The next morning was an early one for me, despite the previous late night and the canceled training with Rose. I was up at the same time as usual, but instead of heading to the gym like I typically would, I was heading to the guardian lounge to meet with the other school guardians who volunteered for the senior field experience. There were about 35 of us who would be taking a beating at one point or another during the six weeks test. A few of the volunteers would only be participating temporarily, taking over for the five of us who would be leaving for the Dashkov trial, but they were present for the meeting as well.

The instructions for us were fairly simple. Any contact made in a classroom was roughly scheduled with the teacher (not an exact time, just a notification that we would be disrupting a specific period), and there were only a few daylight contacts that would happen and they would be placed on the schedule as needed, but otherwise, any senior novice was fair game. We were encouraged to be spontaneous and creative in our attacks. This was my second year participating since I had come to the academy half way through the trials my first year here. Still, I was fairly familiar with the routine. Don't hold back on your attack but stop immediately if there is a serious injury, followed by a quick explanation of what exactly was considered a serious injury. Getting to the Moroi was the primary goal. Debrief with the novice after the attack so that they can understand what weakness they might have shown or where they had shown strength. The worse part of the field experience – for us, at least – was that we had to write a detailed report on every attack we participated in so that copies could be included in the student files for later review.

However, I was surprised when a new encouragement was given. Fight in groups. Typically one or maybe two guardians would attack a novice at one time. This was the most common way we encountered Strigoi outside the wards, and it made sense to prepare the students for an event like that. However, with the events of the past few months, the Guardian Council had asked that we prepare them for a more advanced attack.

Rose may have beheaded the leader of the small Strigoi cell in Spokane, but that didn't mean that someone wouldn't take his place or there weren't others like him. It was only a matter of time before we came across a similar situation and it would be best if all of us, novices and sanctioned guardians alike, were to be prepared for it. As savage as the Strigoi were, they were anything but ignorant. They could be cunning, devious, and devastating. Many were former guardians themselves, and they retained their tactical knowledge. It was simply a matter of putting it to use. It was actually a miracle that something like this hadn't happened before.

After all the information had been given, we were released. Most of the guardians dissipated to prepare for their upcoming shifts, but Alberta, Stan, and a few others started walking towards the gym to make the assignments. As I was leaving, eager to relish the few minutes before I would be going on duty, I could hear Guardian Petrov hold me back.

"Guardian Belikov, considering the situation, we thought it might be best if you join us."

I gave a quick nod of agreement, but was interrupted by Guardian Alto's grunt of disapproval. "I don't see why we should allow Hathaway to make any argument of her assignment. If she threw a fuss at the Guardian Council, she'd be put on probation."

"Hopefully it will be a non-issue and she'll accept Christian Ozera without any trouble. Either way, Novice Hathaway has been trained for one specific charge nearly her entire life, it will be a shock to not receive it. Guardian Belikov is the best choice to explain why we are assigning her a different student." Alberta faced the older guardian with a slight smirk. "Lord knows you'd just end up making the situation worse."

The gym was already nearing full capacity by the time we made it through the doors, a slight hum falling over the crowd as we made our way to the center of the room. Rose wasn't the only one looking forward to the field experience. It was one of the biggest events for seniors and the entire school enjoyed witnessing the occasional battle in between classes. Some of the matches had even become legends passed down through the years.

Eddie and Rose were some of the last to walk in, taking their places just a few minutes before the start of the meeting. Eddie had become incredibly protective of Rose since Mason's death, even with the sparring incident a few weeks ago. At first, it had set me on edge. I was worried that he had become yet another admirer, but it became clear fairly quickly that his interest in Rose was limited to that of a protective older brother. He was the one who publicly stood by her during her darker periods and would keep her out of the curious eyes of the student body as best as he could. Later, I had overheard his determined insistence to another young man that Rose wasn't ready for a romantic relationship of any sort and to give her space. A bitter part of me wondered if he had that conversation with Lord Ivashkov yet, and if not, when he planned to do so. Even if he had though, it was more likely that Adrian would simply ignore Eddie's advice. I knew a part of Eddie's actions were motivated by loyalty to Mason, but I also knew that he genuinely cared about Rose and they would always be tied together by their shared experience.

I was happy to see the pair smiling for once. Rose even looked somewhat relaxed, which had been a rare occurrence within the Academy walls. They looked to be joking and I hated knowing that part of Rose's good mood would be gone before the hour was up.

From the looks of things, Alberta was having a similar thought. She glanced at me once, perhaps as a final confirmation that we were going to do this as planned, and began.

"All right. You all know why you are here. This is the most important day of your education before you take your final trials. Today you will find out which Moroi you've been placed with. Last week, you were given a booklet with the full details of how the next six weeks will play out. I trust you've all read it by now."

