Chapter 2:

1 Year Ago

Adjusting to long hours of standing around doing nothing was hard. You would think after all of those years of training to become a Moroi's protector, your body could handle the sleepless nights, the push to be constantly alert, and the sheer stamina of standing in a place for a long period of time. Boy, was I wrong. My first overnight shift guarding the hallway where Lissa's room stood was painful and I could feel my feet aching the longer I stood. I could see why Stan would be grumpy some class periods after his rare overnight shift.

Letting out a huge yawn, I walked across the lawn towards the Guardian's gym at the Court. The sun's rays were starting to slowly fade into the horizon and I knew only a select few guardians would be willingly awake to trade positions with the overnight ones. It was quiet and peaceful, something that I easily lost during the day with the Court commotion.

Lissa had been very busy since we decided to stay at Court for a year, before she attended Leigh. After everything both of us had been through since the accident, we both felt like we needed consistency and time to adjust to our post-St. Vlad's life. But of course, there is Queen Tatiana. She took this time to make Lissa an "understudy" to learn from her how to rule an entire Moroi/Dhampir community. I was proud of Lissa and how far she had come since the accident, especially when it came to controlling her darkness and Spirit powers. Although my darkness was still an issue, I had at least learned to manage it by continuing to train.

I quickly changed into my workout clothes and soon enough I was hitting and the punching bag with my usual warmup I always did at St. Vlad's. Despite my exhaustion, it felt good to be letting out any stress or worries I had into the bag. Oh, and to actually stretch out my legs and body from standing for so long.

Being alone in the gym was certainly something I looked forward, the rare time it would happen. I was able to blast my corny pop radio tunes on the stereo system and completely focus on myself. Technically I was still carrying out my duty; these high intensity workouts would benefit Lissa if a threat were to ever come. Then again, the threats felt like they would always come with Lissa, especially if she would be the next ruler.

"Your form looks horrible," I heard someone say behind me, rudely interrupting my thoughts. I stopped the punching bag from swinging and turned around to see Dimitri. Of fucking course.

I didn't reply, but instead turned my attention back to the punching bag and planned to continue ignoring him. He made it very clear to me that he wasn't anything to me now, so should I bother giving him the time of day?

Heck he had been trying the past two months to get a baseline friendliness, but I knew it was too forgone. Would any normal person who had their heart broken give that person friendliness after? Of course, I wasn't a complete bitch to him, I had to maintain some professionality since we were both guardians at Court. He didn't deserve my forgiveness, sarcasm, or any satisfaction that what he did was okay. I knew he strived for that sense of normal before anything happened between us, but I knew that would never return.

Unfortunately for me, the Court was too unsure how soon they would allocate him to a new guardian position. Even though they had reinstated him as a temporary guardian for the Court, they still were surprised with the whole evil turned to good thing that Lissa did. This continued astonishment made many Moroi's hesitant to request him as a guardian. He went from the most highly requested Russian God guardian to nothing. Ouch, that has got to hurt.

I heard him turn down my music and I quickly stopped punching to turn around and glare. "I was listening to that," I said with a snarky tone. "This is my time to train."

"And mine as well," He stated back. "I'm not changing your music, I'm just turning it down, so I can concentrate on my training. Being locked up in a prison cell doesn't give you the opportunity to maintain a certain level of intensity."

"Whatever, asshole," I muttered under my breath, grabbing a quick drink of water. I sighed and started punching the bag even harder, maybe even with a purpose. Out of all of the guardians on campus he had to be the one that came into the gym to train at this hour. I mean I shouldn't have been overly surprised. After all, he always made me get up at sunset to start training at St. Vlad's.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him standing a few feet away from me, frowning. I didn't know what he possibly wanted right now and I knew the tiredness I felt wouldn't help my mood to be civil towards him. "Can I help you with something?" I abruptly said. He shook his head and said something in Russian, before stepping closer and grabbing the punching bag to steady it. I groaned in frustration, crossing my arms and glaring up at him. "Are you incapable of leaving me alone?"

"I told you that your form is not good. I thought the Academy and our training sessions taught you better than that. You look like a freshmen year novice, at best."

