7 ½ years later…
It's been at least seven years since I left, at least seven years since I've been in America, hell it's been over seven years since I've had a cheese burger and a decent donut.
As the plane rolled to a stop I tossed one of my bags over my shoulder and pick up the other. I make my way down the stairs and a Guardian greets me at the bottom.
"Welcome back, Guardian Hathaway," He greets, I nod my gratitude. "Allow me to take your bags, everything will be taken to your apartment and be waiting for you."
"Thank you," I said my voice laced with a mixed accent from being in different places. He just nodded as I walked away. The Sun was still high in the sky, reminding of how tired I am, with a sigh I look at the men unpacking my things while someone else came with my Ducati Monster, I smiled as he passed me my bike and I climbed on.
I started it up and took off for the main gates, I needed a mall, and I needed some clothes and a burger. Making it to the gates was easy and fast, none of the Guardian recognized me so I just smiled and handed them my I.D that I just got renewed.
The guardian's eyes widened considerably as he handed me back my card.
"You're Rose Hathaway, The Rose Hathaway?" He asked, I laughed and nodded as he looked my leather clad form up and down a look of lust in his eyes.
I was wearing a pair of leather skinny pants that clung to me as a second skin, a halter leather top that clung to me, I had on my leather jacket and gloves, and I was wearing my leather heeled boots.
"The one and only," I shook my head and my swayed with the movement of my head. I put my IPod in my jacket pocket and I put the head phones in my ears. The gates opened and I sped out, the wind hitting me as I increased my speed.
The smells that surrounded me were woodsy and cold, considering it was winter, I could smell the fading scents of summer. I smiled as I continued to ride. About 45 minutes later I made it to the mall.
I parked in the motorcycle space and got up to place my IPod and gloves in the compartment on the side of the bike; I stretched out and shook my hair out before I jogged into the mall and straight into the stores.
I went to a few different stores, getting things that I liked and would be good to blend in when needed. After a while of shopping my stomach made its presence known and I walked into one of the burger places they have and ordered. The food was surprisingly delicious and I just wanted to stay in my full bliss.
But, my real surprise didn't come until I finished and I was scanning the area. I saw him looking around, scanning the perimeter as all great guardians should and a smile lights up my face. Not even thinking, I stood up with my bags and threw out the remains of my food.
I debate how or whether I should make my presence known.
I look at Mikhail, I see his attentive gaze as he looks over the crowd. To the untrained eye he looks like he's waiting for someone instead of looking for a possible death threat. I see the tension in his eyes and a tiredness that wasn't there the last time I saw him.
I decide to wait instead of going up and hugging him like I want to. I make my way out of sight and to my bike. I put my bags away safely before I start the bike and take off. The ride back doesn't take all that long and before I know I'm at the gates once more. I'm let in and I park my bike in the apartment garage before I make my trek to talk to the Queen.
Not even five minutes later I got a really bad feeling as I walked and before I knew it I was running, I learned to trust my instincts and I didn't even stop when the guards tried to stop me I just ran straight to the Queen's bedroom.
I opened the door and saw a figure looming over the Queen, a stake in hand, before anyone could even blink or react I had my gun whipped out and I shot the guy, hitting the him in the arm pit. The gun shot woke up the Queen and when she saw the guy she started to scream.
Guardians swarmed the places as the man dropped the stake and began screaming in agony. The man tried to run and before he could get two steps another shot rang out. Blood appears on the back of his shirt of over his shoulder.
"Get him to a doctor and put him in a cell immediately after. I need a perimeter and people out there looking for an assistant. I need two guardians at every door of this place and at least two with the attempted murderer. " I start barking out orders and everyone looks at me stupidly.
"Why is everyone standing around, do it!" Tatiana yells, everyone snaps into attention. "Guardian Hathaway is that you?" She asks, I nod in her direction before I go and help the guardians pick up the cry mess of a man off the floor. He screams and I yank his hair.
"Keep making all of that noise and I'll make you wish you'd been quite." I growl, he hiccups and nods as he's hoisted up. I go to follow them out when the Queen calls out.
"Guardian Hathaway, can you stay?" In that moment the great Queen began to shake and quiver, I sighed and nodded closing the door standing next to it as she stood up.
I stayed silent as she went to her bathroom for about ten minutes and came back wrapped in a robe.
"Your highness…" I started to say only to be interrupted.
"Tatiana, Guardian Hathaway, its Tatiana." I nodded.
"Tatiana, why exactly did you want me to stay?" I asked softly. She gestures for me to sit down and I do.
