

I smiled as I threw the rest of my stuff on the bed. Quickly I drew out the silver stake Dmitri had sent me and tucked it into my boot. I also shuffled through some of my stuff, grinning at the thought of Lissa seeing me mess it up so quickly, and found the practice stake from the field experience. I tucked that into my belt. Duty calls.

I knocked on Christian's door for several minutes without getting an answer. With a sigh I opened the door and peeked in. No one home. I double check my watch. Too late for breakfast, too early for lunch. Where would my favorite little flame boy be hiding?

After leaving the feeders area and the library I grumbled to myself in frustration. If I ever succeed in paying Adrian back the first thing I am treating myself to is a cell phone.

As I walked through the Academy grounds in frustration the church caught my eye. Of course. I went up to his and Lissa's favorite hiding spot and knocked timidly at the door. I opened it without waiting for a response.

"Who- Rose? What are you doing here? Christian asked confused. I told you I don't want to talk about Lissa," he said with anger creeping into his voice.

"Tsk-tsk. How dare you think so little of me. Didn't it ever cross your mind that I might have missed you, flame boy?" His eyes narrowed as we'd gotten this mushy stuff done with yesterday. I sighed dramatically. "Ok, ok you got me. But I really didn't come here to talk about Lissa. I officially have dropped back into school and in order to graduate I have to put in three more weeks of protecting you. So prepare yourself to have a shadow again."

Christian stared at me for a minute before he begun to laugh hysterically. "You mean - after all the fuss you put into being assigned to me you now have to be the only Dhampir still guarding their Moroi?"

I hadn't thought of it like that, I grumbled. I plopped down onto the bench next to him. "So how you been?" He looked at me confused. I shrugged. "Hey, I really did miss you...at least for amusement factor alone. And I haven't really gotten to find out how you've been holding up yet. As you said Lissa and Adrian made a big deal of missing me and have claimed all of my attention to date. How are you holding up?"

"Fine," Christian said curtly.

"Look I'm not Lissa's best friend in this moment. In this moment I am your Dhampir, your guardian. For three more weeks you luck out and get looked after by the best. Enjoy it while it lasts, Ozera."

"Fine, but if you run to Lissa to spill I'll fry you in your sleep."

I stifled the urge to giggle and nodded solemnly.

"I'm ok, but I miss her. I still have Jill and a few other Moroi who are training with me to be able to fight, but it's not the same. I miss having someone to talk to, to watch movies with, to tease and be teased. And it hurts. I know it wasn't all her fault, but she was calm and sober when she decided not to tell me. It wouldn't have been as bad if she had told me."

I had to count to five in order to not jump to Lissa's defense. I love her, but she had gotten herself into this mess and Christian was certainly the victim here. "I get that. It's the little things you miss the most." I smiled sadly. "It'll get better." After a few minutes of silence I playfully punch his shoulder. "Besides you got me now. 24/6 for at least the next 21 days. You can talk to me, we can watch movies as long as you don't inflict anything too horribly teen angsty on me, and I am always more than happy to tease you. Whatever you need. I said grinning."

Christian groaned but was smiling. "Why am I afraid of what I've gotten myself into now?"

I couldn't help but smile back. "Afraid? Of me? Why ever would you say that?"

Christian rolled his eyes. "Come on, protect me as I go to see the feeders before lunch. Then after I'm having a training session. I'm actually glad you have to come. I think your perspective would be useful."

"Why Christian are you saying you want me for my brain?" I pretend to pout. "And all this time I thought it was my beauty that had you entrapped."

We were attacked as soon as we stepped out of the church. I instinctively shoved Christian away and almost went for the silver stake in my boot. Focus Rose, you don't feel nauseous so chances are not a Strigoi. I pulled out my fake stake instead and truly focused on our assailant. Stan. I grinned as I realized I got to kick his ass again. I swept the area for any other guardians, but couldn't see anyone else. Stan kicked me hard in the stomach, but I rolled away and swept his legs out form under him. I stabbed him with the fake stake. Almost too easy. I stood up and went back to Christian. I waited but no more shadows jumped out to attack.

"Not bad, Hathaway. Course I wouldn't have expected less," Stan said with a grin.

Stan walked away and I tried to mask my surprise. Christian shrugged. "The whole school thought you died. I heard some of the guardians talking about it once while I was in the chapel. Apparently there are some Dhampir that don't guard and instead hunt Strigoi even though it's frowned upon. Their life expectancy is even shorter than that of a guardian and they almost never hunt alone."

I thought of the young group I had briefly joined in Russia that grew smaller with every journey they took from home to hunt Strigoi. "Yeah it takes a special kind of stupidity to try that alone." I started out towards the cafeteria confident that Christian would follow.

As we walked I had to wonder what was the real stupidity. Going out alone and attempting to save the love my life from being a monster he would have hated. Or planning on leading my best friend and delicately kind Moroi into that same level of danger. A Moroi who I would hopefully be completely responsible for. The thought of staying here for two and a half more months while Dimitri was out there still evil was killing a part of my soul. The thought of having to take Lissa to rescue and free her kidnapper so I could lead her on a most likely wild goose case to save my boyfriend while fighting off the evils of the world made me wish graduation would never come.