_ST. VALDIMIR'S ACADEMY/ _APRIL

Dimitri stared at the stack of papers in frustration. Despite near constant work on attempting to find the girls they had made little headway. They had followed up on every lead that came in and there was… nothing. The girls were smart, managing to stay two steps ahead of them. He had no idea how they were doing it. The only theory that made sense was that they were getting help on the outside. Someone, apparently, had a very good reason to help the girls hide.

Though, no one had any idea who it was or why they would be helping two teenage runaways hide. Especially, when there was such a dire threat to their safety. No informant in any of the cities had heard anything of a Moroi and Dhampir runaway or of anyone hiding them. It was if they had simply disappeared. At this point, after so many months, Dimitri was almost convinced they had. Whatever their reason for disappearing, the girls didn't want to be found.

Sighing, Dimitri pushed back from the table and stood up. "I'm getting some coffee, would anyone like anything?"

The other Guardians all rejected his offer. Dimitri made his way to the staff lounge. He managed not to get lost which he considered a small accomplishment. He had only been at the academy for a few weeks and the campus was massive, which made navigating the buildings somewhat difficult. Still Dimitri had managed, and he was finally getting the hang of things. Living at the academy was certainly different than living at Headquarters. At Headquarters he had his own apartment. At St. Vladimir's he roomed in the staff quarters, and while he had a private room he shared a bathroom and kitchen area with the rest of the Guardians. It had taken him some time to adjust to the new way of doing things.

Dimitri found a clean mug and poured the coffee in. He drank his coffee black with no sugar. The coffee was acidic and bitter, it had been sitting on the burner for too long. He poured the coffee down the drain and made a fresh pot. The coffee the academy supplied was decent enough. The aroma was warming and nutty. He had a feeling it was going to be another long night tracking the girls. They wouldn't be able to hide forever.

Upon his arrival to St. Vladimir's, Dimitri had been assigned to head the task force now attempting to locate the girls. The news of his assignment made the rounds amongst the Guardians. To be only 24 and assigned to a leadership role in such an important task was a big deal, one that Dimitri took great pride and honor in. Through all his work and study of the girls he began to feel as if he knew them personally. With every passing day he grew more concerned for their safety. Returning Princess Vasilisa and Rosemarie to St. Vladimir's was the only thing Dimitri thought about.

After 4 more hours of work the Guardians called it a night. Or day, as it happened. The sun was coming up over the eastern horizon. In the weeks they had spent working on the case, every Guardian had sifted through every tip and possible sighting they had. Most were 8 months old – some even more than that. There had not been one credible tip or lead on the girls in almost eight months! Dimitri and the rest of the team were beyond frustrated. Dimitri knew one of the reasons he was brought in, was to get a set of fresh eyes on the information. Sometimes a new person could shed light on the information and open it up but that had not yet happened.

Dimitri was a smart man. He sensed the team's frustration with him. Some of it was jealousy. Some of it was annoyance with being assigned a task they wanted no part of. He couldn't blame them. Each day they went without information on the girls, the more difficult it would become to find them. Even with the odds stacked against the Guardians, Dimitri wasn't ready to give up.

As he made his way to his room, a thought occurred to Dimitri. At this point, he knew he was emotionally involved in the assignment. Despite all his training and best efforts to remain neutral, he had become attached to the girls in some bizarre way. He felt so protective of the princess and scared for her at the same time. In some ways she reminded him of his sisters. When he reached his room, tiredness overcame him. He would have to wait until the evening to discuss it with Alberta. He sank into his bed, too tired to change. Falling asleep, Dimitri slipped into a recurring dream that had haunted him for years.

