Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or anything surrounding it (but I do own this plot :D)

RPOV

I powered through the corridors of St Vladimir's Academy, unwilling to waste any amount of time dallying about to fill my looming babysitter in. To his credit, Killian remained remarkably silent as I effectively did a power lap of the school, aiming for the western staircase up to the third floor. I continually tried to contact Lissa but with no success. Since Lissa's drinking escapades were few and far between, I had never experienced the effects of our bond with the added pleasure of drunkenness on her part, so I was very much out of my comfort zone, which was saying a lot given everything else.

Three flights of stairs later, I had broken into a short run, ignoring the slight cramp in my legs that came with climbing three flights of stairs a little too quickly. I ploughed straight towards the common room and within a matter of seconds found myself storming through its doors.

Only to find an empty room.

I stood frozen for a moment when something entered my head:

Better luck next time.

I blinked as I tried to determine its source. A thought, perhaps? Someone else's? Maybe even just my imagination. Whatever its source, its clarity was unmistakable, and I could feel my anger towards it rising.

"Rose, what's going on?" I heard Killian ask. "This better not be you messing about."

I gritted my teeth and turned to face him. "No," I said frankly. "Lissa was, is, in trouble. She's drunk and with Avery Lazar and…" I trailed off, wondering how exactly I was going to fill Killian in on the present situation. "Well...it's complicated."

Nice going, Hathaway.

Killian didn't look impressed, but his concern did peak at the mention of alcoholic misconduct. "If alcohol is involved, then I need to report it to Guardian Petrov, and it will be dealt with through the proper channels."

I could feel my soul come crashing down such that it evoked a groan from my person. "Oh, seriously! Can you not - just for a second - drop the fucking protocol to help someone in need!?"

He crossed his arms. "Rose, you have given me no reason to trust anything that you say is true."

I could have honestly strangled him - so much so that I actually mimicked the action with my hands, crying out and then stomping around the deserted room to kick the armchair Avery had been sitting on over.

"Rose…" he said in that annoying tone only teachers have when you do something wrong.

I lashed around. "What is wrong with you? I do not have the time to 'prove' myself - can you not have a little faith that what I am saying is true? Lissa is never in trouble; she never misses class and she rarely touches alcohol and now somehow she is managing all three."

Killian remained passive but I could see his expression falter. "And are you sure Avery Lazar is involved?"

"Yes!" I said jumping up from the chair.

"Rose, this is a serious accusation. She is the headmaster's daughter-"

"Oh, and that exempts her!?"

He raised his finger. "That is not what I am saying," he said before taking a breath. "Perhaps we should wait until the morning…"

I groaned. "You don't understand - I can't reach her!"

At this, he frowned. "Reach her?"

And there it was, the root of the problem:

Killian didn't know.

I assumed he knew the basic rumours following Lissa and I's little runaway, but he did not know the full story. I hadn't told him, mainly because it was none of his business given that he was only supposed to be a temporary 'babysitter' that I had no intention of becoming any further acquainted with, but also in order to save us all the burden of him trying to get to grips with it, but his ignorance was causing more problems than I had imagined.

And so, I flopped back down onto the chair and sighed. "Right, leprechaun: take a seat."

And I told him everything: Lissa, the crash, ghosts - the lot. Killian's reaction went through pretty much every emotion known to man, starting with respectful scepticism, and ending with bewildered confusion. In the time it took me to explain everything, the last lesson of the night had well and truly finished, and I heard the distant murmur of students and teachers alike heading to their dorms. Killian sat in silence as he processed this newfound data, opening his mouth every so often as though he were about to speak, but then closing it when he found that he had no words to articulate. I just sat there awkwardly and wondered for a moment where Avery had put that bottle of whisky before concluding that she had probably taken it with her.

Before long though, Killian finally mustered something to say. "Rose, I…" he trailed off, losing his words as though they were smoke from a cigarette: dissipating into nothing. He frowned and started again. "I'm going to need some time. It's been a long day, and this is…well, it's not helped," he said before looking up. "I'm going to need some time on my own to sort through this, so I'm giving you the evening." I felt my heart flutter and he, noticing my change in mood, shot me a pointed look. "Do not get into any trouble, Hathaway. Consider this a trust exercise: top form."

I smiled slightly, knowing and appreciating the weight of what he was doing there. "Top form: you have my word."

Killian met my eyes. "Please, Rose: let your word mean something."

