So here's chapter 36!

Disclaimer: I don't own VA, the character, etc.

Chapter 36

First thing I did when I regained my strength was look for Vladmir. He had some explaining to do. All this time, he left this portion out.

"Vladmir, open up!" I banged on his door. He opened it and I rushed in, slamming the door on my way in.

"I didn't expect you back here," He spoke bluntly.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," I hissed at him.

"Such as?" He asked innocently. He could see the fire in my eyes and I knew it.

"Such as telling me why in the world you want me to destroy Daryl. He's not the enemy and you know it!" I shouted.

"He is your enemy and that is not of your concern, Rose," He warned me. I glared at him.

"You're not the boss he's talking about, are you? You're not pitting me against him for just humor, are you? Because lately, you've been leaving gaps of info everywhere," I accused him. Sure, this was a risky move, but to me, it was something worth trying.

"That's not your concern, Rose. I'm not the boss either," He added on.

"Then how much did you know about Daryl's feelings towards Dimitri. You know a lot more than you say. So why haven't you spared Dimitri all this hatred? You could've ended things and yet you didn't. I never had to get involved. You just didn't fix the mess and now I'm here trying to fix things for you," I kept going at it. "So tell me. You have a grudge against Daryl. And I know what it is," I threatened. He glared at me.

"Rose, don't overstep it," He growled menacingly.

"You…all this time…" I scoffed. "You're not a saint. You're just a coward. You loved Olena! You loved her but you died long ago. You loved Anna before but you just couldn't pull away, could you? So when time came and Daryl got in the picture, you didn't like it, did you? No, you hated him for it. You thought that he took away the love of your life. Please…tell me you didn't charm Dimitri and turn him against his own father. When the beatings started, I know you were probably pissed and knowing your power and will, you would do that," I accused him more. Pieces of the puzzle started to fit together and now I know where it was going to. "You want me to kill his boss, but you also wanted me to kill Daryl off as a side job. He's not a villain! I mean, yes he is, but he doesn't want to be! And it's because of you," Vladmir kept glaring at me. "You're a monster for tearing them apart!" Suddenly the door slammed open and Dimitri was there. Fury was in his eyes, all pointing towards Vladmir. "If what Daryl told me was true out there…if every word he said was real…then you're facing me. I'm not yours to have!" Vladmir's mark on me started to disappear and soon the rose make came back into place.

"Roza!" My wings spread as the rose mark returned to my wrist.

"Vladmir, I fight for whoever needs help, whoever deserves it. And right now, my future father in law needs it a hell of a lot more than you do. Dimitri, your father loves you very much, but you never gave him the time of day. But it wasn't your fault so don't blame yourself. I'm going to your dad. I'm going to help him now. He promised me he wouldn't hurt me. So here's the question, do you want to come?" I asked him. Dimitri looked at me. I could see he was trying to process the information too.

"I don't think I'll go. If what you say is true, then you'll be safe with him. If you can change him, then I'll be waiting for the both of you to return," He smiled a bit. It was a sad smile though.

"You know, this might be the last time I see you. I might not make it back for the marriage in time," I tried to hold back the tears. Dimitri ran and kissed me.

"Thank you for doing this, Roza. I love you. You will come back. As long as my mark lives within your heart, you will always return to me, princess," I shook my head.

"I can't do this. God…" Vladmir glared at me, but I wasn't worried about him. I couldn't tear my heart out like this and leave it here.

"Then how can I help?" Dimitri asked, brushing away the tears that streamed down my face.

"Come with me. Come see your father," I told him.

"Is it a choice?" I shook my head.

"No," He hugged me.

"Then I'll go wherever you go," I took him as I started to fly.

"Rose, don't you dare turn on me!" Vladmir yelled, obviously angry. I let Dimitri down to the ground as I flew back to Vladmir's window. "You won't dare turning against me. You still have to take down his boss!" He told me. I slapped him.

"You don't have the right to tell me what I can and cannot do. I'm doing what's right. I'm fixing your mess. I won't turn on you, but I'm never going to forgive what you did to Olena and her family," I transformed into a dragon and swooped down just low enough for Dimitri to jump onto my back. 'Where are you?' I tried to contact Daryl. 'Little one, why are you following me?' His voice whispered in my head. 'You're weak still.' I flew on instinct now. 'Where are you?' I asked again. 'At my house, in Novosibirsk. It's a mansion. You won't miss it. I'll leave a window open for you.' I flew towards the direction. It wasn't far from where I currently was. It took a decent half hour, but I eventually saw it. My wings, tired, kept beating as Dimitri encouraged me. Just as I saw the window, my vision blurred. I was too exhausted as I started falling. Even Dimitri calling me slowly became faint. However, I never felt the impact. When I opened my eyes, I saw Daryl outside using some spell on me. He kept me up and slowly put me down. Dimitri got off quickly as I transformed back.

"Get her inside!" Daryl shouted. Dimitri picked me up and we headed inside. My eyes had already closed and I felt my heart beating fast. After a while, suddenly I felt something cold surround me. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a container of liquid. "Don't worry, little one. It's the same you need to recover," He told me through the glass. Dimitri had his hand, and to my amusement, I tried to fit my hand to his, but his hand was too big. I smiled and he smiled back. I laid back and closed my eyes.

