I do not own the Vampire Academy world or any of the characters. All rights go to Richelle Mead. Only the plot is my own.

So this may be risky, but I'm going to attempt writing two stories at once. I wasn't going to, but this idea wouldn't leave me alone, so I gave in. This first chapter is more establishing, and so it's a bit long, but I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Thanks!

Chapter 1

I used to think that no one could drone on more than Stan, but I have been proven wrong.

Words weren't even making sense anymore; it was just sounds leaving this man's mouth as he continued talking. I wasn't even sure what he was talking about now; I'm assuming it's the same thing he was talking about an hour ago, something related to politics.

I glanced to my left to see Lissa diligently taking notes, looking actually interested in what the professor was saying. I wasn't sure where she found the drive to be actively paying attention in all her classes.

Sweeping my eyes across the room at least proved I wasn't the only one struggling to pay attention.

When I agreed to be part of Lissa's Royal Guard, and then again to be one of her near guardians while she studied at Lehigh University, I never considered I would ever be this bored.

At least I could somewhat occupy my mind with watching the area around Lissa for any threats. But even that was redundant, considering that it was daytime and because there were another three Royal Guard members in this room with us. And then another two stood outside. Nothing was going to make it close to Lissa.

It was one of the requirements of the Council when Lissa announced that she would be attending university away from Court. She was to have at least six guardians with her at all times. Two near, two far and then another two maintaining the perimeter. Due to being close in age to Lissa, I was one of the near, along with Caleb Fischer.

Working as part of the Royal Guard for the last two years, he was three years older than us and had a dry sense of humour, which was the only way I made it through most of Lissa's classes. He sat on the other side of her, though he would use his height to look over her head at me and shoot me looks that told me he was just as bored.

Caleb was one of the few guardians that were even close to reaching Dimitri's height, and with dark curly hair and piercing eyes, he had gained quite the following on campus. A few of the girls in this class had tried approaching him, but they had yet to realise he swung the other way.

It had been hilarious to watch Dimitri make that realisation himself when he had met Caleb for the first time and was being hit on. Dimitri, always the perfect gentleman, turned him down as kindly as he could, all while giving me a deer in the headlights look. Little did he know I had encouraged Caleb to mess with him for some fun.

Thinking of Dimitri gave me a burst of excitement, knowing what was coming this weekend. I was turning the big twenty-one, officially legal to do everything fun in America. And to help celebrate that Dimitri, Christian and my parents were coming to Lissa's mansion for the weekend. And as a bonus, Dimitri and Christian would be staying for a week, followed by us returning to Court with them for spring break.

The amount of time Dimitri and I had together was limited by us living here by the university, and he was back at Court guarding Christian.

Christian had been studying himself but finished his culinary course in a year and has since been living at Court, teaching Moroi how to fight defensively. With Dimitri being his primary guardian, he had to follow wherever Christian went.

Though it was only an hour away from Court, the risk of driving back and forth for every class was more than the Royal Guard were willing to take, not to mention time-consuming. So instead, Lissa bought a house near the university that was turned into a fortress, with wards and guardians patrolling the premise at all times.

Every two weeks Lissa and her Royal Guard returned to Court where she would be in meetings and be updated on all the happenings at Court and around the world. She has entrusted the Council to take care of the smaller task as needed between visits with Christian providing as a proxy.

During those weekend visits, Dimitri and I tried to get as much time alone together as possible. But it was never enough. So just the idea of having him with me for two whole weeks thrilled me to no end.

"Oh look, she has her Dimitri face again."

I blinked, pulling away from my thoughts, turning to face the owner of the voice. Caleb lent forward in his chair, rolling his eyes at me, Lissa beside him with a small smile. I scrunched up a piece of paper and threw it at Caleb.

"I do not have a Dimitri face," I defended. Students around us were gathering their things. I must have become so lost in my thoughts that I missed us being dismissed. I quickly picked my things, scolding myself for becoming so distracted.

Caleb stood, he appeared laid back, but I could see the tension; like all guardians, he was always prepared for a fight. "Yes, you do. You get a sweet smile on your face, and it's honestly disturbing."

"I wasn't even thinking about Dimitri."

Lissa laughed, "Yes, you were."

I shot her a look, cursing that she knew me so well. I groaned, throwing my bag over my shoulder, "Fine. So what if I was?"

Caleb tsked, "Guardians are meant to stay focused all the time. Shameful."