" In all honestly, I wanted you to stay for my own peace of mind." She says softly. I look away as she began to dress. "Are you happy to be home?" She asks tentatively.
" I've become quiet a celebrity in the Strigoi world… there's a lot of them after me." I say quietly. "It's hard to be happy when there's a giant target on my back." She clears her throat softly and I look up to see her dressed.
"Do you feel that you ability to protect has increased?" She asks.
"Yes, I've learned many different…. Tactics over the years." I state, she nods slightly.
"Then, would you mind showing me what you learned in a few private sessions?" She asked. I smirked.
"Sure, but I must warn you, I have a lot more experience for my young age." In reality I was only 24 and I was well known for my marks. She seemed to smile and nod.
"Duly noted. Be in the main gym in a few hours; just go to the Guardian's loft building and give them your name. Your stuff should already be there and I hope everything is to your liking." She said as I turned back around.
"Thank you…, Tatiana. And please, call me Rose." I said softly, walking to the door.
"Oh, and Rose, expect to answer some of my questions afterward." I bow slightly at the waist before I exit her room, nodding to the Guardians posted outside her door.
I've barely taken a few steps when I'm toppled over. I glare at the person only to be greeted by a child's face. Green eyes and black hair take my attention as the little girl laughs. My glare softens into a smile as she throws herself into my chest.
"Schatten?" She asks softly. I smile and nod.
"Eden what are you doing here? Where are your parents?" I ask as I go to stand up, pulling her with me. She shrugs and puts her arms up to be held.
"I've missed you! I haven't seen you in a month!" She complains as I pick her up. I roll my eyes and kiss her cheek.
"My sincerest apologies, wenig Balken, I got caught up in packing, however, I brought you a gift." I say, she cheers loudly. I close my eyes and focus on the blocked off bond, opening it just so I can find out where she is. It takes a second to shove her panic aside and see that Christian is not too far away.
"In that case I suppose I can forgive." She says, pretending to be regal before she snorts into laughter.
"How kind of you," I roll my eyes and make my way to where her father is. I focus on his shadow and quickly find it, it comes to me and I start to control it. I release it to go back to him and he shudders.
"How do you lose a child?" I make it hiss. "You don't who or rather what has her." Eden is currently chatting my ear off about school and friends but I'm focused on torturing her father who is now in my line of vision. He is looking around wildly trying to find the voices in his head. "The shadows will take her." I make is whisper and he pales.
"Eden." I say softly, she immediately goes quiet. "Go to your father and tell him that Shadow had you, alright?" I let her down and she nods as I fade into the shadows and move out of his sight to be behind him. She runs to her father who picks her up and chides her softly as he hugs her. She quickly tells him what I told her and he looks around, this time angry.
"Come out, I know you're there." He growls, putting her down so one hand lights on fire.
"No need to be so violent, love, how very rude of you," I say as I step into the clearing. He eyes me dangerously for a moment before the glare drops into a look of surprise. I grin cheekily as he lets out a loud breath.
"Rose?" He asks, I nod and it takes moments before I'm being swung in the air. "You absolute psycho," He murmurs into my ear and I nod again.
"Always." I mutter back as he hugs me tightly.
"You came back." He almost sounds emotional and I roll my eyes.
"I said I would." He laughs and swings me around once more.
"What the hell is this?" A voice makes us pull away. We're greeted by green furious eyes and perfectly styled hair. I smirk darkly at her as I take a step forward, bowing mockingly before her.
"Princess Dragomir, my apologies, my brother and I were greeting each other after a long absence." I slip into my Turkish accent as speak, no emotion in my voice.
"Brother? Christian doesn't have a sister." She tries to sneer.
"On the contrary, just because blood doesn't bond us doesn't mean he isn't my brother." I stalk around her and I see her shrink a bit. "You once felt the same about me Vasilisa however you sent me away. You should understand that some family you choose, granted your… loyalties shift far to easily." I purr. It takes her a moment to realize what I said before she whips around to face me, shock and fear on her face as I grin wolfishly at her.
"Rose…,"
"Guardian Hathaway," I cut her off, she looks properly scolded.
"Guardian Hathaway , where have you been? You dropped off the map and no one knew where you were or what you were doing!" She looks ready to cry.
"Obviously you weren't speaking to the right people then." I deadpan.
"Schatten." My attention is brought to the seven year old in front me.
"Yes?" I raise an eyebrow at her. She smiles widely at me and gestures for me to get closer.
"Eden do you know who that is?" Lissa asks. I roll my eyes and kneel down in front of the little princess and she whispers in my ear.
"You look sleepy." She says, I smile softly and nod.
