DPOV

Year 1

When I entered the locker room she was right there, pulling on her jacket, her work shoes on the floor and a pair of old converse, which I actually recognized from the academy, on her feet. She didn't react to my entrance or as I walked to my own locket and opened it. From the corner of my eye I saw her taking a backpack out of the locker, stuffing the uncomfortable shoes in it, zipping it up and hoisting it over her shoulder.

I turned to look at her and quietly said: "Happy new year Rose."
She paused and turned around slowly, her expression unreadable as she met my gaze. Finally I saw a flash of emotions in her eyes, pain, anger, loss. It was gone as soon as I noticed it. She narrowed her eyes at me a little, shrugged and said: "Bound to be better than the last one at least."

It was both true and devastatingly painful. I knew how much the last year had cost her, what I had done to her, the difficulties she'd had to face, how much pain she'd had to deal with. I looked down, ashamed of myself.

I heard her move and when I looked up she was on her way out. She hadn't even bothered to close the locker, leaving it open for whoever would use it next. I thought that was it, this would be my last memory of her before we would both really move on. She'd be going back to college with Lissa, Hans had found me a temporary job away from Court. He hoped things would finally calm down if I was no longer around to gawk at or ask questions. He was sure eventually I would be able to return to a fairly normal guardian life. I might never come back to Court though.

I kept my eyes on Rose's back, unwilling to lose even a second of this final chance to see her, to be near her. I was steadying myself for the moment she walked out of the door and out of my sight, but when she got to the doorway she suddenly paused. She didn't turn around but after a moment her whisper reached me on the other side of the room. "You too Dimitri."

And then she was gone.

Year 2

I caught sight of her across the room, standing near the buffet. I expected her to glare at the Moroi and the food they were barely eating while she was probably hungry, but her face was perfectly blank. She had changed, grown and somehow, she finally seemed to have perfected her guardian mask. Whenever I had the chance that night I'd sneak glances at her but she never gave any indication of annoyance, impatience or really any opinion at all. She was the perfect guardian. Calm, poised, confident and completely in control of herself.

I didn't like it.

She wasn't in the locker room when I finished this time, and by the time I walked out of the palace doors I was resigned to the fact that I wouldn't have a chance to speak to her this year, only to then bump into her on the treshold because I was so absorbed in my thoughts. I automatically caught her arm to steady her, but as soon as I realized who it was I released her like she was burning me, regretting I didn't hold on a little longer as soon as I broke contact.

"Sorry, are you okay? I wasn't paying attention."
She arched her eyebrows (both, she still hadn't mastered my trick apparently) but just nodded.
I forced a smile and said: "Well.. Happy new year Rose."
For a moment she stared at me, then nodded again and answered: "You too," before quickly walking away.

Year 3

They had assigned me to the exit today. It wasn't the best position, the amount of people rushing past us at the start and end of the party meant it was difficult to see threats, while the hours in between mostly meant standing around in a cold draft and keeping in touch with the outer patrol. It also meant I wouldn't be able to watch Rose in the main ballroom, and I'd been looking forward to it all year.

While Hans had made sure I always had a job, I'd been flitting around from one temporary position to another since I'd first left Court and I was getting tired. I'd spent the last months walking patrols and watching the wards for a family who had moved away from Court. Before that I'd been guardian to a royal who moved out of the family home in a fit of temper but hadn't been assigned a private guardian yet, a subsitute teacher at a European academy, a temporary clerk at the Asian Guardian Headquarters. Mostly I just walked patrols in a lot of different places though. Parties, academies, holiday homes, a resort. I was even at Tarasov for a while, checking the wards for any risks of a break-in and the walls and fences for any break outs.

Whenever I got lonely or depressed, I'd remind myself I'd at least get to see Rose again at this particular party. It had gotten me through some of the more difficult months, but now it seemed I was out of luck. There were several exits to this building, and even if she did somehow end up using this one, there was a good chance I'd miss her in the crowd.

To my surprise, about an hour before the end of the party Lissa and Christian came towards the exit, wearing jackets and clearly on their way home. When they noticed me they stopped for a chat, asking how I'd been and if I was coming back to Court anytime soon, telling me about Lehigh and the self-defense group Christian was setting up for Moroi. We'd been talking for a couple of minutes when Lissa exclaimed: "Oh my God, we didn't even tell you yet! We're engaged!"

