AN: So... you guys aren't very happy with our Queen, huh? Ooopsie! Well, don't worry, I promised an R/D story and that's what I'll deliver. All y'all need to be patient for it to happen though. I need to know though, which do you, my fans, prefer? Short chapters but quick updates, or long chapters and longer update times? Let me know!

And I'm a Google translate person, but I highly doubt very many people reading this know Turkish or Russian, but if I do something wrong and you're able to translate it properly, let me know! Anything in another language will have it in English in bold right after. I know I hate having to go to the bottom of the page to see what everyone is saying. LOL Plus, if anyone thinks I'm not portraying the country well, I've never been to Turkey, so let me know and I'll work on it.

Here's the character's as I see them, I know I have it on my profile, but I added an OC that I added into this chapter.

and I guess I'll let you in on some things this chapter, I wanted to wait a bit longer, but I think you guys might kill me if I don't.

DPOV

I wore my toughest guardian mask as I was led out of the Ataturk airport in Istanbul. Guardian Cooper was leading, making me slow my pace to match his. He wasn't a short man or anything, he was of average height and build for a guardian, but being a 6'7'' Russian makes it hard to find someone who walks at your speed. He was talking all about my new charge, but I wasn't really listening. I didn't care much for this new assignment, but then again who could really blame me? I missed the love of my life, the light of my world that I had left carelessly behind me at Court. But I kept my head held high, playing the attentive and astute guardian. They expected no less from me, and Belikovs don't disappoint.

We stopped at a car parked at the street, and Guardian Cooper handed me a set of keys and a small slip of paper. He turned away from me abruptly after that, disappearing back into the airport. I stared after him for a moment, realizing just how much I hadn't been paying attention to him. I had no idea where I was supposed to be going or who I was to be guarding. It was completely unlike me; I was usually so focused on everything that was going on around me. I turned to the car, walking to the driver's side door. Sighed with relief when the keys opened the door; knowing my luck, they could have been house keys and I would have been up a creek without a paddle. In the middle of Turkey. Damn.

Settling into the driver's seat, I pulled the door shut behind me and took three slow breaths. I can do this, I tell myself. I can go on with my life without her in it. But my heart broke into smaller sharps even as I thought of it. She's my life, no doubt about it. But I am Guardian Dimitri Belikov. I have to keep going. I began to repeat it, over and over again, that this is all for the best. That I had to leave her. Maybe someday, I might believe it.

I unfolded the slip of paper Guardian Cooper had handed me, revealing the address of my new charge. It was in a small town in Silivri. I punched to destination into the GPS on the dash, and it spit out the directions. It'd take just a little less than an hour to get there from where I was now, and the sun would be going down not too long after that. Squaring my shoulders, I pulled out of the parking space, driving out towards E80. It would be almost a straight shot down the highway to meet this person I knew nothing about. I really was beginning to wish I had read the file on the plane ride over. Or at least listened to Guardian Cooper.

Less than ten minutes into the ride, I grew tired of the silence. Left alone with my thoughts, I kept drifting back to Montana, thinking of the love lost there. I flicked on the radio, scanning through the channels one by one. The first one that came through loud and clear was filled with the music she listened to. I could almost hear her singing along, laughing at me for wanting to change it to my kind of music. I really didn't see the appeal of this nonsense coming through the speakers, but I didn't change the station. It made me feel closer to her, and yet so far away at the same time. Over the next hour, as hard as I tried, I couldn't stop a few tears that fell on the steering wheel as I drove farther and farther away from her.

I pulled up in front of large house with white siding. It held a very homey air to it, and it warmed me. The garden out front was done up nicely, making wonder if my charge was an Earth user. Putting the car into park, I sighed, knowing I couldn't put it off any longer. I stepped out of the car into the chilly air. I tried not to let it feel foreboding as I walked towards my future. I was stuck here in Silivri, Turkey, for who knows how long. I might as well make it as comfortable stay as possible. I walked up the steps to the house, knocking on the front door firmly, hoping he/she was home. Damn, I thought to myself. I don't even know whether my charge is a man or a woman. Focus, Belikov!

