**Chapter 11*

News finally reached us of Hans attack on the mobster and like I feared it all come true. I sank back in my chair with my head in my hands. This cannot be happening.

'How many men did we lose?' I asked as all the head of the departments sat around the board room in HQ.

'35 dead and about 12 injured and 13 of them are missing.' The report were read.

'I told Hans this would happen and now he is missing, and we all know when guardians go missing that the likelihood that they are unwillingly turned.' People gasp around the room.

'It all true. I can vouch to that.' Dimitri step up and got my back as he walked closer to where I sat.

'What now? What happened now?' A young female guardian asked the room in general.

'The guardian council will have to sit really as soon as possible to appoint a new head of all guardians here at HQ.' I said.

'When will that be?'

'This afternoon.' Dimitri chipped in. Everyone seem to nod their heads in agreement. As I am first guardian to the queen I have a spot on the councils table as to Dimitri as well. The hour and a half pass. Dimitri and I had lunch and then head back to HQ from our home. Now that our council session in already full steam going ahead with council members arguing cress cross for Hans old position. Fist almost started to fly around.

'EVERYONE, SHUT UP!' I yelled out over the fighting council members. The room quite down faces now focus on me.

'Give me five names, how you think can do the Hans's old job with enough dignity, loyalty and honorable justice.' The room went even more quite now.

'Please not everybody all at once.'

'Guardian Phillips.' Someone said at the back of the table.

'Good, that's one.'

'Guardian Kelinov.' Another said.

'Guardian Rose Belikov.' Someone beside me said.

'I can't, I'm not on the council long enough,' I point that out to them all.

'Desperate times guardian Belikov.' The guy said again. I shook my head and then wrote down my name.

'Guardian Dimitri Belikov.' Guardian White said on the other side of the room.

'We need one more name.'

'Guardian Hathaway.' (Great my mother.)

'Time to vote. You may not vote for more than one.'

'1. Guardian Andrew Phillips – 3 votes

2. Guardian Fredrick Kelinov – 4 votes

3. Guardian Rose Belikov – 6 votes

4. Guardian Dimitri Belikov – 5 votes

5. Guardian Janine Hathaway – 5 votes.' I read the votes out loud just like that I was appointed as the head of the guardians. The weight of world were dropped on my shoulders in a mega ton crane. Everyone came to congratulated me. I smiled and thanked them. Walking into Hans's office was still so cereal. How can I protect Lissa and run the HQ at the same time. I can't do this. I though looking around Hans' s office.

'Yes, you can do this.' Dimitri said walking into the office.

'You're amazing and you can do both that is why you have people under you that can help manage everything.'

'I don't even know where to start.' I said looking up at him as he put his arms around me. Oh the look on his face said he was so proud of me.

'Stop take a breath and clear your head. Think like Rose would think and not how you think they want you to think.'

'My goodness how did I get so lucky to marry such a zen wise man. That I love so very much.' He half smiled at me and gone me a quick kiss and a nice warm hug that send yummy shivers up and down my spine. I smiled at him then step back, holding his hand. My secretary walked in, just so we all know all the people waking at HQ is all trained and promised in as true guardians. She looked at me and introduced herself to Dimitri and me. I let go of Dimitri's hand to shake her hand.

'Guardian Belikov, we have funeral arrangements to make.'

'Yes, of course.' I said jumping right into my new duties as head of Head Quarters. Dimitri gave me a quick kiss on my cheek then returned to his duties watching Christian and so Lissa with Eddie stepping in for me when I am not there. We arranged for all the guardian's bodies back to court so we can bury them all in the proper way. Veronique my secretary arranged everything I asked her to. I'm going through Hans large day planner to see what he is up to so I can get up to speed around here. All there is guardian requests that I need to approve and I can see on the chaos of the desk the files of the guardians in question.

I stock them all on a neat pile and move to the next item on the daily planner that is rotation rosters for the guardians all over court then there are our moroi prison guard rotation as well. The next few items are the court holding cells guards that need a good shuffle. I got organized on the desk and started working through the various guardian requests profiles. Some of these guardians have great profiles some not so great.

Royal moroi's need the best protection our guardians can offer them. I call Veronique in and asked her to please help me with a few things, how things work here in the office. What's going on currently? She told me how the inner workings of HQ and said there are current talks about upgrading the novice training since the age law is now in effect. That got my attention. There were also talks about retiring older guardians at the age of 70 and that the older guardians must carry over their wisdom to the younger generation.

'At what meeting s where these talks held?' I asked her.

