Here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think. And thanks, for all the reviews. No long A/N this time. So jump for joy, cuz once I get started, it's hard to stop me. Nothing sexual intended. Cuz baby, I'm not like that. I'm just kidding everyone. You can't hear my tone, or my pauses, so don't take it the wrong way. That's just me.

I'm going to shut up now. Because I feel like an idiot. Alright, zipping lips.

Twitter me, KatrynaWilliams.

Enjoy.

He loved me?

"Roza, I love you, more than anything else in the world. And that's wrong," he sighed. "I couldn't make you choose between Lissa and I. After I lost Tasha… I don't think I can go through that again. It was devastating. We were just friends—"

"I know," I said, pulling the letter out of my pocket. (Yes, I never mentioned her changing from her dress, but she had some time before the attack. Just pretend I added it in, before she went to go see Lissa. I do these things a lot…) I looked at it for a moment, and then handed it to him.

As he read it, his face went through different emotions. I had the letter memorized, every word. I wished I had known Tasha better.

He handed it back to me.

I smiled, and tucked it back into the pocket of my sweatpants. "I wish I had gotten to know her better. I used to be… so jealous. But I read that… and I realized that I was stupid."

He came over to me.
"Roza, we can't be together. People would think badly of you, and I couldn't—"

I laughed and a cynical smile turned my lips up. "Dimitri Belikov, do you really think I care what society thinks about me? Really? You don't know me at all. I've already been guaranteed the job as Lissa's guardian. You don't think I care about what people think. You just don't want to feel bad, about not loving me," I laughed again. "You don't care."
"Don't tell me what I'm feeling," he growled, quoting an earlier time I had been in training with him.

"You don't. You want this to work? You could easily get a job with Christian, or even Adrian, or just at court. But you don't. Because you don't want to try. Because you think it's wrong. If you loved me, you'd try. But you don't love me," I fired at him. I knew that the truth would come out.

"You're right, Roza," he said.

My heart fell. I tried to stand. I'd go sit in the room, with Lissa. Being near her would make me feel better.

His face looked confused, and he grabbed my arm.

"I love you, and it's time for me to try. I need to fight for you," he smiled.

I was stunned, frozen. He kissed me, and passion, fireworks, ran through my veins. I could feel so much, and yet, I pushed it all away, putting myself into the kiss. Everything I had, everything I was.

Then he pulled away.

I frowned.

"Our shift is almost over," he explained.

"So?"

"Your mother will be awake soon."
"We have to wake her up," I said.

"It's like she has an internal clock. She'll be up any second," he grinned. "You'll see."

"Fine," I pouted. "I wouldn't want you to die today anyway."

And as if on cue, my mother peeked out of the room. She opened the door, and looked at me.

I motioned for her to come over to me, without waking Eddie. She shut the door.

"What are you doing?" Dimitri mumbled, as my mother came over to me.

"She should know first," I murmured back.
"Roza…"

"Hey mom," I said.

"Hello, Rose," she pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back.

"I'm glad you're safe," she said. "You have no idea how nervous I was during that battle."

"I'm a Guardian, mom. I'll be fine…" I told her. She pulled away from the hug. "There's something I—we, need to tell you." I corrected myself.

"Did you hear something? Did anything come?" my mother asked.

"No, mom. Something else," I grinned. Now I was nervous, but I felt Dimitri's hand on my arm.

"Janine, your daughter and I are in love," Dimitri said, bravely. I was terrified.

My breath caught in my throat as my mother eyed Dimitri.
"Rose? How do you feel about this?" she asked, her eyes never straying from Dimitri.

"I love him," I said simply.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Belikov, I swear to god, if you ever hurt Rose—" she started.

"I won't," Dimitri cut her off.

"Let me finish. If you ever hurt Rose, I'll let her have the first go. But I'll be right behind her, destroying anything that's left. And if we go a bit overboard, I have some contacts that can make you… disappear. All trace of you," she threatened, deadly serious.

If she hadn't been so serious, I would have laughed. My mother, threatening to kill my boyfriend.

Wow. Had you told me yesterday my mother was going to threaten to kill my boyfriend if he hurt me, I'd call you crazy, and a few other choice words. But now, it made me smile.
"I understand, Janine, but I have no intention of hurting Rose. She is my world," Dimitri told my mother, making me smile.

"What are your plans?" my mother asked.

"I'm going to try to get assigned to someone else. Christian or Adrian," he said Adrian's name with reluctance, "preferably, but someone else at court if that's not possible."

"They will need to fill in the place of Adrian's guardian. And Christian may not get one assigned to him," I grinned.

"Congratulations, Rose," my mother smiled, and hugged me. "Just…don't do anything. You aren't eighteen for another week."

I couldn't believe she was being so… great! She was amazing! I can't believe it! First Tasha, and now my mom. Apparently being nice was contagious.

"Of course, mom. Thank you," I hugged back.

"I don't know if you were informed, but I have been assigned as the Princess's other guardian," my mother said.

"That's great, mom! Call her Lissa; she hates 'Princess' or 'Vasilisa'. She's Lissa."

"Okay," my mom smiled. "Now go get some sleep. Wake Eddie if you don't mind."

I nodded and walked into the room with Dimitri. We woke Eddie, and I took my mom's bed, Dimitri took Eddie's. We had slide mattresses and blankets into the biggest room with only one entrance. Which was being guarded.

"Hey comrade," I whispered in the dark.

"What, Roza?"

"Tomorrow we get to tell Lissa," I smiled.

I swear I heard him groan.

So what did you think? Personally, I hate when people make Janine a robot, or someone who hates her daughter and just calls her a blood whore. I like a softer Janine, who understands, and is nice to her daughter. I'm not a fan of Janine screaming, and then Rose and her getting into a fight. I mean, what mother would do that?

Anyway, I hope the chapter didn't disappoint. Review please.