"Rose?" Lissa asked, picking up her phone at the allotted time.
"Yep!" I held the phone away from my ear as she squealed loudly in excitement. I could hear Christian muttering in the background, and then what sounded like a knock at the door and Alto's voice.
"Sorry – I've just got Rose on the phone," I heard Lissa explain to them before she came back to speak with me.
"I'm in the living room now – everyone else is still asleep or in another room. Tell me everything! I hope it's not too horrible there?!"
"Liss – it's not terrible at all!"
"Start at the beginning!"
"Ok, ok," I laughed. I was lying on the spare room bed. It was 6.30pm Sunday night. So just before dinner for me, just before breakfast for Lissa.
"So… The plane was two hours late leaving, and then we had a few stops on the way, and we had to wait at each. By the time we got to New Hampshire, it was close to dawn. We flew into Concord, and there was a car waiting there for us. And you should see it, Liss! It's brand new and has everything. The thing is freaking amazing, and it's ours! Just for Dimitri and me! Not that I've driven it yet…"
"Dimitri prefers to drive?"
"Dimitri doesn't like sharing his toys," I corrected with a laugh.
"Anyway, we drove up to a little town called Meredith, which is kind of funny, where we were met by one of the people from here, and we followed them back to where we are. I'm not allowed to tell you exactly where we are, but we're on a lake in the general area of Meredith. The place we're at is an old summer camp – so think log buildings and all that."
I could feel Lissa's disdain through the bond. She thought it sounded terrible.
"It's really nice, I promise. They've done a lot of work on the property, so it's more like a fancy corporate camp than sweaty kids in open dorms," I explained.
She 'uh hmmphed' in understanding, so I continued.
"We got here and met with one of the people, and they showed us around before taking us to our quarters. And Liss? It's gorgeous! They've put Dimitri and me in a two-bedroom cottage only yards from the lake. It's a little bit set apart from the other buildings and surrounded by trees, but you can see the lake through the sitting room, kitchen and our bedroom windows, plus there's a massive porch out the front. It's so peaceful! And the whole place has just been renovated, so there's a brand new kitchen and bathroom, new furniture and everything."
"Well that sounds alright," Lissa conceded.
"It is," I promised. "The place is just stunning. We were really tired after the traveling, so we showered and went to bed so we could start the switch from nights to days. We got up later in the afternoon and unpacked, and then made a list of the things we wanted to buy for the cottage and a few other things we needed and then we went to dinner with everyone."
"Everyone?"
"Yeah. I can't tell you everything, but basically, they have three groups of students come through here throughout the year. Fourteen to seventeen-year-olds – which is who is here at the moment, then seventeen to twenty-year-olds – they stay for about eight months, and then twenty to twenty-five-year-olds who stay a month or two. Dimitri and I are going to be training them all."
"So you're teaching? Like Dimitri did at the academy?"
"Kind of. They're human, so it's not as intense as Guardian training, but yeah we're doing fitness, self-defense and that sort of thing with them, as well as talking to them about Moroi and Dhampir culture."
"Shouldn't a Moroi be educating them about that?" Lissa said a little sharply. I didn't want to read too much into it, but it sounded like Lissa was suggesting Dhampir were somehow not qualified to give a perspective on our culture and traditions.
"Probably," I said flippantly, refusing to rise to the bait, "but the whole teeth and blood thing kind of freaks them out - which is why her Majesty decided to send Dhampirs on this mission."
"Oh yes. Good point. Keep going."
"Anyway like I said, we went to dinner in the mess hall with everyone, and it was funny. I don't think they know our hearing is so much better than theirs, so we could hear a lot of what they were whispering. The staff are all pretty young, and they're mostly nice. They were a bit scared of us, at first, but it's getting better."
"So what have you been doing?"
"On Wednesday we got up early and went to Manchester. It's the biggest city in New Hampshire and around an hours drive from here. We needed to get some linen and towels and all that for the cottage, and I splurged and got a whole new workout wardrobe, and so did Dimitri. After the mission, and then Russia, everything we had was so worn. We'll be in workout wear most of the time, here, so it made sense to get new stuff. I got heaps of stuff for the house, too. It was fun – neither of us has had a proper place to decorate before, so we went to town! Abe gave me a gift card to celebrate my allocation, so we used that."