I nodded and he responded similarly.

When we parted, he was still in a state of bewilderment. I felt a little bad for having dumped this upon him in such a way but was slightly consoled by the fact it would make our lives a little easier in the long term if only a little. I was also far too chuffed to be given a free evening to do whatever the hell I liked. Naturally, my instinct told me to find Lissa but after an hour of searching both mentally and on foot, I arrived with no luck. Each time I tried to reach her I felt myself blocked. It was infuriating, not least because I could not find my best friend, but also because I had no idea what it was that was blocking me. Was she still drunk? It seemed unlikely, and yet I could not say otherwise.

The hour passed slowly and in such a mind-numbing fashion that I found myself aimlessly wandering cyclical laps of the school under the cover of the early morning. Everyone else had hurried off to bed, the last only lingering around until the guardians on duty told them to go to bed. I continued to wander, enjoying the relative peace and quiet before a clattering from the gym caught my attention as I walked past. I frowned, wondering who on earth would be in the gym at this time, but I needn't have bothered - for who else could it have been...

"You do know it's the end of the day, right?"

Dimitri stopped what he was doing. I could not see his expression as his back was turned towards me, but he did not flinch at my words. I suspected he knew I was there.

"I am quite aware."

I smiled and wandered into the gym, closing the door and the outside world behind us. Dimitri turned and faced me; his eyes were covered by his shaded specs, but his stick was nowhere near him, instead disregarded and resting against the wall. I heard the light hum of the motors attached to the punching bags in front of him and I smiled.

"Training?"

He smirked, casual and light-hearted. "Always."

I smiled. I hadn't forgotten what had happened earlier that day and frankly, I was surprised Dimitri seemed so calm. "I'm sorry."

He frowned, inclining his head. "What for?"

"Earlier."

His eyebrows raised above the shades of his glasses. "It's nothing."

I sighed. "It is not nothing, and I know you-"

"Rose, I'm fine," he said, interrupting and coming towards me.

I eyed him sceptically. "Really?"

He smiled, stopping just in front of me. "Really."

I still didn't fully believe him. "Well…either way, I am sorry. And Killian is too when he's not so busy being an arse."

At this, Dimitri shook his head. "Rose..."

"What?"

"Behave."

I wrinkled my nose. "Hmmm, it's alright for you: you don't have him following you about."

He smiled. "That would be because I did not disobey any direct commands recently…"

I did a double-take and scowled. "Yeah, to save your ass, I'll remind you. You have a funny way of showing gratitude, comrade."

His smile widened and he stepped forward, his nose brushing against my forehead. He lifted his head up and kissed mine before stepping back. "I never said I was not thankful." The fingers of his right hand traced their way down to my chin and he applied a slight pressure, tilting my head up. Leaning down, he whispered: "Just stating the facts" and then silenced my inevitably defensive reply with a chaste kiss.

As he pulled away, I felt my scowl deepen. "You're mean, you know that?"

He chuckled. "Good to know," he said, wandering towards the punch bag by means of either memory or the sound of the motor, feeling around the bag to switch off the said motor. "Where is Guardian O'Hara?" he asked.

I hummed. "Ah…"

Dimitri halted and shot me a look. "What have you done?"

"Hey! Nothing like that. Seriously, can no one give me the benefit of the doubt?"

His reply was hardly comforting. "I know you too well."

"Huh, do you know?" I scoffed. "No, he gave me the evening to myself while he worked through some stuff."

At this, Dimitri looked even more concerned. "What?"

Realizing how that sounded, I clarified. "I told him about everything: the crash, the bond, the ghosts - the lot."

The tension left Dimitri immediately. "Ah…"

"Indeed," I said. "It was getting too difficult not to tell him."

Dimitri pulled down the punch bag from where it hung. "I don't suppose he took it well."

I shrugged. "As well as can be expected," I said, sitting down on the floor cross-legged. "Although, he's not exactly my main concern at the minute."

"Oh?" Dimitri replied, setting the bag down upright against the floor and leaning against it as he listened.

I sighed. "Lissa's got herself into a spot of bother with Avery."

"Lazar?"

"Yeah, that bitch."

Dimitri shook his head and, picking up the bag, headed towards the store cupboard. "I'm sure she'll be fine, Rose. The princess is both smart and sensible."

"And I'm not?" I said, toying with the subtext of his words.

He chuckled, tossing the bag in the cupboard. "You can be."

