Hello everyone! So I started writing this story back in 2011 and totally forgot about it. So I found it one day and decided to finish it! Tada! There is going to be some kink in this next chapter so just for everyone who doesn't like a little bondage and Earth charms, don't read. :) I think I am going to be doing some more separate stories in this universe as well, so I can't wait to get started on those. The next chapter should be up tomorrow!

Enjoy! - MakeMeProud

Black Lace

Being Vasilisa Dragomir's guardian was no easy task. I mean sure, it definitely had its perks, like being able to see my boyfriend everyday, traveling all over the world, and being able to live in a small house with Dimitri. But those are just the good things. You also have to include standing through the most boring meetings ever, getting to watch Lissa do the fun stuff and enjoy herself while I sat against the wall like a wallflower, and let's not forget the ever present royal pricks I had to put up with everyday.

I hardly had time for myself. Truthfully, my favorite part about the day was coming home, taking a shower, and cuddling with my lover under silky blue blankets. Becoming a guardian was not all it was cracked up to be and yet...there was something exhilarating about it. There was always a constant thrill when my hand touched a stake, feeling the cold metal thrumming with magic that tingled through my fingers. It brought me a sense of peace I guess you could say. My stake was my sword, my protection and shield.

Today would be different though.

The reason?

Shopping!

Shopping days were the only days where Lissa and I could actually act like best friends. I would always look forward to those days because we wouldn't have to be so proper and professional, and yet I was always watching for suspicious figures and listening to the cool earpiece snuggly fit into my ear drum in case of an emergency situation. More or less, though, I could finally be a girl instead of a silent black suit hiding in the background.

Sadly, Christian and Dimitri weren't coming. I was a bit bummed because I haven't been able to have a normal date with Dimitri in more than a few months and this would have been the perfect opportunity to be relaxed with him. Christian I could care less about, but it would have been more fun for Lissa had he been able to come. It was Christian's birthday after all. There were times I was truly glad that the bond was broken because I had experienced kissing fire boy enough to last me a lifetime.

It still unnerved me whenever I was off duty because I couldn't go into her mind and see through her eyes to make sure she was alright like I always have before. Not anymore. Now I had to be...normal.

Things were definitely different, but our close friendship remained the same.

Lisa tapped my hand and I snapped out of my recap. I blinked at her in surprise.

"Are you okay? Your kind of...out of it."

I nodded and saw my smiling face in the reflection of her jade colored eyes. "I'm more concerned about you! How you holdin' up in the sun?" I asked, motioning to the heavily tinted windows in the van.

She shrugged her delicate shoulders and answered with a simple, "Good." I nodded and gave a sarcastic hum. She turned to me with sparkling eyes. "Really," she assured. "I'm fine."

"I never said you weren't," I said. She stared at me disapprovingly at hearing my condescending tone, but I just smiled back at her. We continued our staring contest until Lisa sighed and turned to the front. "Whatever, Rose. Just promise me that you'll help me find the perfect gift for him when we get to the mall, okay?"

I gave a mock solute. Lisa smiled and grabbed my hand with her slim Moroi fingers.

The rest of the car ride to the mall was filled with endless chatter and fun bantering between all of Lisa's guardians, two in the front and two in the back, including me. Somehow we had all managed to become a sort of disfunctional family. Sadly I was the only girl damphir in the group, but it did nothing to dampen my mood. I was used to being the only girl in a group of boys.

I thought of Mason and of how we had been inseparable before my disappearance with Lissa our freshman year at St. Vladimir's. Putting ink in Stan's tea, sneaking into the kitchens for a midnight snack; the memories were endless. There would always be a place for him in my heart. He was my little prankster, my partner in crime. The corners of my mouth twisted up in a small smile of remembrance.

The mall came into view shortly after my last thought, its neon signs and packed parking lot creating a feeling of excitement. The tall doors of the entrance were littered with christmas decorations and women started to spritz perfume into the air when we walked in. Immediately sounds echoed in my ears and smells bombarded my senses, dulling them into oblivion. Juicy Couture and Calvin Klein jeans popped from their shelves and my feet started to lead my body to them. I nearly cried when my fingers touched the smooth denim. I rubbed them against my face, smelling their faint perfume.