I rolled my eyes. "Is this some lame excuse to talk to me? Do you have some fantasy that you will start helping me with my technique and we will develop a friendship again? Last time I checked you weren't my mentor anymore or even my friend."

He stared at me with those deep brown eyes that always made me so weak. I immediately broke eye contact and walked away grabbing my water bottle, contemplating whether or not I should cut my training short and come back later.

"I never said I didn't want to be your friend."

"You ruined that when you refused to see me after I went through hell and back to save you. When I left the academy in an attempt to stake you, then when I found a way to bring you back to you. I never even got a thank you for saving your soul from eternal damnation. Now if you excuse me, comrade, I'm going to go for a run." I glared at him before walking towards the gym doors.

"I'm leaving Court tomorrow, Roza."

I froze at hearing the name he would always call me. I hadn't heard him call me that name with that softness in his tone for months. "When will you be back?" I said with my voice cracking.

He walked closer to me with a solemn look across his face. "I got a temporary position to teach at St. Basil's. I think it is time for me to visit my family and get away from this part of the world for a period of time. It's what best for me and you."

I stared at him, slightly in disbelief. As much as I wanted Dimitri gone, a part of me still didn't. He had been a large part of my life for the last year; it was hard to picture what life would be like without him. I would be free of seeing him and I would be free of the sadness and anger I would feel when I was around him. But yet, a part of me still didn't want him to go. My anger subsided, as I came to terms with his transfer out of the Court.

"I guess this is it then," I said softly, stepping closer to him. "I doubt we will ever cross paths again."

He gave me a small smile and I could sense he was feeling some sort of sentiment. "Perhaps. Regardless of the future, I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye. I'm proud of how far you have matured as a guardian and as a person. The Rose Hathaway I first met was very . . . insubordinate."

Surprisingly, I laughed shaking my head and gave him a slight smile. "Thanks for what you taught me as my mentor," I said, making sure I didn't refer to anything else he ever was to me. "St. Basil's is lucky to have you. Maybe you will find another Rose Hathaway there that will want to bend the rules."

"There is no other Rose Hathaway that exists," He said. My heart fluttered a bit and I could sense the sentiment in his voice. "Thank you for saving me, Roza. I will never forget what you and Lissa did for me." I expected him to turn around and walk away from me, but he did the unexpected. He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek and ran one of his hands through the hair that he always loved.

I didn't interpret it as a romantic gesture in any way, but more of a way to show his gratitude towards me and Lissa. It was his way of closure to his mentorship, friendship, and relationship he had with me. I placed my hand on his arm, giving it a light squeeze and a genuine smile before he turned around and started walking out of the gym. I couldn't help but feel emotion spreading throughout me like rapid fire as he began walking away.

"Comrade, wait!" I shouted, not even thinking twice about calling him by my old nickname for him. "I thought you said you were going to train?"

"I'm not. I came just to see you again," He replied, giving me a smile. "Make sure you drink two cups of coffee before the overnight shift when guarding. It will make it more bearable."

I stared in disbelief that he knew I had the night shift. Guardians around here never paid attention to each other's schedules, unless they were trading shifts. "How did you know that?" I said once again.

"Your form. It would never be that sloppy if you weren't exhausted." Dimitri stated.

Before I could reply he picked up his beloved duster on one of the chairs near the exit and left. I stood in my spot with tears brimming in my eyes knowing that this would be the last time I would see him. My heart still was broken, a part of me still hated him, but I knew this was all for the best. I would finally be able to move on and fully free myself from him. I would probably go through emotional hell and back several more times, but I knew this situation would only make me stronger in the end. "Bye Comrade," I said to myself, before refocusing myself back to the punching bag.

Present Day

"Why would Jailbait and her parents be coming to Court if it wasn't something regarding her being the illegitimate daughter of a Dragomir?" asked Adrian, as we laid naked in my bed cuddled up.

After my meeting with Guardian Steele, I had found Adrian waiting outside of my room in the Guardian building. He had a bottle of champagne in one hand and a box of my favorite macaroons in the other. Even though we weren't together, he still felt that I deserved the little treats. Maybe giving me gifts was a way to ensure that I would give him what he wanted. Either way, I wasn't going to complain.