A murmur of excited agreement came from the bleachers. I knew most of them were ready to get going as soon as possible but were doing everything they could to maintain their composure.

"Just to recap, Guardian Alto will highlight the main rules of this exercise."

Stan Alto always seemed to hold himself as if he was put out by his need to be present. He tended to lord himself over the students, using his authority to push them around a little. He wasn't my favorite coworker, but I had also seen a different side of him over the past few weeks. He was stubborn, rude, and had a prickly personality, but he also genuinely cared about his students. He had been just as worried as everyone else when Rose and the others went missing. It turned out that he has also been fairly fond of Mason, and losing him had obviously affected him more than Alto was willing to let on.

"Here we go. You'll be on duty six days a week. This is actually a treat for you guys. In the real world, you're usually working every day. You will accompany your Moroi everywhere – to class, to their dorms, to their feedings. Everything. It's up to you to figure out how you fit into their lives. Some Moroi interact with their guardians just like friends; some Moroi prefer you to be more of an invisible ghost who doesn't talk to them. Every situation is different, and you two will have to find a way to work it out to best ensure their safety.

"Attacks may come at any time, anywhere, and we'll be dressed in all black when it happens." Those of us up front were already dressed in the required clothing for the exercise as an example. "You should always be on your guard. Remember, even though you obviously know it's us doing the attacking and not real Strigoi, you should respond as though your lives are in terrible and immediate danger. Don't be afraid of hurting us. Some of you, I'm sure, won't have any qualms about getting us back for past grievances, but some of you may feel like you have to hold back, for fear of getting in trouble. Don't. You'll get in more trouble if you do hold back. Don't worry. We can take it.

"You will be on duty twenty-four hours a day for your six-day cycles, but you may sleep during the daylight hours when your Moroi does. Just be aware that although Strigoi attacks are rare in daylight, they aren't impossible indoors, and you will not necessarily be 'safe' during these times."

The rest of the information was technical details such as submitting reports and whatnot. As I tuned out the drivel, my mind started wandering over the new trials that we would be dealing with, including more 'daylight' attacks and attacks with multiple aggressors. It had been decided that we wouldn't share the changes with the students, citing that it would be a good way to teach them to be adaptable with the dynamics of this business. The fact that such a dramatic change was needed because of the past handful of months was almost nerve wracking. I could feel something deep inside me hinting that we hadn't seen the last of these major changes.

I focused again when I could hear the names of students being called out. Ryan Aylesworth, the first to be called, stepped forward to pick up his practice steak and the packet of information on their Moroi. Each student would be given the school schedule of their charge, as well as their family history, biography, and other necessary details.

This was typical for when you received a charge after graduation, only amplified. If you were assigned to a family, you would be expected to know the schedule of every member and memorize any special details that would affect the way you should handle the assignment. I had been lucky with Ivan since I knew practically everything in his file before it was ever handed to me. Memorizing Vasilisa's dossier had been much more difficult. Not only was I given information about her, I was given basic information about the entire line of Dragomirs that she now solely represented. There hadn't been much about her personal history, despite the information about the crash that took the lives of her parents and brother, but I've been steadily adding to it as more and more information came to light. It now included information about her bond with Rose, her difficulty with depression, and of course Spirit. There wasn't much on that last bullet point, but that was only because there wasn't much information available.

Because of the sensitive information in her file, choosing someone as her guardian for the exercise was a difficult and strategic choice. I had suggested Eddie, since he was already vaguely familiar with the bond between Rose and Lissa. I also wanted to show some support for him. He had really become more serious about his training and education since Spokane and was on track to graduate near the top of his class alongside Rose. As much as I hated how the motivation had come, it was good to see Eddie so focused on the future. I wanted to reward that as much as possible.

It didn't take long for Alberta to call out his name, and I tensed in preparation for what I knew would come next.

"Edison Castile...Vasilisa Dragomir."

I swear the room became electrically charged, a current running though everyone one and freezing them in place. Several students looked towards Eddie, but as he stood and started walking down the steps of the bleachers, their eyes didn't follow. Everyone was still staring at Rose, whose eyes were wide with shock.

Almost immediately, I started to regret my choice to let this be a surprise. Part of me was just waiting for Rose to stand up and start making a scene. I wanted to trust that she was more mature after everything that had happened this past year, but with her waning temper as of late, I knew that anything could happen. The fact that she seemed to be relatively calm about the issue almost made me more nervous.

Finally through the 'G' names as Jasper Graves name was called, I held my breath.

"Rosemarie Hathaway." Alberta paused, taking a breath. She seemed as nervous as I was. "Christian Ozera."

I could see Rose's mouth slowly open in disbelief, but she remained seated. Many of the same students who had been staring at her when Eddie was called looked her way again.