"Thanks," I said deadpan. "But that's not the issue: she was drinking whiskey today."

"On the school premises?"

I groaned. "Oh, don't you start as well. It's not like everyone else isn't doing it too."

He cocked a brow. "That does not make it right."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, it's not the problem here. I can't reach her."

Dimitri knelt down and sat opposite me on the floor. "Through the bond?"

"Yeah, something is blocking me. I can't work it out."

"Ghosts?"

I shook my head. "Nah, they've never been an issue-" I cut myself off.

Dimitri, noticing the clipped ending to the sentence, shot his head up. "What it is?"

I stayed silent but could not help the smile that encapsulated my face. The worry that I had momentarily subsided as I realized what I had just witnessed. "You just put that bag away?"

Dimitri frowned. "Yes…"

"Without the stick..."

At this, the frown was replaced with a rather smug expression that not even my beloved Dimitri Belikov could hold back. "Yes…What of it?"

I grinned. "Oh, come on: not three weeks ago you were crashing into your bed. This is fantastic!" I said jumping up. He laughed, following my movement upward with his head. I had been so focused on my own crap that I had completely missed Dimitri's victory - this was good. This was more than good; it was blindingly hopeful. "Have you been coming here every day? By yourself?"

He pushed himself to his feet. "What else would I be doing?"

I didn't really care for the underlying self-pity that went with that particular retort, but I let it slide on account of the fact that Dimitri was getting better. "Haha - yes! Oh, you are going to back to your awesome level of godliness in no time."

He laughed. "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, Rose."

I ignored him. "Matt Murdock - didn't I tell you? You are a fucking superhero, comrade!"

He laughed again, shaking his head. "You are mad."

I grinned. "Happily so if it means a little excitement." I paused when an idea came to my head. "Have you just been practising with the bag?"

He nodded. "I must remember to thank Guardian O'Hara for his little genius."

I smiled but continued to ponder upon the idea. "Hit me."

Dimitri frowned. "What?"

"Hit me, Dimitri," I said, assuming a defensive position. "Practice fighting me."

For the second time in his career, he hesitated. "Rose, I…"

I decided to press it. "Come on, it's like you said: where's the challenge in remaining in your comfort zone?"

He shot me a sceptical look. I paused for a moment, sent a silent prayer heavenward and then took a swing.

A million things flooded into my head at that point: I hoped he would react; I feared he would not. A sense of doom and anticipation filled my being as my fist powered towards his scepticism and stationary form. My heart began pounding like the bellow of a war drum on a silent battlefield, only to be silenced by the action that followed:

He blocked it.

Holding up his forearm on instinct, my right hook was deflected backwards. Our reactions were instantaneous: I felt my smile grow to the point where it actually hurt and he seemed shell-shocked, standing with his blackened gaze towards where his arm stood upright.

"Не может быть…" he whispered.

I had no idea what he said but elicited a response of my own. "Ha!" I cried out.

I saw his face change from one of shock to another of determination as his lips rose upwards and his jaw tightened. "Again."

I needed no further encouragement.

Obviously, I knew I needed to be careful, but I did not let that deter me. I made to swing with my other hand, but he stopped it again, a little more clumsily than before. He did not fuss and responded with a jab of his own. I dodged and changed the angle of my attack. I saw his face wrinkle in concentration as he used the senses, he had to determine my moves. Smiling, I made a point to be a little heavier on my feet and struck again. I landed my attack, but he was quick in his reply, using my height, or lack thereof, to push me back and out of range and causing me to stumble a little.

Evidently, he heard this and with a smile, he reminded me, "Watch your footing, Rose."

I huffed. "I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be mentoring you now." I pointed out, moving around a little.

He smiled, reassessing his position. "I don't remember being demoted…"

"That's because I saved your ass." I threw another punch forward. He dodged. I swung again. He used his position and redirected the punch away from his body before planting one of his own. I ducked before it could and his and fell back.

He then decided to reply with a chuckle. "That was your own folly."

