*Author Notes:

I finally moved into my new place this weekend, and have decided to ignore unpacking as much as I can, lol.

Thanks for the reviews! I'm trying best to implement suggestions. Hopefully the chapters get better.

I too did not like how easy Dimitri got off in Last Sacrifice, though I still loved it.

lizzie85, greetings from Michigan! I would love to have the weather down there right now!

After dumping the papers Guardian Mackinzie gave me on my bed, I headed downstairs to speak with Matt. I must have picked the perfect timing as his door was open. "Hey Matt," I called out, not bothering to use his last name. I leaned against the door. He looked up from his computer, giving me a welcoming smile. "Good evening Guardi—Rose. Did you have a good day," he asked.

"Oh yes," I gave him my signature smile, "and I was hoping you could give me a better night." I winked at him. I could already see the flush against his cheeks. I enjoyed getting Matt riled up!

"Do you need another heater for your room," he managed to get out.

"Nope, it's plenty toasty, thank you again." Matt has been extra generous with getting me anything I needed for my room.

"It's no big deal, I'll put aside another one just in case you need it in the upcoming months."

"I was actually hoping you could help me out with a dilemma," I started, putting on a soft and concerned tone. "I believe I have a secret admirer. Someone's been slipping notes into my locker and yesterday someone slid an explicit letter under my door." I paused, letting a troubled expression cross my face that I knew would have Matt itching to come to my rescue. "Usually I would just ignore stuff like that, but I got a little creeped out by the last 'gift'." I made air quotes with my fingers when saying 'gift'.

As expected, Matt gave me a worried expression, "Oh Rose, you should have told me sooner some creep was harassing you. Whatever you need from me, I'm here, you know that."

I placed my hand on his arm. "Thanks, Matt. I appreciate it." I meant it. "I was actually hoping you could help me out with the security footage. I'm thinking it may have captured who slid the note under my door?"

"Hmmm…" He tilted his head in thought, "I suppose we could try that." He began typing on his computer, " I can't give you the security footage, but I can look through it and call you if and when I spot the person who slid something under your door."

"I'll take it!" My response was immediate. Hopefully something will come of it.

"And I can keep a lookout for any suspicious activity I see around your floor," he added.

I gave him a grateful look. "I would really appreciate that."

"It's not a problem at all. We'll figure out who it is."

"I hope so." I gave him one last smile before saying goodnight.

—

Being a new Queen, a young one at that, meant Lissa had virtually no time to herself. There was always some meeting she had to attend, some law she had to learn about, some charity event. It was no wonder she decided to take a year off of school to get a better grip on her duties before adding even more to her plate. The girl was always on the go, but today for just a few hours Lissa decided she didn't want to be Queen. She simply wanted to be a girl in love. So, that's how I ended up at the Moroi Art Museum, closed to the public except for the Queen, Christian, and their guardians.

Lissa and Christian walked around holding hands, stopping every now and then when they saw something that intrigued them. Dimitri and I stayed a few yards behind and tried to make it look like we weren't watching them. Apparently, he thought this would be a good time to have our chat.

"Roza…Rose," he struggled to begin, "I know things have been strained between us and it's largely due to my actions."

"I think we're doing just fine looking after Lissa and Christian together," I said impassively.

"We're civil," he agreed with uncertainty, "but we're not…we're not us."

I really wish I could do the one eyebrow thing. "What exactly were you expecting?" I crossed my arms. "Did you honestly think we could just go back to the way things were?"

Dimitri shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant. I - I understand why things are the way that they are. I know that I caused them… not just when I was turned but after as well." He took a deep breath, "The way that I treated you when you visited my cell and after the church was unforgivable. I was so caught up in feeling guilt over the way I treated you that I completely glossed over how I was treating you at that moment. I was cruel and unfair."

I met his gaze again, waiting for him to apologize about the hotel. "And?"

