RPOV
"How long have you waited to call me a guardian?" I teased as he supported me down the stairs and off-stage. "And did the first time have to be while proposing?"
"Yes, it did," he tapped my nose. "And I've been waiting from the moment I met you. So, all year."
We stepped onto the floor and I pulled him into another kiss.
"We're breaking protocol, you know?" Dimitri teased.
"You can speak. You lengthened graduation to propose."
"So worth it but, Mommy."
"Oh, definitely worth it, Daddy. Definitely worth it." I nuzzled my nose against his before kissing him again.
"Oh god, Roza, I love you."
"We love you too, Daddy." We broke into grins at the parental term. There was no doubt in our minds that we were going to be a family. Nothing would get in our way of being a family and doing our jobs.

The novice graduation wasn't the only one with a marriage proposal. But this one I'd had to approve of. And I did, if only to get even with Queen Bitch. Christian made Lissa happy and was the father of her unborn little Dragomir. He balanced her in the way Dimitri balanced me. If anyone had to be my brother in law and the no-longer-last Dragomir's husband, then I only approved of fire-lighter, smart-ass, and sarcastic Christian Ozera.

Lissa squealed and hugged me excitedly when she got offstage. I eyed Ozera and nodded as he trailed only a quarter step behind her. "Nice one, Ozera," I said honestly. "I'm impressed."
"Nothing compared to Guardian Badass God Daddy, theres." He nodded to where Dimitri was sitting beside me. "Didn't know you had it in you, Belikov."
"Watch it, Christian. He's the father of James, he has it in him."
"Wha...? Oh- eww! Rose!"
I smirked. "At least one of you's a man."
"Roza!" Dimitri chastised playfully in embarrassment.
I shrugged. "It's true. You're much more of-"
"Not here!" exclaimed Lissa, Christian, Dimitri, Adrian, Mason and Eddie. "Rose, no one wants your awkward- and honestly, extremely biased- opinion on that," Lissa said.
I smirked then winked at Dimitri. He blushed.

Dimitri drove me to Court since I couldn't fly. We had a challenge and a deadline, so unfortunately we didn't stretch it out to a week long road-trip, much as we desired. We took shifts racing against the clock, it was a good 34 to 42 hour drive, and we had to make it in 28 to 30.
We were extremely lucky to be given the chance to leave straight after the Moroi gradation, which gave us the time to race the roads into Billings, five hours away... if an over-zealous me wasn't behind the wheel. We left the Academy at one in the morning, and arrived in Billings by four; three hours and one car later. Dimitri took back control of his precious steering wheel, made me sleep in the passenger seat after a Macca's stop, and then pressed forward at a much less productive speed on the I-90E. We stopped at around eight in the morning to get gas, again some food (and donuts much as they should be off the list) and switched divers again.

"Please be more cautious this time, Roza. For James' sake."
"And I hope you didn't lose us the two hours I shaved." I didn't mean to snap. Damn hormones and stress. "I'm sorry, Comrade. I'm stressed, that's all. And the only way to get rid of it is getting to Court on time. I love you. I'm worried about James too, that's why I want to get to Court, the anxiety could be killing him and that fact's only adding to it. I want him safe and safely behind wards."

Dimitri nodded his understanding and went to sleep holding my hand. I went easily 30 mph over the limit for a good eight hours. Of course I had to stop more often than desired due to James and the pressure he put on my organs. Dimitri slept the entire time, thank god. Until I woke him to switch another hour later.
We'd been on the road for 18 hours and were only beating our ticking time bomb by an hour. I slept awkwardly and barely while Dimitri raced our ticking time bomb for the next 6 hours. We'd now been on the road for 24 hours and had 4 to 6 hours to get to Court. We would struggle to get there in 10 hours if I didn't take over. So I did, much to Dimitri's dismay and disapproval. We made it in 6 and a quarter hours as a result.

"I'm not road tripping with you ever again," Dimitri commented as we changed into our formal uniforms.
"While pregnant and with an impossible ETA."
Dimitri laced his hand in mine and led me to my graduate luncheon that was due to start in fourteen minutes. We opened the door and slipped in a minute late. I guess some things'll never change. The Moroi and Head Guardian (Hans Croft) who signed us in looked at us disapprovingly.
"Don't. Say. A. Word," warned Dimitri. "We've driven all the way from St Vladimir's without a proper rest. I recommend you don't say a word to Rose... Guardian Hathaway." Aww, he had to correct himself. Gorgeous.
"Come on, Daddy," I tugged on his arm after having added the metal and engraved name badge to my uniform. "Let's go, they're not worth it. Besides, I want to see if Lissa's around- and you need to find her for me." I guided one hand to a stirring James who handed Dimitri a kick.

I swear that boy knows Dimitri is his Daddy and when he's touching me. I swear he favours Dimitri on purpose. I may be entirely wrong, however. Dimitri I've learned very much loves his Mama and will do anything for her, so James may be sucking up to his father to be in my good books. I doubt I could ever deny him anything if he was playing up to Dimitri. So, he's either favouring Daddy already, or he's using that pretence to make me love him more. Either way, I loved him simply because he existed and he already had me whipped.