"All this time…why didn't you tell me?" I heard Dimitri's voice.

"Son…I wasn't a good person back then. I hit your mother, that much of it was true. You would still have resented me. Maybe not as much, but at some point, you'd still have the same hatred towards me. Plus, look at me. It's no way to show you what a father's like," I stayed quiet as I listened to their conversation.

"Still, Vladmir turned against you first," Dimitri stated.

"Let bygones be bygones. All's fair in love and war. Rose, I know you're listening. I'm not on your side and personally, I don't know what you want to do here," He told me. I opened my eyes and looked at them. As I concentrated, wind picked up in the room and I used it to move Dimitri's hand to the glass as well as Daryl's. I then matched my hand to each of theirs. 'I want us to be a family. The way things were supposed to be.' I smiled. However, that obviously wasn't going to happen when Dimitri tore his hand away from the glass. 'Dimitri…' He looked at me sadly. 'I have to think about some things.' Daryl had a sad face as Dimitri walked off. I came up above the water.

"Dimitri!" Daryl stopped me.

"You have to heal. These things take time. I appreciate the effort though," He tried to smile. Obviously, his emotions did not match what he showed.

"I have to go talk to him," I tried to get out again.

"No!" He finally yelled. "Look, love, I won't be as lenient to you as Vladmir was. When I tell you to stay here and heal, I expect you do that if you are staying here in the meantime," I finally relaxed at his command.

"Then can I ask you something else?" He looked at me with curiosity.

"Where's my mother?" I asked him.

"Your mother…love, I thought you knew that was a trick," He told me straightforwardly. "Did you really think I would disturb the dead? I'm not that mean. Sure, my boss wanted me to, but hell, I told him off that time," I nodded. Annabelle walked in.

"Papa, are you here?" Her voice rang.

"Yes, dear, Rose is here too," I then heard a growl.

"Now, now, Annabelle, no fighting. If you do as much as touch a hair on her, you'll be sleeping outside tonight. Is that clear?" Her growl disappeared.

"Yes, papa," She came out into the open and I saw her. She was beautiful as ever. Her figure and everything was ideal almost. I tried to come up.

"What did I say, Rosemarie?" He warned me.

"Sheesh. Just coming up for air," I leaned against the glass, finally able to breathe air and not water.

"Careful, the glass isn't created to hold your weight," I nodded. Annabelle stared at me.

"Annabelle, why do you hate me?" She looked away and left. "Never mind then," Daryl touched my cheek.

"She'll come around. Give it time. It took me forever for her to trust me," Daryl pushed me back into the water. "One more hour of healing and then you can come out. Alright?" I nodded, relaxing back in the water. "Now can I ask you something?"

"And that would be?" Now I was the one curious as to what he was trying to find out.

"You're engaged to my son, yes?" I nodded.

"Would it be a lot to ask of you when it is? I'm not planning to crash it or anything. I just want to know," He smiled, showing his sincerity.

"Christmas day," I told him.

"That's in a month. Are you with child yet?" I shook my head.

"We're planning to have one after we get married. I don't exactly want to look like a big balloon on my wedding day. That would be weird," I told him. He nodded. After an hour passed of joking around, he let me go and take a shower. He gave me a set of Annabelle's clothes when I came out. "Thanks,"

"Are you hungry?" I shook my head but my stomach grumbled. "I'll go make some food for you. In the meantime, make yourself at home. Just don't up to the second floor room on the right, first in the hallway. That's where my boss calls me and if he sees you, then things get ugly. Am I clear?" I nodded.

"Um…can I go…Daryl?" He smiled.

"Have fun here. The place is yours," I ran off to find Dimitri. And where I guessed was right. He didn't want to be here as he was sitting on a tree, far away from the house itself in the backyard. I looked at him as he was reading a book, the spell book.

"I won't turn against him. He doesn't want to harm me so I will not turn against him," I told him. He closed the book and jumped down.

"How are you feeling?" He gave me a kiss.

"I'm fine. I feel better, much better. He's making some food in a minute. Look, Dimitri, we're going to have to be a family soon and I do want him at the wedding," He looked at me quickly.

"You're kidding," He stated. I shook my head.

"No, I'm not. He's your father whether you like it or not and he's my father in law soon. I know you still don't like him. But, Dimitri, I want us to be a family more than anything else," He smiled at me and touched my cheek a bit. "He was hurt pretty badly by your action. You owe him an apology," I told him.

"I don't owe him anything. It doesn't change the fact he still hit his own wife," He told me. I could sense his anger bubbling at the subject. I sighed.

"Whatever. I can sense your emotions anyways. Lost cause trying to tell you now," I headed back inside but Dimitri grabbed my wrist.

"It's not that I don't want us to be a family. I just can't forgive him for the actions he's done," He told me.

"Everything can be forgiven because once you lose your father, you'll know how it felt for me and my mom. It's one mistake that can be avoided," I headed inside as I smelled the scent of food. When I followed the scent, I saw Dimitri's father cooking.

