Chapter twelve

"Help, help!" A voice screamed out.

"Shut up."Another voice growled back.

"Please don't hurt them you can have me. But please not them." An evil smiled cocked in one direction.

"How about I have all of you?" He presumed.

"No please no, there only children." She begged.

"Yes they are and aren't they just precious."

"Mama." A small little voice called out.

"Shut up." Another voice sounded in the background. There must have been five or six Strigoi surrounding them, not one face I could make out. Aside from them all being Moroi, I saw a man in the corner, who was laid unconscious as I understood him to be the father.

"Tie them up and let's give them a royal welcoming." Several smiles illuminated the night. Wait where were there guardians? Help. But like hell my voice could be heard I wasn't actually here. This wasn't real, but I could do nothing as the Strigoi ruthlessly tortured the Moroi family.

"Mommy." Wait a minute this wasn't part of the dream, this was… something else."Mommy." Then shaking started to be felt as my body recollected it. "Mommy wake up."

"Huh." I bolted upright in my bed instantly becoming aware of my real surroundings. I stared down at the little girl that was sitting by my side, as she smiled content, now that I was awake.

"You were talking in your sleep." She informed me.

"Yeah. Mommy was having another bad dream." I informed her. This wasn't the first nightmare I've had of the Moroi family. It actually has been occurring for over the past week now, every night nonstop. Checking the bond I shared with Lissa, I was relived to feel once again, Lissa safely sleeping at her own home in Romania. "Are you okay mommy?" Catherine asked, worried for me as always.

"Yeah I'm fine." She only nodded her head, not really convinced to what I was telling her. "How about we take you to the feeders?" I said to her trying to distract of myself and her of the recent occurrence. She wasn't too happy with attempt, but easily gave in to the offer. Taking her down I stared at the clock on the wall, judging on how much time I had before I could finally go visit with Dimitri. Assessing that I only had fifteen minutes left I smiled calculating the time it would actually take to his cell, my time would be up and I would be right on time.

Ever since I'd arrive here, my mother and I came up with a time schedule with my visitation rights to go see Dimitri. Since we didn't want anyone else discover mine and Dimitri's relationship, we thought this would be the best for all of us. Of course, Dimitri knew all about it and just like me patiently waited for the time to tick by for our next visit with the other. Certainly Catherine always tagged along. I was actually curious as to how much she would remember of her father in later years, but also hoped who would never forget him. She needed to know him, and when he is… gone, I will never hide information from her of her wonderful father, and she will know everything about him.

Rearing around the final corner I opened the door and saw two heads turn to my direction. I couldn't help but smile at Dimitri; I loved him way too much, even for my own good. And it's probably going to hurt worse in the end, but to tell the truth I didn't care. I loved Dimitri and I wasn't going to lie to myself especially, with the limited time we had left with the other.

"Hi." I said to him using my usual greeting to both Dimitri and Ben, as I sat next to Dimitri on his mattress, forking over Catherine to him. She hugged him and found a comfortable spot to rest in his arms.

"Hi." He returned to me."Are you okay?" He must have noticed the dark marks underneath my eyes from the lack of sleep.

"Yeah, of course I'm fine." I lied to him, there's no need for him to worry about me. He already does that job good enough.

"Mommy's been having bad dreams again." Catherine spoke up. Uhh why did I have to conceive a child that can't be lied around?

"Rose?" Dimitri demanded from me.

"It's nothing, it's just the same dreams I've having for the past few weeks." I lied to him, acting like it was nothing, but really I was scared shitless. I had no idea what they were about. Thankfully, Catherine had shut up after I told my first lie. I guess she finally grasped of why I was trying to keep this information from Dimitri. Even though, he did know all about the dreams I have been having recently.

Noises streaked on the outside of the hallway. That's strange; rounds aren't usually made until hours from now. The scuffling of feet filled the air until they stopped right outside the door, slowly opening the damn thing. .God it couldn't be. What is he doing here? He's… he's supposes to be locked away, never to see the day again. Or at least he should have been dead. What the hell was he doing here? I mean this was a prison; shouldn't he have been at least the one locked up or something? When did they start allowing there prisoners to start roaming around outside of their cells?

Standing before us was none other than Victor Dashkov in the flesh.

"Hello Rose. Dimitri." He said in a friendly voice, like it was some sort of reunion or something. I only glared at him in no means of communicating with that monster. The silence increased further as he shut the door and stood beside it. What the hell was he doing here? But I didn't ask him I didn't even want to talk to him. After everything we've been through and he has the nerve of showing up her so formally. I seriously wished I didn't have Dimitri to restrain me otherwise they'd be one less Dashkov on the face of this planet. He forced his own daughter to turn into Strigoi. He kidnapped Lissa then tortured her. If a welcome wagon is what he wanted, like hell he was going to get one.

"What are you doing here?" I found myself telling him through clenched teeth. He cocked an eyebrow at me study me as I sat there. From his appearance, he seemed not to have much time left. Already his once black hair had gone gray once more and he limped with a cane as he walked around the room. Good, he didn't deserve to be alive. That bastard should already be dead. If he hadn't forced meaning, tortured Lissa into getting what he wanted, he'd be taking a dirt nap instead of his own daughter.

"Closure, Rose that is why I am here." I didn't look at him; just the sight of him repulsed me. He didn't stop talking though, pity. "Congratulations." He told me."You've the game."

"We weren't playing a game, what are you talking about?" I informed, thinking that maybe his disease was making him a little sick in the head or something worse, like some sort of schizophrenia .

"Oh Rose, you're missing the bigger picture. Who on Earth did you think made you leave the academy?"

"You didn't make me leave the academy I made that decision myself."

