We were soon walking down the stairs of this long stone stairway. As soon as we got to the bottom, people scattered from the pool, realizing who it was. Was it me that they were scared of? Or was it Lissa that they wanted to give her space? I shrugged it off and slowly eased myself into the water. The water was scalding hot, but it felt nice on my skin.

"You guys remember the last time we were in one of these?" I asked.

"We were hoping to get an approach against the Strigoi. Mason was so eager to get out there…" Mia stopped and realized what she said.

"No, it's fine. We were only Juniors." Suddenly, Christian appeared. "The gangs almost back together, all we need is Eddie." Christian smiled at that, but then looked at me.

"Rose, Dimitri needs you." I started to get out of the pool as fast as I could.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Skylar. She won't stop crying. Dimitri thinks she has a fever, but we all know that's highly unlikely."

"Is she eating?" I asked.

"No." Right when he said that, I made a mad dash for our room. I could faintly see Lissa and the others running after me, but I didn't care. Skylar was my only concern right now. I ran down the hallway to my room and people were staring at me. I ran in my room and shut the door gasping for air. I saw Dimitri holding Skylar and Skylar crying like there was no tomorrow. I held my arms out and Dimitri handed her to me. She was so warm! I felt her forehead and it was hot.

"Dimitri, get me a change of clothes. I have to get her to the doctor." He nodded and ran into the closet. I tried to feed her a bottle, but she wouldn't drink it.

"C'mon, Sky, please? For Mommy?" I pat her back and she suddenly threw up. "DIMITRI, HURRY!" Dimitri ran out of the room with a tank top, bra, underwear, and shorts. He took Skylar and then noticed the throw up on me.

"She threw up?" I nodded. He swore in Russian as I got dressed. As soon as I was dressed and wiped off all of the icky throw up, Dimitri and I took Skylar and walked quickly to the pediatrician. We took lefts and rights and we soon got there.

"Guardians Hathaway and Belikov, how may I help you?" Dr. Kellie asked.

"Something's wrong with Skylar. She won't eat, she won't stop crying, and she threw up on my shoulder." I said. Dr. Kellie frowned.

"May I?" We both nodded as I gave Skylar over to the doctor. She took Skylar's temperature and nodded. "She has a bit of a fever. It's not uncommon for most Dhampir babies to get fevers at an early age." Dimitri and I sighed in relief. "You two may be new at this, but you know what you're doing. Coming to me was a smart move. I'm going to prescribe you dissolvable pain medication that can dissolve in her formula." We both nodded. "Do you have a bottle right now?"

"I do," I said as I reached into my bag and grabbed one. Dr. Kellie went into the cabinet and poured a little bit of something in it. She closed the bottle and shook it profusely. She then put it in Skylar's mouth and Skylar drank it. Her eyes widened, but then they fluttered shut. I grabbed that container and read it. "A Must Love for Babies!" Of course it is. Once Skylar finished the bottle, she reached her arms up to me. I held her and snuggled into her.

"Thank you, Dr. Kellie," Dimitri said.

"Anytime. Has she been eating regularly?" She asked.

"Yes, actually. We were just about to weigh her." I said.

"Oh, well, I can do that." She took Skylar again and put her on the scale. Skylar weighed about 35 lbs. "Much better, I'll just let you two leave and feel free to take as many containers as you like." I took five and put them in my bag. Dimitri put Skylar back in her carrier as she was smiling up at us. Lissa suddenly ran up to me.

"Is she okay?" Lissa asked. I suddenly noticed a herd of Guardians coming behind her.

"Yeah, just a little fever. The doctor gave her some pain medication to put in her formula and she loves it." I looked around. "Where are Mia and Christian?"

"Mia went back to the room and Christian is around somewhere. I just don't know where." She shrugged. Oh no.

"I think I know where he is." I said. "Dimitri can you bring Skylar back to Mia and meet us in the Courtyard?" He frowned, but nodded.

"What are we doing? Where are we going?" Lissa asked, rambling.

"I think Christian is at Tasha's grave." I said quietly. Lissa looked at me, and then grabbed my hand and we ran for the courtyard. Lissa's other Guardians ran with us, but they maintained a good distance. We saw Christian talking to a headstone. We both looked at each other and went up to him.

"Hey," We both said.

"Hey," He sniffled. Lissa pulled him into a hug and he cried.

"I promised Mark I wouldn't do this…" Lissa looked at me and shook her head. Don't Rose. Then Christian will really lose it. "Christian, do you want to see your aunt one more time?" Christian sniffled and looked to me.

"I would if it's possible, Rose, but she's gone." I gave Lissa the look of Did-You-Tell-Him-Yet? She shook her head and I sighed, ruffling my hair.

"Okay, we obviously were oblivious to tell you, but the Bond is back." I said and he looked to me.

"How?" He asked, wiping his nose.

