"Janine, I've found her."

The words almost made her heart stop in her chest. But she couldn't break down now, and definitely not with Ibrahim on the phone.

"Of course you have. Where is she?" Janine demanded, her voice carefully controlled into neutrality despite her words.

"Currently? In Omsk. My associate that found her is taking her to Baia in the morning."

"Baia? The hell does she want to go there for?" Baia was a bloodwhore compound. What did her headstrong daughter want there?

"I don't know." Yet, Janine thought silently. Ibrahim had a way of getting information out of even the most stubborn. "I'll talk to her once she is in Baia. Give her a day to mess around and do whatever she'd had in mind and then make her go home."

"No need," Janine replied simply.

"Pardon?" Ibrahim asked, confusion in his voice. "Wasn't that the reason for tracking her down? To send her home before she gets herself killed?"

"Yes, but you are still a stranger to her. Rosemarie is as stubborn as a mule, and she'll scoff at your reputation. I'll be on the first flight out." Janine had opened her laptop the minute Ibrahim had called and was already looking through flights. "Oh look, there's one that leaves in two hours. Just enough time to get to the airport."

"Janine, you can't be serious. You never abandon your charge."

"I'm not abandoning him. He will be safe at Court and plans on staying for at least a week."

Ibrahim was quiet for a long moment. "Of course he will be," he said quietly.

Janine chose to ignore his implication. "I'll be there shortly," she replied sharply and hung up the phone.

In half an hour, Janine had a small bag packed, informed both her charge and guardian Croft of her departure, and was well on her way to the airport. Court was a good hour away from the nearest public airport, so she arrived with just barely enough time to make it through security and onto her plane. Thanks to the small size of her bag, she hadn't need to wait for baggage check as well, saving her from being late to the flight.

The hours on the plane dragged. She didn't have any type of entertainment with her; her bag had just barely been big enough for the clothes she would need. After trying for about thirty minutes to sleep, she gave up on that, too keyed up over the prospect of seeing Rose and anxious of all the potential threats on her plane. It would be difficult for a Strigoi to make it onto a public airplane, yes, but not entirely impossible. Plus, Strigoi were hardly the only threat in the world.

The airplane had three magazines in the pocket of the chair in front of her. She read all of them, taking her time with every story over the vapid Hollywood stars, despite having zero interest in any of them.

And then she was bored. Again. She didn't have any paperwork to catch up on, and the airplane TV was even more vapid than the magazine stories had been, so Janine refused to watch any of it. Giving up, she sat back in her chair and tried to get comfortable as she let her thoughts wander.

That had to have been the longest flight of her life. After thirty hours on a plane and three layovers, she had finally made it to Omsk. Exhaustion was pulling at her, despite managing to sleep most of the time between the second and third layovers- only after ensuring that every passenger was scrutinized and deemed to not be a threat.

Walking to the main exit of the airport, she was almost too lost in her thoughts to notice Ibrahim. Almost.

He was wearing one of his signature flashy suits and a brightly colors scarf, all pressed to perfection. Never a hair out of place with him. Janine figured she looked frumpy in comparison with her wrinkled t-shirt and jeans, but after so long on a plane, she couldn't bring herself to care.

Ibrahim opened his arms, preparing to welcome her with a hug, but she stopped short of his reach and tried to calm her fluttering heart. "You didn't need to come here. You should have stayed and kept an eye on Rosemarie," she said, her voice stiff as she tried to stomp down the sudden surge of emotions.

"Nonsense! I've got my pet Alchemist keeping watch until we make it back. If we hurry, we might just make it time for the memorial," Ibrahim replied, sweeping an arm around her with far too much flourish and leading her out the door, two Guardians following close by.

"Memorial?" she wondered out loud, the realization hitting her a moment later. "Shit. Belikov. That's why she wanted to go there."

"They seemed quite happy to have Rosemarie there, despite her news and injured state," Ibrahim said, keeping his voice light, his large van coming into sight.

Janine stopped and spun out of his arm. "What do you mean injured?" she snapped, her angry tone hiding the sheer panic she felt.

"She fought off two Strigoi when her and the Alchemist stopped to rest for the night. She got a little banged up, but overall she's just fine. Now, let's go," he replied, voice startlingly calm.

Janine didn't bother replying. Ignoring Ibrahim, and her heart, she turned and climbed into the van, mind whirling. She asked the driving Guardian how long the trip would be then didn't speak another word for the rest of the obscenely long trip, not even when they stopped for gas twice. She was aware her actions were like a petulant child's, but she couldn't muster the energy required for conversation. Worry was slowly consuming her since Ibrahim had shared the story of Rose fighting Strigoi.

She's too young to be fighting so many Strigoi. At the academy, she'd had help. Now, she's on her own. And she didn't finish her training! What the hell was that girl thinking?

This thought pattern continued in Janine's head for the entire trip, so by the time the van pulled up in front of the Belikov residence, she was good and steamed.

She had to force herself to knock lightly on the door and wait, knee bouncing with nerves and anger all the while. After a few moments, the door was opened by a kind, motherly looking woman with red rimmed eyes. She had been crying, but was still polite to the stranger at the door. "Can I help you?" she asked, her English heavily accented.

"Perhaps. Is Rosemarie here?" Janine asked tersely.

A gasp sounded from inside. "Mom?"

And that's part 1! I plan to have part 2 up within a week. Let me know what you think with a review!~Sailor