"Oh fashion, I've missed you so much," I said. If it hadn't been for Lissa I would have never stayed up with the latest styles. I really did miss them. I was beginning to think that my black pants, white blouse, and black blazer were becoming a second skin considering I wore the outfit so much. I heard Lissa and a few others laughing behind me, but I wasn't paying attention. I was too busy inhaling the sweet pungent scent of denim and mens perfume. Heaven.

We walked from store to store for hours, passing booths for cosmetics and phone cases and everything under the sun, searching for the perfect present and coming up with nothing but air. I could tell the guardians were starting to get bored and I merely smiled at them, gracing their arms with another bag of clothes just to hear their sighs of agitation. I could tell Lissa was getting frustrated because of the permeating dark aura that filled the air with spirit. I started to worry when the signs started to come; twitching, itching the scars on her wrists, pissed off mood. It was all there. It had only gotten worse after the bond had been broken, slowly building inside the very depths of her.

Lissa was taking on the darkness all by herself and it was no easy matter to simply push it away. I knew because I had felt its unnatural presence before when I had still been shadow-kissed. We both secretly feared what could happen to her when she started to age. Would all of the magic creep up on her and bring her over the edge? Would she become unstable and fragile like Victor Daskov's brother, Robert? A lasting shiver slid down my neck. No. I would never let anything like that happen to her.

"Um Lissa?" I asked.

"WHAT?" she snapped. It didn't phase me, but I notice the others flinch at her tone.

"I think I know the perfect gift," I said confidently. Her features lightened and a hopeful glint brightened her glossy eyes. "Really?" she replied.

I nodded my head and grabbed her hand, dragging her behind me. We traveled through the system of floors and people until I stopped in front of my favorite store.

Victoria Secret.

Lissa looked at me in confusion. "What are we doing here?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "What do you think Christian wants more than anything? Think about it," I interjected when I saw her open her mouth to protest. She closed it and her face puckered in concentration. Eventually she widened her eyes in understanding.

"You think he wants...me?" I nodded. "As...a gift?" I nodded again. "You mean-"

"YES Lissa! Yes, yes, yes! Now come on. We only have a few hours left!" I went behind her and pushed on her back, forcing her inside the lingerie shop.

The boys trailed in behind us, but before they could get five feet I stopped them. "Do a perimeter search outside would you please?" They grumbled under their breath and shuffled out like puppies with their tails between their legs. The one store they wouldn't actually mind being in and I had kicked them out. Poor things.

I focused back on Lissa poking around some night gowns and I shook my head. As experienced as this girl was, she was too innocent to look at revealing underwear by herself. She really hadn't changed, I thought. I walked beside her and grabbed the red nightie from her hands, putting it safely back onto the rack.

"Hey!" Lissa yelled. I just continued looking through the panty sets.

"Too lacy."

"Not your color."

"...I don't even know what that is."

Lissa brought out a purple lace set. "What about this one?"

I looked at for a moment. "It be great if you were trying to be a prostitute." Lissa sighed in exasperation and put it back on the rack with a clang.

My hands fumbled over a nice soft blue set and I wavered. White lace rimmed the top of the cups and the panty line. A garter was attached to some white stockings. There was a medium sized bow right in the center of the bra. I turned and grinned mischievously at Lissa. She looked on in horror as I held it out for her. "Try."

She shook her head. "No."

"Try!" I pouted and shook it at her.

"No."

I threw it at her and her fingers locked around the soft lace. I growled at her. "Do it," I said menacingly. She knew I was joking, but that didn't stop her from narrowing her eyes at me before turning sharply toward the dressing rooms with a small scoff. I smiled triumphantly and followed behind.

Still smiling, I sat in the waiting chair and sighed. "Just let me know if you need any help!" I called to her. She hummed in acknowledgment. I sat back and waited for a few minutes until Lissa's small voice spoke to me. "I don't want to do this, Rose."

