6 Weeks later:

"Masie, I'll show you one of my favorite places on the campus. Now that we said Goodbye to Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa, it's only us girls for a while." I say to her as I make my way with Masie in her Maxi-Cosi to the gym. I still get strange looks from time to time when I walk about the campus with a baby but I don't care anymore. Our baby is like a doll, a beautiful doll, you see her always dressed like a girl but never makes a sound. Only cries when she's hungry or the diaper is to be changed.

Opening the gym door, I immediately go to the dressing room to quickly change. Even Masie is dressed in a cute training outfit Lissa and Christian send us for her birth, I got one too and surprisingly it is matching Masie's one. My girl and I are in Partner look now. I grin to myself at the thought but sadly no Dimitri is here to see us, a picture will need to suffice now.

"My little Sassy, how about laps? You will soon enough run along." I say while giving her a little kiss on her small nose. I gain a small grin from my girl. After her birth I was here every day with Dimitri and most days Masie too, so I wonder how soon it will be until she starts running along. How the times flies. 6 Weeks already, we celebrated Christmas together with Abe, Janine, Viktoria, Lissa and Christian, but the New Years Eve was a quiet affair only us 3. It was beautiful celebrating Christmas with everyone and even my best friend with Sparky came over for Christmas holiday. But the holidays weren't always as rosy, there was Mason's first death anniversary, I got my second Molnija for killing the Strigoi despite Dimitri who told me I should still wait, but I didn't listen. A little fight between us regarding parenthood and work so soon because I planned to start 8 or 9 weeks after her birth. I didn't budge. I guess I will always be stubborn.

Today I plan on training 2 hours, except when my daughter interrupts me of course but that rarely happens. When I first started training with Dimitri these many months ago, he forced me to run laps, and I'll now take over his training plan, but only inside. My first 15 laps are easily done, sometimes watching over to where Masie is and expanding my run to her but then I realize I miss Dimitri's presence, especially in here. I choose 9 weeks, so 3 weeks to be back to my old self again. Training with my boyfriend certainly helped a lot already, at first only laps than expanded to fighting.

These past 6 weeks, he was such a devoted father, and his knowledge as if it would be his second child. He spent every minute he could with us, even though the first 4 weeks was still Field experience.

"Christian! Quickly! Where's Dimitri? Ah there, Quickly." I get pulled into the bond, so many emotions flooding through her, happiness, ashamed she might have frightened both, homesick and missing us and this time it feels so real like I'm there. Dimitri's stern mask and ready to throw himself at an obstacle, Christian looking around as if someone might jump out of a bush right now. Showing them her phone. "Look, isn't that that cute? They are Partner look."

"Liss, are you out of your mind? You sounded like someone might be there!" Christian says but still looks at the picture. "Hey, the little mini monster." he says with a smirk on his face, while Dimitri couldn't suppress a large smile, the ones I love so much. Mini monster, only because she puked on him a few times.. Or almost every time he held her. That's my girl, I couldn't be more proud.

I clink myself out of her mind and take my phone to write a text message.

"Lissa, you pulled me in." Not even few seconds later I hear a buzzing.

"I know, did that intentionally. You're welcome."

"You're the best. I'm finishing my laps now."

"Pulling in again soon?"

"Yep."

I'm still amazed how she managed learning to easily pull me in, maybe from the books the one from Court send her? But I prefer it like that, I see them through her eyes, I see if they're really okay. Yes, I can also enter her mind without getting pulled in but since my little girl is born I just don't find the time, when she's finally sleeping I try to sleep too. The bond has it's advantages and disadvantages. Advantage, I see them every time i want to, to check on them if they're okay. Or in my case mostly to see Dimitri and Lissa doesn't let me down when I enter her mind. Disadvantages, It's only a one way bond and they can't hear my answers or remarks. I sometimes see Lissa and Christian making out. Most damning was hearing about Tasha and Dimitri.

Now with our little girl it would even be nice to have a bond with Dimitri, one like Lissa and I share. He could check in whenever he likes to see she's fine. No need for Facetime anymore. After finishing my laps, I start with stretching until I hear a door opening. Sighing I stop, walk over to Masie and check the door who it might be.

"I should have guessed it might be you, Rose. How are you keeping up so far with the training?"

"I'll be ready in 3 weeks. Since coming back to St. Vladimir's after my 2 year absence I did nothing but train." He laughs while looking at Masie. Idiot.

"As if you've only trained, there's the living prove. You're making a bad mistake in taking this job, go back to Court. You won't be ready in three weeks."

"Let me tell you something, I haven't only trained with Dimitri but also with Guardian Hathaway. I can take you down, like I did with Dimitri and Yuri." I answer in a stern voice. His nerve, how can he say such things?

"You will never be your old self again Rose. Leave St. Vladimir."

"No, you're probably right." I look at Stan to see any reaction and I'm surprisingly fortunate to earn a smirk. That's my cue to disappoint the guy. "I'll be even stronger."

"You will endanger all of us." With this he leaves the gym again. That was certainly a strange conversation. Was he maybe right? Will I endanger the school? Should I just go back to court, my old desk job and seeing Dimitri more often? What would I give to have him here now with his zen lessons. Going back would be easier for all of us to say the least. Dimitri could see his daughter more often. Oh it is all so screwed up.