Dimitri was the one to break the gaze, looking down to the floor. "About that night at the hotel. I know you think—"

"Unbelievable," I cut him off. I know I think?. Of course he was going to make up some B.S. excuse! "I can't believe warm, sweet Olena birthed a coward!" Maybe I said that a little too loudly as I saw another guard look our way.

"Let me finish," a ruffled Dimitri quietly demanded.

"No, I think you've said too much and still not enough as usual. The only thing we need to understand is that the next time you feel the urge to confess your feelings to me, invest in a diary if you're going to be a coward about it."

Lissa and Christian had managed to get several more yards away, stopping at the Moroi pop art exhibition. I caught up to them more, leaning in a doorway.

"Do you really think I wanted it to end like that? Every part of my body was urging me to not do the right thing, and honestly can you really say it wasn't the right thing to do?" Dimitri caught up to me.

"Well I'm glad you can pat yourself on the back about it," I retorted sarcastically, watching Lissa snap pictures of Christian mimicking licking an ice cream cone behind a portrait of a woman doing the same thing.

"I don't want to keep hurting you."

"And yet you somehow manage to." Lissa apparently thought it would be funny to pose next to the Rose portrait. She turned around to give me an amused smile. I playfully rolled my eyes at her.

"If you were available, would" he started -

"I'm not."

Deciding I was done with this conversation, I walked away from Dimitri and asked Jasha if we could switch places for a while.

—

We got back just in time for dinner. After escorting Lissa and Christian to the feeders, Dimitri and I took them back to their suite. I observed my best friend sitting on the couch, resting her head on Sparky's shoulder. Today had been good for her. She seemed more at peace than she's been in a while.

Not too long afterwards, the night shift guards came to relieve us. I decided to head to my favorite restaurant, Lots, popular among guardians for their large portion sizes at an affordable price. I can just grab some food to go and head back to my place and look over the guest logs.

The warm, laid back atmosphere enticed me to sit and have a drink. Before I knew it, I was having a margarita at the bar. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar face. Valentin sat in a corner. His plate and a stack of paper was his company. He scribbled on the documents fervently, ignoring his meal. Being around him made me feel like I was experiencing deja vu. He looked so much like Adrian, piercing green eyes that pulled you in, brunette wisps that made you want to run your hand across them. But his intensity. The fire behind his eyes when he spoke of his research, his dedication to his work, even off the clock, even when he was supposed to be eating…it reminded me of Dimitri so much.

The mere fact that I was already comparing him to my ex and…whatever Dimitri was should have set off alarms to stay away. However, I was a brave on a normal day. On a night after a drink, I was practically fearless and overline reckless. Accepting my second drink, I made my way over to his table. Maybe I could clear the air and get back on his good side.

"You seemed like the type to have trouble leaving work at work," I stated while taking a seat, not bothering to ask first. Valentin looked up from his papers. I gave a half smile to let him know I didn't mean it in a judgemental way.

His response came quickly. "And you seem like the type to struggle with work at work."

"Depends on the work," I shrugged. "When it comes to protecting Lissa, there is nothing I wouldn't do." I took another sip of my drink. "I'm also pretty interested in the dhampir training initiative."

He gave me a look that said he wasn't buying that part. "Why wouldn't I be interested in finding ways to increase our numbers, especially when the alternative is sending dhampirs out to die at sixteen." I thought back to his last presentation. "I was actually thinking about the ex-guardian security guards, twenty-something percent, that's a decent chunk. I think we will have to show ourselves to be a viable alternative. Right now the perks of being a guardian aren't that great. Our only real selling point right now is that there are worse fates for dhampirs."

He gave a small smile. "That should be our slogan. Guardianship, the best you can do."

I let out a giggle. "I'll have Lissa get on stickers." I took another sip, before setting my drink down. "But honestly I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I might have been slightly distracted at our last meeting, but I did pay attention to a lot and I'm completely dedicated to this. It won't happen again." I looked deeply into his eyes, hoping he could see my sincerity.

He sighed. "No I'm sorry," he started, "I let my personal feelings get in the way. This project hits closer to home."

