Summary:Dimitri and Rose have the day off and go on a romantic date together. But will a perfect day end disastrous? What happens when a dangerous threat is on campus? The wards kept strigoi out but not passing animals

I hated practice on weekends. Absolutely despised it.
For a year, I've worked my guts out. I'd given all I had to my training session – even sacrificed my usual morning sleep-ins for them. Why couldn't life be easier? Why couldn't I just get some time to myself? Why is a little break so hard to ask for?
Every time I had asked these questions to Dimitri, I would get questions thrown back at me. Do you want to be prepared to defend the Princess? Don't you love her enough to lose a weekend? Would you rather sleep-in while strigoi rip the Princess into tiny shreds?
Low blows. I know. Dimitri was notorious for them. He knew that my dedicated to Lissa was the only thing allowing me to strive. I wouldn't let anything happen to her.
And that's why I trained. And trained. And trained.

Eventually, I had gotten used to my training-filled weekends. While I ran laps around the track, no longer did I enviously stare longingly at the crowds of dhampirs and Moroi chatting and interacting together. When I was sweating helplessly while lifting weights, no longer did I think about cuddling up on a sofa to watch a nice movie. No longer did I make an effort to complain about my long-gone weekends.
I was always told when growing up that Sacrifices are what make a good person – a good guardian, even.Why would a couple of hours on the weekend spent sweating away matter if Lissa was safe? They come first. Not me.

"It doesn't matter how I feel. It doesn't matter how any of us feel." Dimitri had said that while commenting on our relationship. Although it was on us, I find it relevant to training. If I wanted a break, it doesn't matter. If I wanted a holiday, it doesn't matter. As long as the Moroi are safe.
I was prepared for these sacrifices, accepting them in exchange for Lissa's safety. I was ready to say goodbye to my weekends and just accept the way things were.
So you can imagine my surprise when Dimitri told me this weekend, I was making a break.

"So…" I said, "It's our day off, a weekend, and we're alone. Anything you got in mind?"

I glanced up at Dimitri, gazing at the perfect being through my eyelashes. How did I get so lucky? I asked myself that question every day. More importantly, why did he allow me a day off?
Who cares? I have a free weekend, time with Dimitri and I can do anything I wanted. I was lucky. No need to question things then.

Dimitri and I were strolling around campus before dawn. No, I didn't get my sleep-in because Dimitri had asked if I wanted to take a walk with him before the campus wakes up. Stuff the much needed sleep in. This was Dimitri. He was more important.

Light wispy clouds blanketed the sky, leaving gaps occasionally, allowing the rising sun to peek through. In the far distance, on the horizon, you could make out the sunrise as darkness was met by light.
The warmth of the morning light spread across the school grounds, running through the fields and climbing up the pine trees. Shadows from the night soon perished as the rays dominated them.
The forest came alive. Birds chirped in their ridiculous high pitches notes, forming melodies only animals could make. Flowers opened up their buds, welcoming the light and nutrients of the new day.
A walk in the forest couldn't get any more romantic with the sunrise.

"Oh Roza." Dimitri sighed, pulling me closer to his body. He wrapped his arms around the small of my back and brought me in to lean against his chest.
"Today is all about you. You decide what you want to do. You decide anything and everything."

"Anything?" I asked cheekily. "So how about you, me and the cabin get acquainted?"

He chuckled. The vibrations of his laugh bounced off his chest and trembled into my body. His laugh was soft and warm – like honey dripping off a stick. I wonder if he would mind if I recorded his laugh…

"Roza, moya lyubovʹ. You know we can't go off – as much as I would love to. The campus will awake in around half an hour and it would be suspicious if we were nowhere to be found."

"As much as I hate it, you're right."

I snuggled closer into his chest, enjoying the warmth and safety of being close to him.
I hated hiding our relationship. So did Dimitri. I wanted to go out in public and show all the others that this man was mine. I wanted every girl to know that Dimitri was off limits.
His hotness didn't help. Every girl on campus gushed about Dimitri. He was young and hot. A fantastic sight. Every day I would hear conversations about him, and every day I would stop myself from bashing up the idiots who had the guts to talk about him as if he was just a piece of hot meat.
Imagine the awkwardness when someone included me in a conversation about him.
"How could you train with him every day and not get distracted by his hotness?" Many would ask.
In true Rose Hathaway fashion I would simply reply; "How could he train with someone as stunning as myself and not get distracted?"

"Anything else you want to do today?" He asked again, breaking me from my thoughts.
His deep, chocolate brown eyes bore into mine. Love and care shone brightly in them. This was one of the times that his guardian mask was not on show. This was the true Dimitri, the one I was so lucky to have.

"I don't know. I've been waiting for this break for so long and I don't know what to do." I laughed quietly. "Why don't you choose what we do? I won't mind at all, as long as I'm with you."

