The last seven months had been an absolute whirlwind. So many things in my life changed in such a short period of time. It felt like nothing was sacred and allowed to stay the same. I wasn't allowed to be Lissa's Guardian, I knew that much after the verbal lashing I got after our unplanned trip to Vegas, but the archives were starting to slowly grow on me. I enjoyed the quiet and I secretly loved reading all the dirt on people.

The archives were so much more than I thought. It essentially held every scrap of information we have on every royal. There were a few scandals hidden away in here that would ruin people's lives, and the Guardians dutifully hid them all away down here.

There was only file I didn't want to put away, only one that I wanted to slip into the back of my pants and burn so that nobody would see it ever again.

Dimitri's file.

Each Guardian had one, I wasn't stupid to believe that we wouldn't, but I hated knowing anyone could come down here and look at his file. Mine wasn't huge but it wasn't small either. Dimitri's was large though. I did snoop through it, wanting to see a glimpse of the person I missed. His file went into detail about his achievements, and how he was the youngest recorded blood master seven. There was a subfolder in the back that listed his lineage. An entire breakdown of his family was there, even the recorded account of his altercation with his father as a teenager.

It didn't take me long to figure out why I felt a bit of attraction toward Adrian; they were family. And now that I knew that, I saw the similarities. Their fathers were brothers. As soon as I read that, I flipped the file closed and buried it in the back of the cabinet.

But now that I was outside in the daylight, I relaxed and unwind from the day. I frequented a dinner on the far edge of court. It was small and dingy but made the best milkshakes and burgers. I had gotten to know the staff there, due to my lack of friends. Eddie and I were on the fence, and the longer Lissa was here, the busier she got.

At least in the last six months, I gain a friend in a few unexpected places. Mikhail was one of them, and Abe's Guardian was the other. Not Pavel, but Marcus. Marcus was in his late twenties and was quiet, but was good company. He made a point to at least smile at me when I met with Abe. It was nice to be treated like a person rather than an object of protection.

Other Guardians tended to steer clear of me, whether it be my reputation or the knowledge about my history with Dimitri, who knows. But the longer I lived here, the less it bothered me. I enjoyed my nightly milkshakes.

I was the only one in here tonight, and it meant that I had free range over the jukebox. There were a few songs that were complete crap that I would put on. I had my baack to the door, the diner being run by retired Guardians. I was halfway through my fries when the bell above the door chimed. I didn't turn, too engrossed in putting more salt and ketchup on my fries. I heard Joseph, the owner, call out to whoever came in. The footsteps were light, indicating they were Dhampir and they made their way to the other side of the diner.

I lifted a few fries to my mouth when the music changed abruptly to a song I hadn't heard in almost a year.

Don't Stop Me Now.

I took a slow breath and glanced up for a second before looking up again. It wasn't my imagination; the person who subjected me to hours of eighties music was standing at the jukebox. I took a slow breath and looked back at my plate.

I had seen Dimitri in passing over the months. After the day in the church, I steered clear of him. After a few months, we would say hello to each other, be polite in public when necessary, but I hadn't spoken to him. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but after what happened, I didn't want to push him. I didn't want him to hate him, so staying afar was the best I was going to get. He was getting better, he was healing; I loved him enough to not jeopardize that.

I dipped my fries in my ketchup when I heard Dimitri walk away from the jukebox. His footsteps were almost inaudible when I heard his shoes scuff beside me. I looked up and gave him a tentative smile.

"Hi," I said quietly.

"Hi," he said, almost hesitantly. I felt my brows raise slightly and he gestured to the booth across from me. I nodded and he sat down, folding his hands on the table. I moved my plate off to the side, only a few fries left on my plate.

"How are you?" I asked. Dimitri nodded and cleared his throat.

"I'm…okay. How have you been?"

I nodded my head too. "Fine. Did you need something? Or just didn't want to eat alone?"

Dimitri chuckled and cracked a smile. My heart flipped at seeing it and seeing him smile was all I needed for the day. Seeing him smile again was all I needed for the rest of my life.

"A little bit of both, I guess," he said rubbing the back of his neck, "I know that I don't have the right to ask this, but I need a favour."

I twiddled my thumbs together and raised my brows completely. "A favour?"

Dimitri nodded and took a slow, deep breath in. He looked nervous and I bit my bottom lip, waiting for him to speak when he was ready.

"I've been restored for seven months now," he started and I nodded encouragingly. He paused and it seemed like the words were getting caught in his throat.

"I need to call my mother," he whispered and I nodded.

"She doesn't know?" I asked quietly. Dimitri shook his head and bit the corner of his lip when Joseph came over to take his order. Dimitri ordered a burger and a shake like I did and waited to speak again until Joseph left.

"No. I haven't been able to bring myself to do it. A part of me has been terrified that she wouldn't believe me, but the other part of me doesn't think that I deserve to have what I did. I did a lot of terrible things and I don't want to taint anyone else."

I sighed quietly and shook my head. "If anyone deserves to have what they had back, it's you. You were a victim to all of this too. What do you need?"

Dimitri's eyes met mine. "I need someone to be there when I talk to her; someone she can trust to believe that I'm real."

I nodded. "I can do that. Now, she might yell at me first, but I can do that," I said with a small smile. Dimitri let out a breath and he sagged back against the booth, his whole body relaxing.

