I can hear the soft pattering of rain on the roof and in my subconscious state of bliss, I burrow further under my warm blankets. The mattress cradles me like an embrace, but I'm only dimly aware of it. My mind floats in that glorious limbo between sleep and waking.

"Rose."

"Mmmgghssh," I reply, nestling my head under my pillow to avoid what I know is coming.

"Rose, wake up."

His voice penetrates through several layers of my peaceful slumber and I feel my brow furrow.

"Nuh uh," Is my slightly more comprehensive response.

I hear a sigh followed by the swish of fabric as he walks away. I hum contentedly to celebrate my small victory and roll onto my other side, smiling into my pillow.

"Rose!" he yells, unexpectedly right by my ear.

"Shit!" I scream, as I start awake. My muscles coil instinctively and my arm flies out to strike my assailant. Dimitri catches it with ease and hauls me upright, pressing me against his body until I can remember how to use my legs and calm my racing heart.

The first thing my sleep-addled brain registers is his quiet laughter, and I bristle with indignation.

"Good morning," he says, like I'm missing some joke.

On one hand, his chest is really warm and I want to stay here all day, but on the other, I really want to hit him for almost giving me a heart attack. I decide on a compromise, throwing my arms around his neck to bring myself closer while taking care to knock his collar bone with my skull.

It's his turn to curse now, and I watch with satisfaction as he partially untangles me in order to rub the afflicted area.

"You were saying?" I say smugly, and he shoots me a glare that softens into a smile.

"It was a good morning until you head-butted me," he says drily.

"Well maybe you shouldn't have scared the living crap out of me then," I reply.

He laughs. "Touché," he concedes, leaning down to kiss me.

He smells incredible; that heady mixture of aftershave and Dimitri, and his lips are soft against my own, tasting of coffee and mint. Toothpaste?

I pull back, examining him more thoroughly now that I'm partially alert. He's already fully dressed, despite the early hour, apart from his duster which hangs from its accustomed hook by the door.

"There's coffee in the kitchen," he informs me, not noticing my scrutiny. "I just made a fresh pot."

Though the prospect of a steaming mug of dark liquid in my hands makes me salivate, my feet feel like they're made of lead.

"Just give me a minute to wake up," I tell him, stifling a yawn as my adrenaline burst starts to wear off.

"We don't have all morning," he teases.

I roll my eyes and pull away from him, trudging through to the kitchen while he walks behind me.

He hands me a mug as I slump into a chair, pouring himself his second cup of the day before sitting down opposite me.

I take a sip and feel the warmth course through me, animating my tired limbs and brain. I used to hate the stuff, but one does not simply live with Dimitri and have any choice in the matter. Feeling much more sentient already, I look up at him.

"How come you were awake so early?" I ask.

Through the window behind him, the orange sun has just started its descent. The vampiric day only starts in a couple of hours.

"I'm helping Guardian Callum write up her report," he replies absently, distracted by his thoughts.

I frown. Emily Callum is a new guardian, fresh out of training, and already in possession of half the hearts of the male population of Court. The only thing that rivals her massive intellect is her cup size.

"Is that so," I say rhetorically, failing miserably in my attempt to keep my tone neutral.

He glances up, confused, but a smirk spreads across his face at the sight of my expression.

"I did decline her original offer to meet at her apartment," he says, nonchalantly sipping his coffee. "She was surprisingly persistent, but I persuaded her in the end."

"I'll bet she was," I mutter darkly into my cup, eliciting a laugh from Dimitri.

We sit in companionable silence for a bit until a though occurs to me.

"Why did you have to wake me up early?" I ask. "You could have let me sleep in a little."

An odd expression crosses his face, but then it's gone.

"What," he says, raising an eyebrow. "Leave you to your own devices and let you sleep through all your shifts until lunch time?"

"Haha," I reply sarcastically, but I have to admit that he has a point.

I get up to fetch myself some cereal, returning to my seat to see a conflicted expression on his face.

"Everything okay?" I frown, slurping up a spoonful of cereal.

"Oh," he replies, "Yes, everything's fine. It's only…" There's a distinctly shifty look in his eyes and I narrow my own.

"What?" I ask, growing suspicious.

"I wanted to talk to you before I left," he tells me, looking at the table.

He looks nervous. And badass Russian god that he is, anything that makes him nervous is cause for concern.

I put my spoon down and fold my arms, waiting.

