Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to Richelle Mead.

The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by Ms. Belikov. Please do not copy, reproduce, or translate without express written permission.

RPOV:

"I can explain," was the first thing that tumbled out of my mouth. My lying skills had become increasingly worse since entering St. Vladimir's several weeks ago. "She wants to join the academy."

"What?" Tasha yelped beside me. I quickly grabbed her hand and gave a tight squeeze, silencing her.

"Too late for that." Pavel said flatly. "Sign ups ended four weeks ago. The academy is no longer accepting new recruits until next fall."

"I know that, but see…" I walked up to him and got ready to do my best persuading act. There was no room in my heart for shame when I was trying to protect one of my closest friends. I was even prepared to beg if I had to, which looked very likely at the moment. Pavel was like the Great Wall of China and all I had to break him down was two popsicle sticks. But if there's a will, there's a way. And I had one hell of an impressive will.

"I need your help, Pavel. And for you to hear me out for just one minute, off the record."

He cocked his brow. Damn, everyone knew how to do that except me. It was so annoying.

"Off the record?"

"Take off that instructor hat for a while and talk to me like I'm your equal, is what I mean. I need a hand, and you're all I have. If I go to Dimitri with this, he'll kick me out of the academy."

"As he should."

"Look, I know you don't like me. None of the instructors do, and I don't blame them for that. But please….please, I need someone to understand."

Pavel surveyed me for a long moment, then flicked his stormy eyes over to Tasha and took his sweet time staring at her with a guarded, ruthless expression. Then a miracle happened. Something clicked in his gaze, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't sure why—and I didn't dare question it—but he saw something in Tasha that made him do something he normally wouldn't.

"What do you need?" he asked finally.

"Ouch," Tasha hissed as Pavel dabbed the cut on her eyebrow with a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol.

"You'll be fine, baby girl. It's just a little scrape. Doesn't require any stitches."

"How do you know that?" I bent over and squinted at the deep red line. Pure rage raced through my veins, and it took everything I had not to kick a hole in Pavel's wall. "You're not a doctor. I think I should take her to the hospital."

"I was a paramedic for several years before I became involved in law enforcement," the instructor shot me a 'don't push your luck' look. Clearly he'd had it up to here with me, but I was merely concerned, and I think he was able to tell that. "The bruises and split lip will heal. If it was anything serious, I would treat it as such. She'll be fine."

God help me, but Pavel was gorgeous. And he smelled so good. He totally wasn't my type and our romantic situation would never go farther than me hypothetically undressing him with my eyes, but that didn't mean I couldn't appreciate his scorching hotness. With his thick head of hair, light mocha skin and cold gray eyes with flecks of ice in them, he probably had women tripping over their own panties to get a little taste of his exoticness. His southern accent, insane height and powerful body only added to his air of danger. This man wasn't someone to mess with.

"Why are you helping me?"

"I don't know," Pavel answered honestly. "But does it really matter?"

I contemplated that and pursed my lips in confusion. "Guess not."

"Thank you," came a tiny voice, and we both looked over at Tasha. She cleared her throat harshly and seemed embarrassed at all of the attention. Her low self-confidence and insecurities broke my heart. She was tremendously beautiful on both the inside and the outside, and it was such a shame she didn't seem to realize that.

"I just want to thank you for everything you've done for me." Tasha met his stare with wide, innocent blue eyes. She could bring any grown man to their knees with the power of her hypnotizing stare. "And also for not asking why."

"It's your business, ma'am." Pavel shrugged. "If you want to tell me who did this to you, you will. If not, I ain't going to press. I don't know you…I don't even know why I am doing any of this, to be honest."

"But you are, which is so incredibly kind. You have no idea what this means to me. I cannot go back there."

Pavel—oh my sweet Jesus—licked his full lips. "Back where?"

"My home. I no longer have one."

"Well, you can't stay here for long. I can only keep this hidden from Dimitri for a certain period. This is going to sound harsh, but the sooner you're out of here, the better."

Tasha looked like she had just been punched in the gut, but she recovered quickly and faked a brave smile. "Of course. I completely understand, Pavel. But I still want to thank you for everything."

"It's not a problem," the instructor stood up, walked over to his closet, and pulled out several thick blankets. He dumped them in my arms.

"What are these for?" I asked stupidly.

"Sleeping."

"I'm not leaving her." I said immediately. There was no way I was going to abandon Tasha after everything she'd been through tonight. Being left alone wasn't going to help her situation at all.

"I know." Was all he said, and it may have been my imagination or something to do with the fact that I was utterly exhausted, but I could have sworn he was fighting the urge to smile at my stubbornness.

Pavel simply indicated with a nod of his head to the single twin bed in the room.

Tasha immediately looked distressed and jumped up from her seat. "Where will you sleep?"

"You don't need to worry about that," the instructor said, heading for the door. He shot a look over his thick shoulder that was all business. "You two just get some rest. I'll figure out what to do in the morning."

