Chapter twenty: Sonya Karp

Hey everyone I just got back from Gatlinburg today and I managed to write this chapter in the car. Enjoy! The next chapter will be up by tomorrow night… ON WITH THE STORY!

The next day we headed out to find Ms. Karp's house.

If Dimitri hadn't gone trigger-happy it wouldn't have taken us nearly as long as it did.

I sat in the back again between Dashkov and Robert Doru. Call me paranoid but I didn't trust them around Sydney. I glanced up toward the front and met Dimitri's eyes. He smiled at me in the mirror and gave a small smile back. It felt like were finally getting back to where we had been before he had been turned.

"How do we know which house is hers" Sydney asked as she looked out the window.

I gave a smirk. "It's blue." She turned around and looked at me. "Rose, what if there are twenty blue houses."

I gave a full out small. "We bust all of their doors down until we find a red headed Strigoi trying to kill us all." Sydney looked at me for a minute then turned to Dimitri.

"Has she grown up at all since you were here mentor? I mean at all?" Dimitri chuckled as he made a turn. "Actually yes she has, she use to be a lot more violent."

That made Sydney shiver. Victor laughed quietly under his breath. I turned and gave him a dirty look.

"What are you laughing at Dashkov?" I asked, as he looked at me malicious mirth in his jade green eyes.

"Nothing, Rosemarie, its just I'm sure that Guardian Belikov has been looking at you as an adult ever since he first saw you."

Dimitri glared at him in the review mirror and I gave him a dry look.

"You know, your voice is getting really annoying. It's like a little cricket under your pillow chirping while your trying to sleep. Yeah that's you."

Then I leaned up so I could talk to Dimitri and Sydney.

"Ms. Karp liked to grow plants. Find a little blue house with one hell of a garden and we'll have our house."

I sat back and relaxed for a little bit then I felt an extreme amount of anger coming in through the bond. I closed my eyes and slipped into Lissa's head.

Rose's POV in Lissa's Head

Lissa was in her living room with my mom and Abe. Aria was clutched against Lissa's chest as she sat next to my mother. Christian and Abe were standing slightly in front of the women. I knew right there that there was something wrong. Janine Hathaway did not cower behind a man not even Ibrahim Mazur.

In front of them all was Tasha and she looked pissed.

"How can none of you see what is going on?" She asked. "Rose is obviously not fit to be a mother." Oh god is she really going there. I was obviously tuning into the middle of the conversation but it doesn't take a genius to know what I missed. I'm so besting her ass when I get home.

"I mean she's been gone for almost two weeks. What kind of mother does that?"

"Aunt Tasha." Christian said. I could see that he was getting fed up with Tasha's bad mouthing me. "Rose and Dimitri are on an errand for the queen and either her or Dimitri check in on Aria every night before she goes to bed."

Tasha shook her head. Her raven hair flinging side to side as she denied her nephew's words.

"And I'm pretty sure she's abusing the poor thing."

My mom jumped up at that accusation.

"How dare you!" she growled as she tried to advance on the Moroi woman, tried meaning Abe and Christian held her back.

"Don't you ever insult my daughter. She would never hurt that baby and you have no fucking proof anyway!"

Tasha glared and shouted at her. "That baby has bruises all over her how can you defend a woman that hurts her child?"

Lissa stood up then. She balanced my daughter on her hip as she glared at Tasha. I felt Aria hide her face in Lissa's neck.

"Rose would kill anyone that tried to hurt Aria. And what bruises? The only bruise I've ever seen on her was when she bumped into the wall. And that was the other day. She wasn't paying attention to where she was walking and walked into the wall, she still has a little bruise right there on her forehead."

"You've been healing them!" Tasha accused. "You've been covering for Rose since that baby was born. I'll make sure Rose won't ever see that Aria again. And when Dimka finds out what kind of woman the mother of his child is he'll want nothing to do with her."

Everybody was quiet. I could feel my own anger over powering Lissa's; this chick was out of her mind. I've never even spanked Aria, not that she'd ever given me a reason to have to. She has always been a good baby except for the first month or so she cried all the time, you know colic.

"Aunt Tasha." Christian said in a low voice. "I don't think you're welcomed here anymore."

Tasha turned on Christian. "What? You're taking that slutty little bloodwhore's side? "

That's when Abe steeped up.