"Hmm." He countered."But what was the motivation that made you leave?" Motivation? Wait a minute he didn't mean? Did he? Oh that sick son of a bitch.

"It was you." I seethed."You bastard." Pardon my French, but seriously he was disgusting me out. "You're the one that forced the Strigoi onto the campus."

"More like paid them off." He told me. Whatever he was, he was still the one that had Dimitri turned into a Strigoi. It was all part of his sick, twisted plan.

"You're made it happen, so I'd leave and." I said realizing my own words.

"Leaving Vasilisa for the taking. I was so close Rose, if you'd hadn't been here at the right time, at the right moment, I would have had her."

"For what?" Asking him, not able to make the connection myself.

"Why don't you remember, my little plan. See with you and Dimitri out of the picture, it allowed me to get to Vasilisa without any hesitation. Course, I managed to spring after good behavior and she was so close to signing my bill for the revolution. You remember the plan right Rose."

"I remember." I told him wanting him seriously to get to the point. Apparently, Victor's revolution was another way of getting rid of the Strigoi in this world. With Moroi fighting alongside Dhampirs. It probably wouldn't have been too bad of a plan, if it hadn't come from Victor himself.

"Well I've failed, once again, congratulations Rose." I didn't move, I didn't speak. He seriously believed that this was a game. He made Dimitri into a Strigoi and he thinks he can just walk or limp away with it. That bastard. I'm glad he only has a few weeks to live otherwise I probably would finish the job myself. As the air grew still once more, Victor then left the room by hobbling out the door, hopefully to be never seen again. Silence beckoned itself back in the cold, cell room. I could sense the tension within Dimitri. Apparently, he wasn't too crazy with the aftermath of Victor's plan either. I couldn't blame. I'm just surprised with the high amount of his self control he held. If I were him I'd had already slashed Victor Dashkov up into a million pieces, then laugh at the evil deed, but I reframed that thought from my mind. I couldn't think like that anymore, I was mother and I needed to do what was best for my child.

Catherine still sat there snug in Dimitri's arms. Completely unaware of what just took place a mere few minutes ago. Good she didn't need to know. I hope that's she never remembered him. He was one man I wished would just drop dead and leave this world behind forever, and I mean forever.

"You need to go." Dimitri eventually said to me. Normally it was hard enough just to tear us apart when it was time for me and Catherine to depart, but today there was an absolute exception.

"Kay." I said agreeing this him. Taking Catherine I said good bye to both him and Ben promising Ben to send my greetings to Mary. Who've I very rarely have been talking to in the past month. I mean she's holding up I guess, still distraught with Ben's disappearance from her life. Of course, she already knew of my decision with Lissa and she wanted me to go ahead with the plan. She told me when this is over she wanted me to move on with my life. I guess she already knew the ending factor of what was to happen to Dimitri and Ben. As for her, she planning on returning home where Alex, Paul, Charlie and Rebekah waited.

Storming down the hallway, away from Dimitri's cell, I carried Catherine at my hip, searching. Veering off I found the exact person who I wanted to talk to.

"What didn't you tell me?" I questioned her.

"Hello Rose." She seemed or at least trying to be oblivious to my mood.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I wanted to know.

"What am I keeping from you this time?" She asked, finally turning to me, not paying any attention to me, but more as her granddaughter. Ignoring my mother's pathetic excuses I went straight to the point.

"Victor Dashkov." Two words that explained so much.

"Oh." She finally understood of what I was trying to say to her."I really wished you hadn't bumped into him….I"

"More like he sought out to find me." I informed her cutting her off of whatever she was about to say.

"What?" She questioned confused to my notion. So I told her. For the first time I told her every damn detail Victor told me, she wasn't too happy with him either by the end of my story, but she said nothing after. No what are we going to do with him? No remarks. Nothing.

"Mom we can't just let this guy go unpunished."

"And how would you like me to solve it Rose? I can't, I have no power whatsoever when it comes to Victor Dashkov. Believe me others have tried, but it's just a waste of time. He'll be thankfully passing away in the next few weeks and then we'll be done with him." She spoke in finality, walking away from both me and Catherine. How could she do this? After everything I just told her, after everything he's done.

"Hi Rose." A familiar voice came from behind me. I meant to tell him to go take a hike until that is, when I saw his face.

"Oh my god. Hi." Standing before me was my long time friend Eddie Castille. I hadn't seen him since… that night when Dimitri was… Never mind. "What are you doing here?"

"Well you know just doing my guardian job." He said trying to sound tough, but making himself look more like an idiot instead.

"What have you been doing? Besides getting busy." He asked gesturing towards Catherine. "I thought you were supposed to be on some quest not… I just never imagined you as a mother."

"It has its ups and downs." I replied nonchalantly with a shrug.

"Is Belikov the father?" He asked flatly, is it really that obvious?

"That's what the DNA test says." I rebuked.

"Yeah, well it was nice seeing you again Rose." He told me after a moment of silence that created an awkward moment between the two of us.

"Yeah, same here." I stated shaking his hand and smiling as we went our separate ways.

Walking back to our room, I only wanted sleep after this treacherous day. Catherine seemed to comprehend my mood and already started to settled down for the night. Once in bed I was overtook with a strange, highly nauseous feeling. Not the kind when Strigoi are around, no this different. Rushing into the bathroom I just barely made it into the bathroom before I retched the contents I had eaten for the day into the toilet before me.

******************************************************************************Okay so this chapter basically sums up my true theory of Blood Promise , I really believe that Victor has a huge in all of that has occurred since the end of Shadow Kiss. However, thankfully for you guys this is not my last chapter. Seriously, I've got a lot more coming, so don't worry, this is not the end, not yet. As for the rest of you thanks for the reviews I deeply take them into consideration. So thanks, and enjoy.