Chapter 1

"Nine hundred and ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, nine hundred and ninety-nine bottles of beer, you take one down and pass it around, nine hundred and ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall." I was lying on my cot in my cell with my head hanging of the side upside down. I wanted to see how long it would take to piss off the guards at my door; I bet if I kept going they would tell me to shut up.

"Nine hundred and ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall, nine hundred and ninety-eight bottles of beer, you take one down and pass it around, nine hundred and ninety-seven bottles of beer on the wall." nothing yet.

"Nine hundred and ninety-seven bottles of beer on the wall, nine hundred and ninety-seven bottles of beer, you take one down and pass it around, nine hundred and ninety-six bottles of beer on the wall."

"Nine hundred and ninety-six bottles of beer on the wall, nine hundred and ninety-six bottles of beer, you take one down and pass it around, nine hundred and ninety-five bottles of beer on the wall."

"Nine hundred and nin-"

"Hathaway, shut it." Ha, he fell for it.

"Ninety-five bottles of beer on the wall, nine hundred and ninety-five bottles of beer, you take one down and pass-"

"Well at least we know she can count." Wait a second, I know that voice, I would know it anywhere. It was Adrian, my boyfriend.

"Actually I'm counting backwards."

"Surprising, considering your grade for calculus." if only he knew my grade for last year.

"How'd you get down here?" I asked.

"I used persuasion."

"Really, who'd you persuade?"

"It's nothing little dhampir, no one you need to worry about." I got up off of my bed.

"Really? Considering I'm the one locked up, I would really like to know who is keeping me here."

"Not now." He said giving me a knowing look. Great, when I want sleep I get interrupted. But at least I will be getting out of here… for a while.

"Fine, hey can you send my dad down here? I need to talk to him."

"Sure thing. But can I ask a simple question?"

"Yeah whatever."

"Do you still, umm…-"

"Adrian just tell me later. Your times about up." And just like that he grabbed my hand through the bars and pulled me as close as he could. The guards didn't even look. Pfft they're some guardians.

"Stay awake tonight Rose. We're getting you out." He whispered into my ear. I was flabbergasted and he took his chance, he kissed me harder then I thought possible. And just as fast as he came, he left. I walked back to my bed and went back to the same position I was in before I was interrupted.

"Nine hundred and ninety-four bottles of beer on the wall, nine hundred and ninety-four bottles of beer, you take one down and pass it around, nine hundred and ninety-three bottles of beer on the wall."

"Don't you have anything better to do?" hmm looks like Smith can't handle me.

"Well Smithy, I would if I wasn't locked up in a stupid cell right now. But it looks as if there's no way I'm getting out of here. You're stuck with me." I said sweetly. I opened my eyes to look at him.

"Although, I do have a better idea." I said with a smirk plastered on my face.

"Oh no, what is it?" he said smiling.

"Well, I was thinking, since there isn't anything else to do down here. I thought if you guys maybe chose one of you to fight me, with my hands cuffed and me blind folded, we could have a little battle session?" he looked at be blankly; the guardian mask.

"Anyone we want?" it couldn't hurt… too much.

"Yeah, anyone you want who's a guardian, and who's not Belikov or my mother." I saw him smile and abruptly turn. I sat up on my bed cross-legged and waited for him to return.

"Hathaway, the guardians agree, you can have your battle, and we've chosen your opponent." He said smirking.

"Are they coming to watch?" I asked eagerly.

"Yeah, they said they wouldn't miss this." Ok now I was a little worried at who they had chosen. I gave him a defiant smile.

"Bring it on." He came in and I held out my hands waiting. He tied my blindfold on tightly so it wouldn't fall off in the fight. I felt the cool metal grasp my wrists.

"Can you tell me who I'm fighting?"

"Yeah, you're fighting Criztopf."

"Oh, a challenge." He chuckled behind me.

"You don't know who he is, do you?"

"Nope, I have no idea."

"Ok well here's a hint, he's bulky, a lot of muscle and about seven foot."

"Well I'm sure I would have remembered someone that tall. What's his first name?"

