I've gotten requests to continue this, so I just had to write more. I started writing this months ago, but never got around to finishing until now. Thank you to CaRiNeSs for giving me the final push, as well as everyone else who's asked me to continue .

We arrived back at the court, back at our reality.

After leaving the car to one of the care-takers, Dimitri and I headed to the HOSE building, (Headquarters for Organized Strigoi Elimination), to report the Strigoi.

As Dimitri and one of the guardians, Carl, discussed setting up extra posts around the perimeter, I examined the large room around me.

Though I lived at the court, I'd never gotten a chance to see this place.

This was the actual main headquarters for all guardians around the world.

Their job was to locate Strigoi groupings, execute search parties and extermination squads, and formulate the curriculum for all novices.

From the stories I'd heard, I would have expected a high-tech CIA/FBI type room worthy of its own crime show.

Instead, it looked like any ordinary business building, with a main reception desk perpendicular to row upon row of beige cubicles set up under bright fluorescent lights.

This was it? This was the famed HOSE?

Wow, what a letdown.

I'd really wanted some proof of the coolness of being a guardian; the coolness that I'd fantasized about as a novice. Instead, it reflected the true daily nature of being a guardian.

Stark, efficient, and boring.

Dimitri finished up with Carl and led me out towards the guardians barracks.

"So, um, that was the famed HOSE building," I said.

"What were you expecting?" He asked, a smile in his voice.

"I was, uh, sorta expecting the pentagon, or, like, something from Mission Impossible."

He just laughed, leaning down to kiss my cheek while we walked.

I then noticed where we were going.

"Dimitri, why are we going to the barracks?"

He flashed me a mischievous grin.

"Since our time on the beach was cut short, I figured we should still enjoy the rest of our day, so we're going to my place."

That brought me up short.

Whoa, his room.

Since Dimitri wasn't working as a night guard, he got to have his own room.

I'd only seen it once before, but we hadn't even spent ten minutes in there.

I don't know why, but I found it significant that he was taking me there now.

I hadn't expected to spend time like this with him until the late summer, at the very least.

The barracks were really close to the HOSE, so we got there in, like, thirty seconds.

His room was on the upper level, and I was again amused to see the long, fire station-type poles running through the hallway ground at various intervals, to be used in emergencies.

I wondered if Dimitri slid down them on his way to work, just for fun.

We reached his room and went in, and it just as bland as the last time I'd seen it.

It was painted a dull green color, with one full sized bed in the far right corner, a white fridge and adjacent mini kitchen, a brown couch and loveseat, and a little flat screen mounted on the wall parallel to the bed.

It was very much like a nice hotel room, without all the décor.

The biggest perk to the room was that it had a real, honest to God, un-tinted window, that would let in real sunshine during the day.

This was something only found in Dhampir living areas, and oh, how I wanted one.

Once Lissa graduated and joined the working world, I'd be taking the night shift off with Dimitri, and I'd be living with him in this little room with him.

Our very own place, with our very own window.

I looked around, assessing the changes I would make.

"What do you want to do now?" Dimitri asked when he realized I hadn't moved from the door.

"Oh, um, whatever you want."

"How about we just sit for awhile"

"Okay," I said, smiling calmly.

He led me over the couch, and he sat down in the corner as I lie across it and put my head in his lap.

He started stroking his fingers through my hair and softly singing in Russian.

Though he was a terrible singer, the sound of his voice was sweet and calming at the moment, and I closed my eyes and thought about my good luck.

I was engaged to the most amazing man alive.

The word engaged sounded weird, but in a very good kind of way.

We were going to be a couple in the most real sense.

Getting married meant that we would be bound together by the ties of society, the same society that seemed so desperate to tear us apart.

Two Dhampirs.

The thought made me smile, and then made me sigh sadly.

Two Dhampirs, who could never have children together, who could never have a real, genuine family.

I had already known it was unlikely that I'd ever have kids, but this made it final.

I, Rose Hathaway, would never have kids.

That tugged a little on my heart.

"Dimitri?" I whispered.

He stopped singing.

"Yes?"

"If you had a kid, what would you name him?"

He was silent for a minute.

"If I had a boy, I'd name him Ivan, after my old charge."

I remembered him telling me the story of Ivan Zeklos, his high school friend who became his charge.

I remembered the self loathing he'd felt because of Ivan's death, even though it wasn't his fault, and the consequential reluctance to get close to anyone, even me, though I'd broken through to him anyways.

"A girl, I'd name Anastasia," he said in a soft, almost regretful way.

"Ooo, like the cartoon princess?"

I could almost feel him rolling his eyes.

"Yes, Rose, like that."

He paused for another minute, and then continued stroking my hair.

"How about you?"

I thought for a minute.

"Well, if I had a boy, I'd name him Mason."

He didn't say anything in response to that.

I'd always feel responsible for Mason's death, and if I could have his name live on in some way, I'd do it.

Also, I kinda liked the name Mason. It sounded manly and full of purpose.

"How about a girl?" Dimitri asked.

"Lily" I said, without hesitation.

"You seem so sure, why?"

"Well, since I'm a Rose, my daughter should be a Lily, in keeping with the whole flower theme."

He gave a brief chuckle.

"Well, if you have a second daughter you'll be stuck, because I don't think there are anymore flower themed names, unless you name her something like Orchid.

I smiled brightly up at him.

"Nope, there's still Jasmine and Daisy, not to mention Rosemary and Violet and-"

He held a finger to my lips.

"Okay okay, I get the point," he said, laughing.

Then he sighed, looking out the window to see the moon casting a silvery glow on the room.

"I wish I could give you that, Roza. I wish I could that happiness. There are other ways of having children, but the world has a different plan for us, and we'd be too busy anyway."

I smiled grimly.

"Yeah, I guess so. I doubt there are many Moroi sperm banks, and adopting would be kinda pointless when they'd just be going to the academy anyways, and would barely have contact with us."

"I guess you'll have to be content with just me," he said.

"Mmm, I think I can manage that."

I snuggled in closer to him, and though it was still technically daytime, I felt myself slipping into sleep.

Just as the last bits of consciousness faded, I felt Dimitri gently push a cold, smooth circle on the fourth finger of my left hand.