Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. All characters in the original stories belong to Richelle Mead. This disclaimer covers all chapters. Any songs used in this story belong to their respective writers and performers.

Chapter 21

Mel POV

Months had passed and I felt like I was as big as a house. I was now about six months pregnant and the Moroi at court were surprisingly supportive. There were a few scattered attacks here and there, but the Strigoi front was relatively quiet. Actually I had heard that this was the first time it had ever been this quiet. I had a feeling that it wouldn't last much longer and I was constantly thinking about the vision I had all those months ago in Turkey. Adrian followed me around like a lost puppy, making sure that I wouldn't do things that the doctor told me not to do. I loved him dearly but being my constant shadow was really starting to bug me.

I still walked just outside the wards every couple of days to gather information on the Strigoi. Today Rose and I went to the wards with Adrian hanging close behind. I stepped over the wards and was immediately in front of my mother. I usually talked to her in my head so that passers-by wouldn't think I was nuts considering that I was the only one that could see and hear the ghosts. My mother gave me a worried glance and I knew immediately that something was up.

(What's going on with the Strigoi?)

"They are coming. This attack will be bigger than any you have ever faced my daughter. Remember your vision?" She reached for me, placing a hand on my shoulder. The vision flashed through my mind at her touch.

(How many are we expecting?)

"No less than 5000 at the moment. They will be at court by the end of the week. You have five days to prepare the court for the attack. They come for the Queen and will attempt to turn as many Damphirs and guardians as they can to build their army." She told me. "You must go and warn the court and prepare for the attack. Despite protests from the others, you must fight in this battle." I nodded as she vanished.

I turned around swiftly and stepped back inside the wards. I took out my phone and immediately called Guardian Croft. Adrian and Rose were both looking at me in concern as I dialed his number.

"Guardian Croft." He answered.

"Guardian Croft, this is Guardian Mazur. I need a meeting with the Council as soon as you can arrange it. There is to be another attack here at court." Rose and Adrian widened their eyes. "There is to be a larger number than the last time."

"How many? When will they be here?" He asked with concern.

"5000 breach the wards in five days." I stated plainly. I vaguely heard him mutter curses over the phone before he replied.

"I will order a council meeting within the hour. Make any preparations that you need." We hung up and we walked back to the palace. We walked into Lissa's suite to find the others already gathered and I looked at Christian and Abe.

"I need you two to round up all of the Moroi that are trained and willing to fight. Meet me in the training gym in twenty minutes. Rose, Dimitri. I need you two to gather all of the restored guardians and meet me there as well."

"What's going on?" Lissa asked.

"We are expecting another attack. Remember the vision I showed you in Turkey?" They nodded with their eyes wide. "Adrian, gather the spirit users and have them ready to go over to the clinic at a moment's notice. Lissa, I know you want to help with the other spirit users, but you are the primary target of this attack. They are planning to eliminate or turn all of the guardians that they can and come for you." Fear was evident in her face and everyone showed signs of despair and concern.

Everyone split up to accomplish the things I sent them to do. Eddie and Mia stayed with Lissa while I went to address the restored and Moroi that learned to use magic offensively. With so many people in the gym, it was a tight fit but I walked to the front of the room preparing to address them. Once everyone was there, I stood on the platform that was just high enough to see the faces of the fighters. I noticed that there were a few of the court guardians here too. I took my place on the platform and began to speak.

"I have asked that you all be here so that I can inform you of an attack planned here at court. The last battle here was against a large number of Strigoi. This attack, I am sad to say, will be even more significant." Gasps went through the large space. "We need every fighter that we can manage if we expect to come out of this alive. Those of you that were restored from that life will help to give us the numbers we need against them. They plan to kill or turn all Damphirs, making the Moroi easier to kill. We cannot let our guard down. In five days, 5000 will be at our gates." The room was filled with shocked gasps.

"Your trainings will have to be accelerated to prepare for the attack. I have to go to a council meeting to discuss the attack but I will be available for any questions later today. Help each other. Moroi work with the guardians and create a fighting strategy that works well for you. I will be back after the meeting. We have five days people, use them wisely." I stepped down from the podium with Ivan's help. I smiled at him in thanks and made my way to the meeting with the council. Rose and Dimitri fell into step with me. Adrian had finished his task and trailed slightly behind us.

When we walked into the council room, everyone became silent. I walked up to the front of the room and Rose took her position beside Lissa as her guardian. Lissa stood and addressed the councils.