"Natasha Ozera, I suggest you never call my daughter that again. Also don't you ever accuse Rosemarie Hathaway of child abuse. She has done everything possible for this child, she carried her for nine months, she birthed her, she feed her, and she has protected her for that child's whole life, and she risked her life to bring that precious little girl's father back to life. Rose is not an abusive parent she is a parent that knows nothing but love for her child."

Then he got in her face. "And if I ever see you near my granddaughter again you will disappear and no one will ever find the body."

Tasha paled. My father was well known for being a dangerous man and I knew, for Aria, he'd make good on his threat.

Tasha looked from face to face then her eyes landed on Aria who was watching wide-eyed. In the brief moment that the emotions crossed her face I/Lissa saw anger, hatred, possession. I knew then she had no love for Aria. She only wanted her because she was Dimitri's and I also had a sneaking suspicion that she hated Aria for being Dimitri's daughter with me instead of her.

Then she stomped out of the apartment and I forced myself to leave the scene. I missed having Aria in my arms.

Rose's POV Out of Lissa's Head.

I blinked to see we had stopped. I looked to Dimitri.

He met my eyes and I saw it in his own that he must have seen something in my face that told him something was wrong.

"We've found Sonya's house… At least I think. Rose are you alright?"

I shook my head but didn't elaborate. He glanced to Victor and then to Sydney, he said something to her but I was so pissed I couldn't hear him.

Then he got out of the car. "Roza." I looked up at him as he bent his head to look at me. "Come on, I think we need to talk."

I nodded then Robert got out and let me out. "We won't be far." Dimitri said to Sydney and as a warning to the Dashkov brothers.

We went a little ways away. I could see the house that couldn't be anyone else's house but Ms. Karp's.

"What's wrong Rose, what happened to Lissa?"

I looked up at him then I just blurted the truth out.

"Tasha accused me of beating Aria." Dimitri's eyes widened in shock then they hardened.

"She did what?" I nodded. I hadn't ever felt this upset before. "She said that I wasn't fit to be a mother and that she'd tell you I was beating Aria then she'd take my baby away and I'd never see her again. Then she said that she'd tell you I was an abusive mother."

I felt the tears building behind my eyes. I didn't cry about much but I knew if I ever lost Aria… I shivered. Aria had been the only thing to keep me going while Dimitri was a Strigoi. No one could replace Dimitri in my life and my heart but Aria… Aria had her own place now that could never be filled by anyone else but her.

While I was lost in my thoughts Dimitri pulled me into his arms and I actually began to cry into his chest.

"Please don't take my baby away. I'm a good mother, I am really!" he held me tight and made me look up at him.

"How many times do I have to say this Roza? I would never take our daughter away from you and I won't let anyone take her either."

I nodded and looked up at him. "I'm beating the shit out of her when I get home." Dimitri chuckled and rolled his eyes. Then he gestured toward the house.

"Ready to do this." I nodded. "Yeah I wanna hurry up and get he hell home so I can love on my baby." Then I looked up at Dimitri. I say the three of us cuddle up in bed together for a few days."

Dimitri smiled lovingly. "That actually sounds very nice. Just relaxing in bed with my girls in my arms."

We returned to the car and saw Sydney had put duck tape on Victor's mouth. We looked at her with curious expressions. Sydney didn't even look at us as she typed away on her laptop.

"He wouldn't shut up. You're right Rose his voice is like an annoying little cricket that won't shut the hell up."

Dimitri and I looked at each other then he shrugged,

"I wanted to stuff them into the trunk."

Then the three of us began to plan how we would go about capturing Ms. Karp.

Dimitri's POV

So it was decided that Rose and I would find a safe way to get into the house then we'd subdue Karp.

Unlike with Donovan we had both Victor and Robert with us so keeping an eye on them and fighting a Strigoi were going to be tricky.

"We could just knock them out and leave them in the car." Sydney said. Rose shook her head. "No way, the last thing I feel safe doing is leaving them in the only vehicle we have at the moment.

I look between the girls and the brothers. "No Rose, Sydney has a point. We won't knock them out but we will give Sydney the keys to the car that way they can't take off in it."

Rose didn't look to please with that idea but she went along with it. "Ok fine, Comrade, whatever you say."

After that we left the Moroi and the Alchemist and began to scope out the property.

