Summary:

Dimitri busts Rose out of jail and together they go on a journey to find Lissa's half-sibling. Dimitri battles to keep his love hidden, as every glance he takes at Rose is bitter-sweet with a healthy side-dish of pain.

There's more than one problem, though. The breakout means certain death for both Rose and Dimitri if caught.

The entire vampire world is out to get them and they have to turn to a world that neither had ever trusted.

Ours.

-,-'-

Love is the leech, sucking you up
Love is a vampire, drunk on your blood
Love is the beast that will
tear out your heart
Hungrily lick it and
painfully pick it apart

~The Beast – Concrete Blonde

Going Under

Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! I hated this, hated it. Why? Why Rose? Anyone else—even Lissa—and I wouldn't be in this damned mess! I wouldn't be a mess of emotions I wouldn't be screaming silently to myself and pacing in my well-guarded room.

I wouldn't have to hear or think Rose's name.

I winced at that my internal mentioning of... her name. It hurt so much.

I hated a lot of things about this situation, her life being in danger the most prominent.

My mind was in chaos, I could barely distinguish one thought from another, the only word that made the slightest sense was her name—as much as it hurt—chanting in my head. But it couldn't really be called that, because each time her name came into my muddled head it was unique to the ones before and after.

It went something like this:

ROSE! A shout filled with panic. Roza, a groan of pain. Rose, a sob of anguish and worry. Rose... the beginning of a sentence. Roza, a disapproving tone. Rose... a warning...

As the list went on and on I noted that there was something common, apart from the fact that it was her name. Each way it was perceived was bad.

I was going under, drowning in the agony of her name, the need to run, to protect her, was overwhelming.

I fell to my knees and moaned, a tear escaping my eye. I wished again—as I had so many times I had these past few days—that the lies I had told her had been true, that I couldn't and didn't love her. I gave way and cried there, never moving from my position kneeling in my room.

I knew what was happening. Whatever Higher Force there was, was getting its revenge on me, for all the terrible things I'd done. It must have known—of course it had—that I would turn into a strigoi one day, that I would be brought back by the girl who loved me, so he had been preparing me, making me love her back so much that it was agony to see her, to remember what I'd done to her, and now...

I wept until the tears came no more, and after that I still sobbed dryly, until my cheeks were dry. When I stopped even that and eventually grew quiet, I was still thinking of her, my mind numb of anything but the girl—woman—I loved.

-,-'-

A knock at the door finally pulled me back into the real world. I stood up, and made a hasty attempt to clean up, practically sprinting to my bathroom so Lissa—that's who I assumed it was—wouldn't see the effect this whole crazy thing had on me. I needed to be brave, now more than ever because Lissa would be just as torn up as I was.

When I opened the door I was in for a shock. Because standing there wasn't Vasilisa Dragomir, the only person I wanted to see—I didn't want to see Roza, I just wanted her safe.

But this person I really didn't want to see. This person was in fact a person I'd be very happy to kill.

"May I come in?" Adrian Ivashkov asked.

I could never have Rose. I could never let her know that I still loved her with all my heart, even if she survived her current predicament. I didn't deserve her.

That didn't stop me from wanting to smash her boyfriends head in.

What did he think he was doing? Why was he here? I struggled to keep my distance from him as he entered, free of any protective guardians. I remembered when I saw those bites on Rose's—cringe—neck, the anger I felt then.

The room was very large, it had a lounge room and a bed room and a bathroom. Lots of rooms.

Ivashkov sat on the couch. I sat in the arm chair in front of him, working to keep my face blank.

"What is it that you want?" I asked, keeping my voice level. Man, was I good at this.

"I want you to stop being an idiot." He bluntly stated. He looked miserable.

I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Ivashkov sighed. "I said that I wanted you to stop being an idiot. Rose needs you. I would be an idiot if I didn't see it." He paused and my breath caught in my throat. This wasn't what I had expected at all. It didn't change anything though. "It's horrible—you can't imagine how much—for me to be here now, for me to know she's there, knowing that I can do nothing to help her." Bullshit. I was going through much, much worse, how dare—no. She wasn't mine, she couldn't be, she was his.

It took all my strength not to jump her boyfriend.

I realised that Ivashkov was still talking.

"...she's trying to tough it out—you know Rose—she puts on a brave face and her dad says he's—"

"Her what?" I asked, surprised. Surely he hadn't just said her dad. Or if he had, it wasn't Rose's.