"Thanks, pal." I called out.

"Don't call me that." The door slammed shut behind him.

"Vika is so great at this. Vika knows how to do this. Vika can beat anyone at this. Vika. Vika! Vika!VIKA!" I mimicked an annoying voice. "Vika can suck it!"

Beside me, Lissa giggled and rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you hate her so much. I think she's really sweet."

I stopped walking through the forest and yanked my best friend back by her arm. "I'm sorry…did I just really hear you say that? Please tell me I didn't hear you say that about Viktoria."

"You didn't hear me say that about Vika—I mean Viktoria."

I gasped deeply. "You called her by her nickname! That Russian babe has gotten to you too. Oh, God. She's spreading amongst this camp like an epidemic." I said. "Listen here, Vasilisa. She's my enemy. And now you are my enemy. Not some place you want to be. Got it?"

I angrily stalked off and Lissa had to jog to keep up with me. "Oh, come on, Rose. Don't be so dramatic. You're just feeling extra bitchy because Aunt Flow came to visit last night. How about I take you to the cafeteria and buy you a brownie?"

I halted again and crossed my arms, staring at her warily. The anger in my limbs was still there, but had faded quite a bit when she mentioned chocolaty goodness. "Make it two and I'll think about forgiving you, but you have to promise me that you hate Viktoria too."

"I don't hate anything."

"Not even killers?"

"No, not even killers. Everyone makes mistakes."

"Rapists?"

"No. I believe everyone deserves a second chance."

"What about kidnappers?"

"No."

"Racists?"

"No."

"Well, you have to hate baby killers then."

"No, I do not. I don't hate anything!" Lissa cried in frustration and annoyance.

"…Gays?"

"Rose!"

"OK, OK. Fine." I laughed when she socked me in the arm. "We're getting off track here. Alright listen, you don't have to swear that you hate Viktoria. But you do have to swear that you strongly dislike her."

"I strongly dislike her."

"Swear."

"Nuh-uh."

"Lissa…"

"Fine. I swear that I strongly dislike Viktoria. Happy now?"

"Very." I grinned brilliantly. "Now we can be best friends again."

"Yippee!" Lissa said in fake enthusiasm. "Now open the door for me, my bitch."

I snorted and did as she instructed. "I am such a bad influence on you."

Walking into the cafeteria, I saw something that immediately made me nauseous and so angry my blood lit on fire. Now see, I may have never been a sweet girl who didn't go looking for trouble and had mostly good intentions, but that didn't mean I went and picked fights with whoever I could. My heart was screaming at me to go lift Viktoria up by her gorgeous golden locks and do something I would seriously regret later, but it was my pride and my brain that kept me walking right past the happy couple.

"I'm proud of you," Lissa whispered. "I so didn't believe you could do that."

I took several deep breaths and they all came out raggedly. "Thanks for having so much faith in me."

"Hathaway." Dimitri called out.

I immediately tensed, knowing that now that I had to deal with him face to face, whatever pathetic excuse I had of self control had just shattered. I turned around and plastered a careless grin on my face, but I must have looked somewhat like how I felt on the inside—angrier than a hornet who's hive had just got kicked—because Vika looked taken aback and Dimitri blinked several times before regaining composure.

"Hello, instructor Belikov. What can I do for you?"

Shock flashed across his face. I'm pretty sure that was the first time I had ever addressed him properly.

"You were absent in Law and Ethics this morning. Why is this?"

I couldn't exactly tell him the truth, which was dealing with Tasha. The conversation I just had with Lissa instantly came to mind. "Sorry, instructor Belikov. Had really bad cramps. Mother Nature came to visit me last night with her monthly gift, if you know what I mean, and I think you do. I planned on coming to class, but I was unable to find a tampon and the Playtex machine in the bathroom was out of order. So I had to make use with what I had, which was some toilet paper and a few cotton balls…and then one got stuck up there and I had to fish it out with some tweezers—"

"That's enough." Dimitri said abruptly, and I laughed internally with satisfaction. No man on earth was comfortable with such talk about woman problems. I had just received my get out of jail free card.

"May I talk with you outside please, Ms. Hathaway?"

Maybe not. I swear I had the worst luck.

"Sure, I guess."

I followed him outside. Dimitri didn't say anything for several long moments and I merely watched him pace pack and forth, creating a small trail of dust behind him with each powerful step. He stopped and stared.

"You always give me that look."

Dark brows crashed down. "What look?"

"The look that tells me you've wanted to pour anti-freeze in my jello."

A soft chuckle escaped his mouth, and the sound was music to my ears. God, I loved his laugh. "You are crazy."

I couldn't help but smile. "Tell me something I don't know."

Something warm moved my wrist and I glanced down to find Dimitri rubbing circles into my skin. Looking back up, I found his eyes trained on my face, studying every feature intently. I don't even think he realized what he was doing, but I didn't dare say a thing because I will admit, shamefully, that his touch felt too good and I never wanted it to end.