"Well… how about we go back to campus, get ready and I'll organize a magnificent, romantic date for the two of us?"

"You would do that for me?"

"I would do anything for you, Roza."

I giggled softly, a Cheshire smile planted on my face.

"Whatever do you have in mind, Mr. Belikov?" I playfully said.

"That's Guardian Belikov to you, Miss Hathaway. And what I have in mind is a surprise."

"Guardian Belikov. You know I hate surprises."

"All the better, Miss Hathaway."

After our little conversation and morning stroll, Dimitri and I separated with a quick kiss. He had told me to dress casually and to be prepared to go into the woods again. In half an hour he was going to come by my dorm and pick me up.

Dressing in a cute summer dress, I applied a small amount of makeup and fixed my hair. Showering had taken most of my half hour so Dimitri was due to arrive in 5 minutes.

After the finishing touches, a loud distinctive knock came from the door.

"Coming!" I yelled out while smoothing my lip gloss. One last look in the mirror and I was good to go.

I opened the door and welcomed Dimitri in.

"You look beautiful as always, Roza."

I smiled and his words and took the time to see what he was wearing. He was wearing khaki shorts with a fitted white t-shirt. Got to say, khaki looked fantastic on him.

"You clean up pretty good yourself, comrade."

He smiled his 1000 watts smile.

"These are for you. Beautiful roses for a beautiful Rose."

He took out a bouquet of rose that he was hiding behind his back. This man continues to surprise me. How did he get roses?

The flowers just made the date feel even more real. I must be dreaming. No way could Dimitri and I just have perfect moments together at school. Dimitri was making my insides all jittery and me all mushy and sweet. God, the things this man does to me.

"Thank you Dimitri, they're gorgeous."

I placed them in a nearby vase and returned my attention back to him.

"Thank you so much for going to all this trouble for me."

"No thank you needed. You're worth it all."

Oh my God. Here come the butterflies in my stomach again. No one has ever made me feel like this before. He is so sweet.

Maybe guardians could find happiness after all? Maybe there was love and hope for all of us?

I glanced at Dimitri again, my eyes getting lost in the bottomless, brown pools of his eyes. Every time I look at him, I am drawn to his eyes and I can never drag my attention away from them. Happiness was radiant in his eyes. I am as sure as hell that my eyes reciprocated the same feelings.

I quickly adverted my eyes to his lips and back to his eyes. The curves of his lips called for me.

Without hesitation, we both leaned in for a kiss. His lips met mine halfway and slowly we tasted each other. My lips moved in sync with his. We were in sync. Our souls were in sync.
Slowly our tongues found each other and fought for dominance. Our soft, loving kiss quickly grew passionate and rough.
I curled my fingers in his hair, loving the feeling of his soft locks against my skin. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to his body.
This was love. This was happiness. This was us. Dimitri and I.

We drew back to catch our breaths, panting heavily. I smiled broadly at Dimitri.

"Got pretty carried away there, hey comrade?"

"As much as you did." He replied, a smile still plastered on his face. "So Miss Hathaway. Still up for our date?" He asked, arm stretched out for me to take.

"You bet. Guardian Belikov."

The campus was up and running by the time Dimitri and I left my dorm. As crowds of people were seen enjoying the morning light, Dimitri and I separated, planning to meet at the trail in the woods.

I couldn't help the smile on my face as I walked around the outskirts of campus. Dimitri and I were going on a proper date – well as proper as forbidden dating allowed us. Never had I been happier. This was all like a dream come true.

I finally found Dimitri at the trail and I wordlessly followed him into the forest.

"So. Where are we going?"

"That's a part of the surprise Rose."

"Please?" I pouted.

He took my hand and enveloped it into his.

"No, Roza. Just enjoy the scenery for now. We'll be there in a minute."

I stayed quiet and did what he suggested.

The scenery was amazing. The sun was now hanging high up in the sky, allowing some rays to break through the strong canopy of the forest. Wild flowers dancing at the border of the trees, squirrels and other small woodland creatures raced around and a light breeze swept past us. It was so peaceful, so unlike me.

Soon enough, Dimitri stopped. I paused and looked around. A dead tree stump lay a few meters from us, green moss and grubs erupting from its top. Long grass – with God knows what kind of snakes and spiders lived in there – swayed in the wind on the other side of us. Poisonous mushrooms laced the trees and fire ants and termites fought near them.
What a nice place…

"Um. Dimitri? Is this where we are staying?" Disgust clear in my voice. I couldn't help it. I wanted this date to be perfect but he brought me – here?

"Why? Don't you like it, Roza?" He said sadly. Oh no. Now I hurt his feelings.

"What? Why would you think that? I … love … it." I managed to spit out.

He smiled at me, and I tried to return it.

All of a sudden he was laughing. What the hell?

"You…should…have…seen your face!" Dimitri laughed.

