_ST. BASIL'S ACADEMY/ _6 YEARS AGO

"Congratulations, Dimitri! Or should I say Guardian Belikov now?" Lord Zeklos asked, clapping him on the back. Not an easy feat, given Dimitri's towering height but nonetheless he appreciated the gesture.

Dimitri smiled, "Thank you sir, but Dimitri is fine."

Despite knowing Lord Zeklos for years, Dimitri never felt comfortable addressing him as anything other than sir. Professionalism was taught early and expected of all Guardians.

"Ivan!" called Lady Zeklos, "Come, I must get a picture of you and Dimitri together."

Ivan said goodbye to the group he had been chatting with and jogged over to where Dimitri stood with his parents. He playfully checked Dimitri in the shoulder, but almost immediately he regretted it. Dimitri was a solid force who loomed over everyone, and though Ivan was tall he was no match for Dimitri's mass. He stumbled and massaged his shoulder, stunned from the jolt of pain.

"Ivan! I wish you wouldn't do such things! Dimitri, I apologize on behalf of my ridiculous son." said Lady Zeklos, "Now get together…smile."

Ivan slung his arm around Dimitri. "You heard the woman, Belikov – smile!" The camera flashed, and they stood there together for several moments as Lady Zeklos maneuvered the camera and settings to get the perfect picture. Finally, she took one that she deemed acceptable.

"Perfect! Dimitri, I'll make sure you get a copy. I'm sure your mother would love to have it."

"Yes. Thank you, Lady Zeklos."

Dimitri's family had been unable to attend the graduation ceremony. It was quite a long journey by train and much too difficult for his babushka. He missed them greatly and was more disappointed by their absence than he had expected to be. Though a picture of him was a poor substitute for actually being there, he knew his mother would be happy to have it.

"Come on, Belikov! Let's get out of these nighties!" Ivan shouted, referring to their graduation robes. Dimitri laughed, Ivan was always the one cracking jokes. The silk robes were a deep burgundy for the girls and black for the boys. Although ceremonial, after several hours in the long thick robes Dimitri was ready to get out of them. It was a warm summer night, and the oppressive robes only furthered everyone's discomfort. The ceremony had lasted several hours. It was surprising that the class jokesters hadn't decided to streak. The boys started to make their way back to the dorms.

"Remember we're meeting for dinner at midnight!" Lady Zeklos yelled to her son's retreating figure.

"Yes, mother, I remember!" Ivan yelled back. "You've only told me a hundred and one times since getting here." He whispered to Dimitri, who chuckled.

"So you have just over an hour until dinner. What will you do until then?" Dimitri asked.

"Well, her name is Dessa." Ivan laughed, "Actually, I just want to give her the present I got her. She might come to dinner with me. If she wants to."

"I think you overestimate her affection for you, Ivan. Who's to say she's not merely using you for sex."

Ivan feigned shock and surprise, gasping loudly. "I can't believe you said that, Dimitri! What we have is real!"

"Alright Casanova, cut it out. Have a good time, I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya!" Ivan sprinted off to find Dessa.

Dimitri took the stairs up to his room where he returned the robe to a hanger in his closet. He remained dressed in his black trousers and dress shirt with a pale blue tie. There would a semi-formal dinner in an hour for all the Dhampir graduates and their families. He had considered not attending, but his growling stomach told him otherwise. He wasn't one to turn down a good meal, and St. Basil's always went above and beyond when it came to parties. The food was bound to be delicious.

To bide his time, Dimitri pulled out his most recent novel. Lonesome Dove was the story of 2 ex-Texas Rangers who go on a cattle drive. That was about as far as Dimitri had gotten in the novel as he had only bought it a week ago. Westerns had his been his favorite since he learned to read. He was fascinated by the Old West, cowboys, and gun fights. The biggest draw, though, were the characters' ethics. Most cowboys in the stories he read had an ethical code which they lived by.