I threw a glare over my shoulder at him, about to retort when another student strolled up to me.

"Hey, Rose!"

I did little to hide my grimace.

Henry was a student in two of Lissa's other classes and this one, and at some point, he had decided that there was some connection between us. I would admit, he was easy on the eyes and book smart. But I was already spoken for, and so his constant advances were becoming more annoying.

If he didn't already know that Caleb was gay, I would just lie and say he was my boyfriend. I had told Henry about Dimitri previously, but he didn't believe he existed since he hadn't seen Dimitri around me.

"Henry," I greeted, keeping my tone polite but distant. Most would pick up on the obvious, but Henry didn't give up easily.

He flashed me a pearly white smile, "I swear you were about to fall asleep. The lecture was pretty dry this time," he laughed, falling into step with us.

I hated when students would get close to us. Caleb pulled Lissa closer to him while I ensured that Henry couldn't get past me to her. Despite him being human and harmless, we didn't want to take chances.

I brushed back my hair, sending a 'help me' look to Lissa and Caleb. "I was just busy thinking about my boyfriend visiting me this weekend." I had long since dropped being subtle with my rejection, not that it helped.

"Is that right? Well, if he gets boring, you can call me. I know this great place for drinks."

The self-confidence Henry had was both impressive and irritating. "Trust me, that won't be happening," I told him, making sure my voice was firm. Yet to be deterred, Henry opened his mouth to try again but was cut off.

"Sorry mate, we have to go." Caleb came to my rescue, slotting his body between Henry and me; I quickly switched to Lissa's other side. I gave a half-hearted wave before we walked off in the opposite direction to Henry.

Once out of earshot, I groaned, "Why won't he just take a hint."

"It's that Rose charm."

"Bite me, Fischer."

Lissa placed her hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry about him, just focus on how great this weekend is going to be."

Taking a deep breath, I did as Lissa said, thinking about how much fun it would be once Dimitri was here.

"And there's that face again."

The drive from the university campus to the house we stayed at was just over ten minutes. The real estate agent working for Court managed to score big time and should be given a raise. The fact they were able to find a place big enough for us all to live in at this location still amazed me.

There were a total of twelve Royal Guards living there, including myself and Caleb. Six on shift at all times with Lissa. While the other's changed shifts occasionally, Caleb and I both worked twelve-hour shifts during the day. If we weren't at classes with her, we were just guarding her at the house or anywhere else we may be going that day. Or doing other small tasks that rotated through all the guardians.

Along with the Royal Guard, another eight guardians also patrolled the house's perimeter and its land. Another reason why this place was a fortress.

The house they bought was large, closer to a mansion than a house, really, but Lissa disliked it when I called it that. The house was three levels, ten bedrooms and just as many bathrooms, two lounge rooms, a dining room, a sunroom, and a feeding room. Another small building is attached with four bedrooms and its own kitchen and living space for the other guardians. There was a lot of area to cover.

It was an adjustment at first, so many under one roof, but we found a way to exist. On weekends, when we didn't go to Court, we would all hang out in one of the large lounge rooms or outside on the deck.

It was almost like a weird family set-up, and I enjoyed it.

The large metal gate opened so that we could drive through. We travelled by two cars, three of us with Lissa and the other three guardians in a second car. All part of keeping a low profile. No one questions when two sedans park at the university, but people notice when a van carrying seven people shows up.

Caleb was driving, with Lev in the passenger seat. Lev was another guardian that was close in age and a close friend of Caleb's. Though I was suspecting more. I sat in the back with Lissa,

They all say it was just safer for me to be next to her, being one of the best fighters in the group, but I knew none of them trusted me to drive. You reverse into a pole once, and suddenly you are a terrible driver.

Erik, Luka, and Andrew rode in the other car; they were all in their mid to late twenties. Erik had even been in the same year as Dimitri at St. Basil's in Russia. I had tried to get any embarrassing stories about Dimitri's teenage days from him, but it seemed Dimitri had already made sure the man would never talk.

Entering through the private garage to the house, we were all able to relax behind these walls. There was a couple of hours still until sunset, meaning the threats were low. One of us still made sure to have Lissa in our sight at all times.

While I would just sit next to her or hang out with her and do homework, the others would be in the hallway or standing against some wall in whichever room she was in. Over the last two years, she had managed to wear some of the guardians down to be more casual around her, but mainly only Caleb and Lev.