Ivashkov blinked. "Her dad. Ibrahim Mazur. Turkish, I think. I remember meeting him at the trials, he's... kind of scary. She calls him Zmey, instead of dad. It's weird since Zmey means-"

"Snake." I finished, knowing already. I'd heard of Ibrahim Mazur. Heck, I even met him once! I was in shock though. Rose's father was Ibrahim Mazur.

This was surreal.

I noticed Ivashkov watching me, he had dark rims below his eyes, his hair was tousled in a just-got-out-of-bed way. I wiped my face of any emotion that might have been showing there.

"Adrian, why are you coming to me? I have no feelings for Rose and no desire to see her, she's a tough girl she can handle it. And I'm sure she won't be found guilty."

Ivashkov shook his head. "I love Rose, but I would be lying if I said I was any more than a shadow to a girl obsessed with the sun to her."

"I don't have any feelings toward her, Adrian." I sighed, pretending on so many levels.

Ivashkov shook his head again.

"That's a lie and you know it."

"I think you should leave." I said, my voice icy.

Without another word he left. I got up and looked out my small window, I stayed that way for a while before I heard the noise.

It came from my bedroom. What was going on? I ran to the door but there was no one there.

Only a note next to a rose on my bed.

My breath caught in my throat—again. I used to love roses, but ever since coming back from being a strigoi I could barely bare the sight of them. They reminded me of rose in so many ways. So much beauty, but thorny. The rose knows how to protect itself. Ever since I'd met Rose I'd sort of admired her mother for picking such an insightful name.

It was only two short steps to the bed. I picked up the rose, deliberately letting the thorns prick me. I deserved pain, especially from a rose.

I picked up the note and read her name at the top. The letter was meant for her.

Rose,

If you're reading this, then something terrible has happened. You probably hate me, and I don't blame you. I can only ask that you trust that what I did with the age decree was better for your people than what others had planned. There are some Moroi who want to force all dhampirs into service, whether they want it or not, by using compulsion (I swore at this). The age decree has slowed that faction down.

However I write to you with a secret you must put right, and it is a secret that you must share with as few as possible. Vasilisa needs her spot on the Council, and it can be done. She is not the last Dragomir. Another lives, the illegitimate child of Eric Dragomir. I know nothing else, but if you can find this son or daughter, you will give Vasilisa the power she deserves. No matter your faults and dangerous temperament, you are the only one I can feel can take on this task. Waste no time in fulfilling it.

—Tatiana Ivashkov

Well, this was a surprise. Why had I been given the note? To give to Rose? A thought occurred to me I flipped it over, sure enough, there was the familiar handwriting of Rosemarie Hathaway.

Comrade,

I can't use your name just in case someone finds this. I don't want you to get in trouble as well. If you've read the note on the back (or the front, whichever way you want to call it) then you know why I'm getting this letter to you. You're the only one I can trust with this, Lissa would worry if she knew about this. I can't believe I'm about to write this, but I think it's a conspiracy. Someone, or a group of someones, are trying to keep Lissa from having a vote. This is what I've put together:

1) Files that might connect Lissa's dad to the kid have been stolen from the alchemists'.

2) The queen, possibly the only one who knows about the kid gets murdered.

3) I am blamed, a close friend of Lissa's who's already shown she's ready to fight for Lissa's rights.

Lissa is not safe. If the queen can get killed by this guy, than anyone can.

I need to get out of here, I need to find that kid. I don't care about what I'm about to ask being a certain death. She's all that matters.

So, here goes.

I need you to bust me out.

For Lissa.

~Rose

-,-'-

A/N: Well, this is my first VA fic... ever. Which is weird 'cause I've like it for so long. This:

-,-'- is a rose for those of u that don't know.

This was me three minutes ago:

*looks at clock* HOLY SHIT! IT'S PAST TWLVE O'CLOCK!

CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP!

One last thing: I have a temper to rival Rose's, so beware, flamers. If u MUST flame, then do two things so I don't give you a public verbal beating.

1) Make it sensible. That means more than a few words on how your brain has melted.

And 2) Don't stay cowardly logged out.

So, this is me out.

~Basic Bookworm.

P.S. Oh, and the title of the fic may change

P.P.S. I wrote the AN last night, I stuffed up in posting the chap and decided to write more in it this morning.

And I wrote the original note b/c some people may have read the book but can't remember what the note said.

P.P.P.S. (WHEN WILL I STOP?)This is gonna be the only disclaimer I put in this fic so listen up. Disclaimer: Nothing, I own.

Happy?

I Hope so.