He takes a deep breath. "Rose," he begins, then falters. "I've been… thinking."

I feel a surge of panic, bubbling up and choking me so that my breath hitches in my throat. Surely he can't mean…? Then Emily Callum's face swims briefly through my mind and anger rips through me, burning away my fears and clouding my mind in a red haze. I will tear off his skin and turn it into a leather duster.

"Um…" he says, but I cut him off.

"Comrade," I say, my voice icily calm. "If you're breaking up with me, I swear-"

His eyes go wide, but he assures me before I finish.

"No," he says with a shaky laugh, "Nothing like that. Although, I am curious. What would you do?"

"Pray you never find out," I tell him simply.

He nods, apparently gathering his now scattered thoughts.

"Rose," he starts again. "I know we've discussed it before, but you and I both have… vacation time saved up, and-"

So that's what this is about.

"No," I interrupt.

It seems he expected this reaction, and he steels himself for another attempt.

"It'll expire if we don't-"

"That doesn't matter," I say simply. "The answer's still the same."

His frustration is starting to show. "Will you let me finish?" he challenges.

"I won't leave her," I reply, shaking my head.

"And I'm not telling you to," he retorts. "I just wanted to talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about," I say and his jaw visibly clenches.

He looks away from me in an effort to calm himself.

After a moment he speaks again, his tone forced. "You're being unreasonable," he says.

"No," I reply, as my temper ignites, "I'm thinking of my duty."

"Are you implying that I'm not?" he demands.

I narrow my eyes. "Well you seem awfully eager to leave Christian undefended."

"He wouldn't be undefended, Rose! In case you haven't noticed, we aren't the only guardians in this fucking palace," he snaps, slamming his palm on the table to emphasise his point. Then he sits back in his chair, crossing his arms and glaring at the ceiling.

His response catches me by surprise. "What about 'they come first'?" I ask, confused.

"Not always," he replies bitterly, echoing his words from a long time ago.

The memory of that conversation dissolves my anger, and as I watch him attempting to control his emotions, suddenly I can't stand the thought of continuing our fight.

I reach tentatively across the table to lay a hand on his arm. His tendons are taut and solid beneath my fingertips, but he doesn't acknowledge my touch.

"But the other guardians weren't taught by the best," I say gently, a smile in my voice.

He stares at the wall, then sighs. Closing his eyes, he puts his face in his palms, as if seeking the sanctuary of darkness.

"I have to go," he says quietly, before shaking off my hand and rising from his chair. My irritation returns in response to his snub.

I glower at my cereal, listening to the front door open and shut.

How can he be mad at me? I think indignantly, stabbing at my cornflakes with my spoon.

Surely he can understand? Lissa is my best friend. We're way closer than he and Ivan ever were, and look what Ivan's death did to him. If I went away and something were to happen to her, it would crush me. There's no way I can allow it to happen.

But just imagine, says a tiny traitorous voice in my head, You could rent a cabin in the woods, somewhere emote. Just the two of you, no distractions.

I push the thought out of my mind, sternly reminding myself that it's impossible. Maybe in a different world, where bloodthirsty, soulless monsters of the night weren't hell bent on hunting down and killing my charge… Maybe I wouldn't even have a charge in that world. But this is real life, and as such, I have a responsibility to Lissa as my friend and queen.

Even so, I muse as I wash the dishes, after I've had a chance to calm down again. Maybe we can compromise. Find a middle ground, like just a weekend away? I could live with that.

I finish drying the cups and put them away. A quick glance at my watch tells me it's almost time for my shift and I still need to get ready.

Much happier now that I've thought of a solution, I resolve to discuss it with Dimitri when I see him.

I let my residual irritation flow with the water down the drain as I pull the plug. We'll be okay, Dimitri and I, we've been through worse.

But the little voice is back in my head.

Will you?

Author's Note

Thanks for reading, I really hope you enjoyed it! If you did (or didn't and have some criticism) please leave a review to let me know! You have no idea how much your support means to me. I know people always say that, but it's really true, I love hearing from you guys! I would also recommend favouriting me and the story, but then again, I may be slightly biased.

I'm planning to do a couple of chapters for this one, I've decided to stray from my normal one-shot-writer status.

Shout out to my astounding Beta reader, NB313! Her material is awesome, you should head on over to her profile and see for yourself.

I don't own Vampire Academy, or any of the characters, but I thank Richelle Mead profusely for providing such a great story to play around in.