"Oh come on. Quite being a chicken." I clapped my hands. "Now lets see it!"

A foot poked out from behind the curtain first, then a leg, and then a waist. My eyes started to grow wider when she revealed everything and I cat called. It was perfect. The blue accentuated her pale skin and fair blonde hair and the outfit fit her curves snuggly, giving her the hourglass shape all moroi girls lacked. Her cheeks were painted a vibrant red and she motioned for me to hush. I looked at her up and down. "That one's a keeper," I said. She smiled and twirled in a circle. "You really think so?"

I scoffed. "Yes! Your boobs totally just went from an A to double D's!"

Lissa laughed and asked me to go buy it for her while she changed. I nodded and grabbed the lingerie, waiting patiently in line with twenty other people. Oh joy.

The boys came up behind me and saw the blue garment in my hands.

"Wow. Sexy! Not really your color though." I jumped in surprise and turned around to smack Diondre in the head. He avoided it smoothly and grinned. His brown eyes matched the same color of his skin and he had a few inches on me. Granted he was very cute, but more in a brotherly way. He was my favorite of the group.

"Don't do that again. And its not for me." I turned back toward the cashier making googley eyes at Martin, who was probably the best looking besides myself. He had blond shaggy hair with sea green eyes and pouty lips. In fact, he looked more like a model than one of the top ten most badass guardians in the world.

He noticed her stare and give her a wink. The cashier seemed to melt down to her shoes. Martin was also one of the most womanizing men I've ever met.

I placed the bra and panties on the counter and she rang them up, never once looking at me. I grabbed the pink stripped bag when she was done and headed back to check on Lissa. Diondre started to follow but I stopped him. "If Christian found out you saw Lissa naked, you would be burned alive. Just warning you in advance." His face visibly paled and he nodded.

I pushed against her curtain to let her know I was there before walking in. She was there, fixing her make up in the mirror and fluffing her platinum blonde hair. Once she was done I motioned for her to exit with a gracious bow. Lissa slapped the back of my head playfully and walked out, leaving me in the dust as she hurried ahead.

"Wait!" I yelled. She stopped when she was finally in the car and started to bounce against the soft leather seat. "I'm just so excited!" she gushed. "I can't wait for him to see me tonight! I mean, I'm sort of nervous 'cause I've never worn anything like this before, but I don't know. I kind of like it! Oh. I'm being really loud. Sorry. I'll be quite now." For emphasis she placed her hands over her mouth.

I just stared at her. Either she had a shit load of sugar or she was just filled with adrenaline. "Um...okay," I mumbled with a chuckle. I wasn't really sure what to do.

Just then, Martin coughed and produced another Victoria Secret bag. Lissa giggled when I grabbed it from him. "What's this?"

Lissa beamed. "Well, you really helped me out today and I felt really bad because you weren't able to pick anything out and so I had the boys pick something out for you!"

I stared at her in terror. "Th-the boys?" She nodded.

I glanced down at the pink bag like it contained a bomb. Silence filled the van while everyone waited. I just kept on looking at the color coordinated strips. Some part of me knew that everyone was waiting for me to open it, but I didn't want to touch it. For once in my life, I was truly afraid to open a Victoria's Secret bag. Finally, Lissa slapped my arm and knocked me back into reality. I took a deep gulp and took out the set of lingerie. What I found truly shocked me.

The set was filled with hot pink silk and black lace. There was also a hot pink garter belt with black stockings. They even added fingerless black gloves and a new belly button ring that was silver with a hot pink gem on the end. I looked up in astonishment. This was pretty decent.

The boys all looked at me with pleading eyes. I smiled and hugged everyone in sight, well everyone except Martin because he was driving. After the chatter had settled down a bit, Lissa and I discussed what the plans were for the day since the official Moroi day had begun.

Once we arrived back at the royal court, I was officially off duty and the only reason for that was because of Christian's birthday party. Otherwise I would have been on the sidelines with Dimitri watching everyone drink and have fun.

