Hey! So, I already had most of the second chapter written, which is good because it is definitely longer than the first. :D It is so much fun writing it though, and trying to determine what Dimitri would be thinking or feeling or what he noticed that Rose didn't think he did or whatever. I love it! Thank you to Badass Hathaway for being my first reviewer and to everyone who put me on their story alert list. Thank you! Enjoy! And, as always, I own nothing, it is all Richelle Mead's.

-GuardianRoseHathaway

Chapter 2

There was no getting out of it, and they knew it. And so I was able to get them to the airport and onto the Academy's private jet.

Vasilisa and Rose sat down next to each, and I watched them. It was clear by the furrowed brows and the discreet whispering that they were planning another escape, and I ordered them separated. One of the guardians stepped up and escorted Rose to the back of the plane.

"Don't let them talk to each other," I warned the guardian who was taking her back. "Five minutes together, and they'll come up with an escape plan."

As Rose headed to the back of the plane, she shot me a haughty look, confirming my thoughts. They had been planning escape.

I went to the front to sit with Vasilisa, watching her. She sat quietly, her hand tightened around her bottle of water. I could see her distress, her fear shining in her eyes. Once and a while she would look back at Rose, but then she would instantly look back to the front.

I leaned forward to pick up a western novel from my bag, and sat comfortably back in the chair, reading. Vasilisa was uncomfortable, fearful, more upset as we neared our destination. Towards the end of the flight I went to sit back with Rose, trading place with the guardian. She turned pointedly away, staring out of the window absentmindedly.

Several moments passed. Finally, I decided to speak.

"Were you really going to attack all of us?" I asked her, keeping my guardian calm expression, but inwardly amused and admiring. She didn't answer, and so I continued.

"Doing that… protecting her like that-it was very brave." I paused, trying to think it through. "Stupid, but still brave. Why did you even try it?" And yet, because of that, I found a certain potential in her becoming a guardian, and a good one. Many people would just have looked at the impossible odds and given up. But when faced with protecting Vasilisa, Rose had decided to try the impossible and attack. With training and discipline, she could really become a kickass guardian.

She glanced over at me, brushing her hair out of her face so that she could look me levelly in the eye. "Because I'm her guardian." She turned back toward the window. I resisted the urge to lift my eyebrow and comment about her novice state. Instead I watched her for a moment.

She was dedicated to Vasilisa, and would do anything for her without question. Again I thought about their behavior, again wondering about a bond between them. That dedication could go far as a guardian.

After another quiet moment, I stood up and went back to the front of the jet.

"We are going to need to ensure that the Princess and the Damphir have no chance to run off," I told the guardians quietly. They nodded and sat silently.

When the plane landed, we carefully escorted them to the waiting car and drove to the Academy. At the gate we stopped, the guards checking to make sure we were cleared to go inside. And then we passed through the wards and to the Academy.

It was around sunset, and the vampiric day was just starting. As we escorted Vasilisa and Rose into the main part of the upper school, Rose ran up to me.

"Hey, Comrade," she said. I wondered at the name. Where had that come from? I continued walking, refusing to look at her.

"You want to talk now?" I asked her.

"Are you taking us to Kirova?" There was no respect, no title, and it bothered me.

"Headmistress Kirova," I corrected. I could see Vasilisa, who was standing on my other side, shoot Rose a look. Rose just rolled her eyes and continued.

"Headmistress. Whatever. She's still a self-righteous old bit-" she started, but then cut herself off as she realized where we were going.

We led them straight into the commons, where the students were all having breakfast, socializing. Hundreds of eyes turned to look at the two returning girls as we walked through, and I privately chuckled. I could tell that Vasilisa and Rose were uncomfortable; the latter was looking around at different people she knew, a lazy grin across her face as if she had no worries, obviously trying to cover her feelings. It was mean; we could have taken them a different route, but why not let their classmates know of their arrival?

We finally got through the commons and headed straight for Kirova's office. Other than myself and Alberta, another guardian, the others escorting them disappeared as the two girls took their seats across from the Headmistress. They were in for a long lecture.

Kirova opened her mouth to start her speech, but she was interrupted by an older Moroi royal.

"Vasilisa."