"Rude," I remarked before going in again. This time losing some of the former nicety. I aimed for his stomach, using my shorter height to my own advantage. He grunted upon the impact but reacted accordingly with an attempt to twist my arm behind me. I twirled out and went for another strike. It hit again. A small growl left his lips, and I felt his body tense further as his determination rose. I went for another hit, but he blocked it. He stuck, but I blocked him. What then followed was what can only be described as a display of pretty much every single hand-to-hand technique in the book. Honestly, if it weren't so late at night, I was convinced it could be used as an education for students and guardians alike. In spite of his disadvantage, Dimitri was putting up a damned good fight. Even behind the inaccuracy and reduced rapidity, you could still see the brilliant skill that had made him so admired and so lethal. And with every mistake, there was a hint of slowing down. If anything, he seemed more motivated than he had been previously. It was the same level of commitment and drive that underlay the foundation for a great guardian. Such drive had been visible in Dimitri's disposition from the day we had first met and almost every day since. It was a fire and a passion that his blindness had tried to destroy, but it was as resilient as he was.

Guardian Belikov was back, and he was back with a bite.

Hit after hit, block after block, he got better and better, faster and faster. Even though I knew hours had passed, I felt no fatigue and he showed signs of slowing down. Hand-to-hand combat had always been a little dull for me, but this moment changed it all. Like a woodpecker to a tree, I supplied strike after strike, and he was reciprocating similarly and with such fluidity, that it was more like dancing than sparring.

Such as it was, I felt the whole world slip away: it disappeared from around us and all that remained was our strange dance. I trust my hand towards him, he dodged and caught it, pulling me off the ground and around his body. I used my legs, hooking my foot on his side in turn forcing us both to the ground. Using the linger momentum, I attempted to roll us over, but he rolled back, resulting in a cartwheel effect across the floor until he, using his larger form, placed his hands on the ground, effectively cutting off any more attempts on my part to wriggle free and claim victory.

I felt a sense of déjà vu as my mind thought back to our fight in the corridor during field practice and it became clear that Dimitri too had this on his mind.

"There, now we are even," he whispered, his accent thick and he caught his breath.

I chuckled, also now feeling the fatigue of having spent the past few hours in continuous combat. "We were always equally matched."

At this, he chuckled. "Oh, really?"

I hummed, rather self-righteously. "Mhmm, I only let you think you need to teach me."

He smiled. "Oh, Roza…" He brought his head down and embraced me with his kiss. I melted into it slowly, like chocolate over boiling water. His hands slid against the floor until he fell on his elbows, bringing himself closer to me. I lifted my legs and wrapped them around his waist, pulling him tighter and falling deeper into his spell before a burst of reality hit me.

I broke away slightly. "Dimitri, won't someone see?"

I heard him grunt, but he continued to kiss the side of my face and down under my jawbone. "Let them." he managed to articulate through his assault on my neck.

I laughed a little. "I don't believe you mean that, comrade."

He grunted again and pulled away; a smile etched on his lips. "What if I did?"

I smiled. "Then you are no Dimitri Belikov."

He laughed and pushed himself to his hands and then to his knees. I pulled myself from under him and tried to straighten myself out, though I was already a mess from the sparring, so it didn't make much of a difference. Out of a slight fear, I cast a quick glance towards the door of the gym only to see it mercifully empty. "Good thing everyone's in bed, huh?" I said as my eyes glanced past the clock on their way back to Dimitri.

He smiled and pushed himself fully to his feet. "Most definitely." He turned his ears towards the door. His glasses were still on and covered his previously so expressive eyes, but I could see a certain glee on his countenance. Though, of course, he kept it formal. "We should probably head to our dorms."

I jumped to my feet and picked up the hoodie that I had been wearing, now discarded on the floor, and tied it around my waist. "I'll walk back with you."

He smiled rather devilishly, raising his eyebrow in my direction. "I think I can manage…"

"Who says it's for your sake?"

He laughed. Shaking his head, he extended his arm out. I grinned, snatched up his stick and hooked my arm through his. "This is rather unlike you. Wandering around, holding hands at the end of dawn with everyone asleep - it's positively public." I joked.

His expression remained the same: light-hearted and happy. "Would you like me to stop?"

"I did not say that," I replied a little too quickly. "But it is a little out of character."

He shrugged. "I know. However, I recently had a conversation with someone who reminded me just how fortunate I am, and I rather agree with him."

I smiled a little more. "Must be a rather perceptive man."

Dimitri chuckled a little. "I wouldn't let him hear you say that - I'll most likely go straight to his head."

I rolled my eyes. "Sounds like Adrian."

He smiled. "It was."

I frowned. "Seriously? When were you talking to Adrian?"

He pondered for a moment before speaking. "I had a dream."

"About Adrian?" I couldn't resist.

