There is a little course language in this one so I'm warning you now! I tried to keep it PG, but the B word slipped in! I also had to write a fight scene, so sorry if it sucks! And as always I don't own Vampire Academy, it belongs to the amazing Richelle Mead!

Chapter 7

I woke up confused, hearing my mother's voice, but when my vision cleared I saw that I was still lying on the couch in the Voda house. Maybe I was dreaming my mother's voice. I started to get up off the couch when I heard her voice again, I whipped my head around to see her standing there talking to Guardian Dalton. Urik saw me getting up and looking at my mother, confused, and walked over to me.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We've talked with several Guardians and have decided to take the threat seriously."

"So you called my mother?" I asked agitated.

"We called many Guardians, your mother just happened to be one of them." He said, unsure of what was wrong with me.

"I'm guessing she knows I'm here, and everything I told you?"

"Yes"

"Great, just great".

I let out an exasperated sigh and threw my arms down my sides. I sat back down on the couch deflated, Urik beside me, I didn't want to see my mother and there was nowhere to go without drawing attention to myself. I turned to Urik and asked, "How long have I been out?"

"About six hours, it's about 12:30 in the afternoon." (Vampire time so that's morning for humans)

"That long huh. Well I guess that's why I'm so stiff and I'm guessing that you told the Voda's?"

"Yes, we are making arrangements for them to go to a safe house, but I don't know if there will be enough time or enough Guardians for that to happen. We want to stop these Strigoi, but we must keep the Voda's safe, so we need good numbers for both sides."

I sat there for a few minutes with Urik before my mother's voice faded and she was suddenly standing in front of the couch looking down at me.

"Rosemarie, so good of you to grace us with your presence." She said it with as much venom as she could, without seeming like a complete bitch to the other Guardians. I just stared at her, my face blank, showing no emotion. She spoke again, "May I have a word with you in private?"

I shrugged my shoulders in that whatever kind of way and said "Sure". I followed her into what appeared to be a study. As I entered the room she told me to close the door, and as soon as I turned back to face her I felt a sharp sting across my left cheek. She'd slapped me!

"WTF was that for?" I yelled at her.

"You know exactly what that was for you stupid, selfish, ungrateful little bitch!" I shot daggers at her with my eyes.

"No I don't what that was for; if I did I wouldn't have asked. And if we're doing name callings how about self-righteous bitch!" I yelled trying to mimic her as much as possible. My muscles were tight with tension; I got myself into a fighting stance and clenched my fists at my side, ready to attack when the time came.

"Don't start with me girl, I know, I know everything. I know you've ruined your life for some stupid schoolgirl crush you've thrown away everything you've worked for, that's why you're a stupid, selfish, ungrateful little bitch!"

I didn't quite hear all that she said, I was drawn into my own thoughts, my heart racing my mind confused, how has she known, she couldn't have figured it out on her own, she couldn't understand love. Then it hit me and I whispered out, "You spoke to Lissa." It wasn't a question it was a statement.

"Yes I spoke with Lissa."

"But how..." my whispered voice trailed off into nothingness, I was overwhelmed and I didn't know what to do, I think my mother noticed.

"After you left me in Spokane I returned to the Academy as planned, I was worried about you so I went to talk to her."

"I never thought she'd say anything"

"She didn't do it willingly; I had to use a lot of persuasion to get her to talk."

"You didn't hurt her did you, cause by god if you did..." my temper was rising but she cut me off,

"No I would never, I simply made a trade."

I thought for a moment, remembering what she had said, and then I blurted out, "What did you mean by some stupid schoolgirl crush? What would you know about it, we are in love" I hesitated, "were in love." I winced at my words and collapsed on the floor, tears streaking down my cheeks, sobs quietly escaping my mouth. My mother looked at me before finally coming over and sitting me in her lap cuddling me, like you would to comfort a small child. There's nothing like your child's heartache to mend troubles between you. I let her comfort me, cradle me to her body, slowly rubbing circles on my back the way parents do. She whispered things like, "it'll be ok Rose", and "you'll get through this". It was only after my sobbing stopped enough for me to find my voice that I said, "It will not be ok, I will not get through this, I love him and he loved me. He is now lost and I must save him, save his humanity, save his soul. I may die with him, but if I save him it will all have been worthwhile." I poured my heart out to mother in that moment and she froze up, she didn't know what to do or say, she wasn't good with emotions, and she wasn't good at the motherly stuff. She eventually found some words to say, "Oh Rose, don't say things like that, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, think about Lissa, about all your friends, you'll be leaving them too. There are still things to live for."

"Dammit! For once, just once I'm putting my happiness, my needs ahead of everyone else's. I have to do this. No one can stop me!" I started to sob again and to my surprise so did my mother. I tried to get out of her embrace, but she held my tight. Since I couldn't escape I let her comfort me, as it was now as much for me as for her. She was afraid, afraid of what she didn't understand, afraid of what might happen, just plain afraid. I'm not even sure my mother has even felt such emotions in her life. We sat on the floor like that for what seemed like hours when a soft knock at the door brought us back to reality. I crawled out of her lap and we both stood, wiping our faces dry, trying to compose ourselves when my mother said, "Come in". Urik opened the door and the look on his face wasn't a happy one.