"Rose Hathaway?"

The student beside her gave a swift elbowed to the side and that seemed enough to jolt her into reality again. She stepped forward, but I could see the gentle shake of her head, something she was doing unconsciously as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Even if she didn't pitch a fit about the situation right now, there was no way that I was going to not hear about this later.

She picked up her practice stake and Christian's packet with almost a sense of disbelief. The final names were read out as she scanned the information inside and then the instructions to pack a bag and meet their Moroi at lunch was given.

Several students, including both Rose and Eddie, lingered in the gym. Unlike the others, they both held their packets close to their chests, already protecting their charge and the personal information about them. I could see Guardian Chase taking note of the students who were showing off their packets to one another. While it was never officially stated, a certain amount of discretion was always necessary with our jobs. Guardians knew more about their charges than anyone else, including their own family. More than one Guardian had been demarked after releasing information that had unfortunately put their charge in danger, physically or otherwise.

I moved closer to Alberta, knowing that Rose wanted a word with us both and hoped that if we were close together she would do so at a lower decibel.

"I think we have a situation."

Alberta wasn't even able to reply before Rose was upon us.

"What's this?" We both turned to Rose who was holding her packet up.

Alberta was apparently taking the oblivious route on this one. "It's your assignment, Miss Hathaway."

"No," She insisted, already showing the signs of her thin patience. "It's not. This is somebody else's assignment."

"The assignments in your field experience aren't optional. Just as your assignments in the real world won't be. You can't pick who you protect based on whim and mood, not here and certainly not after graduation."

"But after graduation, I'm going to be Lissa's guardian!" We had been prepared for this argument and already had a response ready, but the louder Rose got, the more attention we started to garner. "Everyone knows that. I'm supposed to have her for this thing."

"I know it's an accepted idea that you'll be together after graduation, but I do not recall any mandatory rulings that say you're 'supposed' to have her or anyone here at school. You take who you're assigned." I could tell that Guardian Petrov was getting a bit upset over Rose's lack of cooperation and Rose seemed to be feeding off of it.

"Christian?" The packet hit the floor with a loud smack, echoing nearly as loudly as her outburst. "You're out of your mind if you think I'm guarding him!"

"Rose!" She flinched at the sound of my voice. I rarely raised my voice to Rose or anyone else, knowing how much it had affected me and my sisters when my father yelled at us, but I also knew that some situations called for it. This was one of them. It seemed like my tone shocked her as much as hers had shocked me. "You're out of line. You do not speak to your instructors like that."

I hated treating her like a child, no matter how childish she was currently acting. For some reason, it felt more wrong and unnatural than our relationship. It was twisted, I know, but it felt like this was more of a show of my authority over her than anything else.

She glanced at me for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. I felt my own shoulders relax with her exhale. She still was hardly placid by any means, but at least she no longer looked rabid. "Sorry, but this is stupid. Nearly as stupid as not bringing us to Victor Dashkov's trial."

Alberta's surprise was obvious. "How did you know? – Never mind." She eyed me sternly for a moment, "We'll deal with that later. For now, this is your assignment and you need to do it."

Eddie slowly stepped beside Rose, straightening his back even though his voice was still very apprehensive. "Look...I don't mind...we can switch..."

I knew he was just trying to support and protect Rose, just like he had been forever and even more so since the New Year, but Alberta didn't appreciate his offer. "No, you certainly cannot. Vasilisa Dragomir is your assignment." She bent down to pick up the packet and hand it to Rose. "And Christian Ozera is yours. End of discussion."

"This is stupid! Why should I waste my time with Christian? Lissa's the one I'm going to be with when I graduate. Seems like if you want me to be able to do a good job, you should have me practice with her."

"You will do a good job with her because you know her," I interjected. "And you have your bond. But somewhere, someday, you could end up with a different Moroi. You need to learn how to guard someone with whom you have absolutely no experience with."

This was a personal reason for me. As much as I hated even suggesting that something could happen to Lissa, especially with me and Rose as her protectors, it needed to be done. No one had prepared me for losing Ivan. He had been my best friend at St. Basil's. I had him for my own field experience. I knew everything about him and guarding him had been easy, both during school and after. Then one day...he was gone. It was almost like learning how to be a guardian from scratch the first few months with Lissa. Granted, between training Rose and shifts at the Academy, it was hardly a typical guarding assignment, but I still had yet to feel like I had really gotten to know my charge. I could spout off her personal history from memory, but Rose knew how to anticipate her moves, emotions, and more. It wasn't just their bond, it was their friendship. It was a huge advantage, but her relationship would leave her at a disadvantage with anyone else. It was for her own good, even if she didn't see it.

"I have experience with Christian," she insisted with a bitter edge. "That's the problem. I hate him."