Back in my room after my morning practice I prepare again a bag for my little one, after school Kirova and I are gonna test little by little if she's fit to babysit or rather if Masie accepts it so young. I'm still sometimes wondering if that's really a good idea, we all know she hates children but constantly cooing over the Mini Miracle of mine when she sees her is really not like the Headmistress Kirova I know from my days as a student. I even wonder if she still owns her cat, I shudder when I think back on the scavenger hunt. Her hitting on Dimitri, me finding a cat in her apartment. Scared the hell out of me. Will my child become a cat addict as Kirova? Why cats, why not a hamster? Doesn't matter now, never understood our headmistress anyway, one minute she hates every student here like me included when I was a student and the other minute she's cooing over my newborn.

The little test all went well, according to Kirova she played with her most of the time which was only one hour to start with. Fortunately. The next try will be tomorrow and also for one hour but we will increase the hours. It really was the longest time I was away from her since she's born but I could run laps outside during that time and it almost felt like when I was a student and Dimitri was waiting for me inside except that this time there's no one waiting for me inside the gym, I'm on my own for the most part and it was my choice.

After picking her up I leave for my room again, it is getting late, especially for kids and ruining her sleeping schedule would do no good. Feeding her and putting her to bed and everything else she needs was getting easier to handle, I have now my own routine with her.

When I finally got some time for myself I decide to check on Lissa even though she has Dimitri with her but hey, this way I can maybe see Dimitri again though her eyes and not only via FaceTime. Sometimes I really wish it would be a two way bond. Damn.

"Christian? Do you see him? He's miserable." Lissa whispered. "Just look."

"That's their Guardian mask. The only time he showed any emotions was when he saw the picture." He answers, just now do I realize they are in Lissa's dorm at Lehigh but how? Isn't Christian studying somewhere else?

"I can tell. Maybe from his aura. Isn't there anything we can do?" She glances over to Dimitri who is standing in a corner, and indeed with his guardian mask but Lissa is right. Sadness is written all over his face and it breaks my heart. So much so that I kind of regret visiting her through the bond. "Would you want to be parted from your baby so soon?"

"You already have some kind of plan, right?" And indeed Lissa has already a plan but I couldn't find out more because I got blocked from her mind. How the hell did that happen? Plan.. her plan will definitely include using spirit and I can't let her do that.

"NO LISSA! I will not let you do that! Leave it at that." I say already raising my voice on the phone with her. We knew it would be hard, for the both of us.

"Rose, please. Be reasonable, you saw it through the bond. It will be safe and sound." is her calm answer, how can she stay calm whereas I'm furious?

"I should be reasonable? I would much rather be only one hour away from Dimitri, believe me! Does your plan include spirit? Who's the one who's absorbing your darkness after using magic? That's me. I shouldn't be doing that I'm a mother but I cant't help it, I'm used to it already. So don't te -" I got cut off by a piercing cry. Damn it I woke her. "Need to go, I woke Masie. And don't even think about it."

Lissa POV:

Yes, my plan actually includes spirit. Now that I think about it, she is right. She shouldn't absorb my darkness. Maybe I can make it happen without any magic? I just know I need to get to court, but with my classes now it's unlikely I could go before Friday and we're Monday. Or can I make things happening from here?

"Damn the little monster is loud. Why on earth did you had her on speakerphone?" Christian asks. "Definitely Rose's daughter. No mistake in there."

"Christian, she's not a little monster, she's cute and loud, I'll give you that." I chastise him. For him it's like no other name exists anymore except little monster.

"Dimitri, what do you think? A little monster or not?" Christian turns to my guardian and looks at him for confirmation.

"As if I would call my daughter a little monster. Never. But definitely Rose's set of lungs." All it takes is a quick phone call, or rather a little conversation about his family and he's actually smiling again.

I know for sure Rose is not really happy without her better half, same goes for Dimitri I guess. Rose still has 3 weeks left until she starts as a guardian and I could at least try to give them a little bit more time together. Would it afterwards actually make things worse with saying goodbye again for a little while? I should decide quickly. Jumping up quickly I grab my laptop and open my mails. It shouldn't be that hard to write a mail to Guardian Croft and explaining him in political manners why he should grant Dimitri leave for 3 weeks. In writing he misses his daughter and girlfriend, Guardian Croft would only laugh..

"For God's Sake what are you writing? Let me have a look." My boyfriend addresses me and looks at the screen. "That is your plan? Mastermind indeed."

"Then what else? I figured Politics would be best."

"You're going about it the wrong way, involve another one, one we can trust and who knows them best. Come on, give me. I know the e-mail address." With that Christian starts to write a mail to Guardian Petrov but I still can't figure out how he knows her mail address.

"How? Why do you know her e-mail?"

"Only a little prank Rose and I pulled when she was my guardian for the Field Experience." His smug smile is back. So that is what they did? Pulling pranks?

"You both pulled pranks on Guardian Petrov? When did you find the time for that? And more importantly, what did you do?" By now I also drew Dimitri's attention, I wanted to avoid that actually.

"We took the time. Rose found out the address, don't ask me how, it's her private address by the way." Looking smug again.. "You know Rose, how she is or was when bored. And we were. We created 4 new mail accounts on my laptop. And used different school computer's to send her random memes. Having her as a Guardian was actually fun. I still have no clue how she got the keys."

"Christian! I would have noticed? We were always together. And the keys, you should have known better!" I exclaim. A quick glance to Dimitri tells me he still is listening closely, I got a feeling especially now with the key part. Did he knew, were it his?

"It was past curfew. And something tells me we wouldn't have gotten in trouble anyway."

"I See." I grin. "Okay, so then let's begin the plan for real now." I whisper at last.

"It's done and send off."