But not tonight.

It really sucked that Dimitri had to work the sidelines tonight, but he had already taken off all the time he could this week. You would think that Ozera would have been able to pull some strings since Dimitri was his guardian, but nooo. I shook my head in amusement and walked ahead with my arms full of birthday crap. It seriously looked like the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy decided to barf all over me; sparkles covering every inch of visible skin by the time I was done decorating. Unconsciously, my fingers itched at the red and gold glitter pasted to my pores.

I didn't mind looking like a shining star, but this was getting a little out of hand. I was too close to looking like a christmas ornament.

When I finally stopped decorating, I surveyed the rest of the room. Pride surged through me at the sight of my handiwork. The banner over the door read "HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTIAN!" in shimmering gold, outlined in a fiery red. Balloons were attached to pillars around the small dining room, as well as serving as center pieces to the tables. Lissa would come by later to do the final details, but for me? I still had to get ready.

I crossed the luxurious guest rooms and royal housing section of the Court to the outskirts. It wasn't much of a walk (maybe fifteen minutes or so) to the guardian housing, but sometimes it felt like sleep was literally clawing at your feet to stop you from walking after your shift. The houses weren't nearly as extravagant as some others, but they were home. Most guardians at Court had a house with all the free time we get from not having to shadow our Moroi twenty-four seven. Bu there are some who simply chose to live along with their Moroi even with the wards surrounding Court.

It had taken weeks for Dimitri and I to find a house that was big enough for the two of us. Granted, we didn't need much of anything and with our meager guardian pay the house was nowhere near perfect, but it was home. My stride picked up as the blue shuttered windows came into view. The house was sort of an off-white color, like it had been white at one time, but had faded from old age. I walked in and stomped my boots against the greeting matt. Flecks of mud and grass fell away.

"Dimitri!" I yelled as I moved to our only bedroom. "I'm home!"

I heard a grunt from the bathroom and the sound of running water. I thought about joining him in the shower for second, then thought better of it. I needed to get changed quickly and if I went in there right now I'd be in there for far too long. Oh well. I'll save that for another day, I thought. After I put the Victoria's Secret bag on the couch, I threw my house keys onto the kitchen counter and opened the fridge. Nothing looked good so I shut it again and grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl.

I took in our tiny house with my eyes as I glanced around. We were still in the process of officially moving in and it was evident. Boxes full of pictures and clothes littered the floors and furniture was slowly coming in little by little. There was a small TV in the living room, along with a recliner and couch with a table in front of it. The kitchen was small and cramped, but somehow everything we could possibly need was stashed in pantries, cabinets, and drawers. There was only one bathroom and bedroom, but Dimitri and I each had our own separate closets which was really nice.

While I waited for my turn in the shower, I peeled and ate the sweet zesty insides of the orange. Its skin permeated a citrusy smell into the air. When I was done I picked up a photo from the nearest box and put it on a table by the front door. It was of all of us together; Lissa, Christian, Dimitri, Eddie, even Abe and mom. The only person missing was . . . Adrian. I hadn't heard much from him since Tasha's trial. That was last year.

The photo had been taken a few days after I had woken up from saving Lissa from a bullet in the chest. Only it had hit mine instead. If anyone looked close enough at the photo they could notice the slight bulk to my shirt and the white gauze peeking out from under the edges. Even now my chest would ache occasionally from where the bullet had torn through muscle and membrane. There was a circular scar on my left breast from the incident.

I remembered the first time I had let Dimitri see it. I had been so embarrassed and he had just laughed it off. "It makes you look even more beautiful," he had said.

Footsteps approached from behind me and I turned around. Dimitri gave me a smile and wrapped a towel around his waist. My pulse picked up at seeing the droplets of water glide across his skin and travel past the fluffy white towel. His hair hung loose around his shoulders, darker than usual from his shower.

I put on a playful pout. "Aw. I liked it better when you had the towel off."

