Richelle Mead owns these characters.

Chapter 2: Tonight, Tonight.

'Should we be in here?'

'I'm not too sure...' We laugh at his words and I clutch his hand in mine tighter.

We were like one of those teenage couples on campus, with our giggling and kissing. We wondered out to one of the old guardian cabins and decided to go in. As soon as he closed the door I was all over him, well, we were all over each other really. 'It was pure agony standing in that room watching you lecture about sex, Roza.'

I laugh as I take his lip in between my teeth. This morning I had to fill in for Dr. Olendski and give a safe sex lecture to one of the classes. And wouldn't you know it, the princess was in that class and so her guardian followed her; Dimitri.

'I know it was so hard to avoid looking at you when I had to show everyone how put the condom on the banana.' He stops kissing my neck and looks at me in amused confusion. I just laugh and pull him and warmth back to me.

'Not funny, Roza.' I laugh but it's muffled by his soft lips.

'It's actually kind of hilarious, Comrade.' I laugh once again as he lays me on the bed and hovers over me. We kiss soft and slow at first; taking our time with the moment we have to be together. We don't get many of them and we were lucky to come across this one.

The kisses pick up and have now become hungry and deep. His tongue dives into my mouth and taste so sweet. I cup his face with one hand and lightly touch his jaw line with the other. I would've never pictured something like this, especially after all the self-control we have fought through, self-control just flew right out of the window. His hands come up under my shirt, grabbing and gently squeezing my breast as his mouth leaves trails of kisses all over my neck and lips. I reach up and grab the ends of his hair pulling him further into me.

We pull apart for air and I immediately reach for his shirt and pull it over his head. I was sitting up and he was on his knees as we continued kissing each other hungrily. I place my hands over his chest as he lays us back down, running my hands all over his abs and shoulders. His back flexes under my fingers as he's touching me all over. The heat his long fingers bring across my body burns me with excitement as I can't wait to feel the rest of his bare skin on me.

Our breath becomes ragged as we continue to grope and grab at each other. 'I like touching you like this, Roza.' I smile under his lips as he kisses me deeply.

'I like that you like touching me like this, Comrade.' He shakes his head at my nickname for him and rolls his eyes at me.

A hungry lustful spark captures his eyes and the next thing I know my shirt is over my head and thrown to the floor.His arms tighten around me and I slowly begin rolling my hips into his. His hands grab at my breast and then over my stomach, then they end up on my ass as he squeezes. 'Are we really doing this?' I ask against his moving lips.

He nods a yes and continues running his hands over my exposed flesh. I switch positions on him and end up hovering over him. Once that happens, he quickly and skillfully sits up with me on his lap. His hands are at my back and dip into my jeans to touch my already heated skin. While they move up and down my back, I once again bite his lip as he tries to talk. 'I've waited a long time to touch you like this. You're so beautiful, Roza.'

His words give me another adrenaline rush and I reach in between us to unbuckle his pants. His hands stop at my bra and unsnap it, throwing it where our shirts lay on the floor. My hands rub over his chest and stomach to the exposed skin just under the top of his briefs, his breath quickens at the sudden touch of my fingers. He begins to cup my breast and then leans down leaving little kisses just above them and on my collar bone. His lips feel so good; I anticipate the feel of them on the rest of my body. I hold back a moan threatening to escape at the feel of his mouth on me.

He couldn't possibly feel this good. We were still wearing our pants but rubbing and grinding every now and then. We were so into it, I had forgotten about the risk of getting caught by the other guardian's and right now I didn't care. All I wanted and could think of was Dimitri. The once silent and stoic guardian who would only watch me from a distance, the one who would barely speak to me. The one who is now kissing and touching me all over, driving me insane.

We end up lying down again but he hovers over me this time. I keep my hands on his back touching and stroking the muscles that move as he fondles my breast with his hands, lips and tongue. The feel of him teasing me like this brings a smile to my face and that tender feeling in between my legs. All I want now is to rip off our jeans and have him in me as quickly as possible. I reach for his pants again and begin to push them down his legs. He looks into my eyes and smiles widely, the look of love and passion hitting me all at once.

Just as our lips meet and our tongues touch softly again; his phone rings. We ignore the first ring and his pants are down to about his knees but then another ring of the phone sounds and he pulls away sighing. 'Let it ring...' I beg and reach for another kiss and he gladly returns it.

Unfortunately right after, he pulls away and reaches for his phone. I sigh and fall back onto the bed knowing that the moment is over and this was as far as we were getting tonight. He finishes the call giving me a look of sorrow and a small sad smile. I watch him gaze at me and wait for him to say that he has to go now but he doesn't. No, instead he just sits on his knees, looking to me with adoration and wonder clear in his brown eyes.

At first I got a little uncomfortable, thinking he found something on my body that he didn't like. So I move my arms over my bare chest to cover myself and whatever he didn't like. He just smiles slyly though, reaching out he removes my arms from my chest and once again sits staring for a few silent seconds until I finally decide to say something. 'What? What is it?'

He smiles widely again, showing his perfect white teeth and shaking his head signaling a nothing. 'You're absolutely beautiful, Roza.' In the silence that follows his eyes linger a few moments longer but the blush I was trying to hide leaves my cheeks. I smile back taking in his words then reach for him, bringing him back down by his chin to kiss his luscious lips once more.