"Gel! Ben mutfakta!" Come in! I'm in the kitchen! I heard a woman's voice come through the door, though it was muffled quite a bit. I opened the door slowly, not wanting to shock the poor woman. I didn't know what she looked like, and I doubted they'd shown her a picture of me. Closing the door behind me quietly, I remained in the foyer, standing there awkwardly. I'd never had a charge I hadn't met before; I didn't exactly know how to approach the subject. But she came around the corner a moment later, probably thinking I hadn't let myself in. She shrieked in surprise, dropping the glass bowl she was carrying. Damn stealth, I cursed myself. I really needed to learn to make some noise when I moved. She took a fighting stance, forgetting the shattered bowl and food that covered the linoleum. Fire surrounded her hand, proving not only was she a Moroi, but she definitely would use her magic to defend herself if she needed to. Her hair was a deep brown, almost black, and even though my heart was elsewhere, I could admit she was very pretty. She looked about 20 years old or so, and had skin that was tan for a Moroi. She sort of reminded me of the Zmey, but I pushed the thought out of my head.

"Sen kimsin?Ne istiyorsun?"Who are you? What do you want? I put my hands up in front of me, trying to go for a soothing gesture. I stayed where I was though; I knew my size tended to make people a little edgy.

"Ben Guardian benim yeni suçlama için arıyorum." I'm Guardian Belikov. I'm looking for my new charge. I took a slow step forward, keeping my hands up in front of me. I let my guardian's mask slip a little, trying for a gentle expression. "Onu musunuz?" Are you her? She blinked slowly, and the fire on her hand disappeared. She seemed to be placated by that, though something else seemed to puzzle her.

"Onlar Türkçe konuşuyordu bana sö Bu arada, oldukça iyidir." They didn't tell me you spoke Turkish. Yours is pretty good, by the way. She smiled a friendly grin at me, taking a step forward to offer her hand. I tried to warn her, but she moved too fast and her foot came down on the broken bowl pieces. Stumbling, she fell into me, but I caught and steadied her. She spit out a few choice cuss words that I didn't quite catch. I'd never bothered to learn them when learning the language, unlike someone I knew that was completely convinced that those were the first words you should learn.

Lifting her off her feet, I carried her into the kitchen, setting her on the table. She pulled her foot up to her, trying to inspect the damage. "Bir ilk yardım seti var mı?" Do you have a first aid kit? I asked, starting to browse through her drawers and cabinets.

"It's under the sink, on the left." I glanced over my shoulder at her, only to find her grinning at me. She answered my unspoken question. "Of course I speak English. You just hadn't given me the chance yet." I shook my head, grabbing the kit. I found a bowl as well, filling it about half way full with water from the faucet. I sat down in a chair and pulled her foot into my lap.

"I'm sorry about this." I apologized, opening the kit and retrieving a pair of small forceps.

"For what?" She asked. "I was the one who dropped the bowl; it's not your fault." She smiled at me, trying not wince as I starting picking out pieces of glass from her foot. I pulled out two or three more before answering, dropping them all in the bowl beside her on the table.

"I scared you. I didn't mean to; Rose tells me all the time I need to make more noise when I move." I spoke with a wistful tone, remembering the good times I'd had in Montana before everything in my life had shattered. It's your fault, Belikov, a voice whispered from inside me. No one will pity you after what you've done. My face must have given my thoughts away, because she was staring at me with a curious expression. I quickly changed the subject; this was not something I wanted to discuss with a complete stranger. "So, what's your name, anyway?" I asked, trying for casual. She seemed to see right through it, but didn't press the issue. I silently thanked her for that.