"I died in Russia. That's why Lissa had to make an emergency trip there." He nodded at this. "So, I'll ask you again, would you want to see your aunt again?" He nodded slowly. I took a deep breath. "Tasha, Tasha come to me." I said quietly. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then suddenly, Tasha's ghost appeared.

"Look, I know you hate me for taking Dimitri away from you but that is in the past now. There is one thing that matters now and that is your nephew. Right there who is bawling his eyes out because of your death. So for the love of God, just tell him you love him!" She moved a little bit to appear in front of Christian and like magic, she appeared.

"Christian, look up," Lissa said. Christian reluctantly looked up and saw his aunt right before his eyes.

"Aunt Tasha?" He choked out. She pulled him into a hug and he cried into her shoulder.

"Hush. I can't stay for long. Just know this. I am watching over you, I have been watching over you. You don't need me to be happy. You have Lissa for that." Not surprised that she didn't mention me. "You are an amazing boy becoming an amazing man. Your parents would have been so proud of you." She then looked to Lissa and me. "I expect you two to look after him." I'm not his Guardian!

"I'll always be there for him." Lissa said, looking at Christian.

"Same here." I said, nudging him and he smirked at me.

"Good. I love you, Christian." She said as she started to disappear.

"I love you too, Aunt Tasha." He whispered and Tasha disappeared. Unsurprisingly, I had a headache. Dimitri had come to join us, but when he saw where we were, his face hardened. I instantly saw it and I wanted to avoid any more talks about Tasha, so I just brought up a new topic.

"YAWN! I am tired. G'night!" I said, rushing past Dimitri to get to our room. Dimitri reluctantly caught up with me.

"What were you doing at Tasha's grave?" He asked in a hard voice.

"That's where Christian was." I said, shrugging. "We were just sitting with him. Oh and I might've opened my eyes to the spirits." I whispered the last part. He jerked me to a stop.

"You did what?" He asked, looking down at me. I shrank. I really didn't want to be in this position right now. I opened the door to our room and changed into pajamas.

"Well, cute story. I opened my eyes to the Spirits so Christian could see his aunt one more time." He pinned me to the wall. I gasped and looked up at him.

"Why would you do that, Rose? You know the Hell Tasha put you through." He practically growled at me. I kind of thought it was hot.

"Are you growling at me? 'Cause that's kinda hot," I grinned. He grabbed my shoulders and threw me on the bed. He had me pinned and I had nowhere to go.

"Rose, this isn't funny. You remember what Mark said? 'Spirit Darkness can destroy both of you.'"

"Dimitri! It's not going to destroy me! Now get the hell off!" I shouted. He pushed down harder.

"Listen to yourself! Have you been absorbing the darkness?" I tried to shake my head, but it was stuck in place.

"NO! And even if I was, it's because I had too! Lissa will get destroyed if she uses up too much Spirit. I have to save her from that. That's what I was doing before."

"Yeah, and you attacked Jesse Zeklos like he was a murder." My face flushed.

"Get off of me now, Dimitri!" I shouted at him. He blinked and then got off. I went into the closet and grabbed a bag of clothes.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I'm going to go spend the night with Lissa. She wouldn't pin me to a wall. She wouldn't tackle me on a bed demanding if I'm taking Spirits darkness or not. Tell Mia where I'll be and to meet us in the parking lot tomorrow morning."

"You're not driving." OH MY GOD.

"You're so god damn bossy! I know I'm not driving. One of Lissa's Guardians is going to take us to go get your family. Marriage," I laughed bitterly, "What a wonderful thing, right?" I said right before I slammed the door shut. Before Dimitri could come after me, I ran to Lissa's room and knocked on the door. Lissa opened it and was shocked to see it was me.

"Rose, what's wrong?" She asked, ushering me in.

"Dimitri got all pissed because I opened my eyes to see Spirits today – especially Tasha's. He thought I was taking Spirits darkness already since I've been so moody lately. Look, I'm exhausted. Can I just spend the night in your guest bedroom?" She nodded and showed me the way.

"If you need anything, just let me know." I nodded and then heard a knock at the door.

"Dimitri, she doesn't want to see you." I couldn't hear the response.

"Well, maybe it's for the best!" Another response I couldn't hear.

"Give her time." Pause. "NO! She hasn't been taking Spirits Darkness. You can go now." She slammed the door shut and I just shut my feelings out and fell asleep.

I woke up and thanked God for a pure Blackness sleep. I went in the main room to see that Lissa was in a bad mood. I just peeked into her and she was PISSED at what Dimitri had said. I suddenly felt this sharp feeling in my stomach and I gasped. I knew exactly what it was… Darkness. I can handle it if I just hold it in. I walked over to Lissa and sat by her.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, Dimitri just pissed me off, that's all." She said.

"Well, get ready, cause we have to go get his family!" I said cheerfully.

"Alright. I think you should make up with Dimitri, though." She said out-of-the-blue.