_MOSCOW/ _6 YEARS AGO

Dimitri followed just two steps behind Ivan as they walked down the quiet street. It was past midnight, still quite early in the Moroi day. Ivan wanted to celebrate, he had said. What they were celebrating was anyone's guess. Ivan loved going out to bars and having a good time. They had only been out of the academy for a few months, but Ivan had taken to "adult" life quickly. He enjoyed his freedom as he put it. Enjoying his freedom meant staying out until dawn, plenty of feeders, and girls – even better if the girls let him feed. Most of them didn't care what they would called behind their backs, and Ivan did take great care to ensure that as few people possible knew about him feeding from the girls he took to bed. Despite partaking in such a taboo activity, Ivan cared what people might say of the girls.

A second Guardian, Peter, followed behind Dimitri. He was responsible for scanning further distances than Dimitri. Dimitri's main responsibility was moving Ivan away from a threat. Peter had been out of the academy for 3 years at that point. As he was more experienced, he assigned the duties for the evening. Though, Dimitri knew Ivan had requested Dimitri to be his near guard. Most of the time Peter granted Ivan's request, but Ivan's safety was not to be jeopardized. If Peter ever deemed a situation unsafe, Ivan listened and moved on. Likewise, if Peter ever felt he should be the near guard Ivan didn't put up much of a fight about it. Ivan mostly liked having Dimitri near so they could talk.

There was a misty fog hanging in the air that created halos around the street lamps. It wasn't too late for humans to be out so Dimitri was surprised that there was no one else around. It was almost too quiet. A pit formed in Dimitri's stomach – something was wrong. Doubt quickly crept into his mind and pushed his uneasiness away. He had only been an official Guardian for just a few months. Dimitri was finding out rather quickly that school had taught him what to do as a Guardian but not exactly how to be a Guardian.

They continued on but the nervousness gnawed at Dimitri. Ivan's words became background noise as Dimitri began to focus on everything about their surroundings. He listened, picking on the echo of Ivan's voice off the alley walls. A litter of stray cats mewling for their mother. Cars off in the distance. A scraping on a nearby roof. Dimitri stopped, placing his right hand on the stake at his hip. Ivan stopped immediately as did Peter.

"What is it?" Ivan asked.

Just then a dark figure descended from the rooftop. Dimitri pivoted to the left to position himself between Ivan and the figure. He withdrew his stake from the sheath. The figure approached too rapidly to be human. Peter ran forward with his own stake drawn but was cut off by another figure who moved inhumanly fast. Strigoi. They were being attacked. Thoughts raced through Dimitri's mind. No test at the academy ever came close to this.

"Ivan, get back!" he shouted. He needed to put distance between Ivan and the Strigoi. Ivan ducked behind a car. Dimitri moved forward to block the first Strigoi while Peter handled the other one. The Strigoi laughed.

"I'll have fun killing you but even more fun killing that Moroi!" he hissed.

Dimitri ran scenarios through his head. He had one advantage: his height. Even more so because this particular Strigoi was quite short. Dimitri guessed he had been born human. Then the Strigoi attacked, landing a solid punch to Dimitri's abdomen. He felt immense pain but nothing that phased him. He brought his left elbow down and connected with the Strigoi's shoulder. He collapsed and Dimitri pinned him underneath his knees. As he crushed the Strigoi's legs with his weight, Dimitri slammed the stake into the center of his chest.

The Strigoi cried out as his unnatural life left him. Dimitri looked up and searched for Ivan. He was still behind the car. They made eye contact and Ivan shouted, "Peter!"

Dimitri spun around. Peter was pinned against the brick wall of the building, struggling against the second Strigoi. Peter had one arm in front of his neck as he attempted to keep the Strigoi from snapping his neck. His other was being crushed by the Strigoi's grasp. Peter's stake had fallen to the ground. Dimitri sprinted to Peter and closed the distance between them in just three strides. He rammed his stake through the spinal column, vertebrae and ribs snapping, and into the heart of the Strigoi. He relaxed, released his grip on Peter, and crumpled to the ground dead.

