Author's Note

Welcome! First, I just want to say for whatever reason you might be here thanks for giving this story a chance. Getting down to it I want to lay out how this story is going to go overall. It was very difficult figuring out how I could change certain things to make it more sensible, and I still haven't gotten it all figured out. But, I do know I am excited to write it seeing as I was looking for a story like this and couldn't find one so I figured, why not make one of my own? Not saying this is 100% original I just didn't come across any in my search. Anyway, here are the facts of this story:

1. Rose and Lissa are adults and still bonded

2. Lissa is still set to be queen come the death of Tatiana, but for now she works with the Academy as a medical professional (no one knows about her spirit still)

3. Dimitri is 17 and Ivan is his charge as wished by his family

4. Victor isn't in the picture (never happened)

5. Tasha is also a student now, and Christian is her uncle

These are just basic things so there's no confusion continuing on with the story. This is essentially the same timeline, but the characters are in different situations. If there's anything you feel would work better, or don't make a lot of sense please feel free to tell me! (In a constructive criticism kind of way). And, please do remember this isn't meant to be exactly like the book(s) it is an AU story, and I am not Richelle Mead. Some events still may transpire, some may not. Now, on with the story and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

Chapter 1: Found

"D...D, wake up. Wake up!" Ivan's frantic voice jolted me out of my, anything but comfortable, sleep. With no time to survey the situation, I threw Ivan into the vacant spot on the bed and crouched ready for an attack. My lack of sleep left me slightly dazed, but I didn't need to be completely present to take a hit for him. Or death. When my eyes finally focused, I found...nothing. The room was still as I'd left it before my scheduled hour of sleep. Curtains closed, bedside table accompanied by a single takeout menu and lamp, carpet stained with old food and other substances I'd rather remain a mystery, and the door still shut and I assumed locked. Same old, same old. No signs of threat. Ivan's gentle hand on my shoulder brought me out of "guardian" mode.

"Relax, we're good. But, not for long. The guardians aren't too far out, we need to go. Now. We can make it past them if we move quickly." I sighed. There was only one way he could know that, and we'd promised that it wouldn't be done again.

"Ivan-"

"If you're about to say, 'Thanks for saving our asses', don't worry about it." He cut me off with his signature smirk. Behind his eyes I could see regret. But, considering the situation I decided not to push it.

"Fine, but we're talking about this later." Lucky for us, we barely had two bags worth of supplies to carry around so packing was quick. None of it was heavy, so when Ivan faltered in picking up his bag I knew it was time.

"How long has it been..." I asked easing into the subject. It was a tough one for both of us, but Ivan hated it the most. His face darkened.

"Not that long, I'm fine." It took everything I had not to chuckle. The situation couldn't be any more life depending, but I couldn't help but think about all the times in our younger years that same stubbornness got him into trouble. It was darkly amusing that even now, he wasn't changing.

"We can argue about this later, but right now you and I both know that you need your strength. I have enough to spare. Unless you want me carrying you all the way to the bus stop, let's just get it over with." His lips pursed. If there was anything he hated more than being wrong, it was being a damsel. He hated the fact that he needed to be saved. Something I could understand.

"Fine. But, I'm not happy doing this." I suppressed a snort.

"Well, it's not exactly my cup of tea either." I took my spot at the edge of the bed, and sat as still as I could. I didn't have a problem doing this for him, after all he'd die without it. But, I couldn't help but feel...wrong. The action itself reminded me of where so many women in my hometown ended up...doing it for habit. In the midst of my thoughts I barely felt the sting in my neck as Ivan's fangs pierced the feeble skin. I closed my eyes and tried to think of something, anything, to keep the cloud of mock bliss from clouding it. And I was barely succeeding. Thanks to my size and body mass, when he finished I still had more than enough strength to run and carry my own weight, and his if need be.

When he was done he gave me a small apologetic look that I immediately waved off. I'd give him all the blood in my body if that's what it took to protect him.

"Now, we need to go."

"Guardian Hathaway, the plan has been perfectly set in motion. We are keeping a tight perimeter 2 miles out of their location, and we have a small group waiting to secure the bus in the next city if need be. So far, we have yet to see movement but we are confident they will be making their move any second." I heard Marina's static voice call over the earpiece.

"Good, hold your positions. They're getting out of this town over my dead body." I responded curtly. We've been chasing these two for two years now. Two years. Besides the fact that they were making fools of everyone at the Academy, I was actually kind of impressed. Not to toot my own horn, but had I been on this case soon as they left we would've caught them ages ago. But, the thrill of tracking down two runaways was starting to wear thin. I could only take so much 24-hour driveway fast food, late night paroles, sitting for hours in a parked car listening for the slightest hints with no means of entertainment, running from city to city... I had already been away from Lissa for too long. I didn't doubt that she'd be safe within the Academy wards, but I couldn't help but feel like I had abandoned her. As her guardian it was my one and only job to keep her safe. But, as her best friend my jobs were endless. What if she needed me and I wasn't there? I still checked on her through the bond occasionally, but it only told me so much sometimes. There was still so much we were learning about it even after all these years. I was just ready to make it back, and continue on my daily routine. My job as a trainer at the Academy was what kept me going.

Growing up I had a lot of trouble with my academics and training going through school. Between struggling with Lissa's darkness, always dealing with the loss of the only family I ever really had, and my mother's abandonment always hanging over me, I was on track to being shipped out to a commune and never becoming Lissa's guardian like I was meant to be. If it hadn't been for my personal training with Alberta, who knows where I would've ended up. So now, I continue what she started with me. I find kids who have given up. Kids who don't have the support they need. Kids who are out of options. And what do I do? I kick their asses into shape, so they graduate. I loved my job. Almost as much as I hated leaving Lissa, I hated leaving those kids that needed me.