Her blunt statement came as a surprise to me. I knew she and Christian weren't best friends by any means, but I would have assumed that between his relationship with Lissa and their shared experience in Spokane, they would at least be civil with one another. Once again, I had been the one to suggest Christian as her charge.

It didn't faze Alberta though. "So much the better. Not everyone you protect will be your friend. Not everyone you protect will be someone you like. You need to learn this."

"I need to learn how to fight Strigoi. I've learned that in class," she fixed her stare on us with a hard glare, "and I've done it in person."

"There's more to this job than the technicalities, Miss Hathaway. There's a whole personal aspect – a bedside manner, if you will – that we don't touch on much in class. We teach you how to deal with the Strigoi. You need to learn how to deal with the Moroi yourselves. And you in particular need to deal with someone who has not been your best friend for years."

Alberta had touched on one big point, but there was another main issue that I felt Rose needed to learn how to work around as well. "You also need to learn what it's like to work with someone when you can't instantly sense that they're in danger."

"Right," Ablerta agreed with me. "That's a handicap. If you want to be a good guardian – if you want to be an excellent guardian – then you need to do as we say."

I could see another argument forming on Rose's lips. I knew she would be less than thrilled with the arrangement, and I expected some protest, but I was honestly surprised at how hard she was fighting us on this. When had Alberta or I ever done something that wasn't in Rose's best interest? She had played her trump card, and now it was time for me to play mine.

"Working with another Moroi will also help keep Lissa alive."

That got her attention. Her head snapped to me and my declaration.

"What do you mean?"

"Lissa's got a handicap too – you. If she never has a chance to learn what it's like to be guarded by someone without a psychic connection, she could be at a greater risk if attacked. Guarding someone is really a two-person relationship. This assignment for your field experience is as much for her as it is for you."

For once, she didn't fight our reasoning. I could tell that she was considering my words, even if she was hesitating on accepting them. She didn't disagree with me, at least not as far as I could tell, but she wasn't ready to admit that I was right. She didn't need to though, Guardian Petrov made that clear.

"And this is the only assignment you're going to get," Alberta added with a sense of finality. "If you don't take it, then you opt out of the field experience."

With that, Alberta had played her own trump card. Rose couldn't opt out if she wanted to graduate and she knew it. Cornering her with no way out wasn't the best method of getting her to cooperate, but we had exhausted every other option available.

Rose flipped through her packet again, letting out a frustrated huff. "Fine. I'll do this. But I want it noted that I'm doing this against my will."

"I think we already figured that out, Miss Hathaway." Alberta said her name in the same tone my own mother would use my middle name whenever I had crossed the line.

"Whatever." Rose went as far as to roll her eyes as she turned towards the gym doors. Holding the packet high over her head, as if she had somehow won this battle, she called out, "I still think this is a horrible idea, and you eventually will too."

Eddie sheepishly followed her out, leaving us only with a shrug and a sympathetic smile. Soon, it was just me and Alberta in the empty gym that still seemed to be echoing with Rose's last words. Somewhere along the line, the other students had been shuffled out by Guardian Chase and Guardian Alto.

I offered Alberta a cocked eyebrow to gauge her thoughts, but she was busy rubbing the tension from her brow.

"That went..."

"Horribly." She finished flatly. A big sigh seemed to bring her back from her frustration as she shook her head. "How do you do it? That girl drives me nuts but you seem to have the patience of a saint."

"Oh don't be fooled, she drives me crazy some days too. But she's worth it." I watched the exit that she had just slammed, almost as if I could still see here beyond the metal doors.

"Yeah, if she can ever get that temper under control, she'll make a wonderful guardian."

I nodded in reply, but the only thing running through my mind was: That's not what I meant.

Author's Note

Well, now you know why Dimitri was so adamant about Rose not having Lissa for her field experience. Several of you thought it was interesting that I would have Dimitri be the one to suggest that Rose work with someone else, especially Christian. I could honestly see him making the suggestion based on his experience with Ivan. Agree? Disagree?

What did you think about his support of Eddie? Or how about Stan being fond of Mason and affected by his death? Or maybe Alberta's quick wit :) I could honestly see Alberta being what Rose might be in 20-30 years. Maybe she'll get that temper of hers under control by then.

This weeks question: What sites are you on? Obviously you read and maybe even post on FanFiction. I'm also on AO3 (also as gigi256) and I do have something on wattpad, but I haven't updated it in a long while. Most of you also follow me on tumblr too, though I could really use some help because I'm apparently old now and don't know how to do things like link my AO3 and FF profiles.

Thank you so much for all your love and support. If you haven't checked out my newest one-shot, Freedom: Spiridon's Story, you can find it on my bio. Thanks for reading, reviewing, sharing, favoriting and following! You guys are awesome and I love you!