The two girls looked over at Prince Victor Dashkov. Rose looked startled she had missed him and surprised at his deteriorating condition. The princess sprang up and ran to him, throwing her arms around his frail body.

"Uncle," she whispered. I felt pity for the poor royal. Vasilisa had no family left, no one in her bloodline except for herself. Her closest friend was Rose, who obviously had some issues to work out. Her close family friend, who she referred to as uncle, was dying from a rare but horrible disease. It seemed as if she had very few people she could rely on.

Kirova let them have a few moments before drawing Vasilisa back to her seat so she could lecture them. And she certainly did.

"It was irresponsible, Miss Dragomir. How could you run from the safety of this Academy, fully aware that you were not safe, that you are the only one left, is beyond me. And to leave with only Miss Hathaway as protection is incomprehensible. Have you no sense of responsibility, of honor?" Kirova asked. She continued in such a fashion for a while. Rose seemed to not be paying attention but was staring at a window in the office, while Vasilisa sat quietly, staring at her hands in her lap.

Rose's attention was suddenly caught when Kirova's attention shifted to her.

"You, Miss Hathaway, broke the most sacred promise among our kind: the promise of a guardian to protect Moroi. It is a great trust. A trust that you violated by selfishly taking the princess away from here. The Strigoi would love to finish off the Dragomirs; you nearly enabled them to do it."

"Rose didn't kidnap me." Vasilisa seemed calm as she spoke, yet Rose seemed to sense some uneasiness in her friend and her body seemed to react accordingly. "I wanted to go. Don't blame her."

Kirova seemed unsatisfied with this response and tsked at them both while pacing her office, her hands folded behind her narrow back. I stood quietly, watching, trying to figure out what Kirova was planning to do while staying as unobtrusive as possible.

"Miss Dragomir, you could have been the one who orchestrated the entire plan for all I know, but it was still her responsibility to make sure you didn't carry it out. If she'd done her duty, she would have notified someone. If she'd done her duty, she would have kept you safe."

It seemed as if Rose had been stirring angrily this whole time but at that comment she snapped. And yet, I couldn't help but acknowledge the truth behind Kirova's words, even if Vasilisa had not been harmed.

"I did do my duty!" she shouted, jumping up from her chair. I flinched, as did Alberta, and I almost moved forward to restrain her, but she didn't seem to be hitting anyone yet, and so I stayed in my position near the wall, watching her carefully. "I did keep her safe! I kept her safe when none of you" -and she made a gesture to us- "could do it. I took her away to protect her. I did what I had to do. You certainly weren't going to."

Her comments were out of line, unless she knew of some threat that none of the highly trained guardians knew about. I felt slightly resentful towards her. I was Vasilisa's assigned guardian, and there was no way I would allow anything to happen to the Dragomir princess.

I noticed again how it seemed as if Vasilisa was sending soothing messages to her friend, trying to calm her down. It wasn't that they necessarily looked like they were talking, just it seemed as if Vasilisa was focused, and Rose was trying hard to follow advice and calm down. Kirova just stared blankly at Rose.

"Miss Hathaway, forgive me if I fail to see the logic of how taking her out of a heavily guarded, magically secured environment is protecting her. Unless there's something you aren't telling us?"

Rose bit her lip and Kirova continued.

"I see. Well, then. By my estimation, the only reason you left—aside from the novelty of it, no doubt- was to avoid the consequences of that horrible, destructive stunt you pulled just before your disappearance."

I felt like Kirova was being slightly unfair. From the way I had seen Vasilisa and Rose together, and how protective Rose was towards the princess, it seemed as if there had to have been an extremely good reason that Rose had taken Vasilisa away from this safe place. While her actions had been unsafe, she must have had a good reason behind them.

"No, that's not-" Rose started to say angrily, but she was interrupted by the headmistress.

"And that only makes my decision that much easier. As a Moroi, the princess must continue on her at the Academy for her own safety, but we have no such obligations to you. You will be sent away as soon as possible."

That seemed extreme, even to me, and I felt that above all, duty and honor were extremely important. Rose seemed shocked, and Vasilisa looked as if she could barely stand even the thought.

"I… what?" Rose asked, as if she hadn't heard right. Vasilisa stood up beside her.

