It was the day after graduation; the happiest day in quite a few young people's lives. Made doubly so for Rose, because it was the day we could openly declare our love for each other. Before I could let that happen, I had one small problem to deal with first; telling her mother, Janine Hathaway, one of the strictest guardians. I was afraid.

Because of the Strigoi attack, the Academy had been on high alert for the remainder of the year. The Novices' graduation required all of the guardians who had instructed them as part of the graduation, so reinforcements had to be called in. One of these had indeed been the legendary Janine Hathaway. They were in charge of protection during the ceremony. The rest of us had an integral part in the ceremony. After being given their promise mark, signifying they were Guardians, we, their mentors, would present them with their very own stake.

The ceremony went by quickly. All too soon, I was walking towards my Roza, stake held behind my back in its leather sheath. As I reached her, standing in line with the rest of her novice, well guardian, friends, I couldn't help but to think back on all of the times we had together. From the moment we had met, on the streets of Portland, I felt a connection to her. She understood what it meant to be a guardian, even more so than some twice her age.

I looked at her, and pulled my hand from behind my back. I presented her with her stake silently. Some of the other mentors had given their students long winded speeches, such as Alto, who took fifteen minutes explaining everything to his mentee. However, between Rose and me, no words were needed. From the expression of pure… I couldn't exactly describe it, however I knew she knew just how special this moment was. I gave her a hug, knowing that no one would think anything of it, except a mentor saying goodbye to his subordinate, and welcoming his equal.

After all of the stakes had been received, the new guardians were dismissed. They would be given two days' rest before assigned to the Moroi they would be following for the rest of their lives. Some, such as Rose, knew who they were going to be with. Others had no idea. She came running up to me, her face filled with pride at her accomplishments.

"Can I do it now?" she asked me. I had to smile, knowing that it would have to be the first thing out of her mouth. She was referring to wanting to make our relationship publicly known.

"Not yet, Roza. I still haven't told your mother." I replied. Guardian Hathaway needed to be the first person to know, otherwise we both might not survive the night.

"Still?" she asked, impatiently. "She's been here for the past two days, and you still haven't told her?"

To tell you the truth, I was more afraid of facing Janine Hathaway than I had ever been facing Strigoi. It was different when you were on the offense. I would be on the defense, and it would have to be a very strong one indeed. Rose didn't think so, but her mother was very protective of her. She didn't want her daughter to make the same mistakes she had, becoming romantically involved with someone before she was ready. So I knew that this conversation would not go over well.

"I'll head over to talk with her after most everyone leaves." I said, making a snap decision. Usually, I was calm and rational when making decisions, however this one was unplanned, and the thought of it made me gulp.

She just gave me a prodigious smile and a tight hug, before running off. The place cleared quicker than I thought it would. I muttered a few words, thankful not many people in the U.S. knew Russian, and headed off to fulfill my promise.

"Guardian Hathaway, may I speak with you in private?" I asked, hoping my face didn't display any of the fearfulness I felt.

"Yes. Give me a moment, please." She said, moving off to alert those on duty that she was going to be taking a break. She then turned back towards me, looking expectantly at me. I decided the safest place to talk would be in the training room, because it had lots of things besides me to hit.

We entered the room, and I locked the door behind us. This was one conversation I didn't want anyone to stumble upon. "Hathaway," I said, nervously looking around the room. "I'm about to tell you something that will most likely upset you. I want you to know before hand, I have given this a lot of thought, and believe it will work out in the end." I let out in a loud whoosh.

She just stared at me, curiosity filling her gaze. I couldn't say anything. Her eyes were too harsh, drilling a hole through me. Finally she broke the silence. "It has to do with Rose, doesn't it?" she asked. I could only nod. "Well, if it has the famous Dimitri Belikov speechless, then it must be something important, right?" she continued. Again. I nodded. "Then spit it out!" she exclaimed.

"Rose and I, well… ahh… umm…" I stuttered, trying to spit it out. "We… we're in love with each other. We have been since the very beginning."

To say she was shocked would have been an understatement. Her expression changed from one of disbelief, to shock, to outrage, where it stayed.

"YOU WHAT?" she yelled, her voice filling up the room.

I thought of my Roza's smile, her beautiful smile that was contagious. It gave me the strength I needed. "Rose and I have fallen in love. I have figured out a way for us to be together. I'll resign from the position of Vasilisa's guardian, and apply for a position at the court. Then we'll be able to take time off together, and we won't be a hazard to our charges. It will work. It will." I said confidently.