"They didn't tell you who you were guarding?" She inquired her tone one of disbelief. "I would have thought they would've given you a –Shit! That hurts!" She gasped as I pulled a particularly large piece out of her big toe. I smiled my sorry at her and waited for her to continue. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Given you a file or something. Something for you study, so you'd know me when you got here. Or at least –Ow! - someone would have told you everything." She panted a little from the pain, and I grimaced with her. I hated to see a woman in pain. Ever since I was young, I haven't been able to stand it.

"They did both, actually. I think I have all the pieces out," I said, turning her foot this way and that, making sure I had. I picked up a bottle from the kit, opening it. I caught a strong whiff of alcohol from it. Holding the bowl under her foot and the bottle over it, I said, "This'll hurt. Take a deep breath." I waited for her to do so, and poured alcohol down her foot. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, and I grinned at her. "You're strong, that's good to know. Now breathe." I instructed as I wrapped her foot in gauze. "Good as new. Well, sort of, I guess."

She chuckled at my attempt at humor. "Thanks. So," I started, sliding herself off the table, "if they gave everything to know me, why don't you?" She was very smart, I'd give her that. I shrugged, pushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"I've been… distracted lately." I answered lamely. I really didn't want to get into this. I wanted to walk away from her, but I really didn't know I where I could go at this point.

"Too distracted to read about your charge? Well that's great." She stomped- er, limped- off in the direction of the front door, huffing in irritation as she went. I followed after her, stopping her when she bent to clean up the mess she'd made. "What?" She snapped. "Someone has to clean this mess up." She gestured to the pile food and glass angrily.

I sighed, pulling her away from the mess. I pushed her gently toward the couch behind us, and luckily, she sat down. She didn't look happy about it, but at least we'd gotten that far. "I'm sorry, ok? I'll clean everything up, you just sit and let your foot rest." I didn't give her a chance to respond before I fled to the kitchen, searching for the broom. Grabbing it from behind the refrigerator, I secured my guardian's mask, and returned to the foyer.

For a few moments, all there was heard was our breathing and the swish of the broom on the floor. But I had a feeling she wouldn't stay silent for long. She just didn't seem the type. "So, gonna explain anytime soon?" Ah, sweet silence. How I miss thee. I thought sarcastically. I turned to look at her, keeping my face as expressionless as possible.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I lied, turning back to the task at hand. I came here with the slightest of hopes that I could forget everything back west, but I'd seemed to have found a match for Rose's stubbornness. I felt my patience waning by the second, but I was desperately clinging to it. I had no where else to go but here; I needed this assignment to work and be pleasant.

She huffed, and I thought I heard her cross her arms angrily across her chest. "You know exactly what I mean, Belikov. I've heard about you. You're supposed to be the best there is." She surprised me with her tone; she sounded disbelieving. I stopped myself from claiming that I was the best. "But here you are, and you don't even know your charge's name. What gives, Belikov?" Something snapped inside me; I spun around to face her.

"What?" I cried, dropping the broom and shrugging my shoulders in desperation. "Am I not allowed to have problems of my own?" I couldn't help it; I turned sarcastic. I leaned against the wall defiantly, daring her to challenge me. "Oh, I forgot. They come first, right? I'm not allowed to be human and have my own issues. I'm sorry. I'll get right on reading about you. That's what's important." I stomped off, heading off to the car to retrieve the file of her information. I made it as far as the door before she jumped in front of me. I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for what she had to say. She surprised me once again, this time with a gentle expression.

"What's going on, Belikov?" She whispered. She continued by offering me comfort. "You can tell me what's bothering you. I know you don't know me very well, if at all, but sometimes talking about it helps." She patted me on the shoulder consolingly, and something inside gave way, forcing me to trust her. I hadn't expected someone to be kind to me. I needed this right, I realized. I had to explain what happened, even if it was to a complete stranger.

"I screwed up really bad." I started, walking back to the couch, hanging my head in my hands. "I had the best thing in this world. Love. I had the most beautiful woman that's ever lived, and I've lost her." I was talking mostly to myself. I hadn't forced myself to relive all the events that had led up to this. It all ran through my head now of its own accord.