"I am tired little one." She thumps me affectionately.
"Then go to sleep." She states.
"Maybe later."
"Promise?" She holds her pinky up, I wrap my pinkie with hers and we shake.
"Promise."
"Will someone explain how you two know each other?" Lissa snaps. I glare up at her and she immediately shrinks back.
"My bond with Eden Rose is of no concern to you." I snap back, she pales.
"Bond?" She whispers. I nod curtly as I stand turning to face Christian. M
"I'll see you two later." I say, he nods and I leave the court we are in to head to my new loft.
I walked across Court, and noticed people looking at me, I shook it off and walked into the Guardian building, the receptionist looked up at me and she looked me up and down, she had a sneer on her lips as I walked forward.
"Name?" She spat, I raised an eyebrow, biting my tongue before I answered.
"Rosemarie Hathaway." I stated simply. Her eyes widened and she handed me a key, a piece of paper with the number of my apartment and told me my room was on the 13th floor. With a sharp nod I went to the elevator and up to my floor, which was the highest for this building.
I walked to the door that had the number printed on the paper and I unlocked the door. I walked in and looked around, it was gorgeous. Once you walked in it's a small hallways that only had a coat closet but once you walked out it opened up to an almost flat style that was the kitchen, dining room and living room. The back wall was all glass with a bench seat that ran next to it.
The living room had to black leather couches and one leather love seat, a glass table in the middle with a soft grey rug underneath, in front there's a fire place with a plasma screen TV on the mantle.
The dining room you walk up three steps and there's a glass table with white leather chairs, four of them. That part of the wall is glass too and over looks the court and a vase of silk flowers stood on a small table.
To the right there's a step down and into the kitchen which has an island which had the gas stove with a vent over head. Behind it was a grey granite counters which held the sink and a cutting board. The fridge is on the far left. There's a breakfast bar that over looks the apartment and has three stools. Then there are two steps down and to the left is what I presume to be the bedroom.
The bedroom and bathroom are gorgeous. The bedroom had the continuous wall of glass as well. I walk past the living room and into another hallway that has a guest room, a bathroom and an office.
The office, from the looks of it, would be my favorite place to be. There's an old fashioned desk made from what looks to be oak, but behind it was a wall of shelves for a library, I loved it, the left wall was a window that over looked woods. Next to the door was a T.V mounted on the wall and there was two chairs in front of the desk.
My bags and boxes were leaning against the wall, I dragged my suitcases to my room and flopped one onto my bed. I looked at my phone and saw I had slept for close to 48 hours. With a long sigh I set to work.
I separated everything in my bags all over the room, putting together piles to go together into the drawers, or the closet.
My phone went off and I answer it only to be informed that I would be needed in the main gym in 20 minutes.
I quickly changed into a pair of shorts and a tight fitting tank top, I tied my hair into a tight ponytail as I walked out of the apartment and down the stairs and started to jog to the gym. I debated on whether I should tug Eden's shadow to me, but eventually decided not to.
I walked into the gym to see mats set up and few chairs were set out. Across from the chairs was a plush looking chair where I could tell the Queen would sit. I sighed and walked into a separate room and listened as people, guardians mostly, started to file in through the doors.
After a few minutes I heard an announcement being made.
"I'm sure everyone here is wondering why they're here." There was a soft mumble of agreement. "Well, we just recently received a guardian who has been gone for almost eight years, I sent her on a mission, to train, become stronger and help annihilate Strigoi on their own turf. She's done that and some and this is to just see how good she's gotten, please welcome Guardian Rose Hathaway!"
I stepped through the door and all eyes turned to me. I smirked my now trade mark dark smirk, I felt my shadows react to my mood immediately, bending, twisting and curling invisibly around me. It surrounded me as it reacted to the prospect of a fight, I grinned.
The small crowd of royals was in a shocked silence and in my curiosity I searched for someone I knew, I immediately found Eden and all those people. I lightly tugged her shadow and she looked up, immediately looking at me as I slipped into her mind. From her mind I could see what others were seeing, my tall slim figure, my curves and curled long hair, my features were exotic to an extent and my eyes lightened.
"Shadow?" She asked me timidly via her mind. I pulled out of her mind and tilted my head at her; she smiled at me giving me an enthusiastic thumb up. "Don't hurt them to bad." I tried to hide my smile by meeting Lissa's eye. At first when I realized I had two bonds it was hard to figure out which was whose but now it was beyond easy. I kept my bond with Vasilisa closed off.