"Guardian Hathaway, I've come to inform you that we have detected movement in the woods, not from our people. Guardian Dalton is gathering everyone and preparing for the attack."

I said, "This soon? I'd have thought we'd have at least one more day."

"No one can predict the movements of the Strigoi, and if this is a true attack than we are grateful for you, for your warning."

I simply nodded and followed him and my mother out of the room.

The living room which I had been in earlier was now crowded with Guardians, there must have been at least thirty. They were huddled in different groups working in their assignments; some would attack them from behind in the woods, some would guard around the house and a few were left in the house at major entry points and guarding the Voda family, as they hadn't had time to evacuate them. I debated my assignment of being left in the house, my mother and Guardian Dalton finally agreed that I could join the group guarding the house alongside my mother. But we didn't get that far as one of the windows was shattered with a silver stake, humans. We all took up defensive positions. There was no more movement and we all looked at each other confused. After about ten minutes of silence it was finally decided that we would continue with the original plan. We split into our groups and headed out.

My mother and I held the rear right corner of the house, each of us protecting our own 90 degrees of territory. There were fifteen Guardians all spread about twenty meters apart guarding the house, we all had on earpieces so we would know how each group was going. We stood there in silence scanning the area; there was no movement, no sounds, just the woods lit up by the silvery light of the moon. I strained my eyes looking into the darkness, but that's when I was them, walking in pairs towards each of the Guardians that I could see. Shit! That means that the minimum number that they could possibly have was thirty, we were well outnumbered, but it doesn't mean that we won't try. I focused on the two walking towards me, one male, one female, both tall, both staring at me with those red eyes and smiles on their faces when the man spoke, "Well what do we have here? You seem a little young for a Guardian." They were circling me now, and I followed them, never taking my eyes off them. The woman spoke now, "This won't be any fun, I hate it when it's too easy, I like a challenge." They were circling closer now and I as I saw her ready to attack I said, "That's what Isaiah thought too." She was momentarily stunned, and that's when I made my move, I faked doing right, ducked towards her and when I stood up jammed my stake into her heart, pushing fast and hard until her body went limp and she was dead. Before I had time to get my stake out the man was on me, he pulled me to my feet, punching me in the face before I had time to block, knocking me to the floor on my back. I was frozen for a second as the impact shook me, but as I regained my composure I saw the man walking to me, angry as hell. It wasn't til he was almost on me that I swung my legs around in a scissor kick knocking him to the ground. I took this as my chance to get my stake back. I was on my knees besides the dead woman when I pulled the stake out and felt the man behind me, I turned as fast as lightning hoping that he was as close as I thought he was and drove my stake into his chest and through his heart. I pulled my stake out as he collapsed and once he was out of my view I could see more Strigoi descending on the house, and so the dance continued.

There were five Strigoi bodies at my feet when I saw him, standing there on the edge of the woods just watching, watching me. My body froze but my mind was racing, this is my chance I have to take it, but if I leave my post they could get inside the house, I'm supposed to be protecting the Voda's, but I may never get a chance like this again, he's here now waiting. I didn't have time to finish my internal debate as something slammed into my left side, pinning me to the ground. As my eyes regained focus I saw the blonde Strigoi, the one who threatened Lissa and the one who took Dimitri, lying over me, pinning me to the ground. I struggled under his hold, but he was too strong, he began to speak, "My sweet, sweet Rose, how good to see you again. Our dear Dimitri was too afraid to come take you himself, so I have taken the liberty of doing it myself." I was staring into those red eyes when the sound of Dimitri's name reminded me of a similar situation the one I was in now. It was the day I fought three of the schools Guardians, I had been pinned under Dimitri in much the same was as I was now with the blonde Strigoi, I recalled those memories and tried to use that knowledge to fight off the Strigoi, but my arms were trapped and he was too strong. He was suddenly flying through the air and my mother was standing over me, trying to find out if I was ok, I nodded my head and looked at the blonde Strigoi, but he was retreating to Dimitri, but as he left he said, "I guess I will have to wait until next time my sweet Rose, although I don't know if I should kill you before or after I turn your dear Lissa, I would love for you to watch me turn her. I guess you better hurry if you are to save her, it won't take us long to get your little Academy, and our numbers are much greater, but I will find you myself, unless our dear Dimitri here finds you first. Until next time sweet Rose." And with that they left, retreating back into the woods. It would be about an hour until sunrise, but they wanted to get as far from here as they could.

I looked around to see the ground covered in bodies, both Strigoi and Guardian. We had regrouped and were counting our losses. We lost only eight Guardians, which was pretty good considering the Strigoi numbers, and killed thirty seven Strigoi. I guess the fact that we were prepared helped. My mother relayed the message from the blonde Strigoi, and the Guardians considered it to be a real threat. Six Guardians were sent with the Voda's to the safe house while the rest of us headed back to the Academy. I was dreading my return since I didn't actually think I would ever be back, dreading facing Kirova, the other Guardians, especially Alberta, Eddie, Adrian, Christian and most of all Lissa. I did not want to have to explain myself to her, I had tried and she didn't understand, but I did want to keep her safe, so I guess once comes with the other; we'll just have to wait and see.