Janine'sPOV
Oh, bleeding hell! I couldn't believe it. My daughter and her mentor had been sneaking around, right under my nose. Now she was expecting his child. It was a relationship which shouldn't be happening and it had resulted in a child which should be impossible. I'd become a mother at twenty- and had done a shit job at it, judging by the way my daughter treated me. Now I was becoming a grandmother at barely thirty-eight. And my son-in-law (for all intents and purposes) was only thirteen years younger than me. Said son-in-law was seven years older than my barely-an-adult daughter, and a seasoned Guardian. My daughter was still a Novice, who had about two months left of school.
Belikov had mentioned Petrov had a file, so her office was where my feet led me.
"Enter!" she called after I knocked. The captain took one look at me and "oh." escaped her mouth.
"Yes, I've heard. I know. I know about Belikov and Rose."
"You look like you found out from them."
"Yes. I did. Can't say I enjoy the sight of a seasoned Guardian all loved up with my Novice daughter."
"I'm assuming you've also-"
"I know I'm becoming a grandmother at thirty-eight."
"And you're here for the folder?"
"Yes, please."
"Here." she gestured to the folder in front of her. She clearly hadn't let it out of her sight since receiving it. "You may want to sit while looking through it." I stepped forward, retrieved the folder and sat.
"I can't believe it. I really don't want to." I commented as I looked at the ultrasound image of my grandchild.
"It's happened Hathaway, you're going to have to accept it."
"I've got to. Clearly. He's absolutely lovesick." I flashed back to all the gooey-ness and felt queasy all over again. "It's sickening."
"Because they forget a world exists? Because they're supposed to be stoic Guardians, and yet they melt each other?"
"Ugh. Yes. And she's a Novice, his student, one who's seven years his junior."
"Yet, the universe has said they're meant to be." Petrov rebutted. And that's how it started... Back-and-forth and back-and-forth like a Ping Pong tournament. I'd conceded to a truce with Belikov but that didn't mean I was in the slightest way happy that a Guardian had landed my daughter.
"Would you prefer it to be Adrian Ivashkov? Jesse Zeklos? Or Ralf Sarcozy?" That nearly shut me down.
"Not really. But they are more age appropriate."
"You know they won't support her like Belikov, they won't fight for her for her sake. You've seen Belikov and Rose's synchronicity in action. You've seen how protective and defensive of her she is. You've seen how he's in pain when she is. He's the best for her and you know it."
"But..."
"You have to stop denying it. He has asked for reassignment after grad."
"And?"
"I didn't send the papers in to Croft."
"But that means-" they'd possibly be guarding partners with their own family. Dangerous didn't even begin to cover it.
"She can only get a Court assignment until she's eight months. Then she'll be on mat. leave. He could still ask to be reassigned to Court." Ugh. He possibly, and probably, would.