The gardens all around the house were beautiful and gave the impression of being in a perfect and peaceful wonderland right out of some fairytale.

We made it to the front door. I had Rose open the door so that if anything jumped out I'd been the one to meet it instead of her.

Rose threw the door open and out came a blur of red as Sonya Karp stopped right in the door. She hissed and growled then her eyes landed on Rose and widened.

"Rosemarie." I tensed. I had to fight the instinct to shove Rose behind me and shield her from the Strigoi's sight.

"How are you dear?" Sonya continued. "I've heard you've become one of the most feared Guardians among the Strigoi. Why don't you come in a visit with me."

Rose took a step closer. Her eyes never leaving Karp's and that when I realized she was compelling her.

"NO!" I shouted as I lunged for Sonya and managed to get her into the house. Rose must have snapped out of the compulsion because she was right there with me trying to help me hold her down. Suddenly Sonya kicked out and caught Rose in the stomach and sent her flying into the opposite wall.

I didn't have the time to worry about her because she was right back trying to hold Sonya down.

Finally we managed to get her tied to a chair with god knows how many pairs of chains. I had bought them at the last stop as an after thought but damn they cam in handy right now.

I glanced over to see Rose standing and looking at Karp as if she had never seen her before and in all honesty she hadn't not like this.

I walked toward the red haired woman and brandished the extra silver stake Rose and given me. "We have some questions for you Ms. Karp."

Sonya laughed. "Oh?" she asked as she studied us. "And what might these questions be?" I opened my mouth to ask her what we needed to know and she gave me a sick smile.

"Don't think I don't know who you are Dimitri Belikov. I've heard a great deal about you both as a Dhampir and as a Strigoi." Then the woman turned back to Roza.

"Rosemarie, did you know that a Strigoi's sense of smell is five times that of a Moroi?

Rose's brow scrunched up as she looked to me with confusion. But I never took my eyes from the very real danger sitting bound in the chair in front of us.

"How old is you daughter Rosemarie? A few months, a year maybe?"

Rose glanced to me again then she looked back to her old teacher.

Rose's POV

I looked at Ms. Karp, careful not to fall under her compulsion again. "I don't see what my kid has to do with this. We have questions we need answered. Now."

I heard the sound of the door closing and turned to see Sydney and the brothers come into the house.

I turned my attention from Karp for a second and suddenly she was on me again and my stake went flying. I punched her in the face and kept her off of me until Dimitri could grab her from behind and lift her away. I was on my feet in less then a second and looking for my stake.

It was gone then just as fast as Sonya had attacked Robert was rushing past me with my stake in hand and he shoved it through Sonya's chest.

Just like when Dimitri had been restored there was a bright white light and unbelievable power threw us all back. I lifted my head when I gathered myself and I was suddenly assaulted by Sonya Karp's screams.

We all stayed quiet and just watched. I couldn't help it. When Dimitri had been restored I had been mystified and relieved beyond compare and I was just as amazed now as I was then.

Dimitri was the first to snap out of the stupor and he rushed to gather Sonya into his arms.

He held and whispered comforting words to her as she cried and I realized that this had to be painful for him. To see someone else go through what he had. It had to be breaking his heart all over again.

"Well?" Victor said as he tried to help Robert back up. "Aren't you going to question her?"

Dimitri's head snapped up and there was utter protectiveness in his eyes. I didn't take my eyes from Dashkov.

"Yes," I said sarcastically. "And while were at it let's give Robert a good dose of electric shock therapy and try to cure is madness."

Victor gave me a hateful look to which I turned my back and focused on Dimitri.

"Come Comrade, let's find somewhere for her to lay down." Dimitri nodded and picked my old teacher up off the ground and followed me to the first bedroom I saw.

Dimitri gently placed Sonya on the bed and covered her with the blankets.

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you want me to stay in here with her or do you want to stay?"

He smiled at me then he kissed my hand and whispered. "I'll stay, I'm the only one here that's been through what she's going through. It'll be better for her if I'm here when she wakes up."

I nodded and kissed him then I turned back toward the living room hoping for a nap of my own.

Ok so now everyone sees how nuts I've made Tasha and Sonya is Alive! So I'm thinking I'd let you all choose. Who do you, the readers, want to Confront Tasha? Dimitri or Rose?

Let me know in you reviews.

Thanks for reading.