Today was an unexpected day - off. Dimitri had gone to bed thinking that in 24 hours he would be headed to New York with Mikhail and Zeklos and he woke up to find out that he didn't need to. Dimitri had apparently been replaced for the trip.

Feeling surprisingly relieved, he decided to head out for his employer's apartment to get the documents that Mikhail had left for him there the previous day. How fun it was to read security protocol ! Dimitri sighed in joy when he realised what his day was destined to hold for him.

To add to that, Dimitri felt sickened due to his inaction the previous night. He had just sat there watching a starkly familiar episode unravelling in front of him and he couldn't even form a sentence. Perhaps it was because something had hit too close to home. Or perhaps, and more likely so thought Dimitri, he was not much of a man of action. He was indecisive by nature; rendered impotent by the slightest of dilemmas. This had always been a suspicion of his but now he saw no point in denying it. That's just the kind of man he was.

So as he drank his morning coffee, Dimitri Belikov resolved to try to begin to mend this fault in his character. And what better way to do that than pay Rose - the source of the recent - most quandary itself - a visit and an apology. Maybe that would heal his conscience enough to help him plow through the security briefing.

And he did see Rose, earlier than he thought he would, and once again, not how he had hoped to see her.

The moment he heard loud metal music playing from behind Zeklos' locked front door, Dimitri knew something was wrong. It was peculiar when he thought about it because Zeklos must have left less than an hour ago to meet Mikhail at the terminal. Nonetheless, his training dictated him to check for signs of a break in. So, Guardian Belikov checked the perimeter of the apartment. None of the windows showed any signs of a break in nor did the back doors which opened into the garden. He pushed back a slight bout of nausea when he saw the ruffled bed which bore the signs of a busy night through the window and chose to enter the house through the garden door. He was determined to get the documents from the living room and bolt.

To his chagrin, the nausea returned when he entered the room, mixed with anger and a range of emotions Dimitri didn't know he was capable of having simultaneously.

First he noticed broken glass shimmering on the floor, then his eyes travelled to a tiny pool of blood gathered around Rose's arm. Not much blood, but it was there. And Dimitri lunged towards the unconscious woman lying on the floor, instinctively checking for signs of life. He felt a pulse, and heaved a sigh of relief. Without losing a moment he lifted her slowly onto the sofa nearby. He laid her down before sitting on the floor and realising what might have happened in the room.

It didn't take a scientist to comprehend the happenings though, the open gash on Rose's forearm and the bruises littered over her body was evidence enough. What was harder for Dimitri, though, was coming to terms with it. Everything about it was too familiar …. too close to home. And Dimitri wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle it a second time.

Minutes passed before Dimitri could go into the bathroom to look for first - aid supplies. He found a shoddy pass at a first - aid box with nothing except a little length of gauze, a tiny bottle of antiseptic and two pathetic band aids in it. He went back and got to work.

Dimitri had to play with the minimal supply of gauze so that it would actually cover the entire length of the wound. He could run out and fetch some more but an irrational part of him couldn't leave her there. He knew Zeklos was in New York, and no one else was likely to come swinging by but Dimitri still couldn't leave for even a minute. She didn't seem to have any other major injuries. And although the thought of taking her to the hospital did cross Dimitri's mind, he had a feeling she would not take well to the idea when she would wake up. So, seeing as how she was sleeping at the moment, he decided to let her have this one for now. It was the least he could do.

And he waited for her to come to.

Rose looked peaceful in her sleep. Even her breathing had become deep and paced. But sitting next to her on the floor, Dimitri was anything but peaceful. Scenes from his childhood played themselves in his mind. And his imagination toyed with the scenarios that could have taken place in this very room the previous night. It was a cruel trick for his own mind to be playing on him, and as the hours passed he began to wonder just how much his actions had contributed to Rose's predicament.

After what felt like an eternity, Rose began to stir awake from her slumber and Dimitri sprang to his knees beside the sofa.

Confusion marred Rose's eyes the moment she saw him. " What are you doing here ? Where am I anyways ?" She tried to look around.

" Zeklos' apartment."

By now she was examining her bandaged arm and said, " So I'm guessing it wasn't just another dream, was it ?"

" I'm afraid not." said Dimitri grimly. " I'll get you some water."