He chuckled and embraced me in his arms. I had always felt strong and beautiful in his arms, like I was a true damsel in distress who had just found my prince. Cliche and sappy, I know, but true. I cushioned my head on his chest and relieved a sigh.

"Long day?" Dimitri asked. I nodded and closed my eyes wanting nothing more then to stay against him and rest, but human malls called for human time zones. I had been up all night searching with Lissa and my eyes stung from lack of sleep.

A mischievous glint flashed in my eyes as I rested my chin in the middle of his chest. When I was this close to him, I felt like I was looking up at a skyscraper because of his six foot' seven build.

"You know," I started. "The party doesn't start for another three hours or so." I raised my eyebrows suggestively and lowered my voice to have more of a husky tone. "We could have some fun." I tugged on the towel with my fingers for emphasis.

My fingers traveled over his rock hard abs, feeling the muscles contract and ripple beneath the skin. I knew he wanted to. We hadn't had much time to ourselves lately and it'd been a whole week since we'd last had sex. His over-heated calloused hands landed on my hips and slide up under my shirt to rest on the middle of my back.

"Oh, Roza," he purred. His accent curled around me and I shivered in excitement. "As much as I'd like to, you need all the time you can get to get ready."

Wow. What a turn off.

My eyes narrowed as I slapped his arm. "Ha. Ha. That was sooo funny."

With that I swiveled into the bathroom, shut the door, and I could still hear his baritone laugh through the door. My pressed suit fell off my shoulders and I took a deep breath, breathing in the steamy air and the smell of Dimitri's shampoo. I turned on the shower and released all of my pent up stress, letting it run down the drain. My muscles contracted and pulled under the warm waters ministrations and I stood there for a few minutes before reaching for the bottle of green shampoo.

When that was done, I wrapped a plain red towel around my hair leaving my body free to air dry. You could say that this was Dimitri's favorite part about the times we took separate showers because . . . . well I'm sure you can imagine why. It was my favorite thing to do, though I'm not sure why. I even did it when I was still living at the Academy.

I walked into the bedroom and saw Dimitri waiting on the bed, his arms behind his head as he rested against the headboard. He hummed appreciatively as I dug through our drawers looking for my thongs.

"Your beauty never stops to amaze me, Roza." His voice was so deep and husky. A shiver passed across my back as I slid the small black thong into place with a little shake. He groaned and I smiled to myself.

"Sorry," I said sarcastically. "I need all the time I can get. Remember?" He groaned in frustration as I straightened up slowly so he could get a good view.

"Which dress are you wearing today?"

I hummed as I scanned my closet. "Well, I wanted something flashy. So sequins it is." I pulled out my short gold and black sequined dress and my black pumps. The dress ended a little below mid-thigh and had long sleeves. The back dropped down to the end of my back. It was one of my favorites and I really just wanted to tease Dimitri while he was working since he couldn't actually enjoy it with me.

"Oh Rose," he groaned and placed his head in his hands. "Why that one? You are going to drive me crazy."

"That's kind of the point," I stated with a wink. The pumps echoed as I walked onto the tiled kitchen floor. I grabbed a snack and headed toward the door with my purse. "I'll be in the car!"

The shuffling of fabric was my only response. He must have been getting ready. I opened up the four door car and applied a layer of mascara and lip gloss. I really didn't need anything more than that.

When he entered the car I immediately smelled his aftershave. It curled around my senses and made my blood race. He decided to wear a suit today instead of his usual duster, which was fine by me. I liked Dimitri in a tux. I liked it a lot. In fact, I loved it.

We arrived in the giant ballroom about an hour before the party started. Dimitri kissed me goodbye and went to find Christian while I made myself comfortable by the punch, non-alcoholic of course. My eyes searched for Lissa and found her over by the back corner table adding little painted flames around the balloons.

She looked up at me, as if she could sense me. I smiled. Even if there was no bond, we were still bonded. I could anticipate every move she made, every hidden emotion as if she had made it bluntly obvious on her face. She could still sense me and feel my presence.

