Ok, so my the first VA fic that I've actually posted, but I'm no stranger to it. I have a second chapter coming up, most likely tomorow, but if I don't get time (It sort of is Christmas) it will be up in the next three days. Any criticism/feedback is welcome. I know it's terribly cheesy of me to do a Christmas fic, but hey, how often do theese guys get a little respite for something nice? I'l see how the next chapter comes out, but most likely I will do Dimitri's present for Rose (!!!) which will end up with an M rating.

A shout out to all the kids on the VA fanfiction forum, especially to Rachelosaurus, (LaLaLovely47) for her strange dream about a kid with an awsome name (Judd).

Ok, so sorry about the massive AN, It won't be this ginournous again. Set after SK and graduation, but for the purpose of this fic Dimitri was not killed but left in the cave unconscious. He never asked to be re-assigned, and Eddie was assigned to Christian. Since they have all graduated they are living at the royal court, and Adrian came with them to keep investigating spirit with Lissa.

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Don't own VA, or any of it's characters. I do own Judd Juddson, but Rachel can have him if she wants =p

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A Very Academy Christmas.

Rose POV.

Lissa's cat hissed at me as I walked through the door, puffing up its patchy grey fur to try and seem intimidating. Nice try. I thought, but I seriously doubted I would ever be intimidated by something under a foot high that had a big, gaudy, red bow still attached to its collar. Christian smirked at me, reclining on the couch in the middle of the room as his Christmas gift to Lissa continued to hiss and spit at me from under the coffee table.

"There's more than one reason you got her a cat, isn't there?" I asked him, as his smirk increased. "Don't flatter yourself," he said, half laughing. "I just thought it would be nice for someone around here to be getting some pussy." He turned his head and stared pointedly at Eddie, who was standing in the corner of the room dressed in the usual guardian attire. Eddie looked at me and rolled his eyes.

"Ugh Christian, just ugh. Do holidays always make you more charming than usual?" I said. Eddie laughed at my question. "No, but a champagne breakfast seems to be doing the trick. He's been drinking since seven this morning." Christian shot him an indignant look. "I had two glasses, and only because we have to endure the Voda's brunch in an hour. I don't think I can take all royals trying to flash their new jewelry at each other on an empty stomach."

"Then eat a danish next time." I shot back.. "Anyway, I came here this early to tell you you've been sprung. Seems half the royals in this place hit the bottle a little too hard last night and the brunch has been cancelled." Christian grinned. "Great, I'll tell Aunt Tasha that we can meet her in one of the rec rooms earlier then." He jumped up to get the phone.

I walked over to the couch and sank into it gratefully. I might have been Lissa's official guardian for around six months now, but I still hadn't gotten used to standing all the time. "The rec rooms?" I asked Eddie. "I was under the impression that there was a party happening." With the printed invitations we'd all received, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a god damned ball about to occur in Tasha Ozeras' guest apartment.

"Oh, there's a party alright." Eddie laughed. "Tasha's booked out one of the smaller dining rooms, and by the sound of it she and her guardian spent half the night decorating"

I smiled. Since the lower class Moroi had started calling to light the unfair distribution of the guardians and the attack on St. Vladimir's had occurred, security had been stepped up for all royals. That meant Tasha finally had her own guardian. A nice man named Judd Judson, who, although a little bland in the looks and personality department, seemed to get along with her fairly well and was good at his job.

"Poor Judd, I bet they didn't tell him that interior design would have to be a part of his skills base when he got the assignment." Eddie laughed. It was good to see him healing after loosing Mason. It had been a year, and although still far from the laughing, joking guy he had been, Eddie had been getting some of his sunshine back, even if only behind closed doors.

Christian came back into the room, grinning ear to ear. "We're set to meet her in an hour. Where's Lissa at?" I checked through the bond. She was standing in their bedroom, wrapped in a towel and surveying several outfits laid across the huge bed. "Deciding what to wear, I might go help her." I glanced towards Christian. "If that's ok with you, Lord Ozera." I jibbed. He hated people using his title. He just laughed and nodded, flopping back onto the couch and half kicking me in the side. "Don't get lost in there though, I might be ok with you seeing my future wife in a towel, but I don't know if I'd feel the same way about Guardian Belikov, and then we'd never get anywhere on time." I just smiled and shook my head, walking to the bedroom door.

