Hey guys! Thank you to those of you who reviewed, you guys are awesome and I love you all. You guys know this is my take on a drabble collection, so each chapter's going to be different, but I might just write something that follows up with that last chapter. Not this one though. This one was requested by Stella so here you go I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Janine has always been painted in a bad light because she left Rose to be raised by the academy, so let's take a trip inside her head!

Prompt: A mother's instinct.

Dropping my baby off at the academy when she was only five years old, was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do. It went against my every maternal instinct, but here I was, leaving her at the gates which would inevitably dump her into a life of danger.

I consoled myself however, with the knowledge that at least until she was 18, she would be safe behind these walls. And until she graduated, she would be cared for by Alberta Petrov, captain of the guardians at St. Vladimir's and, a longtime friend of mine. I wish someone would've told me though, that in doing so, I was leaving her to be raised by the academy as my job did not permit frequent visits and, by the time it did, she was already grown up and had formed her own opinion of me.

And still, leaving her at the academy was far easier than standing back and watching as my dreams of her being safe behind its walls shattered. In my desperate need to keep her safe from the harshness of the world and from her father's shady business, I'd forgotten that it was Abe Mazur's blood which ran through her veins. I'd forgotten that she would obviously grow up to be a rebel.

Perhaps it was a mother's instinct that had warned me that day, that had told me leaving her at the academy wasn't a good idea. Or perhaps that voice in my head had simply been my own doubts, and it was a mother's instinct that guided me to drop her off at St. Vladimir's, because even though I'd done it with a heavy heart, I would be lying if I said I wasn't proud of the woman my Rose had grown into. She was beautiful and capable. She bore the best traits of her father and myself, which made her a force to be reckoned with. And every time I saw the happiness that shone in her eyes when she looked at Dimitri or at Lissa, I knew I'd made the right decision all those years ago.

I hope you guys liked it! Remember to review and request prompts if you'd like!

XXX

Roza