A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this story. I've actually planned it all out and know exactly what's going to happen (shocking, I know)... so, I have no excuses and must update! If I don't, you have permission to bombard me with messages until I do.

Just so you understand, this story comes after the cabin scene in Shadow Kiss. However, the fight at the academy never happened. I know this has been done quite a few times before, but bear with me!

Chapter One

"What you did to Jesse Zeklos was inexcusable!" Headmistress Kirova snapped, rising a little from her office chair. I hadn't seen her this angry in a very long time. "He is a royal Moroi, who is supposed to be under your protection. What he did was extremely wrong, and rest-assured he will be punished for his actions, but said actions don't condone your violence. You failed him today. You failed all of us."

I bowed my head in disgust, speechless. A couple of months ago, I would have leapt up and ran my mouth. I would have done anything to defend my honour. However, a lot had changed since then. I had changed. I knew that Kirova was right. Jesse was a dick and in the wrong, but he was still a Moroi. Weak and defenceless. In a couple of weeks, I would be taking an oath to protect his kind – all of them – including the idiotic ones like Jesse and Ralf. It wasn't selective. Yet, instead of doing my duty and protecting Moroi, I had just beaten one up to a pulp.

Darkness or not, I should have been able to control myself. I was tied to Lissa and her power forever, bound to them in an inexplicable way. As long as Lissa was practising Spirit, I would be taking away her negative side-effects. It was an endless cycle. I was always protecting her – protecting her from Strigoi, but also from herself. I needed to learn how to harness the darkness if I ever wanted to be a guardian, or even function in society at all. I couldn't keep using it as an excuse; the next time I let myself lose control, it could put a Moroi in true danger.

Dimitri stepped forward and put his hand on my shoulder – an innocent act, but one that still made my skin ignite and my body shudder. "Excuse me for interrupting," he interjected. "However, I don't believe this was truly Rose's fault. I witnessed the attack, and I think Guardian Petrov will agree with me when I say that something magical came over Rose."

"Guardian Belikov, surely you aren't condoning this behaviour?" Kirova was seemingly astounded.

"Of course not, a Moroi was hurt." he shook his head. "Though, I don't think Rose should be punished for something that was so out of her control. She understands and values her duty more than any of the other novices here, you know that. You know that Rose wouldn't have done this if she had been in control."

Dimitri was a very respected guardian at St. Vladimir's, so much so that even Kirova seemed to listen to his thoughts and opinions. He was just shy of twenty-five, so very young in the grand scheme of things. His life as a guardian had hardly even begun – and yet, he had enough insight and wisdom to persuade even the most experienced of people to heed his words.

Hell, he had even managed to make me listen – and, supposedly, I was an enigma and impossible to tame.

Alberta, too, chipped in with her version of events. Like Dimitri, she felt as though there was something more about the whole situation. Unlike Dimitri, she did not know about the negative side effects of my bond with Lissa. The darkness. The anger. The impending insanity. She simply believed in my character – it was as simple as that.

Kirova pursed her lips and folded her arms tightly to her chest. Man, she looked pissed. I was certain that, if Dimitri and Alberta had not defended me so fiercely, I would have already been kicked out of the academy and on a one-way flight to a dhampir commune. Hell, I would have been kicked out yesterday.

"You are extremely lucky that you're such a promising novice, Rosemarie. You are hereby on curfew and you are to withdraw from the field experience. There will be no further action taken," Kirova cautioned. She sneered, showing her sharp fangs in warning. "Consider this your absolute last chance, Miss Hathaway."

Instantly, Dimitri was back at my side, pulling at my elbow and ushering me out of her office. Even though I had grown more mature in the past couple of months, my Russian mentor still saw me as a ticking-time bomb – ready to explode at any minute. I frowned. With Lissa's darkness constantly pouring into me through the bond, I couldn't really blame him. I had been completely unpredictable as of late.

I had expected him to escort me straight to my dormitory, seeing as Kirova had pretty much put me on house-arrest until graduation. Dimitri was a stickler for rules, after all – that, and the headmistress seemed very serious about this being my last warning. However, Dimitri did not drop me off at the double doors of my dorm. Instead, he steered me straight past them and into the woodlands.

The sun was just beginning to rise, which meant that most everyone would be asleep unless they were on patrol duty. I never took the sunlight for granted, as it was a sight that I rarely got to see. As we walked through the trees, I tried to take in everything that I could – the way that the sunlight made the morning dew shimmer. How it felt for its rays to caress and warm my skin. It was bliss.

Finally, Dimitri brought us to a stop near the outskirts of the academy. It was far enough from campus that we had privacy, but was still within the protection of the wards. He reached out and touched my cheek, stroking it with his calloused thumb. The feeling sent a shock of pleasure through me, and suddenly I was reminded of the cabin.

"Rose, about what happened –"

I groaned and slapped his hand away from my cheek. "I knew it! I knew this was going to happen."

He looked startled and somewhat confused. I began to turn away, needing to leave the situation before Spirit's darkness completely took over again. It was always a threat in the background now, lying in wait, readying itself to push forward and control me. Before I could stomp off, Dimitri quickly weaved his arm around my waist and pulled me towards him.

"What did you think was going to happen?" He urged, still perplexed by my sudden outburst.

"This. The part where you give me the huge lecture. You are going to tell me about how what we did was wrong and how it is never going to happen again. Just save it," I practically spat the words out at him, unable to control my anger. I hadn't realised before, but I had feared this moment so much – and now it was here. I didn't want my memory of what happened in the cabin to be tarnished by his all-mighty sense of self-control.

"Roza," he murmured. Dimitri pulled me closer and burrowed his face into my hair. "Why would you even think that?"

"It's just what you do," I told him. I knew I had started to sound a little hysterical, but I was unable to calm myself down. "You always want to do the right thing. Earlier, you slipped up – we both did. We agreed that we wouldn't pursue us – that we would put Lissa and her safety before us. Now, you want to fix it. They come first."

Dimitri tilted my chin up and brought his lips down to my own. In the privacy of the woods, we kissed passionately. In his kiss, I felt everything that he was feeling – his frustration, his love, his glee – all of it. We had been through so much to get to this point, so much grief and stress. I heard his message loud and clear: we both deserved a little happiness.

"What made you change your mind?" I questioned, once we had parted.

"With all that has been happening with you recently, I realised the true extent of my feelings. I just can't ignore it anymore, Roza. I want to be there for you. You're strong – so, so strong – and I know that you can battle this on your own. It's just that, well, you shouldn't have to. I know it's wrong to say, but I don't think I could put any Moroi life above yours – even if we weren't romantically involved." He paused and shifted his feet nervously. "That's why I'm going to ask to be reassigned."

"Dimitri, guarding Lissa is everything to you."

"No," he smiled. "There is something I want more."

I wished that we could stay there all morning, kissing and talking about our future together, but we both needed to get some sleep before the sun set. I groaned when I realised I wouldn't be doing field experience like my peers. Instead, I would be having my morning trainings with Dimitri and then doing community service. Still, I realised how lucky I had been. After all, I had come very close to being kicked out of the academy. Again. For the second time in the last six months.

I laughed to myself and hoped I would make it to graduation.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I'm still warming up to writing... it's literally been so long, so I need to get my groove back! Let me know what you think. The next one should be up within a few days, depending on the length and how long it takes to edit.