Dimitri awoke with a start. His heart pounded against his ribs and a cold sweat ran down his back. No matter how many times he had that nightmare, he was always jolted awake. Over the years the dreams had lessened, but during times of stress the nightmares would reappear often. Sometimes multiple times a night. Reliving his first two Strigoi kills seemed to be the most common one. The academy taught how to kill but nothing on how to deal with taking a life… no matter how evil that life was. He could still see the Strigoi's glowing red eyes and the evil they contained. It sent a chill down his spine even 6 years later.

Dimitri glanced at the clock, it was only noon. He knew after the unsettling nightmare he wouldn't get back to sleep. He rose from the comfortable queen sized mattress and stretched. Though there was a coffee maker in the staff kitchen, Dimitri preferred to brew his own in his room. He liked his alone time, with his morning routine being his favorite time spent alone. He brewed espresso and sat at his small table by the window.

The window overlooked the grassy lot behind the school, an iron fence secured the border. Beyond the fence was a thick woodland that added to the security of the school. Most academies were in the middle of nowhere for the safety seclusion added. When the weather was nice novices would picnic on the pasture. They would be joined by Moroi students once they had fed and they would all play Frisbee or some bizarre magical version of tag.

Pulling out his latest Western, Dimitri took a sip of his espresso and sank into his novel. Once he finished his espresso, Dimitri spent a while longer reading before he decided it was time to officially start the day. That always meant a work out and after his night, he couldn't wait to work out some of his aggression. The best part of a work out was the burn. The worse the burn, the angrier he became but once he was done all that anger dissipated. After a shower Dimitri felt positively serene. Now he was ready to take on the day.

After finishing his lunch of salmon and a field greens salad, Dimitri found Alberta in her office. He knocked and waited for an invitation before entering. She looked up from the paperwork on her desk, a half-eaten meatball sub off to the side. Dimitri frowned at having interrupted her lunch.

"I can come back later."

"No, actually I wanted to see you. Please sit."

Dimitri took a seat in one of the cushioned chairs in front of Alberta's desk. "What did you need to see me about?"

"I wanted to see how you were adjusting to life at St. Vladimir's."

"Just fine. I don't get lost on my way back to my room anymore. All the Guardians are welcoming."

"Good and how's the investigation going?"

Dimitri shifted in his chair. The investigation was not progressing as he had hoped. However, he had only been working for a few weeks. It would take time with such limited and out dated information. "It could be better. There's very little useful information. We will find them, it is just a matter of when."

"I understand there are challenges, but I'm confident you and your team will do whatever is necessary to locate the girls."

"Yes but I had a request: I was wondering once we find and return the girls – I know Vasilisa will need a Guardian, I was wondering if I could be assigned to her?" he asked, finding it harder to say than he would have thought. He didn't want Alberta to think he was becoming overly attached to the case or too emotionally involved. He would deny it, of course, if she asked. The truth was that he was emotionally involved in the case but that was how he operated. His drive to protect came from an understanding that he was, at times, literally the only thing between the life and death of his charge. That knowledge and the weight of it had to come from an emotional place within himself. Otherwise, there would be no point to what he did.

Alberta leaned back from the desk as if she were surprised by what Dimitri had asked. She stayed silent for several moments, pondering his request. If she was surprised she hid it well. Dimitri couldn't read her expression.

"You could have any assignment you want, Belikov – why would you chose her?"

Dimitri thought back to when he first learned what his assignment would be. He laughed now at his initial annoyance. He was shocked that Fillip had recommended him for this assignment. Practically every high ranking royal was chomping at the bit to have a Guardian like Dimitri. Dimitri knew there were multiple requests from royals around the world to have him when he became available. Once Dimitri had put his ego aside, he realized one very simple fact: he was one of the best Guardians and Vasilisa needed the best.

"She needs protection. She is the last of her line. She needs the best protection available."

"And you believe you are the best choice available?"

"I wouldn't say I am the best but certainly one of them." Dimitri stated matter-of-factly.

Alberta smiled, "Alright then, when she gets back you can be her Guardian."

He nodded, "Thank you."

"I'll start the paperwork, but I have to warn you: Rose won't be happy about it."

Dimitri was confused, "Rose?"