I could understand that. "It does for us all."

A pensive look crossed his face, "Oh definitely, it's just that I have a sixteen year old sister who is making choices that will be hard to undo. If the worst happens, I would like to know that there is some kind of option for her to get back on track."

His words reminded me of Victoria. "Oh, I'm sorry about that. For what it's worth. I ran away from my academy at sixteen and still ended up being a guardian," I offered.

Valentin laughed. "Yea, I guess if someone can run off with a princess and still graduate, there's hope for my sister."

"Exactly." I gave a wink before laughing. "Besides, I'm sure her big brother can hook her up with a non-guardian job if push came to shove."

"Pfft, being a guardian is the only way I got this job." He finally began to dig into his food. "You're not hungry?"

I snorted,"I'm always hungry. I'll call over the waiter." I shot him a curious glance. "To be honest I've never heard of a dhampir with your kind of career."

"Hmm, I was the same age as my charge and ended up going to college because of him. He really liked Math. Next thing you know, we were getting a Masters in Statistics." That intense look was back. "He was a fair man. He didn't just have me stand in a corner as he worked, he advocated that I be able to put my degrees to use, at least in small ways."

I had a feeling he wasn't around anymore. "He sounds like an ideal charge," I gently added.

"He was." Valentin looked deep in thought. "He used to get these insane headaches…would live off aspirin. We didn't realize it was a tumor until it was too late."

I looked down at the plate recently placed in front of me. "I'm sorry."

"Me too."

I had a thought. "Is that how you ended up here?"

He tilted his head downward and I didn't think I would get a response. "No, another grief brought me here," he finally said.

We sat in silence for a while, just eating our food.

—

Valentin insisted on walking me back to my building. We ended up staying at the restaurant for about an hour longer, keeping our conversation on the lighter side. Apparently he hadn't gotten the chance to spar in a while and hoped being around more guardians at Court would give him the opportunity.

"I can show you around the training center," I said as we made our way to the entrance, Valentin holding the door open for me. "I'll even beat you up, give you the full Hathaway experience," I joked.

He shook his head ruefully. "Don't count me out just yet,I might just get the upper hand," he said, bumping my shoulder.

"I doubt it." The familiar voice startled me and I turned around. There stood Dimitri, leaning against the wall, looking in our direction. He looked…unimpressed?

Brushing off the comment, Valentin extended his hand, "Hi, i'm Valentin."

"Guardian Belikov," Dimitri curtly said, hand remaining at his side. I was trying really hard to raise my eyebrow at him.

"Valentin and I are working on a project together."

He effortlessly raised his right brow. "You take all of your co-workers to your room?"

I decided to settle on giving him a sour look and gave my attention to my escort. "Thanks for walking me back. I'll see you around?"

"Of course, See you soon. Good night Rose." He opened the door, giving me one last glance before walking out.

"Are you cheating on Adrian," that annoying, deep, velvety voice spoke again. I turned my attention back to my rude sort of ex. "Is there something that you need?"

"You said we could talk later," he calmly countered, eyes not leaving mine.

"I thought we already said everything we needed to at the museum."

"We were actually just getting started." He walked closer to me.

"Look I don't have the time —"

"Hey Rose!" Matt called out my name as he approached. "I'd been looking for you," he said as he reached me. "The cameras did get a shot of the creep leaving you things."

Dimitri shot me a concerned look. "It's no biggie, I just have a secret admirer," I said looking at him.

"Yea and you're not gonna believe the person!"

I gave Dimitri a final look before following Matt. "Just go home."

—

Matt and I went into his office. This was the confirmation that I needed. All I would need to do is figure out how Robert was getting on campus and where he was staying.

Matt beckoned me to come to the other side of the desk. "This was you leaving for your shift at 6:42 pm." He fast forwarded the video a little bit. "Two hours after you left was when the person came by," he said, pushing play again.

I could see the 9:10 timestamp, and watched as a person slid a white envelope under my door.

What the hell?

"Meredith?!"