He returned from the unstocked kitchen with a glass of water to find Rose lying on her side, scrutinising the damage in the room.

" Thanks." said Rose before gulping down the water. " For the water and for not taking me to the hospital."

" I had a feeling you might want that." Dimitri threw a pursed smile.

He waited, not knowing how to breach the subject. He didn't have to know, though, for Rose did the honours for him with indignation dripping from her voice.

" You think I owe you an explanation, don't you ? Well let me tell you someth-"

" You don't owe me anything, Rose." Dimitri cut her off and paused. He hesitated before he verbalised his thoughts. " I just want to know if you're ok. Do youthink you are ?"

" Of course this is not OK. Now you think I'm some clueless victim who is so blind that she doesn't even know that this wrong. Who doesn't know any better. Believe me, I'm not an idiot. I'm not nearly the next victim of some distortion of Jack the Ripper." she snapped. " Last night just got out of hand, alright ? I wasn't in my right mind. It was an anomaly."

Anomaly. The very word made Dimitri's blood boil.

" You're a trained guardian, aren't you ? I find it hard to imagine a scenario in which a Moroi as weak as Zeklos would be able to overwhelm you in any physical way, Rose."

" I was not in my right mind. I told you." Rose said, trying to dismiss the topic.

" What the hell does that even mean ?" Dimitri cried out.

" You don't understand."

" Then make me."

Rose looked at the obstinacy on his face and sighed in defeat. With her unwounded hand she flipped her hair a bit and touched her neck. Then she emphatically said, " I wasn't in my right mind."

Dimitri mouthed an "Oh". Rose smirked at his realisation and said, " You preferred it when I was the clueless victim, didn't you? You're pretty quick to judge considering what you told me about your mother, you know."

Dimitri tried to regain composure. The concept of letting Moroi drink blood had always made him uncomfortable.

" I'm not judging, Rose."

" Oh please. Just look at your face."

Dimitri sighed once again. " Fine. Maybe I'm a little uneasy about the whole blood drinking thing, but that doesn't mean that I have something against you. I don't, and you have to stop assuming that."

Rose surveyed his face in search of sincerity and what she found there must have convinced her for she said, " Alright. We both will stop making presumptions about each other from now on. Now, do you think you can find me some alcohol in this shitty place, Comrade ?" She smiled, and eventually, so did he.

Off he went into the kitchen in search of liquor, deciding to let the lighter mood settle in. They would deal with Rose's many problems later on.

" What are you doing here anyways ? Weren't you supposed to be off to NYC with the asshole ?" asked Rose when handed a glass of whiskey.

" Well, I seem to be have been replaced. Last night's encounter may not have sailed that well with him. I mean the one at the bar, of course."

" So you got demoted, huh ? Must be tough."

" It's surprisingly relieving. Hard not to be happy when given an opportunity to steer clear of Zeklos."

She laughed. " True." She paused. " But you're not going to be reassigned, are you ?"

The jest had melted away for a moment, and in that instant, Dimitri found a genuine candour in Rose's bottomless brown eyes. And as quickly as their gazes had locked, Rose had broken away.

" I mean, I wouldn't want you to lose your job or something because of me, you know." she finished quickly.

Dimitri composed himself. " No, I don't think it's that bad. From what I've seen, it's more likely to be a mood swing."

" Poor Mikhail's all alone with him." she said as she turned over on the sofa. Dimitri examined the gash on Rose's skin, spots of blood, now dry, were visible through the shoddy bandage, and mumbled. " Yeah poor Mikhail."

The sight of the wound made guilt surge in Dimitri and before he could stop himself, he blurted out, " Do you think Zeklos did this because of me ?"

" What ?"

" Do you think he hurt you because of what happened at the bar last night ? I mean, he clearly wasn't happy about us talking."

Rose covered her astonishment with a laugh. She began languidly" Don't be silly, Comrade. You really think the world revolves around you ? That everything that happens is somehow the consequence of what you did or didn't do ? Come on, grow up. Plus, there's no point in speculating and beating ourselves up over this. It's in the past and something like this will stay in the past, believe me you."

Hardly convinced, Dimitri once again decided not to pursue the matter. It was best left in the past for a little while. For now he could help take Rose's mind off her pain and, if he was lucky enough, he would be able to convince her to go to a hospital for a check up.