I congratulated them and Lissa showed off her ring, before asking: "Will you come? The wedding is on April 4th."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry Lissa but I can't. I'd love to be there, but I'm on assignment abroad until July at least." My current position would end this month, and Hans had reassigned me to a team in Russia. We would be hunting down Strigoi, trying to lower their numbers before they became too much of a risk to our population, but there would be no opportunities for breaks or vacations until the job was done. I didn't mind when I accepted the position, but I really was disappointed to miss out on Lissa's and Christian's wedding.

It was clear Lissa was disappointed as well, but Christian nodded in understanding. "We would've invited you sooner but nobody seemed to know how we could reach you. I hope we'll see you soon though. Let us know whenever you're at Court again and I'll make you dinner."
Before I could answer, a voice called out from behind them and a woman came running towards us, dark hair flying around her. "Sorry it took so long, but I just realized you forgot your clutch Liss and I didn't think you'd want to leave it behind."

Lissa said something, probably to thank her, but I didn't notice. All I could do was look at Rose and once again burning her image, as she was now, into my mind. There were some minor changes; red streaks in her hair which was even longer than I remembered, her waist a bit slimmer, her cheekbones a little more pronounced, but overall she still looked just like I remembered her. She had stopped and gone quiet as soon as she'd noticed who Lissa was talking to. She didn't look at me, mostly keeping her attention on Lissa, but I saw her sneaking glances at me whenever she thought Lissa wouldn't notice.

Christian and Lissa took their leave soon after, once again inviting me to come by whenever I was in the area. Rose moved to follow them without saying anything but I couldn't resist saying: "Happy new year Rose."
She paused for a moment and then finally looked at me, one corner of her mouth turned up in a hesitant smile. "You too."

Year 4

She wasn't here. I'd looked all around the ballroom and had even volunteered to check all the entrances in person and see how the guardians stationed there were doing. I knew she wouldn't be assigned on any of the outer patrols. As long as she was here, she'd be close enough to protect Lissa if something happened.

It wasn't until my dinner break that I found out where she was. We were allowed a 15 minute break in small groups, meaning it would take several hours before all guardians would have had a chance to eat and the first group would be pretty hungry again by the time the party was over. I was lucky enough to end up in one of the middle groups, which meant the food wasn't too hot to eat immediately, too cold to be inedible and I'd make it to the end of the night without a rumbling stomach.

While I was loading my plate with spaghetti I heard some of the guardians talking behind me. "Found a scout this morning... Hideout nearby... Only five miles... sent a group to keep an eye... attack at daybreak..."
I quickly walked over and sat at the end of the table, near enough to listen to the conversation but without anyone expecting me to join in.

From what I heard there were an estimated fifteen to twenty Strigoi in the farm they'd located. A group of eight guardians had been assigned to keep an eye on them during the night. If the Strigoi made a move, these guardians would be the first line of defense and would raise the alarm. If the Strigoi didn't make a move, this team would become a strike-team. As soon as the party here was finished and the sun was rising, a second team of guardians could be freed up at Court to join them and together they would attack the hide-out.

It was a well thought out plan. In case the Strigoi attacked we would get an advance warning, allowing us to lock this place down and get the Moroi to a safe place long before the Strigoi even reached us. Eight guardians was enough to fight and delay them, but didn't put a strain on our numbers at Court in case of another, separate, attack. Even if they weren't able to hold them off indefinitely, or at least until reinforcements arrived, there would still be far fewer casualties than if these Strigoi were able to reach us here at Court. And if they were still there at sunrise, well, we had plenty of extra numbers here because of the party to raid the farm and take them out.

It came as no surprise when I heard someone mention guardian Hathaway was leading the team. I suppose it could've been Janine rather than Rose, but I was fairly sure I had seen a flash of auburn curls earlier, and besides, this was one of very few reasons Rose would leave Lissa. While she was definitely the best defense Lissa had, Rose also knew her charge was as safe as she could be at a party like this, surrounded by guardians, in a well-protected and warded building. Knowing Rose, she'd want to keep the threat as far away from Lissa as possible, which meant facing it head-on rather than waiting for it to reach us here.