"Ohh! How much did he give you?" Lissa asked curiously. She knew I'd never had any real money of my own, so was inquisitive about my windfall.
"More than he should have," I laughed, wanting to keep the particulars to myself.
"Wednesday afternoon we came back and unpacked all the new stuff, and then we went for a hike to check out the property and a swim in the lake. It's just so beautiful, Liss. I can't describe how pretty it is. It's like living in a dream!"
"And then what?"
"Well, we started our classes on Thursday morning. We have three two-hour classes on weekdays, and once a week we're rostered to be in the dining hall from 6.00 – 8.00 pm but we eat dinner then anyway so it's no big deal. But other than that, our time is our own. I've never had so much free time, and it's a bit weird, but it's fun."
"Aren't you getting bored?"
"Not yet - we haven't really had time. When we were shopping on Wednesday, we picked up some books on physical training for humans, so we're putting together a teaching curriculum from that. And we have cable here, so we've been watching TV too. Dimitri's discovered the Food Network, and keeps making lists of things he wants to cook! He made homemade pasta last night!"
"And what about your classes?"
"We have thirty in each class, but we've been splitting them into groups of fifteen and Dimitri is taking one and me the other. We're still getting an idea of their overall fitness, and working out what's reasonable to expect from them. So we're playing lots of games and that while we work out what we need to teach them."
"Isn't that kind of dull?"
"Nah it's really fun, actually. You know how much I love physical training," I said, starting to feel pissed off. Why did Lissa have to run everything down when I was obviously so happy?
"So like I said, we started our classes on Thursday. We teach 8.00 to 10.00 am, 10.15 to 12.15 pm, lunch is 12.30 to 1.30 pm then the last class is 1.45 to 3.45 pm. We've been eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the mess hall on the weekdays, but on Saturday we went into Meredith and did some grocery shopping so we can have some stuff here in the kitchen when we want to. In fact, that's what Dimitri is doing now – he's in the kitchen making dinner!"
"Aren't you sick of being together all the time?" she asked, yet again being a downer. "I mean you're living and working together."
I sighed.
"I love it, Lissa. Dimitri and I have had to compromise about how we feel for so long. Being together all the time is bliss."
"Well I guess you haven't had time to miss us at all," she said with a distinctly bitter tone.
Ahha. So that's what this was about!
"Don't be silly. I miss you guys like crazy! I really really wish you could be here to share this place with us. But I do love it here, Liss. Dimitri and I have our own place and are getting the chance to lead a normal life together. It's more than we ever dreamed was possible. But just because I love it here, doesn't mean I don't miss you," I promised.
"Are you sure? You just sound so happy…" Lissa observed sadly.
"I am happy. But I still miss you. Like you when you went to Court with Christian, and I went on the mission," I explained, trying to put it into a context she could relate to. "You were happy to be at Court and get a chance to spend all your time with Christian, but you still missed me."
I tapped into the bond and could sense her considering what I'd said.
"I get it," she admitted a little sheepishly.
"Good," I said, glad she understood where I was at, meanwhile pulling her darkness into myself. That should help her attitude a little.
"So like I said, we checked out Meredith. It's really pretty but very small. But there's a Walmart not too far away, so we went there and shopped. I didn't realize, but Dimitri had never been to a Walmart before!"
I sniggered, remembering my Russian God's reaction. Lissa laughed, too. She used to hate going shopping at Walmart when we were on the run, so she understood his pain.
"Did he let you buy pizza pockets?" she asked, referring to my go-to staple when we were fifteen and on the run.
"Yeah. But only one packet!"
"The bastard!" she teased. "So how are things going with you two?"
I smiled. Things were going wonderfully!
"Good. Really good. We haven't let on we're a couple to everyone here, yet. We're going to do that slowly over time. But we're both enjoying having a place of our own. Everywhere else we've stayed together we've shared space with other people. Here's it's just us, and we're kind of getting used to living together. Dimitri's a lot less inhibited when it's just us two."
