She was being punished for your suggestion. And while you rejoiced in the fact that he had ended their relationship, watching her suffer was not something you'd enjoyed.

She had always been one of the strongest women you knew, always strong for everyone else. There were differences to the person she was before the accident but deep down she was still Rose.

As you watched her board the busy plane beside you, you wondered what you could say to help. She hadn't spoken a word since your departure from court and her eyes were rimmed red from all the crying she'd attempted to conceal from you. Your fists balled in anger as you recalled how you'd had to step between them.

You'd agreed to meet her at her apartment, from there you'd gather all of your luggage and leave together. What you hadn't expected was the screaming coming from inside as you got closer to the door, the scene inside made your blood boil.

He was yelling obscenities at the woman you loved. Acting like an overgrown child with a temper.

"You're a fucking tease, that's what you are! That's why that little friend of yours Mason is dead!"

You had heard enough. You grabbed him by his collar and lifted him from the ground with every intention of making him pay for his cruelty. He was saved by an angel.

"Please," she begged you, "he's not worth it."

You set him on the ground, but not before jostling him around a bit.

He'd departed like a wounded dog, promising her they were through if she went through with this trip.

You'd attempted to soothe her but she'd drawn back at your affections.

Her spirits lifted a bit while you were in the air and you were able to draw her into conversation. Ridiculous as it may seem, talking to her made you feel giddy. For months now you'd watched her withdraw from you.

This was your first time seeing your family again after they thought you dead. You'd spoken to them since, revealing the truth of the last year to them. It hurt how they didn't believe you until your babushka spoke up, but you understood. You even felt grateful at their caution, knowing this was what kept them safe.

It was hard for them to greet Roza as a stranger, pretending for her sake and yours that they were just getting to know her. Your heart broke watching Paul's excited scream.

"Aunty Roza!" He'd exclaimed excitedly.

She'd looked around confused, knelt down to Paul and said, "You must be Dimitri's nephew Paul. It's nice to meet you." She extended her hand.

You'd watched as your nephew shakily took that hand and then threw himself crying into her arms.

She'd looked apologetically at you and your family, not understanding the significance of that moment. Fearing she'd done something to upset your family already.

"He's just tired," Your sister had offered through thin lips.

Following that Paul had kept his distance. You'd tried to explain that it wasn't something she could help, but you could tell he felt hurt at having been forgotten by her. A feeling you understood all too well.

She'd retired to bed early that first night, and you knew that apart from the exhaustion she was also still hurting over him. That thought alone made your blood boil.

Over the next week your family fell into a routine centering Roza, and every opportunity you had with her had to count.

It started off small, you didn't want to overwhelm her after everything she'd been through but it was time she recognized your love.

Since losing her memory she had been surrounded by a gym and other guardians. There had been no shortage of volunteers to spar with her. Dimitri missed it. He missed the way their bodies moved together, perfectly in sync, always anticipating each other's moves. He was curious to see if her memory had affected her fighting at all.

The awe on her face brought you so much joy as she realized her usual strategies didn't work on you. You knew her like the back of your hand, even if she was now just realizing how much your training together had influenced her combat skills. Watching her enjoyment was your ultimate downfall. You decided it was worth it as you felt her heaving body pinning you down. Her eyes were such a beautiful shade of brown, they looked like liquid honey as the sun beat down on her face.

"Dead," she muttered before lifting herself off you and extending her arm to support you.

"And the student surpasses the teacher." You beamed at her proudly.

"I didn't realize," she looked at you curiously. "It's like fighting a mirror. We fight so in sync, it's like you knew what I was thinking before I did. Why aren't we guarding partners?" she marveled.

What you couldn't tell her is that you had chosen to guard Christian for her sake. And while Christian had turned out to be quite an amazing charge, not even angered when you'd left him vulnerable after watching your entire reason for existing fall through three levels, it was for purely selfish reasons you'd chosen to guard the young fire lord.

The truth you'd had such a hard time admitting to yourself was that your resolve had been weakening. You'd convinced yourself that leaving Rose to guard the princess was the right thing to do, they'd planned this from childhood after all. But you knew deep down that if there was even a slight chance that you and Rose had a future together it was never going to happen if you both guarded the princess. As far as the Moroi world was convinced, it was a conflict of interest.

So you lied to her, again. "You were chosen to protect the last Dragomir since before graduation, I was merely there to ensure you were ready. That you were the best you could be."

She smiled at you gratefully, "thanks."

Overcome by emotion you pulled her into a hug, inhaling the smell of her shampoo mixed with her sweat. To some that might have seemed disgusting, but you loved every part of this woman. Most of the quality time you had spent together had involved you both covered in sweat, and despite that, you had never found her more attractive.

Having her in your arms felt so natural, you depleted a little inside as you felt her pull away. But instead of putting some distance between you as you'd expected, she grabbed your arm and pulled you toward your mother's house.

"Come on, I need you to shower."

"And why is that Roza?" you smiled at her noticing that sneaky gleam in her eyes.

"You have to buy me some ice cream, comrade," she said matter of factly.

You felt your heart pull at hearing that nickname. "I don't remember agreeing to that."

"I think old age is starting to affect that memory of yours Dimitri."

You laughed loudly before exclaiming, "Says the one with the memory loss."

"Are you denying me Dimitri?" She gave you that maneater smile you loved so much before disappearing upstairs to shower.

You stood in the same spot for a couple of minutes trying to catch your breath before following her up to take a much needed cold shower.