I shrugged and continued tracing circles around his bare chest. "Maybe Tatiana just wants to get to know her people better. I think the Mastrano family used to have some ties with Court several generations ago. Long before Lissa's father sleeping with Jill's mother incident."

"You said Lissa was shocked when you told her Jill was coming?"

"Mhmm," I said, biting my lower lip. "She is worried that she will act differently around Jill, since she knows that Jill is her half-sister. I think Lissa will be fine and I'll be there to make sure she doesn't say anything to hint towards Jill being a Dragomir."

Adrian ran a hand through my hair and nodded his head. We laid there in peace, while both staring at the trashy show that was on the TV. Adrian always insisted on watching human reality shows with the idea that we would feel "better" about our current lives.

I didn't need to feel better about my life; I was perfectly content and didn't need anything in my life to change. If you asked me a year ago I would have a completely different response, but I changed. I learned to live after being broken, even Adrian noticed that change. My aura was less dark and seemed to be lighter after going through the absolutely darkness aura period of my life a year ago. In the end, I didn't need some grand love in order to feel at peace.

"When will you be back with Jailbait? You said tomorrow evening?"

I nodded, thinking about my latest conversation with Guardian Steele. Due to Jill's secret status, it was important that we ensured she was safely flown to Court with more than just Eddie. Steele had requested that me and Meredith were to be two of the additional guardians to fly to St. Vlad's. We were to leave early in the morning.

"Jill is getting a second guardian apparently," I said, rubbing my sleepy eyes. "Steele told me that Jill needed higher protection during her occasional travel outside of the grounds or back home to Michigan. It would be easier if it was always two standardized guardians. He said that the second guardian position should be established in the new year."

"Makes sense. Any clue who the second guardian is?" he said, pulling me a bit closer to him and kissing the top of my forehead. I breathed in his scent and smiled, melting into his warmth.

"No, Steele wasn't sure who would be assigned. With the guardians being so low, they had to start shifting them around. I'm guessing it will be one of St. Vlad's standard guardians that will just transfer over to join Eddie when Jill graduates in a couple years."

Adrian shifted his position so he was on his side facing me. He smiled at me with those beautiful green eyes and ran his free hand through my hair. "Happiness looks good on you," He whispered, "I don't think I have told you that before."

I smiled back at him. "You helped contribute to that," I replied.

"Do you think you would ever want to go back to a couple?"

"I don't know what the future holds, Adrian," I whispered, sitting up to push myself closer to his face. "For now, let's just enjoy what we have and take advantage of this situation. I don't have any guardian duties for the rest of night and we both happen to be naked." I coyly smiled at him, before pushing him over to his backside and climbing on top of him.

He gazed up and down at my naked body and I could feel his excitement pressing up against my inner thigh. "Little Dhampir, you are one invigorating women. I always knew I would want a woman with high stamina for certain activities."

I let out a laugh, then quickly laid on top of him to press my lips against his.

"You know I hate it when you have to leave me," said Lissa, as we stood out on the runway waiting for the plane to be ready to take off. It was pushing 5 p.m. in Moroi time and I had nearly lost it when I saw Lissa walking down to the runway to say goodbye to me. I wasn't expecting her to get up to see me off, even though I would be back later that night, but I could sense her fear that something would happen to me or her in that short amount of time.

Ever since I took a short leave of absence from St. Vladimir's on my eighteenth birthday, she constantly worried and feared for me. Part of her was worried about what would happen to the darkness side effect of Spirit if I were gone, but she mostly feared losing the one person that stood by her side since the day we met at the Academy.

I gave her a tight hug and felt her stress ease. "Lissa, I will be back before you know it. Spend time with Christian and practice Spirit with Adrian. You know I will be there for you if you need anything," I said giving her a warm smile.

"Rose, I just have a bad feeling about this." I sensed her nervousness and doubt that everything will go as plan. She was paranoid she would let slip her relation to Jill or that she would be too awkward. How was she supposed to act around Jill?

"You don't have to pay that much attention to Jill, Liss. Jill will be too busy with her parents once they arrive and I think some of her Moroi friends will be spending the holidays at Court. You probably will barely have to spend time with her, so nothing will be awkward. Just focus on you and do whatever Tatiana wants you to do."