'All decisions are made by the count five. The count five is five heads of all five different departments of the guardian development divisions.

'1 I am being the head of head quarters have the final say what goes into the novice training. 2 The we have guardian Vivian James that is head of novice education. 3 Guardian William Von As head of HQ guardian training. 4 Guardian Sky Welsh head of novice physical training. 5 Guardian Eric Long is head of all school security throughout the world.' Veronique informed me and I do have a meeting with them really early tomorrow morning. She gave me a rather thick file of all the necessary people's names and their cell numbers and what their rolls are here at court.

I told her I sort of got the hang of things in Hans's daily planner. She confirmed that everything I thought of in Hans's day planner is indeed all correct. I got a rather big messenger bag told her all though I'm now head of HQ, I still have a duty to protect the queen. That I will call her if I have more questions and will be in tonight after I picked up Junior from day care. I head out with my large heavy bag and drove to where Lissa's house is. Dimitri and Eddie were talking when I walked in. Eddie jumped to attention when I walked in.

'Oh, please Eddie not here maybe out there but here we are all still friends.' I said and I could see Eddie relax.

'Congratulations on your promotion.' Eddie said and gave me half a hug.

'Thank you. I'm not sure it's a promotion then a work load add on.' I said sitting down. The two men nodded their heads in understanding. Eddie left returning to his old post. Gave Dimitri a hello kiss then got busy working through all the paperwork ever so often look over at the monitors. Lissa and Christian spending their day at home. Tomorrow and the day after that is non-stop court sessions for her to work through. Lissa called me in when I was making my rounds.

'Oh, Rose. I heard you're the new head of the guardian head quarters. Congratulations.'

'Thanks, it's a ton of work. I'm going to try and manage for now guarding you and try and run HQ.'

'Don't you think it's too much to take on with a little Dimitri on the side?' She asked me and concern on her pretty pale face for me for taking on too much.

'Baby steps.' I told her.

'Speaking of baby, Dr Walnikov phoned back this morning. He said the blood results came back this morning it is positive. We are going to have a baby. I'm having Christian's baby.' She said as Christian put his hand on Lissa's shoulder and squeeze a little.

'That is fantastic news. Congratulations. I'm so happy for you two.' I gave them both hugs.

'Thanks Rose.' Christian said. I left them after that returning to my ton of paper work. I phoned Veronique a couple of time just to clear a few things. It was time for me to go pick up Junior. I did and drove home quickly and feed and give Junior a bath for the evening. Driving to HQ and arriving at my new office. Junior held my finger as we both walked into HQ. Men saluted me and I return their respectful salutes.

Veronique gave me my messages. I quickly returned them all and got to my other work at hand. I memorized all the guardians in the file Veronique gave me earlier. Lucky for me there were pictures next to every guardians name. I asked for some past few months rotation rosters for the various stations. Veronique brought all the rosters I asked for, so I can get a feel of how to work the rotation. I started about an hour later I finally got how the rotations work. I quickly down the rotations for all over and send it to Veronique to send out. I looked over to where Junior where playing quietly with his toys.

I continue with the rotation rosters for the next four months and gave the guardians that is guarding the maximum prison have proper rest the guys that are on guard no has been for the past two months. Now I rotate guardian every month so the others can get proper rest. Sitting now I work through the profiles of the guardians that has send in their requests.

Veronique came into my office and told me I have done a very great job in the rotations and that our fellow guardians bodies will start arriving tomorrow mid morning for the mass funeral that will be taking place here at the guardian grave yard, here at court. The good priest only most graciously agree to do it, when I spoke to him earlier today. Coming back to a few other things to the meeting with the count five, I asked Veronique for the previous meeting minutes and tomorrows agenda. She gave me such a thick book with the past meeting minutes for the past four months.

Once I done all the paperwork of the guardian in request and some of them not approved guardians. On some of that guardians that were not approved I replaced them with much better suited guardians and gave other moroi other guardians how failed to comply with royal moroi families we need the best guardians to protect them at all cost. Veronique already gone home but I told her I'll leave all the paper work she need to get out first in the morning in her top desk drawer. I did packing in the minutes and the meeting agenda in my bag.

I gather all Junior's things, I wrap him in the blanket he fell asleep on. Going out to the car was a bit heavy bags over my two shoulders, and a ten and half month old in my arms. I fasten him in his car seat, fling my bags on the back seat and drove to watch over Lissa's house where Dimitri was keeping an eye on them as they cuddle on the their couch and listening to music. I arrived in the monitoring room.