"How long have you been waiting to ask this?"

"A few weeks. But, it's my mother's birthday next week," he said and I understood. He wanted her to know that he was alive.

"When would you like to call her?" I asked.

Dimitri shifted in his seat. "When is your next day off? I don't want to impose on you," he said.

"I'm off tomorrow," I said. Dimitri nodded and I smiled at him.

"Thank you for asking me. I know that this hasn't been easy on you," I said quietly. Dimitri nodded and gave me a small smile as well. We sat in comfortable silence until his food arrived, and a slice of blueberry pie was set in front of me as well. Dimitri shook his head a little as he put ketchup on his plate. The song changed to one that I was familiar with and I stopped.

Never Tear Us Apart was another song that I was subjected to at the Academy, but I didn't hate it. Anytime I heard the song I thought of him. I looked up from my pie and smiled at him.

"Remember how I used to sing this song as obnoxiously as I could?" I asked as I cut a piece of my pie with my fork.

"Yes."

"I'm sure it made your ears bleed," I snorted as I put the piece in my mouth. Dimitri shook his head.

"I love it, actually," he said. I smiled at him again and went back to my pie with a smile.

I was a little nervous about being in Dimitri's room. I didn't know where he was roomed exactly, but Croft managed to swing something in Dimitri's favour. He was on the ground floor of one of the older buildings, but the units were larger.

I knocked on the door and when he opened it I felt pity. He looked so nervous that he was slightly green.

"You okay?"

"I don't think I can do this," he whispered, no mask on his face. Instead, everything he was feeling was clear on his face. I tsked quietly and slipped inside, closing the door. I turned to him and sighed, risking it and wrapping my arms around him.

He tensed for a moment but wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"Breathe," I said softly, rubbing my hand over his back. He took a slow breath and nodded his head.

"What if she hates me for what I've done?" he whispered into my shoulder. I closed my eyes and squeezed him gently.

"She's your mother. She couldn't hate you even if she tried. You are her pride and joy, you are her son," I affirmed as I pulled back. Dimitri looked down at me and swallowed thickly.

"Okay," he whispered. I nodded and gave him a soft smile. Dimitri stepped back and gestured to the computer that was on the desk. I walked over to it and used my login to access my video chat account. Dimitri moved an extra over so that he sat by me, just off to the side. The sun was starting to rise and we were seated in the rising sun. It was a surefire way to prove that he was Dhampir.

I typed in the number Dimitri had written down for me and I waited as the call connected. I could feel Dimitri's agitation rolling off him. I reached over for his hand that rested on his knee and squeezed it, giving him some comfort when the call was accepted.

Olena's face was the exact same as it was the last time I saw her. There were so many things that passed her expression; shock, happiness, confusion, and then disapproval.

"Roza!"

"Hi!" I said excitedly, smiling at her while bracing for the motherly blow I was going to receive.

"You left without a note! I was worried sick about you! I had no idea where you went or if you were okay! How could you!?" she exclaimed. I shrank back a bit and looked at her sheepishly.

"I told Yeva," I said pathetically with a small shrug. Olena narrowed her eyes at me before her face softened. It seemed to be enough to appease her. Our conversation became casual catching up, giving Dimitri time to calm himself.

"There was a reason I called," I started, casting my eyes to the side.

"Oh? What's that dear?" Olena asked, picking up Zoya and holding her on her lap. I smiled and waved at Zoya before clearing my throat.

"It's about Dimitri," I said after a moment.

Olena's face dropped a little and she held Zoya a little closer to her.

"What about him?" she asked quietly.

"You know that Oksana is a spirit user," I started and she nodded, "And you believe there are things that spirit users can do that are unexplainable?"

Olena nodded and her brows pinched. I picked up the laptop and carried it with me so I could stand in front of the open window before sitting down. I took a deep breath and looked at DImitir, checking that he was ready. He gave me a slight nod and he moved his chair closer while I angled the laptop so we were both in the frame.

Olena gasped and my eyes snapped back to the screen.

"Don't drop that baby!" I exclaimed but her face was heart-wrenching.

"Dimka?" she whispered, shaking her head the slightest bit. Dimitri cleared his throat and he nodded, scooting his chair closer to the table. I leaned back in my chair and watched the two of them reunite, even if it was just over a screen.

Seeing him beam with joy while he talked to his mom was the best thing I had seen in months. And seeing the happy tears that spilled over his cheeks when officially meeting Zoya got me choked up. I didn't contribute much to the conversation, just happy to see the two of them happy. I remembered all too vividly the look of agony on Olena's face when I told her about Dimitri's 'death'.

I chimed in a few times near the end of the conversation, mostly to promise to call more often. After she hung up I looked at Dimitri. He leaned back in the chair and rubbed his hands over his face with a sigh, looking at me when he moved his hands.

"See, that wasn't so bad," I chirped.

Dimitri laughed and smiled carefreely. "No, it wasn't."

I smiled at him again and stood up, stretching my arms above my head.

"I think after all of these emotions, we deserve a milkshake. My treat?"

Dimitri stood up and shook his head. "I think that this one should be on me. I owe you a lot of milkshakes, do you think?"

I smirked. "I won't say no to free shakes," I said with a wink.