DISCLAIMER: I don't own this series. This is just me writing a fanfic. Just mentioning. all characters (excluding Stephan and the once mentioned Selena) belong to Richelle Mead.

Every time Viktoria looked at her child, she kept thinking of Rose.

Three years had already passed since she had come to Baia, bringing news of her older brother. She'd lived with her family, bringing stories of her life in America and about Viktoria's brother, Dimitri, whom she loved. Everyone thought she came only to tell them about Dimitri, but after she left, Denis came back to Baia with the true reason she had come to Russia: To kill Dimitri. Even now, the thought of it still troubled Viktoria. Did the heartbroken girl who traveled all the way to Russia truly come here to murder the one she loved? Viktoria could understand the motives, but she would never have the motivation, to travel away from what she had known her whole life to kill the one she loved most. She wished she could go back to the night she left, without a warning, and really talk to her, but she didn't know if she could.

The night Rose left, she had made a deal with Abe Mazur and had Rolan stay away from her. It was her last day in Baia before going back to school, and Rose had ruined it. Viktoria hated her, screamed at her, cursed at her for ruining what could have happened that night. But when she did see Rolan again, she shakily realized Rose was right; he threw her away after one night, to find a different girl to hit on. She still loved him. But she hated him.

But Viktoria could never hate the baby boy who fell asleep so contentedly in her arms. Thankfully, Stephan—she had named him—carried no trace of Rolan's features. In fact, he looked a lot like Paul when he was that age. Like my brother, she thought with a pang. It still hurt her to think about it, so she rocked him ever so slightly in her arms, trying to distract her whirlwind of thoughts.

Sonya had her child too, and the little girl had the sweetest face. She'd named her Selena, and Stephan loved to play with her, but uneasily Viktoria thought of the red ringlets that framed her cherub face. They even seemed like brother and sister, but when she thought of Rolan, she could feel a mix of emotions rumble around in her. Was in jealousy? Was it love? Was it anger? She couldn't tell.

But whenever she thought of Rose, she regretted her last words to her. She didn't know if she would ever see her again. She didn't know if she wanted to.

She pulled on Stephan's jacket, buttoning the large buttons and smoothing his dark hair. She gathered him into her arms, adjusting him so that she'd still have one arm free. School had already ended for her, but she really wanted to go out into the world; Baia was become small and boring, and with the new queen visiting Russia, she was glad to have an excuse to leave the commune. Only a few people were going to Saint Petersburg to see the queen; after all, she'd be under heavy guard, or maybe even disguise, so most people might not even get a glimpse of her. Some of the more informed Moroi who visited Baia had said that she was convinced by her best friend to visit Russia, but she was mainly here for sightseeing and political reasons, and this young queen could work miracles; people might not even realize that she was a Moroi, much less the queen of them, but her guardians could be a dead giveaway. After all, Strigoi hung out in the cities more in Russia.

Nikolai came with her, but she'd broken his heart when he found out she was pregnant. She could see the pain in his eyes, but he tried to remain her friend, talking to her and keeping her company. She appreciated it, but she didn't want pity. She didn't know what she wanted, but his face said that he still loved her more than a friend, but Viktoria was never able to return that.

They took a train into the city. Viktoria didn't say much, but all the others made plans on what to do. Most of them wanted to find the queen, but it would be virtually impossible. Stephan was awake throughout most of the train ride, and she entertained herself with him; talking to him quietly and holding his tiny, soft hands. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now.

When they arrived, the dhampir and Moroi population in Saint Petersburg was pretty ridiculous. At first, she had scanned the crowd, looking for her race, but she didn't have to; even at nighttime, the place swarmed with people, even more than usual, with dhampirs and Moroi added to the already large human population. She readjusted Stephan, who had fallen asleep again, carefully as he slept soundly in her arms, oblivious to the loud noises around him. The sky was dark, but she could still see the buildings clearly and the beautiful Russian architecture. She remembered her brother again, remembering how he had loved the architecture. Rose had mentioned how much he had missed Russia, but she'd never gone into too much detail.

Viktoria didn't want to stay with the group. Taking Stephan with her, she navigated through the crowds of people, who all chattered endlessly. She could hear other noises too, but all that mattered was the air; it wasn't clean, but it felt new, different. She visited landmarks, churches, all around the city, but none of them really registered in her mind they had before. she just didn't want to be home and longer, trapped with her own betraying emotions as she tried to understand them.

Did she love Rolan? After what he had done to her, she didn't think so, but the ache in her chest contradicted her thoughts. Was the ache from missing him? Viktoria couldn't tell anymore. But she had loved the way he treated her, the way he looked at her, but… it was all an act, just to get to her. She hated him, truly, but at the same time, she felt oddly lonely; like she was missing something, but she didn't know what it was, exactly.

Lost in her thoughts, she strolled past the crowded streets, looking for a place with space. The constant rush of people was suffocating her. The noise, the movement… she needed an empty alley or something. She canned the roads, and she found one, rushing towards it, clutching Stephan closer to her as she walked, but something made her stop before she could rush in.

There were people already here.

And they were fighting Strigoi.