I had no choice but to leave after the party was over. I would've gladly joined the team, and in fact I did inquire wether it was possible, but Hans told me he had already decided who would go and reminded me I had other obligations to fulfill and my flight was one of the first to leave Court that night as soon as the party ended. And thus I left. Before I did however, I made a quick detour to the guardian buildings, figured out which apartment was hers and slipped a note under her door.

Hope you're okay. Happy New Year.

She would find it when, I refused to think if, she'd return.

When my plane finally touched down eleven hours later and I turned my phone back on, it pinged almost immediately. A single text was waiting for me, from a number I didn't recognize.

You too.

Relief flooded through me as I read the two words I had waited all year to hear. She had made it, she was alive. For a moment I wondered whether I should answer, if she'd want me to, and then decided I would. I guessed she wouldn't mind too much. She had gone to some trouble to get my number at least, very few people at Court had it.

I'm glad you're okay.

I didn't really expect another response, but it came almost instantly.

Me too :)

April

We didn't have any contact for several months after that. Not because I didn't want to, but because it had been quite obvious before that she was fine without me, and I didn't want to cause any more complications in her life. Still, it was difficult, and I regularly found myself writing a text, only to rethink before sending it and deleting it quickly. I'd also been on the verge of calling her a couple of times but had so far managed to fight the urge. I'd usually turn off my phone and go for a long run to clear my mind whenever it happened, which had been increasingly often lately.

When I was home for a couple of days over Easter, I heard Vika and Mama talking about Rose when I came downstairs. They thought I'd already gone out and were free to talk, reminiscing about her visit and wondering how she was doing now. I sneaked back upstairs without them noticing my presence and considered what to do. I had pretty much forgotten I wasn't the only one in my family who knew and liked Roza, though like was obviously quite an understatement in my case. After an incident shortly after my restoration when I first returned home, my family never mentioned her when I was around. It was easy to forget she had been here for several weeks when she was in Russia. Oksana had once told me Rose had quickly become part of the family while she was here, but other than that I hadn't heard any details about her stay.

I debated internally for a while when something I'd heard, but not really registered, at dinner last night crossed my mind. Without thinking it through I grabbed my phone, typed a text and this time actually hit send.

Rose, I hope you're well. Vika is travelling to Court soon to take care of paperwork for reassignment. She'd love to see you. Do you mind if I give her your number? Dimitri

By the time I'd taken a shower, making sure to make enough noise to alert my family to my presence, the answer was waiting for me.

Sure, that'd be great!

When I left the next day I slipped a note into Vika's hand. She hung back and I saw her furtively reading it while the rest of the family hugged me goodbye. She was the last to hug me, a little more enthusiastically than she normally would. Nobody overheard her quiet whisper of: "thank you," in my ear.

August

Any chance Olena could mail me her Solyanka recipe??

The text was waiting for me when I returned from an early morning workout. After another four months of complete silence, not counting Vika's long phonecall as soon as she returned home. It was difficult to hear how much fun they had had, having dinner or coffee or watching a lame movie one night, knowing it would never be me and my sister's stories would be the closest I'd get to hanging out with Roza. Still, I listened patiently, absorbing every detail. I'd take what I could get.

As soon as I returned to my apartment I fired up my laptop and opened outlook.

Hello Rose,

No need to ask Mama, I wrote it down a while back. Check the attachments. Hope you enjoy it!

Dimitri

I checked the time. It'd be late in the evening at Court and she'd probably already be asleep. It was also time for me to go to work so I shut down the laptop and left. When I came home after a long day of protecting my newest charge, thankfully a temporary assignment after his own guardian fell ill and his permanent replacement couldn't be freed up until a month from now, she had answered.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You saved my life!

Not sure if Sparky is actually trying to poison me or it was an accidental side-effect, but I'm not sure I'll survive another of his attempts. Keeps saying recipes are overrated, it can't be that difficult... Right...

Rose

Year 5

I was unobtrusively looking around the ballroom searching for Rose, trying to catch a glimpse of a shiny dark ponytail or flashing brown eyes. I hoped she was here and I could finally see her again. I was painfully aware of the fact that, with her assignment last year, it had been two years to the day since I'd last seen her.