Once again, because it was easier and safer, I just naturally would spend all my time with Lissa, at least until six p.m., when my shift was over, and Dimitri would call. I had some time until then, so I decided to make an afternoon snack for us.

Lissa had also become used to being around me until my shift ended, following me into the kitchen and pulling out her books, taking a seat on one of the stools lining the kitchen island.

Like every other room in the house, the kitchen was large, needing to be for the number of people that use it. We would try to get all together for a meal on weekends, but it was often a fend for yourselves during the week. However, Caleb and Lev had got into the habit of making a meal for both Lissa and me when they cooked.

Lissa had a private chef at first, but when Christian lived here, he took over cooking meals, and she never got around to replacing him.

I preferred it this way, doing it ourselves, and I know Lissa did as well. While she was happy being Queen, she enjoyed these moments where she could feel like a normal Moroi.

Opening the fridge, I pulled out a juice for Lissa and a soft drink for myself. Lissa wasn't hungry after classes, but I needed something to replenish the energy I spent trying to keep my eyes open all day. I grabbed a pop tart and heated it in the toaster.

With my meal ready, I took the seat beside her. "Did I miss anything important today?"

She shot me a look, "Only more information about the paper due next week."

"Oh," I grinned, "I already finished that." I didn't care about getting a degree, but I knew I needed to keep my grades up enough to pass to continue being in Lissa's classes. Plus, with Dimitri coming, I didn't want to waste my time with him doing homework, so I made sure everything was finished in advance.

She smiled, "Look at you. Who knew you were such a good student."

My mouth full of a pop tart, I struggled to swallow before speaking, "No, I'm just a great guardian."

"Eww, Rose," she cringed back from me.

"Oh, afternoon Princess, Rose," Another Royal Guard entered the kitchen, Chelsy, the only other female living in the house with us. She was older than us and often kept out of our less mature conversations, but I enjoyed working with her.

I did a two-finger wave while Lissa greeted her properly.

Chelsy grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge; she was dressed to go running before her shift. She was one of the two senior guardians that organised our work schedules. The other is Sergei, a stoic Russian that could give Hans a run for his money for his gruff attitude. They were both in their late thirties and had almost as many good battle stories as my mother did.

"Packages arrived for you two. I put them in your rooms," Chelsy told us as she exited through the side door to the backyard.

I grinned, quickly finishing off my food. Lissa and I had done some online shopping to get some surprises for our significant others. Excited to try it on and possibly tease Dimitri with a bit of a sneak peek, I hopped off the stool.

"Well, Lissa, I have a certain Russian to call," I picked up my bag, "I will see you later."

Lissa shook her head, smiling at my barely contained excitement. Before I left her, I called in Lev to take my spot, watching Lissa until his shift finished. Once he was in the room, I quickly ran up the stairs to my own. Lissa's was on the third floor, mine next to hers, thankfully the wall was thick, so it wasn't awkward when Christian and Dimitri were here.

The two guest rooms were up here as well as Chelsy's. Being the only girls, we were all placed up here, and our rooms came with their own bathrooms. It wasn't a bad set-up, especially since I don't have to share, unlike the other guards.

I had a large king-size bed that I ensured was long enough for Dimitri to sleep on comfortably when I bought it and a large closet that had a space just for his clothes, just like I did at his apartment.

With how limited time Dimitri and I had together, we tried to make up for it any way we could. One of the ways is a nightly video chat before bed. It was what I looked forward to most days. And tonight, I got to have a little extra fun with it.

"Roza."

Dimitri's deep voice groaned out through the phone, making me grin. I rolled over in my bed so I was on my stomach, readjusting my phone so it was leaning up against my pillows facing me. The position gave Dimitri a great view of my cleavage in the new underwear I had bought.

"So you like it?" I asked, acting coy. The intense desire in his eyes clearly told me that he did.

"Yes, I like it very much," He responded, lounged in his own bed, shirtless, with an arm behind his head to prop himself up. I loved seeing his arm flexed like that, and he knew it.

I grinned, pulling a box into view, "Well, you have this and many others to look forward to seeing in three days, comrade." Shaking the box at the camera with a wink.

He groaned again, "Roza, you're going to make waiting three days very difficult."

I giggled. After being officially together for almost three years, I never tire of knowing how much I still affected him.

"So, what are your plans for tomorrow?" He asked, trying to distract himself from the view I was giving him.

