When August comes in Pennsylvania Zoya and Paul Belikov go and spend three weeks with their Uncle Dimka and Aunt Roza. Paul, now twelve, would usually spend his days trailing after his uncle while Zoya would spend the majority of her days within the court's daycare system; but when her Auntie Roza has a day off she spends it with her.

Rose loves Zoya and Paul; they're her niece and nephew in every single way, except blood, but she has her limits. She has no problem practicing with Paul, or watching princess movies with Zoya, but when it comes time to dress up and play Fairy Tea Party with Zoya, and Dimitri and Paul flee the house, Rose puts her foot down.

Instead she invents a new game; one where Zoya can still dress up but Rose doesn't have to. Rose entitles the game Fairy Hunter. The game requires Rose and Zoya to run around the gardens hunting the evil fairies that are trying to help Strigoi capture Moroi. Rose can just imagine the sight they make; a respected guardian and a four year old, running around the gardens like crazy women. They're forced to dodge Hans more than once and it isn't long until Zoya states that the fairies have him under mind control. Rose is forced to restrain the girl when she attempts to go after Hans in an attempt to free him. It is at this point that Rose carries her back home, makes each of them a sandwich and then lays down for a nap, Zoya tucked in tightly beside her.

Hans is doing his paperwork, sorting through complaints, enjoying Hathaway's day off when his door is thrown open and a small dhampir girl throws herself on him. The girl is yelling at the top of her lungs, ordering fairies to leave him alone. The girl is peeled off him moments later by Castile who manages to restrain her and asks her to calm down. He calls her Zoya and Hans' eye twitches. He knows that name very well, Hathaway brags about the girl and her brother as though they were her own spawn. Even on her day off, she manages to give him a headache.

The girl is now crying, the words mind control and fairies still coming out of her mouth when Belikov comes into headquarters, followed by his new shadow. At the sight of the girl and the tears on her face, a storm brews in their eyes and not for the first time he curses Hathaway's existence and prays that Janine doesn't have any more; he won't be able to handle it.

Rose wakes up; only when Dimitri gently shakes her and tells her dinner is ready. She smiles at him and then kisses him, and then realizes that there should be a small person stopping her from doing this. Dimitri sees her fear and assures her that Zoya is fine. He then proceeds to hand her Hans' note. She now has two extra shifts . . . guarding the day care center.