"Like walking around the house naked uninhibited?" Lissa teased.
Well actually, there had been a bit of that. But Dimitri was a lot more passionate now we had our privacy. We were taking pleasure in one another more than ever, but I'd noticed my man was also a lot more vocal and really let himself go now he knew we weren't going to be overheard. And I freaking loved it!
I giggled.
"Let's just say we've christened pretty much every flat surface in the cottage, including the washing machine!"
"The washing machine?!" Lissa gasped in consternation, although through the bond there was a definite hint of envy.
"Yep," I giggled. "I was loading sheets into the machine and Dimitri came in, and one thing led to another…"
It had been hotter than hell. Dimitri had been in the kitchen watching me through the door into the pantry and laundry. I'd been intentionally bending over so he could see my ass – wiggling it to see if he'd notice. Well, he'd noticed, all right! Before I knew what was happening, Dimitri had me pushed up against the washing machine, one hand down my panties, the other under my shirt playing with my breasts. Then he'd pulled his manhood out of his pants, and lowered my sweatpants and panties just enough that he could slip into me from behind. Once he was in place, he'd pounded into me until I could barely form a coherent sentence as I leaned over the washing machine.
"Wow. Well, I guess I know why you have no free time…" Lissa teased.
"We don't spend all our time doing that," I said. Just a lot of it, I mentally added. "We've also been running, swimming and all that. We've got a couple of fireplaces in the cottage - one in the sitting room and the other in our bedroom - so Dimitri has been chopping wood ready for winter, and he's also drawing up plans for a carport he wants to build for the car."
"He likes to stay active, doesn't he?"
"He does. We both do. That's one of the things that makes us work," I explained.
"So what are the people like? Are they treating you ok?"
"They're ok. Some of them are a bit wary, but overall they're more curious. I mean, they've read about Moroi and Dhampir, but meeting one in real life is another thing. At the end of each workout session, we do a Q and A and let them ask us questions. Most of it's like what you'd expect, but on Friday one of the guys asked if Moroi and Dhampir had sex the same way as humans. I thought Dimitri was going to blow a gasket!"
"What did you say?!" Lissa hissed trying to contain her laughter.
"I just said I believed all the fundamentals were the same…"
The two of us tittered.
"So what have you done today?" Lissa continued.
"Dimitri was so sweet; he woke me with breakfast in bed. Then we got dressed and ran around the edge of the lake and went swimming. After lunch, we did some report writing for the Guardian Council. We're due back at Court in four weeks, so we figured if we write a bit each week, we'll have everything ready when we have to report in."
"Do you know your flight times?"
"Yeah we're flying out 5.30 pm, so we'll be there by the start of your day."
"But you'll be used to day schedule?"
"We can make it work. We can stay up late, and if you get up early, we can still spend time."
"Ok," Lissa agreed, carefully jotting down the dates of our visits back to Court. "It will be easier once we're at Lehigh, because then we'll be used to a daytime schedule, too."
We kept chatting, tentatively setting a time in six weeks for us to go to St. Vlad's and the Dragomir house. It had to be done, and she needed me to be there for it.
"Are you sure it's ok? It's not too much for you?" she asked.
"I want to be there."
"Dimitri won't mind?"
Not if he wants sex between now and then, I thought with a wicked grin.
"Not at all. He wants to see you guys, too. So tell me – what's going on there? How are Meredith, Eddie, Celeste, and Stan getting on?"
"So far so good," Lissa replied. "Meredith is great, and she and Celeste seem to get along really well. She doesn't have a lot to do, yet, because we're at Court, but she's getting used to everything. Eddie and Guardian Alto have had a couple of moments. I know Guardian Alto is the senior, but he likes to remind Eddie of that all the time. Christian said it gets a bit much at times."
"How's Christian coping with having Guardians?" I asked. While Lissa had grown up with Guardians around, thanks to his parents, personal Guardians were a new experience for Christian.
"He's adjusting," she laughed. "When Guardian Alto gets a bit much, he sends him on an errand or gets him to guard Tasha," she whispered conspiratorially. "We're both kind of looking forward to Lehigh. He'll mostly be on night shift then…"
"While you're asleep!" I finished for her, laughing outright.
