When I woke the next morning, Dimitri had his arm across my stomach. I turned my head to find him still sleeping soundly. He looked so peaceful. It made him look so young. It was nice to see him look so at peace. I felt like I hadn't seen any other expression on his face other than the guardian mask he wore so very often. I lifted his arm, going to attempt to get out of bed without waking him. I moved him very slowly, trying not to make anything to sudden. I laid his arm across his own chest, and slowly maneuvered out of the bed. When my feet hit the ground, the floor creaked, and I winced, turning back to him. He hadn't moved. I walked slowly to the door and slipped out, closing it behind me. When I turned to move out of the doorway, I looked up to find Adrian. I jumped, and placed a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming.

"Woah, take it easy there… It's just me." He said.

"Sorry… I wasn't expecting anyone to be awake yet."

"I woke up earlier than normal, what were you doing in Dimitri's room?" He asked me. I then realized I wasn't sure what I should tell him. I'd never come up with a story in case I got caught coming out of Dimitri's room.

"He took me in there last night after everything happened, hoping to calm me down, and we started talking and I fell asleep. I didn't know I'd fallen asleep until just a few minutes ago when I woke up." I said. Adrian gave me this knowing look, as if he knew I was lying. He didn't call me out on it though, which surprised me, since I called Adrian out on just about everything.

"How are you doing?" He finally asked.

"I'm… coping. It's all I can do."

"I guess you're right." He said.

"How are you doing? I know healing normally wears Lissa out, so."

"I'm fine. I was just tired."

"I'm sorry I hit you yesterday." I said, touching his face. I hadn't noticed the bruising until he moved, his face coming more into the light.

"It's not a big deal. I should have known better than try to restrain you." He said, chuckling lightly. I smiled.

"I really am sorry. I didn't plan on hitting you." I told him. He laughed.

"Yeah, but I guess after everything… I kinda deserved it." I rolled my eyes.

"Adrian, if I wanted to hit you, I would have hit you. What happened last night was out of my control." I assured him. He nodded.

"I know, I'm just teasing." He went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water, and went back to his room. I made myself a cup of coffee and started to sit down at the table, when I changed my mind. I stood and started towards the back door. When I walked out, my eyes scanned the darkness, adjusting to the difference. I looked across the track to where Landon's dead body had once been. I walked towards the spot on the track, and when I reached it, I found the blood stain on the track. Other than that, there wasn't any trace of Landon left. I stared down at the red stain for a second, before I heard footsteps coming up behind me. I turned to find Dimitri still dressed in his sleep clothes. I smiled.

"Goodmorning." I said.

"Hey… you worried me when I woke up and you were gone."

"Sorry…" I said, not really knowing what else to say.

"It's okay. How are you doing this morning?" He asked.

"I'm coping." I gave him the same answer I gave Adrian.

"It's all you can do, I guess." I looked down at my hand, with Landon's mothers ring on it and smiled. I'd always have a piece of him with me.

"I'll make it. He'd want me to move on. I know he would." I said.

"He would. He was always so proud of everything you did. You have to continue to make him proud."

"I will."

"Well, in that case… would you like to practice this morning, or are you not up for that?" He asked.

"I think the question is are you up for it? You were the one that had your windpipe crushed last night." He chuckled.

"I recover quickly. Plus, Adrian healed me. I'm in tip-top shape." He said.

"Yeah, that's what the bruise on your throat says." I told him, touching his neck. There was a very distinct knee mark.

"It's just a mark. It doesn't hurt anymore." I stepped closer to him and stood up on my tip toes, pressing a kiss to the dark mark on his neck. When I stepped back, his eyes closed for a second, before he opened them back to look at me.

"I'll take it easy on you." I teased. He smiled.

"Go get dressed, and meet back out here in thirty minutes." He told me. I nodded once, and walked around him, heading back into the house and upstairs. I got a quick shower, and changed into some workout clothes, before heading back downstairs. I grabbed a bottle of water, and headed back outside. He was unrolling mats and setting up dummies when I walked out. I just stood back and admired him. He was truly beautiful. Trying to pretend that I didn't love Dimitri was like trying to pretend I didn't have to breathe. In the end, I was going to have to give in to it no matter what. It was like I didn't even have a choice. I stood there for awhile, before he realized I was watching and looked up.

