Written for Mayra's birthday. Happy birthday dude!

For Life and Love

The rocky walls of the cave swished by at an amazing speed as Rose and Dimitri rushed Lissa through the uneven terrain, using both of their arms as leverage. The cave was dank and filled with puddles from the flowing river just above them. It allowed many small spurts of water to filter through the cracks and splash around them adding to the uncomfortableness of their situation, though not that neither Rose or Dimitri seemed to notice. They were all soaked through and the cool night air sifting through the maze-like tunnels sent a deep cold down to their very bones.

"Leave me," Lissa mumbled weakly. She was barely conscious. She'd used her powers of healing on a wound that Rose had suffered no more than half hour ago, a brutish gash under her ribs from one of the creatures chasing them; one of the Gnarls.

The Gnarls were a new species that plagued Moroi and dhampirs alike. They were a new hybrid created by the Strigoi to aid them in doing their dirty work which consisted of kidnapping Moroi and forcefully turning them into the monsters they all seemed to be. Horned and hideous, the Gnarls were merciless beasts that hunted day and night, without needing food or rest, and could only be killed by beheading.

Basically, they were a real pain in the ass.

Rose shifted Lissa's weight a little and gave her a small smile. "Now, now, pal. We could never just leave you here like that. Without you, Dimitri and I would be hitting up the unemployment line stat."

Lissa smiled despite herself and allowed Rose to wipe her damp hair out of her slitted eyes.

"Well we couldn't have that," she agreed sounding amused.

"Sure couldn't," added Dimitri. He gave Lissa a polite smile before looking over her slumped shoulders towards Rose with a look that said 'We need to talk'.

Rose got this from him without him having to say a word.

"Sweetie," Rose said to Lissa gently. "I'm gonna let you have a moments rest. We're gonna sit you down over here and you can just chill out for a minute."

"Sounds good," Lissa said sleepily.

Dimitri took most of Lissa's dead weight and Rose aided him in propping her as comfortable as possible up against the cavern wall.

Sure that she was okay for the moment, Rose grabbed Dimitri's arm and led him a few feet away.

She knew what he was going to say before he even had to say it.

"They're gaining on us," she said flatly.

"Yes," he replied evenly. "They'll be upon us in fifteen minutes, tops. And I don't expect Lissa to have fully recovered by then." He looked over at Lissa, seemingly judging her appearance for a moment. "I could carry her but it still won't be enough to outrun them before we reach the other end of this damned cave."

Rose bit her lip and looked back at Lissa's still form.

"So we just need to come up with a plan to stop them in their tracks," she said uncertainly. She had no idea how to make this happen, she just knew that this was the only way they could all make it out of their alive.

"And how are we going to do that Rose? My pack isn't full of explosives or anything useful. All we have are ourselves and our weapons. Its not enough."

Rose looked up at his distressed faced, searching his eyes for some sort of hope. She was starting to feel panic rise in her throat and knew that was not only useless, but annoying as hell too.

"C'mon!" she practically yelled at him. "Your such a brainiac, you'll come up with something! Just think!"

His eyes seemed focused when he reached out a hand and gently stroked Rose's cheek. "I have a plan. I'm going to stay and fight them long enough to give you and Lissa a chance to escape. Even if I fall, it will give you two long enough a lead to make it out of here and get help."

Rose's heart shrank and she felt anger flush tears to her eyes. "Oh hell no Dimitri. You aren't pulling this self sacrifice crap with me. We are figuring something else out; something where all three of us survive this together."

Dimitri looked out into the shadows of the cave, where the echoes of incoming growls and grunts floated softly on the damp night air.

He turned back and pushed a strand of wet hair back from Rose's face. "Roza, I have to do this. Lissa is in our care and she must come before my own survival. It's the very reason for my existence."

"But," Rose said quietly looking deep into his eyes. "I can't let you do this since you're my reason for existence."

Dimitri's eyes seemed to glisten for a moment and he said nothing, turning his head away.

When he turned back, the resolve in his eyes made Rose sick. Before she could speak, he pulled her close and put his head beside hers putting his lips to her ear and making her heartbeat speed up tenfold.

"Take care of Lissa, Roza," his lips breathed as they caressed her soft skin. "And I will always be with you, no matter what may come."

When he drew his head back, he kissed her mouth so passionately and hungrily that Rose couldn't help but respond. And when he drew back and scurried off into the dark, it was all Rose could do to help her heart from not exploding with despair.

She took a deep breath and tried to clear her head of all hopelessness.

She marched over to the still-resting Lissa and stirred her gently.

"Lissa, Lissa, get up," she said swiftly.

Lissa squirmed slightly and then opened her eyes revealing a glossy-glazed look. "What's happening Rose?"

"New plan," Rose said firmly. "Dimitri needs out help. You and I are going to kill a bunch of Gnarls."

At this, Lissa's eyes opened wide. "Cool!"

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