She regarded me for a moment. Then she said the two words I was dreading to hear. "Let's spar." She said.

Later that afternoon, I found Rose with Lissa, Christian, and Eddie in the library. As I walked in, the Moroi staff worker did a double take. The reason was obvious. I had a huge black eye, a split lip, and a cut eyebrow. And those were just the visible signs. Others were hidden away by the long sleeve shirt and jeans. I was almost upon them when Eddie jumped up.

"Holy Shit Guardian Belikov! What the Hell happened to you?" he exclaimed. I grimaced trying to think of a good cover story, before realizing it would crack my lip open again.

"Well you see, I got the crap beaten out of me. There was something that someone else and I didn't see quite eye to eye on, and so she took it physical." I said, ready to leave it at that. However Rose didn't.

"Wait. You mean SHE did this?" she yelled. I reached out and pulled her into a hug, trying to calm her down before she went off to find her mother and try to avenge me.

"Yes she did. We talked, just like I promised. This is why she had to be the first to know." She just struggled to escape my grasp. The others stared at us like we were insane, which I guess we could be, considering we gave our entire lives to protect those who in need of it, but that wasn't why they thought we were insane.

"Calm down, Roza." I murmured, knowing that my use of her Russian name would subconsciously relax her just the tiniest of bits. It was all that was needed for her to regain control, however. I felt her tense muscles relax, and slowly, I let her go.

Turning to Lissa, I became the serious guardian I was suppose to be. By now, she knew something had to be going on, so she waited patiently.

"Vasilisa Dragomir," I began, "it has been an honor to protect you. However, I am afraid I must inform you that as of this morning, I am no longer your guardian. I am confident, however, that my replacement will be just as effective in keeping you safe. He will also have an easier time blending in, being closer in age with both you and Rose. You will meet him tomorrow, at your graduation."

"But wait! Why? You and Rose are like the perfect team. Why are you being split up? Has she done something wrong?" Lissa interjected.

"There is a conflict of interest…" I began slowly, not sure just how far to proceed.

"What conflict is there?" piped in Christian. I knew there was a reason I hated that kid. He was far too nosy for his own good.

Rose decided to answer that question herself with a simple "This." She then proceeded to kiss me, right then and there, out in the open of the campus library. I heard a collective intake of breath, but decided I didn't care. I was no longer her mentor; she was no longer a student, and I had given up my job of being Lissa's Guardian.

Finally, we broke apart. The room was silent. Finally a small "Oh. I see." escaped Christian's lips. I looked at Rose, my sweet Roza, willing her to feel the love and joy I had for her. When finally looked at me, I knew she saw it.

Clearing her throat, Lissa broke the silence, that for Roza and me wasn't awkward at all, but I'm sure had to be for the others. "Guardian Belikov… Dimitri… Can I speak with you for a moment, privately?" she asked me.

It was something I wasn't exactly ready for, but knew there was no better time. "Sure." I said, turning to walk away, glancing one last time at Roza. Her expression was hard to read, but considering it wasn't one of complete fear, I didn't need to worry too much. Besides, what was one barely eighteen year old Moroi against a twenty-four year fully trained Dhampir guardian?

We walked a few shelves down from where the rest of the group was sitting. She studied me for a moment before beginning. "Rose is like a sister to me. I want her to be happy. If you do anything to break her heart, there will be repercussions. I will hurt you, so be careful. Do not play with her, because that will end badly for you. This I do promise." She said, forcefully. She turned and started back towards the others. I sank down to the ground, thinking. At first, I thought the most scariest person to face during this whole thing would have been Roza's mother, a well trained guardian, many years superior to me. Little did I know that it would end up being a one-hundred and five pound Moroi girl, who had no training at all who would scare me the most. I knew that Janine would eventually accept the facts and be okay with it. I also knew that Janine would physically show her disproval. Lissa, on the other hand, would keep everything locked up, secretly plotting on how to make my life hell if I ever messed up with Roza, which would never happen, of course.

As I closed my eyes, wondering what my life would have been if Ivan hadn't been killed, I heard a screech. "HOW DARE YOU KEEP IT FROM ME! I'M YOUR BEST FRIEND!" I gave a small chuckle, and decided to wait where I was for Roza to come find me.