"Why?" I asked.

"He's just looking out for you. He loves you, more than you know. Please just go talk to him." I sighed irritably and nodded. I went out of the room and went down the hall to our room. I opened the door silently and closed it just as quietly. I opened the bedroom door and I saw Dimitri sleeping by himself. I chewed on my lip. In a minute, I thought. I went over to Mia's room and saw that she was awake feeding Skylar.

"Hey," I said.

"What the Hell happened last night?" She demanded.

"Dimitri and I got into a fight about Spirit." I said, shrugging.

"Go talk to him. He was in Hell last night." I nodded and sauntered into our bedroom only to see that Dimitri was gone! Where the Hell did he go? I suddenly heard the shower running and I sighed. I opened the bathroom door and took off my clothes. I entered the shower with him and he looked at me.

"Why do we fight?" He asked.

"Because we're new at this and we just learn as we go." I said, looking at his eyes.

"Oh Roza," He said, pulling me to him. This is where I want to be. He kissed me with the passion we shared together. "I'm sorry for what I did."

"Don't be," I whispered. "You're just looking out for me. Sometimes I don't try to take Lissa's darkness, but when I do, it's Hell and I realize that. I just don't want her becoming Adrian and using alcohol as medicine." Should I mention I took some today? I chewed on my lip.

"What's wrong Rose?" I sighed. Might as well tell him now.

"You really pissed off Lissa and when I opened my feelings to her, I had this sharp feeling in my gut and I knew exactly what it was."

"Darkness," He said looking at me.

"I won't let it take a hold of me, Dimitri. I promise."

"I know, Roza." He brushed a hand through my hair. "I know." I got out of the shower and got dressed. Dimitri pulled me into a kiss that showed love, always love.

"I have to go get your family," I laughed lowly. He chuckled.

"Rain check?" He asked. I nodded and pecked him on the lips. I went out of the bathroom and called for Mia.

"Mia! Are you ready?" I asked. She came out and Skylar was in an outfit I didn't recognize. "Did you go shopping?" She nodded eagerly. "Mia, I owe you big time." She blushed and I hugged her. We both walked out of the room to meet up with Lissa and she was ready with a couple Guardians. I nodded to them. They nodded back to me. We all walked out to the parking lot and went into the car that had Skylar's car seat set up.

"Are you sure you two want to come?" I asked Mia and Lissa. "The sun's out and you could pass out easily."

"We'll be fine. We promise." Lissa spoke for both of them. And so the Guardian drove off to a Pennsylvania airport. I went to go wait outside while Lissa and Mia waited in the car. Then as the jet doors opened, Viktoria ran out and hugged me.

"Long time no see," I said and she laughed.

"Where's Dimitri?" She asked, looking around.

"He's back at Court. You'll see him soon." I said mysteriously. Suddenly, Olena came out and she hugged me.

"Thank you for inviting us, Rose. It means the world to me." I gushed.

"Where's Sonya, Karolina, and Yeva?" I asked, frowning.

"They decided to stay back. It's just us two." I grinned and brought them to the SUV. Viktoria's eyes brightened when she saw Skylar and Skylar giggled. They both went to go sit in the back seat and we drove off back to Court.

"Viktoria, right when we get back, I need to take you to try on your dress." She nodded.

"Lessgo!" Lissa said cheerfully. We got back to Court and Viktoria and Olena looked around in awe.

"This is AMAZING!" Viktoria said. We all jumped out of the car while Mia was grabbing Skylar.

"Mia, this is Olena and Viktoria. Olena and Viktoria, this is Mia, Skylar's nanny." Mia blushed as she shook their hands. The gang and I arrived at the dress shop and the dressmaker looked like she was expecting us.

"This is Viktoria Belikov?" I nodded and she went in the back to grab her dress.

"You'll love it, Viktoria. I promise." I said. I didn't realize everyone was playing with Skylar. The dressmaker came out with the dress and Viktoria's eyes widened.

"You're right. I do love it. Lavender is so pretty, Rose." She said, smiling.

"Go try it on." I encouraged her. She nodded and practically ran to the changing rooms. Once she came out, she was practically in tears. She went straight in my arms.

"We're going to be sisters! Can you believe it?" She hiccupped.

"No, actually," I laughed a little. "This all feels like a dream to me." Everyone came to hug me. "Can't… BREATHE!" I gasped.

"It will all become real soon." Lissa said, smiling at me. I smiled back at her. She didn't like Viktoria's sister comment, but overall, she felt happy for me. I frowned at Lissa and mouthed, "Are you OK?" She nodded, realizing I went in her head, and she shrugged.

"Let's go get something to drink." Viktoria said and Olena gave her a hard look.

"Olena, it's fine. Would you like to watch Skylar for a little bit?" She nodded eagerly and I handed her, her carrier. We all went to The Burning Arrow to get some drinks and have some fun.