"Hey," she said dusting the glitter off of her hands. "How does it all look?"

"It looks great, Liss. And so do you."

She blushed and a smirk started to show on her lips. "I'm wearing it." She said it so mysteriously. I couldn't help but blink at her. "Wearing what?" I said.

She looked at me like I was stupid. "His present!"

My eyes widened. "You're wearing it under that?!" I pointed toward her elegant blue floor length dress. The crystals on the bottom shimmered as she twirled around. "Don't you like it?" she pouted.

"Well yeah," I said. "You look like a queen in it."

"What a surprise," she joked as she stroked the little crown atop her golden hair. The little crowns were her favorite. She much preferred the small, elegant crowns because of their beautiful simplicity. The large crown she only ever wore for show or court.

"So when is Christian getting here?"

Lissa looked toward the giant clock against one of the elegant walls. "He should be here in about ten minutes." I nodded and looked toward the open bar with hunger. I hadn't eaten anything except for that orange and I was starting to feel it.

"So does that mean dinner in going to be in an hour? 'Cause thats a long time." My stomach growled to add on to my statement and Lissa smiled.

"You are welcome to as many appetizers as you want Rose," she said sarcastically. I gave her a look and shoved a grape in my mouth. "Oh, I know," I mumbled around the bursting sweetness in my mouth.

She laughed and moved off to welcome some royals who had just arrived. I looked around at the room and smiled. We really had done a good job and I found myself secretly hoping Christian would like it as much as I did.

"Hey, Rose. Sorry I couldn't make it to help decorate," Eddie said behind me. I twirled and landed a playful punch on his arm.

"I know, you big jerk! You left me hanging!"

He just shrugged. "They come first."

The thought was sobering and I felt the playful mood starting to dissipate. "Yeah," I agreed solemnly. "They do." My eyes focused on Lissa across the room, so happy and free, talking to a group of royals. They must have been talking about something funny because they suddenly bursted into laughter.

"It would be nice to be that care-free sometimes, wouldn't it?" I said as I motioned toward the group. Eddie nodded next to me and smiled. "But its our job to protect them at all costs," his said with a soft voice. I looked at him curiously.

"How's Mia?"

His mouth scrunched up. "She's alright. We got into a fight." Ah. So thats what the problem was.

"What about?"

He tilted his head back and buzzed his lips. "Ugh, she and her dad were talking about how her Magic Defense classes were going and I sort of pulled her aside. I told her how I feel about her doing these classes and she got pissed at me and now she won't speak to me."

"Why do you think she shouldn't teach them? She's learning so much and helping others like her."

"I know that, but...I just don't want her to get hurt. And she's so set on being one of the first to actually go out in the field!" He sighed and hung his head. "I just want her to be safe."

I laid my hand securely on his shoulder. "And she is safe. She has you and there is no other place she would rather be than helping other people achieve their dreams."

He sighed again and looked over at me appreciatively. "Yeah. You're right." He chuckled to himself. "Its just like her to want to be in the front line. Thanks, Rose," he said with a smile.

"No thanks needed," I said smiling back.

"Well, aren't you two just the happiest to see me."

I rolled my eyes and turned around to look at Christian. "Hi, Fire boy." I gave him a hug and stepped back. "You want to say hi to your lady before she frets herself silly."

He laughed and handed me a cup of punch. "Here. Hold this for me." Then he was off on his way to see Lissa, leaving me with a cup of red stuff that smelled suspiciously like red hots and alcohol.

"Gee. Thanks," I mumbled as I threw the contents into the nearest trashcan. I exhaled in boredom. We should have added some games or something, I thought to myself. That would have made things more fun.

I glanced over at the men and women (actually just one woman) standing against the walls as protectors. I knew most of them, but there were a few that had come with the guests. There was one guardian who stood above all the rest, towering over their heads. Dimitri seemed to sense my eyes and I smiled wickedly. His face looked almost alarmed at my look and I chuckled because I knew I was going to tease the shit out of him tonight. I think he knew that too.

But first...

"Can we eat now?"