She smiled and gave me another hug, as I was called to board the plane. "Send me something as soon as you land. When you get back tonight, come over and we can watch a movie with Eddie and Christian. It's been far too long since we hung out with you off of duty."

"Promise," I said, picking up my "just in case" duffle and throwing it over my shoulder. I turned around and boarded the plane, greeting Meredith as I boarded. I felt a sliver of sadness in the bond, but then happiness as Lissa got a text from Christian to tell her to come back to her room. Oh Lissa, you will be perfectly okay without me for a day.

Before I knew it, I was off to St. Vladimir's or as Lissa's hated term, "Vampire Academy". I never expected to be back so soon, but I knew it would be nice to see Alberta again and have a chance to walk the grounds. We were arriving mid-morning and would leave late afternoon, after Jill was done with her last day of classes before winter break.

Meredith gave me a light tap on the arm, waking me up as we began our descent in the air. I rubbed my eyes and let out a yawn, happy that Lissa's charmed ring still helped subdue my headaches. Adjusting my hair and outfit, I looked outside at the grounds with a slight longing of returning back to my life at St. Vlad's and the years of innocence.

I knew Lissa missed her life at St. Vlad's where she didn't have to worry about impressing everyone and learning how to rule a country. She loved her secret moments with Christian in the attic of the Church and her secluded room in the royal Dhampir section in the dorms, maybe she even loved the parties I dragged her to on multiple occasions. Wow, times were different. I rarely ever had the opportunity to party now, then again I rarely had a full day off of guardian duties at Court.

"It is as if nothing changed," said Meredith, who sat across from me, as the plane gently landed on the runway. "Remember when we just wanted to be done here? We took every day for granted."

"I wish I could go back to some parts of it," I replied, applying a quick coat of my neutral lipstick. For once I had the time on the plane ride to put energy into my appearance. I wasn't trying to impress anyone at St. Vlad's, I did it for a longing of actually having the time to make myself feel good.

Meredith and I stood up when the plane door opened chatting about the pranks that we did on Stan, as well as a few other fond memories that we had throughout the years. Our class of guardians grew up training together. We grew and matured as teenagers and novices. It was weird to think we would never all be in the same place at the same time together. Those fellow Dhampir's at the Academy were part of my family, through every bit of blood and tears that were shed over the years.

"Do you remember when . . . Guardian Belikov?" said Meredith, stopping in her tracks, as we were halfway towards the edge of the runway.

"What about him?" I asked. "Meredith, you can't just leave off mid-sentence and not say anything else. You're leaving a girl hanging." I glanced over at her, not noticing that she had stopped walking. Her eyes were wide, with her mouth slightly ajar. What was her deal?

I adjusted my gaze to meet hers and instantly froze. In his brown duster with his long hair tied back, Dimitri Belikov stood on the runway next to Eddie and Alberta. We instantly made eye contact and I stared into his deep brown eyes, that I knew so well. Something about him looked different than the last time I saw him. Maybe Russia did give him the cleanse he needed from the world; it certainly helped me. As we stared at each other, the feelings that I had pushed back for a year started creeping up. A tingle of pain shot through me and I quickly broke eye contact to gaze at Eddie wondering why he never mentioned this. Eddie must have sensed my confusion and slight anger at him considering he wasn't looking at me, but instead shamefully looked at the ground.

Taking my confused and conflicting thoughts in, my mind could only come to one conclusion about Dimitri's unexpected presence. What the fuck was he doing here?

Author's Note:

Hello everyone! First of all I would like to thank everyone for the lovely reviews, follows, and favorites. Since I'm relatively new to fan fiction and how it works, I realized I couldn't reply to the guest reviews. Someone asked what happened to Hans Croft as the head of guardians at Court. Without revealing too much, I promise you will see what happened to him in future chapters.

I decided to update earlier than I initially thought because I'm a HUGE procrastinator when it comes to actual studying and decided to write to ease stress. And I just got really excited and motivated to share this chapter with you guys early. Hahah, anyone else like that? I am also planning on update Friday or Saturday of this week. ALSO! Please tell me what days you prefer for me to upload a chapter, which that schedule will start next week. Right now I'm thinking a Sunday and Wednesday sort of schedule, but I'm curious to hear what you prefer? I hope everyone has a lovely week and I can't wait to hear from you. :)