"What?"

"Ohh Rose. Of course this isn't where I was taking you! This place is disgusting. I can't believe I tricked you!"

That son of a bit-

"Dimitri Belikov!" I yelled. "How dare you, Russian?" I faked anger. "I hate you." I laughed.

"Oh. Come on Rose." He let go of my hand and went behind me.

"What the f-"

Dimitri put his hands over my eyes.

"Dimitri! I can't see."

"That's the point." He whispered in my ears. "Come on. We still need to walk another minute to our surprise location."

"Okay Roza. Open your eyes on the count of three. 1…2…3."
Dimitri's warm hands left my face and I blinked open my eyes.

"Oh my God. It's beautiful."

There, before me, was a lake. The lake's water shone like crystals as the sun's light reflected off it. Beautiful flowers grew on the boundaries and vines crawled up small trees. Butterflies fluttered around and small bird chirps were heard. It was gorgeous.

Dimitri smiled. "All for you, my Rose."

Giggling very lightly, I let Dimitri drag me to a picnic table complete with food.

"How did you organize all this in so little time?" I asked.

"Guardian secrets." He replied.

"How did I get so lucky?"

"I think the real question is how did I get so lucky to find you."

A faint blush spread across my cheeks. This man is wonderful.

"So Dimitri. You brought me out to a wonderful location, sit me down on a picnic bench and sweet talk me. But where's the food?"

"Only you Rose. Only you."

He picked up a basket from under the table and set up. We talked and ate away, enjoying our time today.

After we were done and packed up, Dimitri and I sat down at the edge of the lake, our feet dipped in the water.

I was leaning against him, my head on his chest and his arms around my waist. This was a picture perfect moment. Something I never wanted to forget.

We enjoyed the quiet time together.

"Roza?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to come swimming with me?"

"Swimming? I don't have any swimmers on me."

"All the better, Miss Hathaway." He repeated what he said earlier.

"You cheeky bastard, Mr Belikov." I laughed.

"That's Guardian Belikov to you and come on let's go."

Dimitri helped me up and took off his shirt. He jumped into the water ad motioned for me to go in to. Stripping of my dress, I followed him in.

The cool water wrapped around my body as I glided into the lake.

Dimitri and I swam and laughed, dunking each other under the water.

I couldn't have asked for a better day off.

After we dried off and packed up, Dimitri and I headed back to campus. Hand in hand we walked back, careful not to get seen.

"Thank you so much for a fantastic day, Dimitri."

"My pleasure, Rose. I loved seeing you happy and enjoying yourself."

"And again I say, how did I get so lucky?"

"How did I get so lucky? A beautiful girl with a heart of gold fell for me. That is every man's wish. I love you, Roza."

"A sexy badass Russian who happens to be the sweetest guy I know fell for me. How the hell did that happen? I love you too."

We kissed in the shadow of a tree one last time before walking across the school ground together.

"So. Practice tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yes Rose. Training resumes tomorrow."

"It's fine. As long as I'm with you all day."

"Ditto."

We stared lovingly at each other, the moment to precious for words.

That is, until we heard screams.

Shrill, girly screams echoed through the buildings. Dimitri automatically grabbed for his stake and shoved his spare at me. We were in guardian mode now.

What the hell is going on?

An alarm sounded around campus and Dimitri and I shared a knowing glance. Alarms were only sounded if danger was on campus – that meant strigoi.

"Be safe, Roza." Dimitri said and quickly kissed me.

"You too."

And with that we took off together getting all the Moroi inside the dorms. We hadn't seen any strigoi yet – which was weird.

As soon as the Moroi around us were in the dorm, we took off toward the screams. The screams were so petrified, so fearful.

We raced alongside each other as fast as we could. Years of training kicked in and past experienced washed through my mind.

While running, I quickly slipped into Lissa's head. She was fine. Surrounded by at least a dozen guardians and locked away high up in the dorms. At least she was safe.

I pulled out of her head as soon as we reached our destination.

A quick survey of the site showed the problem.

Royal Moroi were hanging their heads out the window screaming for guardians and for help. Some were even climbing up trees. The sight was pretty funny – if this wasn't a funny situation.

I looked for the danger. But no stirogi were present. What were they running from?

Dimitri gave me a glance, saying that he was going to help the idiots climbing up the trees. I nodded and continued to survey the area.

Trees were ripped from their roots, benches broken in half and windows smashed. What the hell was going on?

I soon got my answer as a roar erupted from behind me.

With lightning reflexes, I spun around on my heel, stake poised and ready. I was prepared to fight an army of strigoi. But what I wasn't prepared for was a bear.

A bear?

There, standing over 3 meters tall was the biggest grizzly bear I have ever seen in my life. The wards kept strigoi out but not passing animals, this must have been what the fuss was about.