The codes were always variations of the same things: do the right thing, treat others as you want to be treated, help when you can, honesty, etc. Dimitri admired the men in those stories. They provided guidance when he lacked that in his own life. They were the role models he yearned for because his father was anything but a good man. As strange as it sounded, those cowboys gave him the courage to stand up for himself and his family.

Finally, the time came to head to the dinner. Dimitri folded the top right hand corner of the page he was on and set the book on his desk. It was brief 10 minute walk from his room, through the quad, to the dining hall. The school had elaborately decorated the hall, transforming the normally drab interiors into a bright and cozy space. The dark wood paneling was draped over with gleaming silver fabric. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of white lights hanging from the ceiling. Black, burgundy, and silver balloons floated about the room.

The tables had been covered in white linen tablecloths with white rose centerpieces. Along each side of the room were long buffets filled with every kind of food a Dhampir could possibly want. At the right side buffet, Dimitri noticed Galina serving herself a generous helping of French fries. There didn't appear to be anything else on her plate.

"Save some for the rest of us, Galina." Dimitri teased.

Galina looked up and smiled, "That's Guardian Azarova to you!" she chided and then broke into a wide smile. "Well, actually I guess you canofficially call me Galina now that you've graduated." Galina was only in her thirties, and felt too young to be called by her formal title. She said it was "too stuffy". So it was an open secret that students could use her first name when other school officials or higher-ups weren't around. It was one of the reasons she got along so well with the novices.

She moved down the line and added three thick ribs covered in BBQ sauce to her plate. Dimitri followed and added a few of his own. When he could fit nothing else on his plate, Dimitri followed Galina to a nearby table. A waiter came by and offered drinks, they both accepted a glass of champagne.

Galina raised her glass to toast, "Ura!"

"Cheers!" Dimitri returned the sentiment, taking a small sip he was reminded of why he didn't drink. Though, he was certain it was a very good champagne, it only tasted bitter to him. He set the glass aside and tore into his ribs.

"Have you been assigned?" Galina asked between bites.

"Yes, I'll be guarding Ivan. I have a feeling his father pulled some strings, but I'm glad I'll get to protect him." Dimitri said between mouthfuls.

"If I knew someone could pull strings to get me a great assignment then I'd let them!" she exclaimed.

Dimitri's brow furrowed, "You mean you didn't want to be an instructor?"

Taking a sip of her champagne, Galina shook her. "No that's not what I meant at all. I was assigned to a royal detail after I graduated, but I quickly realized I missed the school environment and in particular working with novices. I was able to work with the underclassmen when I was at academy and I really loved it."

"So you're a natural then?"

"Some might say so. It's the most amazing thing when a student understands something or nails a maneuver they've been struggling with."

Dimitri loved watching Galina speak so passionately about her work. It was like she glowed, and in that moment Dimitri could see Galina in a whole new light. She was beautiful, he realized. Her dark eyes glimmered in the soft light and her hair was a deep mahogany. Galina had bucked against tradition, refusing to cut her hair. Instead she wore her hair in a tight bun at the crown of her head. So Dimitri could recognize her beauty but felt no attraction towards her. Perhaps if he were older…

"I think so. You've certainly been a great instructor to me, as well as a great inspiration. So I suppose I should thank you, Galina."

Galina smiled and reaching out placed a hand on Dimitri's hand. "You're welcome, Dimitri. I know you'll do great things, and I am so very proud of you."

Dimitri smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. They didn't need to say anything else, an understanding passing between them. Galina had been an amazing mentor to Dimitri, at times almost like a mother. Dimitri knew he could go to her with anything, and he knew that if he ever needed anything he could reach out to her.

_SOMEWHERE OVER EUROPE/ _PRESENT DAY

Dimitri was shaken from his sleep by harsh turbulence. The plane dipped and rocked causing a knot to form in his stomach. Though he was not a nervous flyer by any means, excessive turbulence could cause him to get motion sick at times. He grumbled and slid the window shade up. The light momentarily blinded him but as he adjusted he was able to make out the landscape below. Wisps of white clouds floated over the grass and rocks.