...

It was a perfect time to remember that memory as now we were in that very cabin. In that same bed and did some of those same things. We lay there, naked and tired, holding each other as close as possible. It was our last chance to show each other just how much we loved one another. How much we ached to be together but couldn't.

He was to leave on the rescue mission first thing at sunrise and I was going to be here, waiting in anticipation for him to come back. After he told me he was going, I told him to follow me and lead him right here to our spot. We didn't and hadn't got to continue what we had started in the cabin that time but tonight I made sure we did. It was all I could ever imagine. He was gentle and loving, careful and caring, he treated me like I was the only thing in the world he had.

I knew what this was as soon as I suggested it, this was our goodbye. But I liked to think we had the hope of seeing each other soon with us as well.

A Dhampir and Dhampir relationship was not very acceptable and was looked at as the worst possible thing. We weren't helping our race grow to protect the Moroi, Dhampir's couldn't have children together and so what was the point?

We were destined to protect Moroi, at all cost, with our lives because they came first. It was something I didn't do; risk my life for another but right now I wanted nothing more than to march into battle alongside my love and risk everything. Just so I could make sure he came back to me or at least to the princess.

'Roza?' He clutches me tighter to his chest and my hold never broke from him. 'I love you.' He breathes.

I close my eyes as tightly as I could and held on to the words I loved to hear. 'I love you.' He reaches down and captures my lips, cutting off whatever else I was going to say.

We lay there in bed, holding onto each other as if he was what I needed to breathe. There were no more words between us, just kisses and squeezes and looks of love between each other. For if things went horribly wrong, this would be the last moment we would ever have together.

...

The sun was up as I watched out of the window of the clinic at the guardian's preparing for the mission. I could spot Dimitri from a mile away, his height making him stand out over all the others. We left the cabin before sunrise and went back to the clinic to see how the princess was doing. She hadn't woke up yet but Dimitri asked for a moment alone with her and I left him to it. I waited and watched as he whispered some words to her; he looked a little odd as he did this, like his eyes were somewhere else entirely.

He stayed very still, his eyes glazed over as if he wasn't there at all but then they snapped back out of it soon after. It was as though he was trying to reach her somehow, to see if she was okay or something. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and then walked out of the room. I let the mysterious action go to the back of my mind as I followed him to my office. We said our tearful goodbyes, I kissed him hard and with everything I had, and then he looked at me with those eyes. The eyes that spoke so many words I didn't even have to ask what they were.

His smell still lingered on me and in my mind; it was the strong smell of aftershave and leather. I watch as he talked to other guardian's and nodded firmly, in that stoic guardian manner of his. I knew in my heart that I would never love another the way I love him.

They were loading cars and even taking some Moroi with them, the ones who wanted to fight back. I was proud of him for going and fighting to rescue the others but scared that this was all we could have together. That this was the last time I would see him, hold him and tell him that I loved him. I hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be it but in this life, who knew.

As I watched him from the window, Eddie had seen me looking and waved a small subtle goodbye. He smiled sadly at me, being the only one who knew that Dimitri and I had feelings for each other. What he didn't know was that we had acted on those feelings and this moment was more difficult than I thought it would be. I spot Dimitri walking to the front of a big black SUV and with one last turn to the clinic he catches my eye and stares. It was only for a short second but at the look in his eyes I understood the unspoken words.

He loved me and I loved him, and that was all that mattered. So with one last sharp nod to me, he turns around and gets into the truck.

…

The sun hovered over the line of the horizon. The dark was coming and still no word on how the mission went. They were supposed to be back before nightfall, attacking the Strigoi in there near hideout during the day was a good plan but now it was almost dusk and there's been not one word.

Dr. Olendski and I had prepared for the guardian's and Moroi's return by prepping the clinic and making sure the princess was okay. She was still out and we didn't know when she would regain the strength to wake up again but my mind would not stop running and running. The thoughts of Dimitri and what was happening were constantly popping up in my head, different scenarios and possibilities streaming about. I had to keep redoing IV bags because I couldn't focus right. As I finally finished the last one, I heard a yell from the outside.

I made my way out of the room, checking on the princess along the way, walking the long hall to the front of the clinic. And when I finally got there, my heart stopped at the sight before me.

The doors were wide open as crowds of guardian's and Moroi walked into the clinic, another nurse had yelled for me to go outside and help escort some of the wounded inside. As I fought my way through the crowd, I glance here and there for the one face I wanted so badly to see. Bloody bruised and hurt guardian's carried some of the victims in and some even carried other guardian's as well. I walked out of the clinic and into a bigger crowd of more wounded, students and teachers, both injured and weak.

As I assessed some of them and helped guide them into the clinic, I couldn't help but look for the brown eyes that are etched into my memory. I couldn't find him anywhere though, my eyes caught every tallish male walking passed me and the more I couldn't spot him the more fear set in my heart. I looked and looked, even stopping a few people to get a good look at them but didn't come up with anything. And then, I spotted Eddie and the sad apologetic look locked into his eyes.

It was odd because it was one of those moments between Dimitri and where he didn't have to say anything for me to get the point but before my mind could conceive what Eddie's look meant, I felt a pull of my sleeve hearing my name.

'Ms. Hathaway, the princess is awake...'