It's just as well I didn't end up guarding Christian. If Alto and I had to work together, I would have murdered him in the first week. Eddie must have the patience of a Saint.
"So where's your Dad gone?" Lissa asked. "It's ok; I won't tell Tasha. Although she seems to have got the message Pavel isn't interested."
"I didn't know he'd left," I said with a pang. I knew he had planned to leave Court once I had, but I was surprised he hadn't at least texted a farewell. "You're the first person I've spoken with since we left."
"You rang me first?" she said, and this time I could tell she was touched.
"Of course! You're my best friend! We're going to call Dimitri's family after dinner, and I'll call Mom and Baba tomorrow."
"So… what are you planning to do with all this free time?" Lissa asked playfully. Now I'd reassured her I still missed her; she seemed happy to discuss this strange new life of mine.
"Well… we're thinking about going to New York next weekend," I said, holding out the phone as Lissa squealed again. "It's a five-hour drive, so we're planning to leave straight after class Friday afternoon. We should be there by 9 pm. We'll stay Friday and Saturday nights, spend Saturday checking out some of the sights, and leave midday Sunday, so we're back in time for work on Monday."
"It's strange hearing you talk about a job," Lissa murmured.
"I know. It's weird thinking about a job," I replied. "Usually being a Guardian is a twenty-four-seven sort of thing, and you fit what you can of your own life in around what your charge needs. I'm still a Guardian – it's just weird being in a role where I have time for what I want, too."
I'd been exploring my thoughts out loud, but shut up when I realized despite being my best friend, Lissa was still a Moroi, and for a long time, we'd planned for her to be my charge. She might be offended by these sort of ponderings.
Neither of us said anything for a moment.
"I'm glad you have this opportunity," Lissa finally remarked. "You deserve a chance to live your life."
"Thanks, Liss. And it's not forever. Once our allocation is over, Dimitri and I will try to be reallocated to you and Christian," I said, trying to reassure her.
"Who knows where we'll all be in five years," she said with a shaky laugh.
"I know you'll still be my best friend," I proclaimed loyally.
"Like you'll still be mine."
"You're very quiet, ангел. Everything ok with Lissa?"
"Yeah. We've made arrangements for that trip to St. Vlads and the Dragomir estate. Lissa is going to fly us out Friday afternoon from Concord. It will be a busy weekend, but I need to be there with her for it."
Dimitri nodded, "It will be nice to see Alberta and the others there again."
He was watching me with concern as I ate the laksa noodle soup he'd spent the last hour making. We'd spent Friday night watching a Malaysian cooking show on the Food Network, and Dimitri thought he'd give the laksa a try. It was really good, and I told him so.
"What's troubling you, Roza?" he asked after I again lapsed into silence. It was impossible to hide anything from the man – he knew me too well!
I sighed.
"Dimitri – where do you see us in five years time? After this allocation ends?"
"I'm not sure. Together, but maybe with charges?"
"How can we go from this," I said, gesturing around me with my hand, "to standing at the side of a room, watching other people live their lives and fitting our needs around theirs?"
It was a rhetorical question. I didn't expect Dimitri to have an answer, but I needed to let him know the direction of my thoughts.
"Roza? Aнгел? We'll make the decisions that work for us. Yes, we're Guardians -but we're Rose and Dimitri first and foremost. Time and time again, we've proven we can do anything as long as we're together. We'll make it work – I promise you."
I gave him a loving smile, reaching out to caress his hand as we sat opposite each other at the table.
"Let's ring Mama, Babushka and the girls. I promised them we'd call tonight, and I don't want to disappoint. You'll feel better once we've talked with them."
I smiled and nodded, taking our empty bowls through to the kitchen and loading them into the dishwasher. Dimitri followed, wrapping his arm around my waist from behind.
"Promise me we'll make it work, Comrade?" I asked. "No matter what happens? I can cope with almost anything as long as you love me and we're together."
"I promise, Roza," Dimitri crooned, dropping a delicate kiss on the side of my neck. "No matter who, no matter what – they'll never tear us apart."
The End