"You can't do that! She's my guardian," Vasilisa cried. Kirova stood firm.

"She is no such thing, particularly since she isn't even a guardian at all. She's still a novice," she reminded them.

"But my parents-" Vasilisa began, but she was interrupted.

"I know what your parents wanted, God rest their souls, but things have changed. Miss Hathaway is expendable. She doesn't deserve to be a guardian, and she will leave."

Kirova was being too harsh, and I tried to think what I could do to change her mind. I could tell that it was terrifying the two girls at the idea that they would be separated. Rose stared at Kirova as if she could not believe what she was being told.

"Where are you going to send me? To my mom in Nepal? Did she even know I was gone? Or maybe you'll send me off to my father?" she asked, disgust biting into her words. Kirova's eyes narrowed at the bite in that last word. And when Rose spoke again, her words were ice cold.

"Or maybe you're going to try to send me off to be a blood whore. Try that, and we'll be gone by the end of the day," she said. I frowned, as did Kirova. Now that was completely unnecessary.

"Miss Hathaway, you are out of line," she hissed. And then I realized what might help.

"They have a bond," I spoke up, and they all turned towards me. Kirova seemed almost surprised to see me there. I looked directly at Rose. "Rose knows what Vasilisa is feeling. Don't you?" I asked her. She seemed to be pleased at catching Kirova off guard, even if it was my work. Kirova glanced between me and the two girls questioningly.

"No… that's impossible. That hasn't happened in centuries." She seemed almost frightened by the idea.

"It's obvious. I suspected as soon as I started watching them," I told her, and this time I had the satisfaction of watching as Vasilisa and Rose looked away.

"That is a gift," murmured Victor from where he sat. "A rare and wonderful thing." His voice was only slightly above a whisper, but it continued awe and something else, something I couldn't pinpoint. I turned my attention back to Kirova to continue pleading the girl's case.

"The best guardians always had that bond in the stories," I added, watching her. Kirova seemed outraged.

"Surely you aren't suggesting we let her stay at the Academy after everything she's done?" she asked. I internally smirked. That was exactly what I was suggesting. Rose showed signs of potential that could be useful, despite some of her lesser qualities. I shrugged.

"She might be wild and disrespectful, but she has potential-" I found myself cut off by the same girl I was trying to help.

"Wild and disrespectful? Who the hell are you anyway? Outsourced help?" she asked angrily. I just stared at her. She obviously needed discipline and a good, strong arm guiding her. And yet, that same passion that she was showing could help her work hard, if she applied it in a more constructive manner.

"Guardian Belikov is the princess's guardian now," said Kirova in icy tones. "Her sanctioned guardian," she continued, putting emphasis on sanctioned. This seemed to just piss Rose off farther.

"You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?" she asked.

I was stung by her comment, and yet I knew it was completely uncalled for and had no actual standing. Most Moroi and guardians were from Russia, as I was, but I could tell she was speaking out of anger. And yet, I couldn't help but wonder why I was bothering to try to help her. She obviously didn't want it, and felt that she could take care of herself. Besides, from what I understood, she was foreign too, with an Irish mother in Guardian Hathaway, and rumored Turkish father.

Kirova threw up her hands in exasperation, and I couldn't help but agree. She turned towards me.

"You see? Completely undisciplined! All the psychic bonds and very raw potential in the world can't make up for that. A guardian without discipline is worse than no guardian."

What are you thinking so far? Do you think Dimitri's thoughts are believable? It is fun and difficult at the same time, because it is like, well, would Dimitri really think that? Or would he actually notice when Lissa is interacting with Rose through the bond? Or Rose's internal struggle? And why did he decide to help them? And then there were so many times when I would start to right Lissa and then put Vasilisa. Would Dimitri refer to her as princess in his thoughts, or as Vasilisa? I know Lissa is too informal, but thoughts would be helpful. Thank you! Hope you enjoyed. I will try to put up the next chapter tomorrow, but no promises. :D

Also, I am seriously thinking of experimenting some with Lissa's POV of Vampire Academy. Because, of course, we get glimpses of her thoughts and emotions through Rose, but it would be interesting to try to write. Thoughts?