I laughed.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I yelled. "A bear? That's what you're all scared about? Please!"

I guess the bear didn't like my tone of voice or something because next thing I know, its giant claws swiped at me. I narrowly missed the hit, jumping back and falling over in the process.

"Jeeze. Sorry Humphrey." I said remembering the cartoon, Disney character.

I quickly got to my feet as the bear roared and took another swipe at me.

A collection of screams erupted from the witnessing Moroi.

"Rose!"

"Oh My God."

"Get away from it."

"Aghhhh!."

Everyone screamed at me. But I only heard one voice.

"Rose! Roza! Please! Get away from it!" Dimitri pleaded.

I couldn't just leave the animal here, free to attack anyone.

"Come on Yogi Bear let's see if I can give you a boo boo."

I charged at the bear, stake stretched out. I knew it was useless but I needed this bear dead.

I guess the bear also didn't like my jokes and puns because it was super raged. It charged at me, its stumpy legs pounded against the pavement.

Swipe. Kick. Claw. Stake.

We fought and fought. I swear the bear had 10 inch nails. I could feel the blood pouring out of my arm from the last swipe. I was growing weaker; the fatigue was getting to me.

The bear seemed to have an endless supply of energy.

The shame if I was beaten by a bear. I would never be able to live it down.

"Rose! Look out!" Dimitri screamed. But it was too late.

The bear's paw slashed at me, slicing my chest open. I fell helplessly on the ground.

It stood tall over me, dominate and proud of its victory.

This is it. I thought. The end of Rose Hathaway. The idiot who got killed by a bear.

My life flashed before my eyes. My life was not supposed to end like this. I was supposed to die in battle, fighting and protecting the ones I love, not getting mauled by some stupid teddy bear!

The last thing I saw before closing my eyes for the final time was Dimitri rushing over. I smiled at him, trying to show all my love for him in my eyes.

I love you Dimitri.

The strong, overwhelming smell of disinfectant filled the air while the annoying, repetitive beep of a machine replayed over and over again. With a startle, I immediately awoke. The hard, rigid bed bashed against my back in my hurry to sit up straight. I groaned in pain as I fell back down on the mattress. What the hell? Immense pain ripped through my mid-back, forcing my head to roll back on the stone pillow, showing me a view of the eggshell white ceiling above. Where am I?

My eyelids fluttered a couple of times before I adjusted to the bright ceiling light. Agh. My head! Why do I hurt all over? Why can't I feel my legs? More importantly, what happened? Questions buzzed through my brain, humming like tiny bees in overdrive. For the second time, I tested my balance and tried to sit up. It was easier this time, having not rushed.

Glancing around the white room, I got a feeling of familiarity. My brain couldn't register where I was but… for some reason I felt like I had been here before, or that I have been here many times. Beside me was a large machine – the one causing the extremely annoying beeping sound. A thin line ran up and down in a pattern, sometimes racing higher and sometimes falling. There was a wire connected to a hand, from the machine.

So. What happened to me? Why was I here? I knew I wasn't captured by some outlaws and thrown into a dirty dungeon for later questioning – that was for sure. If that was the scenario, I would have been hand cuffed to a chair with a flickering bulb held above my head, serving as my only source of light. So, um, where am I?

The door in front of me opened and a man stepped in. My God. This man was hot! Brown shoulder length hair, chocolate brown eyes, tall and muscular.

He sullenly closed the door then looked at me. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. A massive grin stretched across his handsome face.

"Roza! Rose! You're awake! You're alright!"

Roza.

Memories replayed through my mind like a movie on fast forward.

Dimitri, my boyfriend, my mentor, my love. Our date. Getting attacked. Dying from a bear attack. Wait- dying?

But I'm here?

"Oh My God. Dimitri!" I cried.

He raced across the room, rushing to my side. He pulled me into a bone crushing hug.

"Oh Rose. The doctor said you might not live. I got there just in time. The bear almost killed you. I staked it and…and… I thought you were dead. Oh my God. The doctor said you had a 5% chance of living. You scared me Rose. Don't ever leave me."

Tears built up in my eyes over his rambling.

"Oh Dimitri. Thank you for saving me. I… I thought I was dead. The bear had me."

"Shh. Rose. It's alright."

"A frikken bear nearly killed me! People will never look at me the same way."

He laughed.

"After all the pain and nearly dying, you worry about how people will look at you?" I nodded. "Well Roza. Half the school saw you fight the bear and everyone commented on how brave and strong you were. You were the only person who confronted the bear. The older guardians wouldn't even go near it until they were sure I had killed it."

"Really?"

"Really Roza."

"Thanks again Dimitri. Why is it that you are the one always saving me?"

"Simple. Because I love you."

"As I love you."

We leant in and kissed each other, familiarizing ourselves again.
How lucky am I to have found Dimitri?
The answer? Very, very lucky.