(Disclaimer I do not own any of these characters that would be Richelle Mead.)

Pavel POV

Watching Ivan sleep and just getting off the phone to Abe being told that everything is going ahead in a month. I'm glad that they have decided that I should stay with my ward while the fallout happens. Keeping his identity secret and him hidden for as long as possible. Ivan as well as Abe, Janine and Rose are my family and I would kill anyone for my family. I might sound cocky but there is no other fighter like me, well maybe Rose is getting there and yes the "Russian god" as she calls him could probably give me a run for my money, but I would win in the end as I'm fighting for those I love. Our society drills duty into kids with "they come first" and that it's wrong for guardians to love as it will cloud your judgement in a fight but they are wrong love will make you fight on and protecting those you love will fuel you to go further.

I have been with Abe for over 23 years and in that time I hate to admit it but have picked up an ability to be cruel to those that mean to do us harm.

In the past five years I have seen Rose battle a broken heart and with that the lose she has felt every day. Even the day that should of been the happiest day of her life, Ivans birth, she cried for the ones she'd lost who were not there to share this milestone with her. Add the battle against Vasilissa's darkness until we were fully able to control it and the occasional cruel whispers that still lingered about the disappearance of Rosemarie Hathaway and I wanted to show my darker side to the princess and Belikov. But I new that would only make Rose unhappy.

I know in the end their own realisation of the truth would bring pain enough to them. I can't help but feel relived that the truth is finally going to come out. Even though no one is going to know it's about the boy that's sleeping next to me. I wonder what they'll feel faced with the realisation of what they've lost by their own harsh treatment towards the bravest and most self sacrificing person that I've ever known.

I was there in the beginning when Janine found out that she herself was pregnant with Rose. I was 18 and just graduated Janine only a year older than me at 19 and Abe only a few years older than us at 21.

He was rich enough to have a guardian but not rich enough yet to have much influence as a non royal. Wealth and power would be amassed over the next ten years to a point that not even the Queen herself could touch him. But back then he could only offer enough protection to see Janine go through her pregnancy comfortably while securing her a good guardian position with a very forward minded royal that wouldn't look down on her for having a child. Which is madness as Dhampir women were expected to have at least one child to continue the species. It was a catch 22 scenario. Once she had given birth and placed Rose with a kind Moroi family until she was old enough to be enrolled into an academy. Janine started her life with Lord Szelsky and Abe had to be placed in her past.

As Rose got older Abe become a very powerful force in Moroi society and some royals hated the wealth and power that he managed to amass. So it was decided that for Rose's protection that Abe stay out of her life until she was old enough and could defend herself. Unbeknownst to Rose her father always kept tabs on her. He new all from the time she first entered the academy, all throughout her two years on the run with the princess, being shadow kissed and her love affair with Belikov.

Honestly Abe had more guardians loyal to him then the Queen herself. Some are still here in the academy and others have joined since Rose was pushed out. Abe has told the guardians here to keep an eye on Ivan and to keep him safe, they don't know his real identity only our inner circle do. In their minds Abe is just being an over protective grandfather.

Abe makes sure that he has as many Guardians as possible in his pocket as they make the best spies standing in the background hearing all that their charges discuss. Simpering morons totally forget that we are even there.

While Abe was busy with making his businesses powerful enough to withstand the human stock market crash. Janine was becoming a highly respected guardian that other guardians looked up to. Her dedication and work ethic pushed her up high in rank and allowed her more freedom of movement without attracting attention by her peers. Of cause this was not abused or to do anything shady. Well not until five years ago when her daughter became pregnant and the society she had fought for and gave so much up for just threw Rose away like trash without even listening to her.

Worse still two of those people claimed to have loved and trusted her. I think in her mind the princess was more at fault than Belikov. He had only known her for several months and did try to help her when finding out, but Vasilissa was her best friend and sister since the age of four. Her bond mate for three years and the person she was willing to risk her life and mental health for. Janine's loyalties shifted that day from her charges and the Moroi back to her daughter and future family.

There was a worry in the back of my mind I had seen Lord Ozera, the princess and Belikov looking for Ivan earlier but I managed to secure him away from them. It is obvious that they have figured out whose son he is. The question is will they out him once the reports come through. I honestly think not as Belikov will then know undoubtedly that Ivan is his and want to protect him. So all I need to do is to keep them away for a month so they don't figure out he was actually fathered by Belikov and let it slip to early and muck it all up. I mean really all you have to do is look at him to see Belikov in there.

Picking up the phone I phone the New York office. "Hey Meredith its Pavel."

"Oh hey Pavel how's it going? Enjoying the nothingness that's St Vladimir!?" Meredith asks while I can hear her typing away at a computer keyboard, she has been busy hiding and sifting our funds in the human world making it untraceable so when or if the royals start looking at who funded the research into Dhampir reproduction it won't come back to us.

"Yeah years of training now going into looking after the munchkin!" We both know it's a joke like me Meredith would throw herself in front of a bullet for Ivan. "Rose will be with you the day after tomorrow I will be bringing Ivan home for the weekend before coming back here Monday. We need to act normal and be prepared for the fallout. You need to start destroying everything that can lead back to us. All important docs are now safe and in a place they won't know to look."

"Okay I'm on it."