I shuffled on the bed again, turning so I was sitting up against my headboard and holding the phone away from me enough that Dimitri could see all of the lacy bra I wore. "I drew the short straw, so I am doing the food run tomorrow morning with the new guy. Have to show him the ropes."

The rotating tasks were shared between the Royal Guard and the other guardians. Once a week, two are sent to buy food for the two kitchens; this week was my turn.

Dimitri's eyes kept flicking from the bra to my face and then back down.

I gave him a playful glare, "Eyes up here, comrade."

He flushed, but that didn't make the desire leave his eyes, "How is the new guardian?"

I shrugged; having only spoken to him for a couple of minutes in passing, I hadn't formed much of an opinion yet, "He seems nice enough, full of energy. It was a bit much."

Dimitri chuckled, "I remember you being very excited to be a guardian."

"I was excited to be Lissa's guardian. This kid is excited just to walk around the wards."

"He's the same age as you, Rose."

"No," I shook my head, "I am a year older than him. Therefore, he is a kid."

He grinned, "And what does that make you?"

"I am a young woman, who is almost legally allowed to drink," I told him knowingly.

Another groan escaped him, but this time it was exasperated. "I haven't forgotten."

"You are still taking me out to a bar, right?" Dimitri had promised me last year he would, and I was determined that he kept his word.

He had a weary look at the reminder, "Yes, but I am not doing shots."

I pouted, "Guess I will just have to find someone else to do body shots off of."

"Rose," His tone had deepened in warning. I laughed at his reaction, a small part of me enjoying it when he became jealous.

One of our most intense nights of sex was after I had been continually hit on by Moroi men at one of Lissa's functions. I wasn't working, but Dimitri was, and he wasn't able to whisk me away from all the attention like he wanted to. After he had finished his shift, he had all but carried me back to his apartment.

Just the memory of it caused a warm feeling to spread through my body.

"You have nothing to worry about, Dimitri. We will have a couple of drinks, and then we can come home, and you can remove these," I pulled at the strap of my bra, "and give me some great birthday sex." I winked again and bit my lower lip for good measure, knowing what it did to him.

His sharp inhale made me smirk.

Then to be the mean girlfriend I was, I had to leave him hanging with that visual. "Well, early start tomorrow. I have to go."

He glared at me, knowing exactly what I was doing, but it turned into a chuckle, "Just you wait until I get there, Roza." He teased, making me flush with anticipation. With one of his rare full smiles, his eyes softened, "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight, Rose."

I smiled, "I love you."

"I love you too."

After hanging up, I laid the phone next to me, already missing the sound of his voice. Just a couple more days, and I will have him for a whole two weeks.

The next morning Lissa was already awake; while Dimitri would call me at night before he started his day, Christian would call Lissa in our morning at the end of his night. Being on the two different schedules was difficult at times, but it was just another thing we had grown used to.

She was at the dining table, the textbook opened in front of her, but all her attention was on her phone. I passed the kitchen counter to grab an apple and then slipped into the seat beside her taking a bite.

"That's not homework," I commented, peering at Victoria's Secret website she was looking at on her phone.

She flushed, glancing around the kitchen; Chelsy was against the far wall with a view of all the exits. This early in the morning, those on the day shift were still getting ready, and the night shift would be doing their last checks over the house and outside. Chelsy would be getting replaced soon.

Seeing that it was only Chelsy still, Lissa sighed, "I still need to find something to surprise Christian with."

I raised my eyebrows, "I thought you just got stuff."

"It's not right. I need something special," She replied, swiping through the options again.

"Special?" I glanced over at her, "Special how? Is something happening that I'm not aware of?"

Lissa blushed, "Well," Trailing off, unsure.

"Well?"

"I think he may ask a question."

I had an idea of where this may be heading but wanted her to confirm it, "A question? As in…"

"As in the question."

Yep. I had been wondering if Lissa had picked up on Christian behaviour recently, and I guess she had. I was honestly surprised he hadn't asked her sooner, but things do get a bit complicated when your girlfriend is also Queen. "So you think he is going to ask you this soon?"

"Yesterday, he said that he has something important to talk to me about when he gets here," Lissa explained. I could tell she was both nervous and excited by the idea.

"Maybe he is going to break up with you," I joked, taking another bite of my apple. Laughing at the glare she sent me, "Okay, sorry. He isn't going to break up with you."

She folded her arms, "He promised it was good news."