It was early in the vampire afternoon. I was alone at home, having been given the night off by Christian. I was watching an old Clint Eastwood western, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and I was just about half way through the movie when Lissa texted me. Dimitri, I need your help. I sent her a response, curious as to why she wasn't asking for Christian's help. Where's Christian? I'm sure he could help you. A few minutes passed, and I started to get settled back into my movie. I sighed when the tone sounded, alerting me that I had another text. He's out with Rose. I need you. I sighed again, grabbing the remote and turning off my movie. Stretching as I stood, I grabbed my stake from the coffee table and headed out the door.

I walked quickly to Lissa and Christian's, not wanting to keep her waiting if it was something important. I knocked on the door loudly, waiting for her to come let me in. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket when it rang again. Come on in, Dimitri. I'm upstairs. I let myself in, shaking my head. I had a feeling that she was going to be a bit of handful today.

I climbed the staircase, looking absentmindedly at the pictures on the wall as I passed each one. They all showed Lissa and Christian, happy and smiling. Some were here at court, others back at St. Vladimir's, and still others from places they had traveled to recently since Lissa had been crowned queen. But something made me stop and study the pictures. Was it my imagination or did Lissa seem less happy in the more recent pictures? In the earlier ones, she wore a smile of a lovesick woman, but in the others, she almost looked to be forcing her smiles. I shook my head, telling myself I was imagining things. When I hit the top of the staircase, I called out to her.

"Lissa? Where are you?"

I heard her voice drift to me from down the hall. "I'm in my room, Dimitri." Something in the back of my mind told me to turn around and leave, but I ignored it. Lissa was a friend, as well as Rose's charge. By association, she was my charge as well, most days. I had no reason to not trust her. I pushed the door to her room. I froze where I stood. She was laying out on her bed, wearing only a black bra and panties. She was laying against the headboard, her legs bent back towards her. She batted her eyes seductively at me, leaning forward towards me.

"What do you think, Dimitri?" She crooned, giving me what must have been her attempt at a 'Come hither' look. "I got all nice and dressed up just for you." She gestured to her, um, outfit, and ran a hand slowly down her stomach. I grabbed her hand, stopping it before she could move it any closer to her nether regions.

**MATURE**

"Stop this." I whispered, pulling her up so we were closer to being eye-to-eye. She still didn't come close though. "I don't know what's gotten into you, Your Highness, but I'm sure we can help you. We get can get Rose, and-" I was growing more and more anxious as the moments passed. All I needed was for Christian to come home and find me here. She interrupted me before I could explain how to help her.

"I don't want help. I want you." She grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me down on top of her, kissing me hard. In that instant, I forgot about everything else in the world. She was all that mattered, and I had to have my hands on her. I pushed her down, kissing her fiercely, gaining a moan from deep within her chest. My hand found her small breast, squeezing and teasing her nipple between my calloused fingers. She whimpered at my touch, causing me to groan into her mouth. I pulled away, forcing another whimper to work its way free from her. I moved my mouth to her earlobe, nibbling along its edge.

"What do you wish me to do, my lovely queen?" I murmured, running my tongue lightly along her ear. I felt her shudder beneath me, and I smiled. What in the world could be better than being right now with her. Somewhere in my mind, a little voice tried to answer my rhetorical question, but I pushed him away. There was nothing that could be more perfect than this moment, here with the most beautiful woman lying beneath me.

"Please, Dimitri. I want you to fuck me." She purred, sending shivers up my spine. Lissa never cussed, so now that she did in such a seductive voice, it drove me wild. "Please, Dimitri. I need you." She pleaded, wiggling her body beneath mine, trying to gain the friction she was craving.

I chuckled, pulling back to look at her. "But why rush it when we can drag this out all night?" I offered, sliding down he body, letting my fingers leave a heated path on her skin. When I was level with her core, I stopped moving, trying to find a comfortable position. Hooking my fingers in her panties, I started to pull them off of her.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She stammered, lifting her head off the bed to look down at me with a startled expression. I just laughed, shaking my head at her. Even though she seemed apprehensive, she lifted her hips to allow me to pull them completely off. I took just a short moment to admire the beauty before me before I pushed her hips back down to the bed, holding them tight and relatively still. She whimpered, causing me to look up at her as I made my first lick across her lips. She moaned in pleasure, driving me to lick again and again.