"There has been a report of another attack planned five days from now. This attack will be the largest single attack ever recorded and we need for every willing Moroi and Damphir to fight in order to survive this attack. This attack will make us or break us as a society. Guardian Mazur has prepared a plan similar to that of the last attack, but we will need as many fighters as we can get." Lissa said and nodded to me to continue.

"There will be training sessions in the coming days for both guardians and Moroi. Moroi will learn to enhance their abilities and learn basic skills that will help you in hand to hand combat. Guardians will also undergo extra trainings and volunteers will aid the restored in honing their skills." I stated. "This fight will be the biggest ever and this is where we find out what we are truly made of. Moroi and Damphirs must work together for us to survive. I need several guardians that are good in marksmanship to set up on the roofs to take out humans that would stake the wards. Extra wards will be set up in designated safe zones and another set will be placed just inside the perimeter. Yes, this will be the hardest fight that we have ever faced. We must all work together if we expect to survive this." One Moroi from the council stood up.

"Guardian Mazur, if you are the Protector as you have claimed to be, how come we all have to fight to survive? Can't you just use your magic to destroy them?" He asked.

"You sir are a fire user correct?" He nodded. "How long can you use your power before you are drained of energy?" I asked.

"Steady use drains most Moroi in a matter of minutes." He stated and I smiled.

"I can use my power slightly longer than Moroi, but I will eventually tire and be drained of energy. I have to use my power wisely in order for us to be victorious. If I were to just use my full power from the beginning of the fight, I would be drained before the fight reached the inside of the wards. Being pregnant amplifies this affect so if I use my power unwisely, we will all die." I explained. He nodded in understanding and sat down. The meeting continued a little while longer and when the meeting ended, we went to the small café here at court for lunch. By now the news of the attack was everywhere. Abe and Janine joined us soon after we ordered and we all talked over various topics, but training was the main one. I vaguely wondered what the outcome would be if I didn't fight in this battle. I was worried not for myself, but my babies. Suddenly I was pulled into another vision. It started out with the previous vision of the attack where I fought and we were victorious. Then the scene changed to what would occur if I didn't fight this attack. We all would be dead and the Strigoi would kill, turn, and enslave all Damphirs and treat all Moroi like cattle that they would slaughter at will. I broke out of the vision seconds later and the others looked at me in concern. I hadn't noticed until now that there were tears pouring down my face. Adrian looked at me in concern and I composed myself. I told them that I would show them the vision but not here. We finished lunch and we all went to Lissa's suite. Everyone gathered in the lounge and Looked at me expectantly.

"Before I show you all what I saw, I have to say something. I know that there are those here that would rather that I not fight in the attack. I had a vision that showed me the outcome if I fight, and if I don't. Regardless of what anyone says, I will fight in this attack." As expected Adrian was the first to speak.

"Mel you can't fight in this attack. What about our children?" He asked. I pulled everyone into a circle in the center of the room.

"This is what the outcome will be if I fight in this attack." I showed them the vision of me fighting and the victory over the Strigoi. I looked at everyone again. "This is our future if I do not fight in the attack. This will be hard for you to witness, but you need to understand that my decision is not simply for me and my children." I sent the memory of the second half of the vision where I sat out of the fight. I watched as they witnessed the downfall of our society and how the Strigoi used everyone as slaves and food. When the scene was finished, I opened my eyes to find that everyone had tears in their eyes. They all nodded in understanding of my decision and it was final. I would be fighting.

"I understand Mel. I really don't like the idea of you being in danger, but I can't lose you or our children. Promise me that you will stay close to Rose, Dimitri or Eddie. I know now that you have to fight, but please be careful." Adrian says as he rubs my swollen belly. I nodded silently and we eventually moved on to lighter topics. Lissa was dying to shop for the babies and Abe had been not so secretly working on the nursery. I knew what he was doing, but I let him have his fun.

The next several days were filled with getting things prepared for the attack. I supervised the trainings of the restored and the extra trainings for the guardians. Christian and Abe worked with Rose and Dimitri, helping the Moroi to train with their elements and coordinate with the guardians in battle. I trained with some of the Moroi, using my power so that I could show them how to expand their power. It was the day before the attack and all of the Moroi showed great progress. The guardians and the restored trained to pair up with the Moroi so that they could distract the Strigoi, giving the guardians the chance to stake them quickly.

Early morning of the attack, I walked to the wards with Rose and Dimitri. I stepped over the two sets of wards and my mother appeared almost immediately. I didn't worry about speaking to her in my mind. I spoke out loud to her seeing as everyone was pretty well used to me talking to ghosts now.