"I'm sure he won't care too much about what you're wearing underneath if he does propose. Besides, it isn't like you will be wearing it for long after." I grinned at the blush that covered her face, how she could still be so shy about her sex life with me after I had literally seen their couplings—something that I will never miss about the bond.

"Rose! This is a big deal!"

I pointed a finger at her. "Just don't steal my birthday thunder," I warned.

"What's stealing your thunder?"

Both of us snapped our eyes to Caleb as he entered the kitchen, ready and alert for his shift.

I responded before Lissa could, "Christian is proposing," I ignored the look of betrayal on Lissa's face.

Caleb paused, looking up to the ceiling with a dramatic wave of his hands, "About time! I was worried I would have to watch him panicking all week."

"Just think about how nervous he will be when he asks."

"Do you think he will faint?"

I smirked, "That is possible. We should film it."

"Would you two please stop!" Lissa groaned, shooting me a look. The amount of time the three of us would spend together due to classes had caused us to grow close. Caleb often joined in with me teasing Lissa, and Christian when he was here.

I glanced down at my watch, jumping up from my seat, "Lucky you, I have to meet the kid and show him how we do the shopping."

Chelsy spoke up, breaking her silence, "Try not to scare him off like you did the last one. Sergei would not be happy."

I gasped in offence, "I did not scare them off. It's not my fault if they couldn't handle it."

"Rose, you put a snake in their bed," Lissa levelled me with a look. She may act disapproving, but I saw her laughing with everyone else when the guy screamed.

I shrugged my shoulders, "It wasn't even venomous, and it was Christian's idea."

She shook her head, closing her textbook, giving up on the pretence of studying, "Just be nice to him. That's an order."

"Yes, Your Majesty," I saluted, winking at Caleb as I left the kitchen. I walked through the hallway to the main entrance, grabbing my wallet and a set of keys. It was still cold in Bethlehem, so I used the pockets on my leather jacket to conceal my silver stake. It didn't matter that it was daytime; I had grown used to having it with me at all times.

I paused to check my reflection in the hallway mirror, running a hand through my hair to smooth it; it was down to hide my tattoos. I wore a fitted maroon shirt and dark washed jeans. Living in the human world, we had to keep a low profile and fit in, which meant casual wear, no uniforms.

As I left the main house, I sent a text to the group chat I shared with the guardians in the house, letting them know that we were leaving soon for the food run. As I approached the second building, where the other guardians lived, I saw the new guy already waiting at the sedan we were using today. Lissa had her cars in the garage attached to the main house, and we kept the other cars over here for guardians to use as needed.

I eyed the kid, Emiliano Russo, who was just a year younger than me, but his face was boyish with bright green eyes. It stood in contrast compared to his height and muscular build. It was like a fourteen-year-old boy's head on the body of a nineteen-year-old.

Noticing me approaching, his face lit up, shaking his floppy hair out of his face, "Guardian Hathaway, looking forward to working with you today."

"Morning, Guardian Russo. Are you ready to go?"

Nodding his head eagerly. I moved towards the car but frowned when he stepped in my way, blocking me from the driver's door.

I stared him down, as best as I could, being shorter than him by almost a foot, but he still bristled from the look. "What are you doing, Russo?"

"Well, I was informed by Guardian Fischer that you aren't allowed to be driving."

I crossed my arms, making a mental note to punch Caleb when we returned. "Fischer told you that?"

The kid shuffled uncomfortably, not standing down. "Yes, ma'am."

I huffed in irritation before handing over the keys, "Fine."

Russo was a good driver, at least, granted I wouldn't admit it out loud. I was sitting in the passenger seat as he weaved through the traffic. It was silent for the first couple of minutes of the drive, but now easy conversation flowed. He was excitedly asking questions about my achievements, even about being trained by the legendary Guardian Belikov. When I had told him that Dimitri was going to be visiting for a week, his face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Do you think he would teach me some moves?" He asked, practically bouncing in his seat.

I grinned, knowing that Dimitri teaching him anything would most likely end with him having his ass handed to him, and I immensely enjoyed watching Dimitri take people down when sparring. "Sure, I don't see why not."

His eyes somehow managed to get wider, making me laugh.

The good mood broke, the blaring of a horn and screeching of tires making us both look to the right, watching as an SUV blew through the light, coming directly at us. I had a moment to brace for impact before we collided.

If you enjoy the chapter please leave a kudos or even a review. I love to hear what you all think :D