All good things must come to an end, though. He glanced down, realized what he was doing, and pulled away like his hand was on fire.

"I have to go. Viktoria will be waiting for me."

"Coward." I muttered at his retreating form.

Dimitri paused with his hand on the door handle of the cafeteria and shot a look over his shoulder. "What did you say, Hathaway?"

"You know what? I don't even care. You're a grown man. You can do whatever and whoever you want on your spare time. I don't even care! And I don't even know why I'm getting so mad about this!"

His eyes flashed with surprise. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your pretty little girlfriend in there."

Now he gave that are-you-crazy look he reserved for me only. "Who?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't play stupid with me. I know you're doing the Hanky Panky with lil' miss breezy."

"You mean Viktoria?" Dimitri—I swear—flipped out laughing. I had never seen him show any emotion, let alone thismuch emotion. It was one of the most amazing things I had ever witnessed, and the anger and jealousy suddenly left my body.

Once he was able to regain control, which made me immensely sad because I adored seeing him so happy, he said four words that completely stumped me: "She is my sister."

There was a long stretch of silence. My jaw practically hit the floor. "What?"

"She. Is. My. Sister." Dimitri enunciated slowly, as if I was mentally challenged.

"I know what you said, douche! It just doesn't make sense to me." I slammed my lips shut and breathed out through my nose. "That is one messed up family."

The cop's eyebrows shot up. His eyes flashed violently, and I knew I had angered him beyond measurement. Guess Russian's took family business seriously. Or maybe it was just Dimitri. Or maybe I was just relying too heavily on stereotypes. I tended to do that a lot.

"If you are inquiring that I am having sexual relations with my younger sister, you have one messed up head." he said coolly. The one thing I had learned during my time with Dimitri is the calmer he appears, the more livid he is on the inside. This is only one of many factors that made him absolutely terrifying, even to a thick-skinned girl like myself.

"Hey, what you do behind closed doors is your business." I put my hands up in surrender. "I ain't here to judge."

"You have got to be kidding me," Dimitri ate up the distance between us and grabbed both of my arms. His grip wasn't painful per se, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either, and I knew it was just a taste of his true capable strength. "Do you even hear yourself at times? The words that actually come out of your mouth?"

"You two seem very close, that's all I'm saying."

His grip tightened and I gritted my teeth. "Give me a break, Rose. Give me a fucking break." Suddenly, he released me and I stumbled backwards, landing straight on my bottom.

"Ouch." I said, then looked up at the towering building glaring down at me. "I guess I deserved that one."

"Get up."

"Listen, that was uncalled for okay? Fuck…" I dusted off my jeans and struggled to find the right words to say without digging myself into another hole again. "I…yeah, I don't know why I just said that about Viktoria. I act different around you. I think different around you. I don't want to disappoint you but for some reason I always end up saying some stupid shit, and then I think, 'Did you really just say that, Rose? Really? How damn stupid are you?' I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry. For disrespecting you and your sister. That wasn't cool."

One side of Dimitri's sensuous mouth turned into a heart stopping smile. Then he did something that shocked me to my bones. Those long, graceful fingers reached forward and traced the edge of my chin, down to my jaw where he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. His hand lingered there. "I also must confess something…"

"What?"

"You are my favorite recruit."

"Really?" When he merely nodded, I laughed and asked, "Why? I cause you so much trouble and headache. I thought you hated my guts."

"I could never hate you, Rose."

"But your life would be so much easier without me."

"Perhaps that is true, however…" One finger twirled around a lock of mahogany hair and I was in heaven. "You are you, Rose. And I wouldn't change that for anything, even if it was in my power."

I stared at him, stunned. On impulse, I lunged forward and hugged him like I had never hugged anyone before. Judging by his stiff body posture, I had caught him off guard. But a moment later, he relaxed and wrapped his arms around me. If my heart would have stopped beating right then and there, I would have died a happy woman.

Of course, all good things must come to an end…

The doors to the cafeteria swung open and a group of laughing recruits exited, along with Lissa, Christian, and Viktoria, who I suddenly didn't have such homicidal urges for.

Dimitri and I sprang apart like our lives depended on the separation. I instantly felt the loss, but he didn't seem to be affected and was instantly in Detective mode. I was so angry at the interruption I could have kicked two holes in the wall, but since I had flip-flops on and the outside of the lunchroom was made of cement, it didn't seem like such a great idea.

I suppose we were lucky that nobody seemed to notice the tense air that surrounded Dimitri and I. The last thing we needed right now were rumors and suspicions being spread around the academy.

As my friends surrounded me, talking and laughing amongst each other, entirely oblivious, the last thing I felt was lucky. Something inside my chest twisted and stung when Dimitri gave me one last cold glance, turned around, and walked away like he regretted ever even touching me.

Spinning around, I kicked the wall with all my might and cursed deafeningly when I heard a loud snap. I seriously needed to work on my anger issues and impulsiveness.