"How long do we have before the Strigoi attack?" I asked my mother.

"The first wave of 2500 will be here two hours. Make sure that you go to the feeders at least twice before the attack Melissa. It will help you expand your power out to a greater distance. Use the trenches like you did before Melissa. They won't be expecting you to be that prepared. The second wave will follow soon after. Trust your instincts Melissa and they will tell you what needs to be done. Take care my daughter." She vanished quickly and I turned to Rose and Dimitri.

"Go get Lissa and the others and have them meet me in the council meeting room. I have to go and alert Guardian Croft." They nodded and took off towards her suite. I went to the feeders and fed from two separate feeders. I didn't want to take the chance of taking too much from one. I walked swiftly to the guardian offices and knocked on Guardian Croft's door. I heard him say "enter" and I quickly came in, closing the door behind me.

"Guardian Croft, we need to raise the alarm so that the Moroi are prepared to go to the safe zones. The first wave will be here in two hours. I have also been informed that we should use the trenches again. Do we have enough fuel stashed around here for that?" He nodded and got on the phone. He raised the alarm and called for a meeting in the council room. He called to check on the fuel and ordered it poured into the trenches.

We both walked over to the council meeting room. Lissa and the others were already there and the meeting started. I told them everything that I was told by my mother and the plans were finalized and final preparations were made. When the meeting ended I went to talk to all of the restored fighters and the guardians that were assembled there preparing for the attack. Rose, Dimitri and I got them all into positions and the Moroi that were not fighting were sent to the safe zones. With everyone in their positions, I started to feel the Strigoi nausea and got on the comm. to alert the other fighters.

"They're coming. Stay alert and don't light the trench until I say so. Shooters, be ready to take out the humans before they stake the wards." The nausea became stronger as the Strigoi drew closer. When the Strigoi were spotted, the shooters immediately started taking out the humans. I stepped closer to the wards and expanded my power out towards them, pulling as much darkness as possible. 2000 of the Strigoi were restored to their former selves and began fighting with the remaining Strigoi. The newly restored ran to the wards and I told the fighters to let them through but hold their positions. The nausea increased again as the second wave of Strigoi came into view. I repeated the same process again and another 2000 were immediately restored and ran to the wards. The remaining 1000 Strigoi ran towards the wards after them. When they were close enough and all of the newly restored were past the trenches, I gave the order to light the fuel. Hundreds of Strigoi burst into flames as they neared the trench. After about half an hour, the flames died down and the Strigoi approached the wards. They had gotten a little smarter and held back some of the humans and they were ready to stake the wards. I pushed a few of the humans back with air but that only delayed them. I got on my comm. telling the shooters to take them out. "They have more humans with them. Shooters, take them out before they stake the wards." The shooters scrambled to take out the humans but they somehow managed to stake the wards at the last minute. The Strigoi advanced over the broken wards and the fighters ran up to intercept them. As the guardians joined the fray, Moroi used their magic to distract the Strigoi, giving the guardians an opening to stake them. After about twenty minutes of hand to hand fighting, I could tell that the guardians were growing tired and the Moroi were exhausting themselves. I brought down my mental walls, letting the ghosts come to me. I sent them to attack the Strigoi. I told the guardians to stake them while they were distracted by the ghosts because I couldn't hold them for long. Several of the Strigoi were close now and I had to send the ghosts away. Once they were gone, the Strigoi that were close by zeroed in on me. Apparently pregnancy made me an easy target, or so they thought. I pulled out my sword and swung at them, decapitating several at a time. I pushed fire/darkness balls at some of the Strigoi, instantly turning them to ash. The guardians continued to tire quickly and we had a little more than 500 to go. I wanted to finish this. The longer we fought, the more we had to lose. I concentrated and gathered the sunlight in my mind. I pushed it outward around me. The light was a blinding pulse and when it dimmed, all the Strigoi that remained and the bodies were gone. Guardians and Moroi alike were picking themselves up off the ground in confusion. Cheers soon erupted as they all realized that there were no more Strigoi. Once everyone composed themselves, I got on my comm. to find Guardian Croft.

"Guardian Croft? Can you give me a report on the dead and the injured?"

"Yes Guardian Mazur. There were thankfully no deaths, but we have several of the guardians that were injured pretty badly. I sent them over to the clinic for Lord Ivashkov and the other spirit users to tend to." He reported.