Lissa sighed as she saw me. "Semi-formal. Semi-formal. What on earth am I meant to class as semi-formal for a brunch?!" She huffed some more and flopped down onto the bed. I came and perched on a clothing-free spot.

"Well I've got some good news for you then, brunch is cancelled, we're meeting Tasha in the 'rec room' in an hour." I glanced at the clock. "Well a little bit less than an hour now." She sat back up and appraised me. "How is it that you manage to get fully ready in just fifteen minutes everyday, and still look that good?" She said mournfully. I frowned. It really wasn't that hard when you had a choice of black slacks and a white shirt, or black slacks, a white shirt and a black jacket, but I didn't tell her that. No need to make her feel bad about the Queen's decisions on appropriate guardian attire.

"Mad skills." I replied dryly. "Now wear the red one, it's more festive, and you won't make the rest of us peons look worse." I grinned at her. "It's semi casual now." She laughed. "Wow, does that mean you get to wear a black sweater instead of a black jacket?" Well maybe she did notice my wardrobe woes…

"Nah, we're not all half married like you, I've still got someone out there to impress." Lissa laughed again and pushed me towards the door, trying to affect a firm expression. "I'll be out soon, be nice to my half-husband."

I couldn't help but smile myself as she threw my own words back at me, and my smile only increased as I saw who else had joined the gathering in the lounge room.

"Nice to see you again stranger. Seems you didn't get eaten by roving Strigoi while on patrol, we were starting to wonder." I smirked. "What with the time and all."

Dimitri gave me a rare grin back, as he leaned against the wall. I couldn't help but notice how ridiculously tight and see-through his white t-shirt was, and how it outlined every one of his incredible stomach and chest muscles. "It must be your ferocious reputation that kept them away. I had to stop off and get something." Glowing on the inside, I copied his neat trick of raising one eyebrow. "Shopping spree? Had to get a trolley for all our gifts? Was the plasma TV and all the diamonds just too heavy for you?" He didn't frown at my wise-cracking like he normally would. If anything, his already rare smile actually increased. "Well now that you mention it…"

"No way!" I gasped, half jumping over to him. "You got us presents? When, how? Never mind that. Where are they?"

He laughed at me, and leaned back against the wall again. "In the dining room, with Tasha. But I know you, and you have to wait until later. So yours isn't there."

I frowned. "That's just not cricket, comrade. If it's mine, shouldn't I decide when I get it?" He looked down at me with his dark eyes, staring me down. "No, Rose. You can't have it until later." The things that filled his eyes as he said that gave me shivers in places that shouldn't be mentioned in decent company. Even though his voice remained even, the longing and lust that filled his dark brown irises told the truth, and I suddenly had an inkling of what my Christmas present might be.

Before I could say anything that would be embarrassing and possibly job threatening, Lissa came flouncing out of the door in the red cashmere dress. "Hair up or down? Heels, flats or boots?" I turned to look at her, and noticed Christian's eyes raking up and donw her woolen silhouetted body. I definately got the impression that he approved. I turned my attention back to my best friend, and assessed her outfit. "White heels maybe, if you want to match the holiday. Otherwise black should do. Leave your hair down, it's just close friends. I don't think you have time to curl it, unless you already have the iron on." Lissa nodded seriously. "I thought that too, so I plugged it in, it should be ready now." And with that she turned and hurried back into the bedroom.

Eddie started laughing. "You two, honestly. You looked like you were discussing battle plans or something." He laughed again. Somewhat miffed about Eddie's dig, I had to restrain my snarky comeback. It was Christmas after all. "Well I can't have her embarrassing me now, can I? The other guardians might laugh. An who better to take advice from than Rose Hathaway, hotness incarnate?"

Christian started choking and laughing at the same time, trying not to spill his third - or was it fourth? - glass of champagne. Eddie just smiled and shook his head. "Well you do look very good" a Russian laced accent crooned quietly from next to me. I turned and looked at Dimitri again, the look on his face sending my knees weak. Luckily, Lissa then decided to make her second grand entrance, declaring we were ready to go.

I snapped back into guardian mode, and tried not to gag as Christian all but molested her against the doorframe. Once Dimitri had confirmed the hallway was clear I fell into step behind Lissa and we set off to the dining room.