A look of surprise and something else crossed Alberta's face – annoyance maybe? "One of the girls you're looking for." You big dummy, Dimitri knew she wanted to add that. "She has always preferred to be called Rose, said Rosemarie was too old lady." She laughed.

Dimitri did feel just a bit foolish. He should have been able to figure out that Rose was a nickname for Rosemarie. He had just gotten so used to thinking about them as Rosemarie and Vasilisa it sounded strange when anyone referred to them as anything else. Dimitri entertained the idea, if only for a second, that perhaps that meant he was spending too much time thinking about them. Whether that was true or not didn't matter. He was assigned to find them, and if that meant he had to spend every waking minute thinking about them then so be it. After all they did come first.

"Well, thank you for your time." Dimitri said, "I should get back to the investigation."

"You're welcome, Belikov. Let me know if I can help."

Although the offer was genuine, Dimitri knew Alberta would have little time to actually help. As the Head Guardian at St. Vladimir's she was responsible for the novices' curriculum, training the newest instructors, teaching her own classes, scheduling the Guardian's shifts, and what classes they taught, in addition to disciplining novices and Guardians alike. Luckily, she rarely had to reprimand a Guardian. She mostly dealt with truant novices who didn't feel like training and instead snuck off to make out. Dimitri didn't envy her or her job.

After several meaningless hours spent looking at their information again, Dimitri spoke. "We need to do something different. We've been over all this info that was already investigated by others. It's not telling us anything. So the question is: how do we get new info on girls who don't want to be found? Let's hear some ideas!"

Silence. Dimitri closed his eyes and breathed in and out to calm himself. They were making it clear they didn't want to be a part of this. Maybe this is why they had made no headway in the case – because no one was actually doing any work. He wanted to fire them all. He would do it by himself if he had to. After a few more calming breaths he returned to reason. If Dimitri had been over the same information and he had found nothing, then it was possible that they had had the same issue.

"No one has any ideas?" Dimitri asked. He paused, hoping someone would speak up. "Need I remind you that Princess Vasilisa is the last of her line? Every day she is out there she is in danger. We need to find them and bring them back."

"What if they've been turned?" a voice asked.

"Yeah – what if they're already dead?" another chimed in.

"Maybe that's why we can't find them!" A third added.

From there things quickly devolved into chaos. Everyone spoke all at once, each person speaking louder than the next, trying to have their opinion heard.

"Enough!" Dimitri shouted. The room fell into silence once more. "I know this isn't the ideal assignment for some of you, but all of you are Guardians. This may not be a personal protection assignment but if you can't see how this is just as important, then you should leave now."

No one moved and he guessed no one dared even to breathe. "Alright then, from this point forward all of us will eat, breathe, and sleep this investigation. I will hear no more talk of the girls being dead or turned. We must find them no matter what the outcome. If you have contacts in other cities, get in touch. Use every resource available. They have to be out there. Someone knows something."

Everyone returned to their stations and began working. Dimitri sighed and sat back in his chair. Stretching his arms above his head, he rolled his neck to release the tension in the bones. They cracked and popped, and Dimitri was able to relax a little. He clasped his hands behind his head and surveyed the room. His little speech seemed to have worked when he noticed a figure by the door. Alberta was just beyond the door frame. She made eye contact with Dimitri, a smile tugging at her lips. She nodded then disappeared.

Dimitri wondered how long she had been standing there. How much had she seen? Enough, apparently, because she approved. He felt a sense of pride within himself. Things might have gotten off to a rocky start, but he could sense they were turning a corner now. It might take some time, but he was confident they would find the girls.

Author's Note: My apologies for the slow update. My brother came home for the first time in two years so there many family meet ups. Add in a touch of writer's block and a few binge-watching marathons to catch up on Game of Thrones and suddenly it's been three weeks since you updated! Also I didn't proof read this as many times as I normally do since I wanted to get it up as soon as possible. Regardless, I hope you enjoy! Please review and thank you! ~LL