Dimitri grinned before putting his mask up as we stepped into the crowd. I rolled my eyes when he wasn't looking. "I caught that eye roll, Rose," he said.
"Even on duty, unless Croft or the Queen is nearby, don't call me by my title. It reminds me of my mother in this setting, and... well... does indescribable things to me in others." We wound our way through the crowd, Dimitri took up formation against the wall and Lissa purposely strode towards us.

"Rose," Lissa chastised. "You shouldn't have come."
"It's compulsory," I replied. "And like you can speak."
Lissa blushed and Christian snuck up behind her. "For once, Rose is right, Lissa. It really was dangerous for you to come." He glared at me. "You especially, Hathaway."
"Oh, shush! It'll be Belikov before we know it. Plus, we all know James here is a Belikov baby." Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Dimitri's momentary smirk... and an approaching Natasha Ozera's disappearing scowl. False friendliness then, okay, I'll handle that, as long as she realises there's a big 'Hands off' sign on my Dimitri. She won't steal James' dad away, not while I'm around.

"Lissa, Christian, Rose," she greeted.
"Tasha," we returned.
"Ahhh, Rose, I've asked for you, if Lissa here doesn't get you, that is." Her ice blue eyes shone deviously as she shot Dimitri a look. He squirmed, it went unnoticed by all others, but I picked it up. With my eyes I questioned if I should tell her our plans. He nodded, again I was the only one able to perceive it.
"See, that's going to be a little bit difficult, Tasha. Neither of you will get me for a couple of years. Until James is born, I'm reasonably sure I'm on desk work. Then I've got six months maternity leave. Then if I'm not assigned to Court, Uncle Christian here has also offered me part time on top of a desk job. And if all that falls through, then I'll work at a café."
Beside me Lissa responded to Tasha's shocked and confused expression. "What do you think she's to do, Tasha? Rose and Dimitri can't be my guarding partners and married with kids." Humour and understanding flooded the bond. Especially as Tasha whirled around to face Dimitri.
"Rose? You got Rose pregnant?"
In a bad show of breaking rank, Dimitri opened his arms for me and James to fall into, while he wore a massive grin. Dimitri nodded. "I got a shadow-kissed Roza pregnant with our first-born, our son."
"Hey!" I laughed and slapped him playfully. "Who said I was going to let you try giving James a sister? We've got two more months until he arrives, don't start jumping the gun."
My fiancé shook his head and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "I'll convince you yet, since you're the one who can't keep her hands off me."
"Sexist, egotistical, self-important bastard!" I quietly yelped playfully.
"I am not," he whispered seductively in my ear.
"Don't you start that up," I warned.
"Don't worry, I struggle keeping my hands off you too."
"Much to my delight."
"Guardian Hathaway," coughed Eddie, destroying the moment... no doubt on purpose, damn him.
"Soon to be Belikov," I corrected.
Tasha's expression was priceless.
"Really, Dimka?" she asked incredulously.
Dimitri glowed with happiness. "Yes, Tasha, really." He held me closer and I giggled into his chest.
"You don't know what you do to me, Dimitri," I complained playfully.

Over the following two hours, I had few Moroi approach me. Lissa, Christian and Adrian all hovered close to me. Mason had a couple more Moroi approach him than they did me, like four approached me and eight approached him. Eddie was extremely popular. Spokane had left him the most serious of our group... well, in the eyes of the Moroi apparently and nearly half the room approached him, dignitaries, royals, and politicians alike.

Just as I thought I was clear to leave, Queen Bitch approached. James started kicking up a storm and I couldn't settle him. "Comrade!" I murmured desperately, "Help. James."
Dimitri came to my rescue within seconds. Thank god his shift ended two minutes ago and he was volunteering to help clean up. Suck up. But, since it was overtime, he was getting paid. Thank god. So I wasn't going to complain. His arms encased my waist and his right hand started tracing patterns over the bump our son was creating. His touch calmed both me and our son. Tatiana was in our presence soon after. I had just calmed myself down, now I was challenging myself to maintain my composure for both my sake and James'.

"Ahh," she began before we could bow, her eyes flicked disapprovingly between me and Dimitri. "We had heard rumours of a dhampir couple in our midst. Never would we have believed it would be you two." What on earth was she insinuating? "And we see Guardian Hathaway chose to laden Adrian and Vasilisa with her baggage."
"Your Majesty," I interrupted as Dimitri's hold on me tightened and his jaw set in anger. Odd as it is, I was reminded of how our anger at her ultimatum had led to extraordinarily powerful love-making. "Our child," I gestured between me and Dimitri, "is not baggage, and Lissa has just conceived Christian Ozera, her fiancé's baby."
"That's impossible," Tatiana refuted in an arrogant queenly manner.
"I'm shadow-kissed, and much as Your Majesty," majesty's ass, "believes otherwise, I know who I've slept with, and I've only ever slept with my fiancé here. I hadn't met Adrian when James was conceived. Your Majesty." Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Dimitri turn a very light shade of pink at the mention of our sex life and how we'd created our gorgeous son.
"You must be aware that according to our deal, Guardian Hathaway, you will not be considered as an assignment to Vasilisa."
I smirked at Dimitri. "Suits us just fine. We were planning on only Guardian Belikov here having been assigned to Lissa anyway."
I could tell Tatiana was displeased by my seemingly indifferent attitude. I'm sure she was trying to evoke tears and screams or threats or something other than acceptance and a 'we've already considered and come to terms with that' response.