"Ruben." Oh no, I'm up shit creek. I smiled anyway

"Yeah, a challenge." Ruben Criztopf, the freaking guy who killed ten Strigoi by himself; while protecting a party of forty maybe fifty non-royal moroi. Oh well I asked for it. I heard the door open and a pair of boots that had to be at least size 15 stomped in. I immediately crouched down into a fighting stance. They kept coming.

"Hey you're supposed to be quiet; you're a guardian not an elephant. Strigoi could probably hear you from the moon." I said. He stoped I knew he was behind me. I heard some chuckles from the doorway. Crap! They making me fight more then one. I sighed, I probably deserved it, but they hopefully will let me dispatch of Criztopf first.

"Hathaway, did you really think we would give up a chance at fighting you?" said a deep voice from behind me. Criztopf.

"Wow," I said "Your vocal cords must be as stretched as you are." He grunted, it sort of sounded like he laughed. The others laughed. He stepped again I had gotten up from my fighting stance a while ago; I wasn't going to get back into it either. He was just behind me; I could feel his breath on my neck prickling my skin. So if he wasn't going to act first then I guess I would. I kicked backwards hitting him in the knee which was surprising since he was tall. I didn't waste time, I spun around as low to the ground I could go while crouching, with one of my legs out straight. I brought his legs out from under him and I heard him crash to the ground. From there I started kicking him in the ribs until I reached his face then kicked him hard once hoping I broke a bone; his nose would be perfect. But I couldn't stop there; the other guardians were bearing down on me. The first one lunged and I dropped to the floor and heard him crash into the wall; I didn't hear him get up. The other three circled me as I got into a fighting stance. I chuckled and they stoped circling, that's all I needed.

"What are you laughing at hathaARGH!" I had laced my fingers together in the cuffs and swung them around to hit his face. I kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying into the iron bars; he didn't get up either. One of the last guardians kicked my legs out from under me and I landed on my back.

"That's going to hurt tomorrow." I said as he lunged forward and I used my legs to kick up to his stomach and make him flip and land on his back, what I hadn't noticed was that the wall was so close behind me and he flew into it, sliding down until his head hit the concrete floor and he fell sideways. I flipped myself back up without using my hands, seeing as how they were cuffed; just to be sent back down again because I got hit in the face.

"Awesome another black eye." I said sarcastically. The last one was waiting for me to do another flip up again but I'm not that stupid. I kicked up and hit his weak spot; his balls. I flipped up and found that the cot was near so I jumped on it. I heard guardian fall to his knees so I did a boxing move I had seen done on WWE a few years ago. I used my elbow as a weapon and jumped off the cot and my elbow landed right in the middle of his back, I heard him gasp and I let him lie there in pain. I walked over to my cot and sat down. I heard the door unlock and my blindfold was taken off. Smith was looking at me shock written all over his face I raised my eyebrows and held out my hands. He shook his head. Then my brows furrowed.

"You have to be taken to a different cell. You kind of totalled this one." I looked around for the first time. There were at least thirty guardians at the iron bars, all with the same expression; dumbfounded. My cell was totalled; dents in the wall and ceiling, some of the iron bars were bent outwards. There was no blood thank goodness and five bodies littered the floor. Criztopf, Alexander, Brown, Morize and Sentas. They were the best guardians the Court had to offer; who weren't on the Queens official guard.

"So which cell do I get?" Smith looked at me stunned. "What?" I asked.

"You… Your… you could beat us all down and yet you don't. I don't get you." I gave him a small smile.

"I don't see the point. This was just to pass the time; if I leave everyone will think I actually did it."

"Rose, we know you didn't do it-"

"It doesn't matter. Everyone else does, I'm sorry but just because a few dhampirs believe me doesn't change the fact that you have no proof I didn't." He shook his head.

"We're getting you out Rose." I looked at the guardians at the iron bars and all of their heads were nodding, I felt like I was going to cry. I smiled at all of them and looked back at Smith.

"Then you've got to tell my Lawyer and Adrian." He looked at me strange.

"Why?"

"Well, they were going to try and break me out tonight." I said biting my lip. He smiled.

"We thought they might try." I let out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding. Dad's going to be just as shocked as I am.