He shot me a coy expression. "Not exclusively," he assured. "No, he…what was it you called it?"

The realization filled me at that moment. "Do you mean dreamwalking?"

"It was more an invasion than a leisurely stroll, let me tell you," he said.

I was still bewildered by what he was saying. "Why on earth was Adrian stalking you?"

"He said he was bored."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that sounds like him."

He turned a little contemplative. "In truth, I did not really mind it."

"Really? I always found them uncomfortable in the least."

He shrugged. "It was nice to have a chat with someone who wasn't afraid to give me a kick up the backside." He paused for a moment. "And it was also nice to see someone again."

At this, my head shot up and I stopped dead in my tracks. "Sorry, did you just say see?"

He smiled and nodded. "I told you I see in my dreams. Apparently, this extends to if Adrian wants a visit."

I blinked. "That's incredible!" He nodded, but there was a hesitation in his actions. "Is it not?" I asked stepping back into our walk.

"It is and it isn't," he said. "'Give a man his heart's desire and there is always a catch.'"

"Did Adrian tell you that too?"

"My grandmother," he corrected with a smile, "though Adrian did mention something along those lines."

I chuckled. "He has his moments of wisdom."

He nodded. "That he does," he said as we approached his room. "He reminded me of something I was on the verge of forgetting."

I paused, eyeing him nervously. "Which was?"

He smiled, releasing my arm only to take my hand in his. "That you are not a dream," he said lifting my hand up to his lips.

I felt my heart flutter. I stepped towards him and gave him a gentle kiss. "I am right here," I said, breaking after a moment with a teasing smile dancing on my lips. "And don't hesitate to ask for a reminder, should you forget."

He broke into a wide smile and pulled me back into his arms. I wrapped mine around his neck and pushed into him, causing him to lean against the door; the weight caused it to open, and we staggered into the room, locked in a tender embrace. I kicked the door shut with my foot and brought my hands up to cup his face. He continued to trace down the curves of my side, then to rest on the hilt of my hip.

"Roza," he whispered. "We cannot…"

I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging the band that kept the strands in place off and allowing them to fall free. "We can do whatever we like," I said, taking off his glasses and placing them on the desk behind him.

He tightened his eyelids shut and brought his forehead to mine. "Хочу...хочу…"

I closed my eyes and smiled, revelling in his scent, his touch and the sound of a language I did not understand. "What did you say?"

I felt him pause for a moment before his hands rose up and cupped the side of my face and with no lack of conviction or passion, he spoke: "I want to."

And with that, he kissed me again and I pulled him back onto his bed.

I awoke curiously.

It was as though I was being tempted out of sleep and seduced into the world of consciousness. I felt a frown form on my brow before my eyes opened to see the darkened expanse of Dimitri's room, the only light supplied by the sun seeping through the black-out blinds. I turned to see Dimitri asleep: lying on his front, his arms encircling his pillow as his head rested sideways towards me. I smiled at his peace and then again at his state of undress as I remembered the night before and my similar situation. The clock on his bedside read 02:04 in bright red letters.

A sound, an echo brought me around and I was reminded of why I woke up in the first place. I sat up on the bed, instinctively using the blankets to cover my naked form, but careful not to take them from Dimitri. My frown returned and I narrowed my eyes as I tried to inspect the room and determine the cause of my awakening.

A sharp pain jolted through my head and I held back my cry, grunting, and groaning instead. I felt my head burning up again, as though my skull was being ripped apart from the inside. Darkness began to invade my vision, but through it, I saw a figure in the shadows of the room. Having experienced the pain of this over and over, I made one hell of a decision: I tried to battle through it and focus on this person. Mason? Perhaps Andre again? I needed more information if I were ever to work out what was going on. I ignored the pain, or as much as I could, and focused harder. The figure was faded, like a portrait worn out over time: a ghost to be sure. I felt reality fall around me as the darkness intensified, but the person became clearer. They staggered about, panicked, and afraid; their back was towards me. I called out, or tried to, but no sound seemed to leave my lips for the agony increased and caused me to scream out silently. The figure continued to stagger and flounder on their feet as the pain and drum of my heartbeat filled my tearing skull. Suddenly, out of sheer luck, the ghost staggered around, and I saw their face.

My blood went cold. My jaw dropped open. I could not believe it… How could I? For it was neither Mason nor Andre who stood before me, but someone else I knew altogether:

Killian O'Hara.