"These things never really change, do they?" A voice spoke up. I quickly glanced in it's direction and there she was, just a couple of yards to my right, where I was sure a stern middle-aged man had been standing seconds ago. She was standing in the same stance as I was, as well as every other guardian in the room. Near the wall, feet about a foot apart, hands behind her back and facing the room, quietly observing the party with a blank face. When she noticed me watching I saw the corner of her mouth twitch upward though.

"I suppose not," I answered, sounding calm even though I felt anything but. Apart from not having seen her for two years, this was the first time in all the years since my restoration where she had initiated a conversation, not counting last summer's text. My mouth seemed unable to decide whether to smile widely or fall open in shock and I worked hard to keep my guardian mask in place.

Rose murmured just loud enough for me to hear. "I mean, just look at Lady Szelski over there. I swear she's been wearing that same dress for several years now."
"Roza..."
She completely ignored my intended warning and continued as if I hadn't said anything: "And obviously Jesse and Ralf still don't have anything better to do than get drunk and cause trouble. I wonder if they just don't want to get married, or whether they've been such jerks nobody will have them. Bet it's the latter."

"Would serve them right," I grumbled under my breath. I hadn't forgotten what Jesse Zeklos had tried to do with Rose, or what trouble they had caused with their stupid magic transgressions at the academy.
Then I added a little louder: "Lissa and Christian seem to be having a good time at least." They were dancing in the middle of the dancefloor, Lissa's shimmering golden gown floating around her while Christian held her close.

I glanced in Rose's direction and just caught her rolling her eyes. "She hates these things. Or well, she likes the party, she just doesn't like Tatiana trying to introduce her to her newest political allies, all desperate for support from not just the Queen but also the Dragomir Princess." I looked back right in time to see Queen Tatiana swoop in to pull Lissa into a conversation with her and Prince Voda. She subtly arranged them in a way that left Christian on the outside of their little group. Rose snorted beside me. "Not sure why she keeps trying to exclude Sparkles. It's not like he's going anywhere, they're married after all. And it's pretty hard to overlook him in that suit anyway."

I looked back at Christian and noticed the light reflecting from the lapel and cuffs of his black suit. Apparently they were made of a sparkly fabric which seemed subtle at first but drew a lot of attention in the bright lights on the dancefloor. Guess that accounted for the new nickname.

A group of Royals took up a position near us, forcing our conversation to end. Soon after I noticed movement beside me, and turned just in time to see Rose wink at me as she disappeared, once again being replaced by the grim expression of the man who'd been there before.

I caught sight of her a couple of times over the evening, stationed in different positions around the room and occasionally following Lissa out of it. She caught me looking at her several times but didn't respond in any way, except for the one time she walked past me, rolled her eyes and murmured: "Security seems distracted tonight.."
She was gone before I could answer but she was right of course, I had been distracted. For the next three hours I forced myself to do my job, keeping my eye on the Moroi, my colleagues, the entrances to the room and any sign of trouble.

When the party, and thus my shift, finally came to an end I quickly made for the locker room, grabbing my bag from the locker and hurrying out as soon as I noticed Rose wasn't there.
I looked around as I made my way through the building, walking past catering staff, guardians both off and on duty and a few lingering Moroi. I didn't see her until I made it to the courtyard outside. Lissa and Christian were standing in the middle, talking to a few acquaintances and Rose stood a couple of yards away from them, her eyes moving from Lissa to the surrounding area to the doorway and back again.

She saw me at the same time as I noticed her and she smiled at me, her eyes sparkling. Deciding there was no time like the present, I made my way over to her through the small groups of Moroi who were still talking. I grasped her hand and pulled her aside, making sure we didn't lose sight of Lissa but we would be less noticeable. With my other hand I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and said quietly: "Happy new year Roza."
She looked down at the hand I was still holding in mine, intertwined our fingers and smiled up at me. "You too comrade."

Year 6

A few minutes after midnight I felt someone move next to me. I turned my head and almost got lost in her huge smile as she said: "Happy new year comrade."
I returned her smile and anwered: "You too Roza. You too."

And while everyone was watching a spectacular cake being brought into the ballroom, sparklers and all, I kissed my wife.

Author's note: I haven't written a story in quite a while, but this popped into my head on NYE and I finally had the chance to finish it now.

(Late) Happy new year everyone!