There was some talking around me and suddenly a guardian was in front of me sliding into a position, I briefly made eye contact with Tatiana and she nodded, with a soft sigh I rolled my shoulders I made eye contact with the guardian and suddenly he was charging at me. I simply side stepped him, turning with lightening fast speed and delivering a kick to his lower back, he immediately dropped and I was on him, his hand between mine, twist and being pressed upward, threatening to pop it out of it's socket.
He went to struggle but I added more pressure while taking my stake and placing it over his heart.
"Dead." I stated boredly, standing up. He was panting slightly and I had yet to even get worked up, I tilted my head to the side, my hair sliding in that direction.
The audience was dead silent, people looking at each other. Eden jumping up and cheered childishly, a few people looked at her, but she quieted with a quick shake of my head.
"Who's next?" I asked, my accent making me sound different, almost seductive.
The way she has it set up is more like training. Light sparing that slowly builds up to more and more. She has me fight of two of her most "experienced" guardians that after a few minutes are laid out like the rest.
Tatiana has me fight for a little over 30 minutes and I'm not even sweating nor have I used any of my other methods so she calls starts to call it to a close.
"Can I try?" Everyone turns to look at the one hand raised among the royals. Christian stands up and walks in front of me.
"That's a good idea." I state. He rolls his eyes and shrugs. "Alright then, fire it up." He looks confused before I gesture to his hands and he lights them on fire.
"Guardian Hathaway!" Tatiana says.
"It's fine." I state.
Just like that we start; he uses some of his offensive techniques that miss me and I let him for a minute think that he can win until I simply take a hold of his shadow.
He doesn't realize he's in trouble until he throws a fire ball at me and the swirling black and grey mass appears and blocks it. He pales and I yank his shadow, hard, he makes a soft noise and he falls. It only takes a second before I'm on him stake at his heart.
"Dead," I get off of him and help him up. "Nice try brother, but it's not gonna happen." He chuckles good heartedly.
"It was worth a shot." I smile at him and push him back toward his family.
"Well, I've seen enough, thank you every one who participated and those for coming, Guardian Hathaway, follow me." Tatiana states. People started moving around to leave and Eden started following me and the Queen. It wasn't until we were back into a conference room that we stopped.
Some coffee was brought out and the maid left, leaving us alone to talk.
"Well, you most certainly have improved." She said, taking a delicate sip for the cup.
"That was the point of me leaving," I said somewhat sarcastically. "But, there's still some loose ends I need to tie up, some here in court, and most importantly there's two last major hide outs here in the states that I need to deal with before I can even say that this mission is finished. 7 and half years ago I never would have thought this is how my life would end up." I said with a sigh and a swift shake of my head. "This mission, it's changed me and I'm not so sure if it's a good thing or bad thing." I was being honest and she simply nodded her head.
"Rose, I can tell, just by the way you're talking, and you're posture that you've changed. You've matured both physically and mentally, from some of the reports I received, you've seen and done some things beyond anyone here's wildest imagination and for that I thank you." She was being sincere; I simply took a long drink of my coffee. I sense Eden and I smirked slightly.
"You might as well come in, it's rude to ease drop you know," I said, Tatiana looked surprised as the door opened and revealed a sheepish looking princess. "Come here princesa," I said, opening my arms, she walked to me and crawled into my lap. When she was comfortable I waited a moment before swiftly hitting the pressure point of her neck and knocked her out, her head resting on my shoulder.
Tatiana looked bewildered at the sleeping child in my arms. She looked slightly confused. "The less she knows the better." I say simply and she nods.
We continue to talk, her asking me basic questions on my travels but I skid around the extensive details she wants but she seems to understand to a slight extent.
"There's one last thing Rose, I want you to lead the investigation on my almost murder this morning." She said. I raised an eyebrow before nodding.
"Sure, no problem," I said, shrugging. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get this little one back to her father before they call the guard." I slowly shake her awake and she blinks herself awake before she smiles weakly at me. "Come on kiddo, let's get you back home."
"EDEN!" I hear Christian yelling. I wink at the Queen before walking into the hall to hand over the sleeping child. I find him and he immediately takes the girl from my arms.
"Stop letting her out of your sight." I chide. He looks up at me.
"I don't do it on purpose, she just takes off! She's never done this before." He states. I nod.
"Don't let it happen again or I'm going to give you a reason to be scared." I threaten. He nods.
"Alright." I turn to walk away but he grabs my arm. "You, Mikhail and I need to catch up soon, alright?"
"Yeah I'll try." He smiles brightly but I turn and walk away into the night.
I know I've changed… but whether that change is good, I don't know. But for better or worse, I'm here and I will make sure the people I used to love are safe.