It wasn't long before her moaning turned to quick, breathless panting. She was thrusting her hips, involuntarily I would guess, against mouth, trying to find her release. I waited as long as I could, drawing out her pleasure to the maximum height, and just as she was about to cum, I thrust two of my fingers into her wet, clenching core. She screamed out in ecstasy, so loud it was almost painful. Her juices covered my hand, which I licked off slowly, savoring her taste.

I sat up, letting her catch her breath as I undid the buttons on my jeans. I pulled my cock out into my hand, not messing with taking off all of my clothes. I just wanted to be inside of her. She caught my eye and grinned at me, silently telling me she was ready for me. I pulled her roughly to me by her legs, lining myself up at her entrance. She bucked her hips, trying to start up the sweet friction once more. "Patience, Love." I chided, before I grabbed hold of her and plunged deep into her wet heat. I couldn't help the groan the escaped me. She was so warm and wet around my cock; I could almost explode right then. But I was a guardian, and I had control.

I moved slowly inside her, not wanting to hurt her small body with my size. But it wasn't but a minute before pulled me down for a kiss, demanding against my lips, "Stop teasing me, Dimitri. I want it hard." I had never heard her speak like this. So forceful, yet so completely sexy; I gave into her demand. I thrust into her as hard as I could, making her scream in delight. She gripped my shoulders, urging me on. With each thrust of my hip she screamed, growing louder and louder as I went. She started to tighten around me, telling me she was about to cum. "Cum for me, Lissa." I whispered. Her wetness clamped down around me, and she threw her head back in orgasm. I gave it one, two, and a final thrust and I spilled myself inside her.

**MATURE ENDED**

We lay there panting, covered in sweat. She kissed me sweetly, and I smiled happily against her lips. She nuzzled her face dreamily into my neck, making me wish this moment would never end. But alas, all things must.

We both jumped as we heard the front door open and close. She shot me a panicked look, and together we whispered, "Christian!" She pushed me off of her, causing me to tumble not so gracefully onto the floor. She ran towards her master bathroom, grabbing clothes to cover herself as she went. Halfway there, she tuned to me with the same panicked look in her eyes.

"What are you waiting for? Get out of here!" She whisper-shouted. I looked around the room, shrugging at my lack of escape routes. "Out the window, of course!" She shoved me at the window,

opening it for me. If I hadn't have been so caught off guard by Christian's arrival, I might have been able to think for myself. She shoved me again, growing more and more frightened as the time passed. I heard a creak on the stairs, warning me that he was coming closer. Without looking back, I climbed up and out of the window, bracing myself for the impact. I hit the ground with a quite thud, and I looked back to see her closing the window and blinds.

As I stood up from the crouch I had landed in, everything that had just happened hit me full force. It was like a cloud that had been blocking my judgment had suddenly dissipated. I had sex with Lissa! Oh dear god, what had I done? Not only had I cheated on Rose, but with her best friend to boot! I stumbled toward the alley behind their house, trying to find my bearings and head for home. But I took three steps and had to stop. Everything that had just happened replayed itself in my mind. The feeling of her touch, the way she smelled and tasted. How I had felt while we were doing what we did. How, not once, did Rose ever come into my mind. I fell to my knees, vomiting everything in my stomach all over the ground, tears of disgust and pain steaming down my cheeks.

I looked back to my charge, expecting to see the same disgust I felt for myself mirrored on her face. But she shocked me with the compassion and pity she wore. She looked so saddened by what I had told her, having not spared her a detail. "Why aren't you disgusted?" I asked, morbidly curious. She had heard what I had done, and yet she looked as if she pitied me, of all people. She should pity Rose, she's the one who had been wronged by all of this. And Christian too, for that matter.