"It's rude to stare." He informed.

"I wasn't staring. I was observing." I said, taking a few steps forward.

"Observing what?"

"How beautiful you are." I answered simply. That hadn't been what I was planning on saying. I'd been planning on a witty Rose Hathaway quip, but instead… you're beautiful came flooding out of me. I sighed.

"Well… thank you." He murmured. There was a light flush on his face, although I was almost positive he'd never admit it. I walked over to where he'd unrolled the mat, and sat my water bottle on the sidewalk. I sat down and stretched my bones popping and cracking as if I were forty years old. It was pretty disgusting. Dimitri was looking at me, eyebrows raised.

"Been awhile, huh?" He asked. I nodded.

"I guess so. I've been slacking." I said. I wasn't going to bring up that maybe Landon would still be alive if I hadn't been 'slacking' so much. I think he knew that was where my thoughts were when his eyes found my face, because he looked down. My eyes fell to the ring I wore on my left hand.

"We might have to practice a little more often to get you caught up before you… uhm, go back to the academy." Regardless of everything he'd said… I sincerely wondered how tough it was going to be for him when I did leave. He put on a good face, but I knew it was going to be harder for him that he let on. I still wasn't sure what it was going to do to me yet either, and it was still a whole two and a half months away. Dimitri was my solid ground when things got rough. Although I had Lissa back at the academy, I don't think I could ever have someone support me and help me through so much the way Dimitri did. Thinking about that made me realize that maybe I was getting myself in a little too deep. Especially if I was going to be shipped away in two and a half months, and I'd probably never see him again. Regardless, I stood up.

"You ready?" He asked. I nodded.

"Let's go." I motioned him forward, and smiled. I wasn't going down without a fight this time. I had a lot of pent up aggression and anger, and I think he knew that. I think that was why he suggested this. Instead of having an outburst of darkness, he was going to allow me to take it out on him. I lunged at him, causing him to stumble. We exchanged blows for what seemed like ever, before he kicked my feet out from under me. I wasn't going down that easily. I knew my only way out of this was to cheat, so before he could pounce on me, I rolled off the mat, giving myself time to get up. He growled at me.

"That's cheating."

"I've never been one to play fair, Belikov." I wasn't really sure if I'd intended the innuendo, or if it was just there. He smiled as I stood up. I stepped back onto the mat, and he tried to take me down again. I jumped over his movement, and kicked him in the back of the leg, causing him to stumble and fall. I pounced quickly, knowing it was my only chance. He fought against me, and we rolled back and forth, one trying to be in control of the other. He was stronger than me, but when it came to this, I was quicker. He ended up on top of me, but before he could press his hands to my chest, I jabbed him hard right where his heart would be. He was shocked, because he definitely wasn't expecting it. It made me proud that I'd caught him completely off guard. He stared down at me for the longest time, before smiling.

"That was great, Rose."

"I'm often capable of greatness." I admitted. He chuckled slightly.

"I'm very aware." He said. He reluctantly stood up, and offered me a hand. I smirked as I took it. He obviously realized what I was planning, because he planted his feet to keep me from pulling him back down. I laughed as I allowed him to help me up. I took a minute to recuperate before I took my stance once again, and we circled. I pretended to lunge, and he bought it. He stumbled forward but came up short when I disappeared. I kicked his legs out from under him, but before I could jump on him, he rolled off the mat. I growled. When he did it, it was cheating. He smiled as he stood up.

"Nice try, Hathaway." I rolled my eyes.

"It's cheating when you do it."

"How?" He demanded.

"Because you're better than I am, you shouldn't run from a fight." I said, cutely. He laughed.

"You took me down a few minutes ago."

"So?" I said.

"You're not exactly a bad fighter. If you can cheat, I can too." He said, sounding like a child. I smiled at how young he'd just sounded. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever." We then started again, going round and round, blow for blow. Neither one of us could get a hand hold on the other, nor could we take the other down. We were at a stalemate, and I was not about to lose this one. He swung a punch one time, and I caught it in the stomach, I'll admit it hurt, but not as much as I made it seem. I winced and grabbed my stomach, gagging for added affect. He immediately froze, and rushed forward.