Taking a deep breath I decided to do another perimeter check to clear my head. The crisp Portland air wrapped me in a cool comforting embrace as I walked. It couldn't have been over 60 degrees outside. Even at night, you could still see the yellow leaves clear as day as the moonlight bounced from each one. The one good thing that came out of this trip was the sights we got to see. No, we didn't exactly get to take walks on the beach or a stroll through a park, but it was a relieving reminder that there was a life outside the Academy. Outside of Court. Outside of fighting for the life of another. Even if for a few minutes, it was nice to pretend that I was on a late walk home from work. Beautiful kids and a loving husband waiting for me at home...

I'd made it about a block around when Marina's voice cut through the wind's whispers again, "Rose! They're on the move! They're taking the route we suspected toward the bus! If you go now you'll intercept them at the mark!" Finally. This was the moment we had spent a week waiting for. Finally, we'd be going home.

"I'm on it. Hines, Logan, Spencer, and Wills, get into your positions! We're getting this over with, now." I took off in a light sprint toward the alleyway we had calculated they'd pass through on their way out of town. I'm sure, usually, it would've kept them hidden long enough to slip through and out of our reach. But, not this time. I took my position at the end of the alley on a corner, concealed behind a tall tree. I waited quietly for them to step right into our trap. Through the shadows I could vaguely make out the rest of my team in their positions, they gave me their nods of confirmation. We were ready. They weren't getting away this time.

Faintly in the distance, I heard light footsteps quickly making their way through the alley. I could also hear faint murmurs, but it was too far away for me to make anything out. Seconds later, our targets came into view. I had seen their files, but seeing them in person was completely different. Dimitri Belikov was the most striking, mostly his height. I'd read he was quite tall, but seeing it in person was a completely different thing. Compared to my smaller 5"7 frame, he was a skyscraper. Easily well over 6"0. However, one thing his file did not do justice was his face. I wasn't into younger guys, especially not seven years younger, but I wasn't going to lie and say the boy wasn't attractive. The first thing that struck me was the long duster he wore. Definitely not something you spot everyday. Made him look like a cowboy vigilante, but somehow he wore it well. Next were his eyes. A deep chocolate brown so intense one could only tell how much emotion was held within them. He had this long dark hair tied back at the nape of his neck, but the way it shone in the sun I'd bet it was smooth as silk. His face was chiseled and had just the slightest bit of shadow around his jawline and chin, most likely from lack of grooming. And, surprisingly, despite the fact that it's been two years since he had real training he was still very well toned. I was sure he probably had more than a few girls waiting for his return back at the Academy.

I'd also read that he had been among the top in his class before their escape. Some guardians were even saying he already the good enough makings of a qualified guardian. Not entirely in skill, but in dedication. Two years ago, maybe he could've given us a real run for our money. Well, some of the other guardians in my team at least. But, he's well out of practice. The moroi, Ivan Zeklos, was pretty much as I'd expected. He wasn't nearly as tall, but still had a decent amount of height to him. He was a Zeklos so the blonde hair wasn't surprising, although it was darker than Jesse's. His eyes, however, were much more different. Unlike Jesse's cool blue ones, they were a warmer hazel color. It seemed to suit him. Not that I knew much about him.

The footsteps were growing louder. We made our move.

"Dimitri Belikov, and Ivan Zeklos." I stated matter-of-factly, stepping out of the shadows. They stopped in their tracks. By the shock on Ivan's face it was clear they hadn't been expecting us. Obviously. He froze. Dimitri was the opposite. Glancing up at his dark brown eyes I saw his movements before he made them. They burned with perseverance. The way he looked me up and down, I could tell he was thinking this an easy fight by my stature. A grave mistake on his part. His knees bent just the slightest before he lunged. He had planned on taking me down easy, but I was ready for his sloppy attack. I quickly sidestepped him, and landed a smooth punch to his diaphragm knocking the wind out of him. He hit the ground hard. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked up at me, but it wasn't directed at me. He was angered by his own failure. I smirked at his arrogance. And, I couldn't help but notice the faint trail of the one substance we become far too familiar with as guardians, as it fell from the two small punctures in his neck. His eyes held confusion for a second before realization crossed them. His hand flew to his neck. However, there wasn't the slightest bit of embarrassment shown on his face. Instead, he held his head high with pride. He felt no shame in doing what needed to be done for the good of his charge. Now that, I deeply admired. I reached out my hand to help him up. The rest of team was now present, surrounding us. There was nowhere left for them to go.

"My name is Rose Hathaway, I'm here to take you back to the Academy."

I haven't written anything in a long time, so this is kind of my way of getting back into things. Again, this story isn't going to be exactly what I'm sure most of you probably expect it to be, but I hope regardless of that you can come to like it. I'm unsure of how often I'll be able to update since I'm in school, or if I'll even continue this story depending on how good it does, but I'll do my best. I had fun doing regardless, and hope to finish it. Any questions, comments, or whatever you have please feel free to leave in a review (hopefully more good comments than bad) I always read through all of them. Also, if any of them are character related as in maybe I'm not portraying them how you'd expect them to act please keep in mind I haven't read the series in a while, but I am doing my best to brush up on it and do these characters (that I do not own by any means) justice :)

And don't worry there will be much much more DPOV next chapter.

Happy reading, and I will see you all in the next chapter!