She smiled a sad, gentle smile. "You were compelled, Belikov. Isn't it obvious?" She placed her hand consolingly on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off. The last thing I wanted was to be touched.

"That doesn't make it any better!" I hadn't realized how upset I was; I had shouted at her. When I continued, I made sure to keep my voice level. "I should have been able to control myself, to fight the compulsion. I didn't have to give into it." I hated myself for not fighting, for not even thinking of fighting her in the first place.

"I've heard that Queen Valissa uses spirit. I've head about them. You can't fight their compulsion." Her words should have consoled my broken soul, but they only caused me more pain. She was being too nice about all this. I wish she would just hate me like I hate myself. It would make life just that much easier.

"That doesn't matter. I still should have fought it. I should have left the room the moment I came in, and not let myself be in that situation." I shook my head, drowning in my self-loathing. "We knew she would grow unstable from the spirit. I shouldn't have let her get that close to me. In the end, it is all my fault." I said decisively. I couldn't be given any leeway to doubt it. I had to hate myself; it was all I knew to do.

"Why didn't you tell Rose?" She pondered, still shooting sympathetic looks at me.

"Why do you think?" I retorted, heavily lacing my voice with sarcasm. "Lissa is her best friend. She wouldn't have ever believed me over her." I laughed ironically, having forgotten one other part of the tragedy that was my life. "I tried to tell Lissa we could get her help. But she told me she didn't want it. She liked the way she was. And," I shook my head, remembering the worst part of it all, "when I confronted her about what we had done, she informed me that she only had to make one little call and everyone would believe I had raped her. That she never wanted any of it, and that I was probably turning back into a Strigoi." I hung my head again, wondering when my life had fallen so far apart. Oh, right. Just when I started being happy. I forgot.

My charge gasped, completely shocked by my newest revelation. "You should have told Rose! She would have believed you!" She seemed appalled that I hadn't done so. Almost so much so that you'd think I had done her a personal injustice.

"How can you be so sure of that?" I murmured, not really wanting to hear anything that might poke holes into my flawless guilt.

"She loves you!" I flinched at how loud she was shouting at me now. I couldn't believe she was so caught up in all of this. Maybe I shouldn't have told her and just kept wallowing in it alone. "That alone means she would have believed you."

"It doesn't matter. What's done is done." I said, making my tone say that there was no debate. The conversation was over. I wouldn't talk about this anymore, I couldn't live with myself if I did. I looked to her and her eyes told me that she would let the subject drop, but only for now. I sighed. Why couldn't I just be left to move on? I didn't want to dwell on my actions. They were to painful. Besides, the end result would be the same. I had lost Rose, and I wasn't going to ever get her back. I didn't deserve her anymore, if I ever had to begin with.

We stood there, silently staring at nothing in particular for some time; how long though, I wasn't sure. When she suddenly sighed, I turned to look at her in surprise. She had taken to grabbing my bags and had started towards the back of the house with them. I grabbed the bags from her without saying anything, and I trotted along with her, slowing myself to match her pace. "We might as well get you moved in." She stated, though she didn't look at me. I think she was trying to contain herself in order not to force the subject. Of that, I would be eternally grateful. She stopped at a room at the very end of her hallway, pushing the door open wide. "This'll be your room. I'm at the very end." She paused, looking like she very much needed to same more, but she didn't. Again, I was more than grateful.

I stepped inside my new room, pretending to take it all in. I faked staring at the walls and the drapes, trying to seem interested. I didn't want to be rude. She was, after all, my new charge. I had to be gracious of her hospitality. "I'm gonna go finish making dinner. I'll call you when it's ready." I nodded absently as I sat down on the bed, dropping the bags at my feet. I dropped my head back into my hands, running my fingers through my hair. "Dimitri?" I looked up to find the door almost closed, her head just barely sticking back into the room. "My name's Natalia, by the way. Natalia Mazur." And with that, she shut the door, leaving me to be alone.