"God, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" He asked, reaching for me. I kicked his legs out from under him and placed my hands over his chest before we even hit the ground. I couldn't help but giggle at my tactic.

"That was low… even for you."

"I didn't see it going anywhere, so I had to do something." I said.

"I thought I really hurt you." He growled.

"It did kind of hurt, but not as bad as I lead on." I said. He laid a hand over my stomach.

"Brat." He muttered.

"I never claimed to be anything less." It was then I was caught in the raging rivers of chocolate that were his eyes. I found myself lost, and suddenly unaware of everything around me. I wanted to kiss him. His lips were warm and inviting, and I swear they were calling my name. It was then, I had to pull myself out of this trance, which was almost as difficult as pulling myself out of Lissa's head when she was feeling something very strongly.

"Sorry… I kinda blanked out for a second." I said, standing up. I helped him up, and shook my head, as I collected myself.

"You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." I assured him. I helped him clean up, and headed back inside. I went upstairs and changed out of my work out clothes and walked back downstairs to find Adrian and Dimitri chatting.

"I don't know, Adrian."

"Come on. Tatiana is encouraging it. She'd love to meet the novices here." He said.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Dimitri being difficult." Adrian said, turning around to smile at me.

"What else is new?" I asked, winking at him. Dimitri rolled his eyes.

"I'm not being difficult. I just don't know if it's a good idea. I mean, after what happened with Landon…" Dimitri trailed off, his eyes falling on me. I still winced at his name when he was brought up.

"What are we talking about exactly?"

"Dimitri, we're going to be at court. It's heavily guarded, and there are wards. The odds of it happening again are slim to none I assure you." He said. Dimitri sighed.

"You seem so sure."

"I'm one hundred percent positive." Adrian told him.

"Hello, would anyone like to answer my question instead of pretending I haven't spoken?" I asked, harshly.

"Tatiana is throwing a ball at Court, and she's encouraged all of the novices here at the estate to attend." He told me. I turned to Dimitri.

"It sounds like a good idea to me." I told him.

"You would think so."

"Dimitri, most of the novices here haven't left since the bus dropped them off. I've been fortunate enough to leave the estate. I'm sure they're tired of sitting here. It'll be a good experience for them. I don't think it's a big deal." He said.

"I just keep thinking that-."

"It isn't going to happen again." I said, voice grave.

"I don't know if I'm willing to take that chance. I know there are wards, and I know that it's a lot safer than what happened with you and Landon, but I thought you were prepared, and you weren't. I don't want to over-estimate something again." He said.

"I was prepared." I said, harshly. I felt like he'd slapped me. I think I would have preferred the physical hit.

"Rose, that isn't what I meant."

"No, it's fine." I said, my voice still hard. Adrian patted my hand.

"I still say it's a good idea." Adrian said.

"I'll talk to the other guardians." He informed Adrian. Adrian nodded. I turned and started for the stairs. I wouldn't ever admit it, but Dimitri's words had cut me a little deeper than expected. I started for the stairs when he called after me. "Rose… I really didn't-." I cut him off with a shake of my head as I started up them. I heard Adrian's voice from the stairs.

"You have a way with words, don't you Belikov."

"I didn't mean it like that. It was just the way it came out. I knew she was prepared. I made sure of it before I let her go." He told him. I stood there for a second, listening before walking into my room. Maybe he was right. Maybe I wasn't prepared to take on a strigoi. What if I wasn't ever prepared? What if I can't protect Lissa like she needs, and all of this shit I've gone through, this training is for nothing? All these negative things kept running through my mind, and at that point I didn't know what to do. I sat down on my bed, and thought about what a ball at court would be like since I'd never been to one. It was then the realization hit me. The one person I would have asked to be my date was…. For lack of a better term… unavailable. I looked down at my hand to the ring on my finger. I smiled.

"I miss you." I whispered softly. I closed my eyes, and in a distant voice, it was almost like I heard him say he missed me too.