"Good. Find a couple of teams to set up the wards on the perimeter while I deal with those that were restored." I stated.

He agreed and I went to find those that were restored. They were grateful for being returned to their former state and the previously restored Damphirs took the newly restored up to the training gym. I went over to the infirmary to check on the injured. I knew that Adrian was going mad with worry so I decided to find him first. I stayed out of most of the physical fighting so I had only a few minor injuries. I remembered that one of the Strigoi got too close, clawing the left side of my face, but I had no injuries that would affect the babies.

I found Adrian as he was healing some of the other guardians. He looked up and his eyes widened as he saw the marks on my face. He rushed over to me, forgetting everyone else. He wrapped me in a hug and then placed his hand over the marks on my face healing them.

"Adrian, there are other people here that have injuries worse than mine. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. If it makes you feel better, when you are finished here, we will see the doctor and have a scan done." He smiled and nodded. He finally went back to healing the guardians. After about an hour, Adrian finished healing the worst of the injuries and we went to have a scan done.

The babies were fine like I said. The doctor said that we were having two girls, but I already knew that from the visions. Everyone met back at Lissa's and Christian had already started dinner. I wanted to help him but Adrian insisted that I sit in the lounge and try to relax. I finally gave up and went into the lounge while Christian, Adrian and Dimitri all worked to make dinner. I talked a little with Rose and Lissa until there was a knock at the door. I finally got up off the couch and went to the door. Abe and Janine were at the door and I ushered them in. I walked back over to the couch and I finally noticed how exhausted I was. My feet were swelled like crazy and my back was starting to hurt. I shifted several times trying to get comfortable. Rose and the others noticed my sudden discomfort apparently.

"Mel you seem to be having trouble getting comfortable. Is there anything we can do to help?" Rose asked.

"I don't think so Rose. I'm pretty sure that it comes with the territory." I smiled and the babies decided they would go to kicking at the same time. I flinched because their kicks were extremely uncomfortable and they were getting very active. I finally was able to lie down across the couch and find a comfortable position. I lay my head in Rose's lap and the babies settled down. Next thing I knew Rose and Adrian were both trying to wake me up. It took a while for me to finally sit upright because of my large belly. I stood up with Adrian's help and walked painfully to the dinner table. The stiffness and pain in my back hadn't stopped and was a little concerning for me. I sat down and the others were looking at me with concern.

"Guys really, I am fine. It's nothing that any other pregnant woman hasn't been through before." I said.

"We are just concerned Mel. You have been through a lot today and we are just looking out for you." Abe said.

"Abe she is right though. When I was pregnant I had some of the same issues. Honestly some women have it worse than she has, so cut her a little slack. One baby is hard on a woman's body; just imagine what two would do." Janine said and I smiled gratefully at her. The babies decided to start their kicking again and I flinched as one of the girls kicked my ribs. Adrian noticed of course and placed his hand low on my belly.

"They are both kicking the hell out of my ribs. I think we better feed them before they get even more restless." I said and he smiled. We started dinner and as I ate, they started to calm a little. When we finished dinner I didn't even bother to volunteer for cleaning up. The babies settled and once Adrian was done in the kitchen, we said goodnight to everyone and headed to our suite. I went to the bathroom for a quick shower to relax my sore muscles. Adrian got in right behind me and massaged my shoulders. Once we were finished bathing, I dressed for bed and went into the bedroom. Adrian followed and immediately began to give me a foot massage. After he was satisfied that I felt better, we wrapped up in each other's arms and drifted to sleep.

When I woke up, Adrian was still wrapped up close to me. We hadn't been together intimately because the doctor advised against it due to the chances of the babies coming early. I missed us being together and I could tell that he did too. We got dressed and headed to the feeders and then went to Lissa's for breakfast. I was feeling much better today but I thought that I would see if the girls wanted to go to the spa today. We talked for a while and ate breakfast. The girls thought that the spa was a great idea and we left Lissa's, leaving the boys to do their own thing.

The spa was very enjoyable and Ambrose kept asking me about the babies and the pregnancy. He gave me some tips to deal with the swelling and the back pain. Just as Janine had said, most pregnant women experience the same things I was experiencing and that put me at ease a little bit. Once we were done with the spa I talked briefly with Guardian Croft and went to the 'situation room' where there was a map that displayed known Strigoi locations. I had set this up several months ago and had planned raids on several Strigoi locations. We had great success with this tactic and most of the guardians that I sent to these locations were restored Strigoi.