Though it was nearly noon, Dimitri's travels were far from over. There was no direct flight to Back Woods, Montana. He first had to fly from Moscow to London. From London he would fly to Atlanta. Atlanta to Seattle to good ole Montana. From there it was a 4 hour drive St. Vladimir's Academy. He wouldn't officially arrive at the school until tomorrow. That was assuming, of course, there were no difficulties. Without complications, Dimitri expected to be at St. Vladimir's by 0100 – nearly the end of the school day for students.

The turbulence continued which made it impossible for Dimitri to return to sleep. He pulled out his assignment file to begin learning as much as he could, hoping a flight attendant would be by soon so he could ask for ginger ale. He wondered what would make two young girls flee the safety of their school. Did the princess run and the Dhampir follow? Or was it the other way around? He removed the stack of papers from the manila envelope and began to read.

Accident Report

On May 23rd at approximately 1530 this officer responded to a report of a single vehicle accident on the northbound side of Highway One. Upon arrival this officer observed a black Range Rover upside down with two females in the road on the driver side of the vehicle. One female was unconscious with the other holding her. Approaching the vehicle, it became apparent that the front passenger and driver were deceased. The back seat passenger appeared to be a male in his late teens to early twenties. This officer immediately called for medical evacuation, and waited for back up to arrive before attempting to remove anyone from the scene.

Signed, Officer Johnathon D. Cooke

So that was how the princess had become the last remaining member of the Dragomir clan. Due to patient privacy laws there were no medical reports, but if the accident had killed three Moroi Dimitri knew the girls had likely been injured severely. Though their physical injuries had healed, he knew the psychological ramifications lingered. No one be the same if their entire family was wiped out in an instant. Perhaps, that was why the girls had run away.

He knew the girls were extremely close and being the only survivors of a horrific accident had no doubt brought them closer. They had been through something no one else had. They were the only two who really understood what the other might be feeling or thinking. Another factor that had to be considered was their races. The Dhampir would always feel an almost unnatural desire to protect the Moroi princess. Dimitri knew that first hand. It was the duty of every Guardian to protect the Moroi. No matter what the circumstances were surrounding the girls' disappearance he knew the Dhampir was protecting the princess… as best as an untrained novice could.

Several hours later they touched down in London without any more turbulence, and Dimitri was able to get back to sleep. A nocturnal schedule would be difficult for humans to accommodate, but as a race all vampires were used to it. Most preferred the night time hours because it kept their schedule the same as the Moroi they protected, but the daylight hours had to be covered as well. And there were some Guardians who favored the day time for a myriad of reasons, such as better pay and less people. Dimitri had always preferred the normal shift. It provided him with the most mental and physical stimulation. Daylight duty would have been a lot of sitting around and waiting. In other words, the few times Dimitri had agreed to work a daylight shift he had found it to be extremely boring.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity Dimitri landed in Montana. Thankfully, there had been no difficulties that delayed his arrival. He wasn't sure what he would have done if he ended up stuck on the tarmac for several hours. Dimitri considered himself to be a peaceful man, but travel delays and hunger could make any man do crazy and desperate things. Dimitri stifled a yawn and stretched his arms above his head. Being 6-foot-7 made travel exceedingly uncomfortable. Luckily, his travels were almost over. As he descended into the airport lobby he saw a sign that read "Belikov" held by a Guardian.

The Guardian was a tall woman in her late 40's. Her ashen blonde hair had wisps of grey throughout and was styled into a spiky pixie. She wore no make-up, and she was dressed head to toe in black. A practical woman, Dimitri thought. Her face conveyed no emotion. She was probably just as happy about having to drive four hours as Dimitri was.

"Belikov?" she asked.

"Yes. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand. She returned the handshake with a nearly crushing grip. If he had been human, she would have done damage but as he was Dhampir it was only a mild irritating squeeze.

"Alberta Petrov. Let's get going."

Author's Note: I have become aware that I am not the only one attempting to rewrite Vampire Academy from Dimitri's perspective. However, each one will be different so I hope you enjoy my take. Thank you for reading and reviewing! ~LL