"I hope this is to your taste," He put down the plate and I saw a nice piece of steak, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. I probably drooled.

"It smells amazing," I started to eat. God, the food was amazing. "Daryl, would you mind coming to the wedding? I haven't confirmed the idea with Dimitri yet, but I'm sure he'll come to," I told him. He shook his head.

"I wish I could go, but I don't think I'd be welcomed. Tell you what, if Dimitri changes his mind, come talk to me again about it and I'll think about it," I didn't give him an answer. It was going to be hard changing Dimitri's mind. I've done it a few times, but most end up failing or we end up arguing.

"Alright," I finished dinner and brought the plate over to him.

"Thanks. I'll take care of the dishes," He smiled gently.

"Papa…" He looked at me.

"Should you be calling me that already?" Tears streamed down my eyes.

"Oh, my dear, what's wrong? Was it something I said?" He quickly came to wrap his arms around me. "Shh…it's going to be okay," He rocked my back and forth. "It's alright. Cry all you want," He picked me up and brought me to the living room couch where he laid me down. "Shh…" Slowly, I stopped and he smiled. "What's wrong?"

"I miss my mom," As he flinched, I looked at him.

"I'm sorry…I was mean to do that trick on you. I'm sorry," I shook my head.

"It's alright. I have these crying episodes now and then. You were trying to do your job. It's not your fault. Anyways, why do you have my mother's necklace?" I asked him as he hugged me, brushing my hair.

"You don't want to hear the answer," He stated, giving me a cup of water. "Here," I drank the water.

"Why? You didn't kill her did you?" I looked warily at him.

"Your mother? No, of course not. She'd take me down faster than a cheetah. No, my boss did. As she was dying, she took her necklace and with the last bit of strength gave me her necklace. She started whispering your name but didn't manage to finish. So when I finished saying your name, the necklace glowed in response. Then it just stopped. I figured it has something to do with your powers. Try putting it on," I took the necklace and put it on.

"Rosemarie Hathaway," I spoke. Nothing happened. Dimitri came in.

"What's going on?" He looked at the two of us.

"Nothing. We're just trying something. Do you have any other name you go by?" I nodded.

"Rosemarie Mazur," The necklace glowed and a strong power surged through my body. I ran out the door as I felt a transformation. Within minutes, I changed into almost an angelic figure. I had six wings and a robe sort of clothing. My staff appeared in my hand too.

"Wow, well now we know what it does. Rose, keep it. It's yours," Daryl told me. I nodded and slowly the transformation reverted. "I guess you can now change whenever you want. That's convenient," I nodded and the surge of power stopped as the necklace stopped glowing. "I should get going. Time to report to boss," He headed back.

"Wait, you're not going to-"

"Of course not. I can hide you for the meantime. Don't come up unless I come downstairs. If he even feels your presence near me, like by voice or footsteps, then you'll be in trouble as well as Dimitri. But if you guys stay outside here to play, you should be fine," I nodded as he headed back. When he left, I sighed.

"Tired?" Dimitri asked.

"No. He's a nice man. He wants to fix things. He just doesn't know where to start. Dimitri, can you give him a chance?" I asked him. He didn't give me an answer.

"Why don't you get some rest?" I growled at his question. He was trying to change the subject.

"Don't change the subject on me," I told him.

"Then you're not going to get an answer either way," Dimitri walked by me and into the house. I couldn't follow him inside without risking the both of us in trouble. 'Why are you still holding a grudge?' I sent him a message telepathically. 'Rose, this isn't something you should worry over. This is my problem. I'm drawing the line here. Don't press on.' He warned me. 'Why? I don't understand. We're getting married in a month and here you are hiding your life from me! I tell you everything and every time I find out something about you, it's always a surprise!' I told him. 'There are some things you are not supposed to know. Rose, drop the subject. That's an order. I'm here because of you. I'm not here because I want to, keep in mind.' I flinched at his remark. 'Do you love me?' I asked him. He quickly rushed back out in fear of what I had in mind. I still had the staff as I turned it into a knife. 'No! Stop! Rose, don't!' He rushed out as I didn't slash my wrist, but my hand. I gritted my teeth as the pain seared but I let it drip as he came for me. He tried to heal it, but I pulled away.

"Your father…is a kind man. He's done his best and he needs help so why do you help me?"

"It's because I love you, silly," Dimitri hurried trying to use part of his shirt he ripped as he bound my hand.

"He comes first. Not me. You love family before all else. That's the golden rule. I break every rule so living a life like this is probably my punishment. Yet here you are helping me, and not him," I whispered.

"He's not family. That's why I don't feel obliged to help him," He quickly tied the knot off so the blood would stop dripping out.

"He's your father…you're obliged whether you like it or not. My dad…was never there for me, but I still love him…" I coughed up a bit of blood.

"Rose, hang in there!" He got me inside just as Daryl came downstairs to get us.

"What's wrong?" He asked frantically.

"She slashed her palm and she just started coughing up blood," Dimitri replied.

"Get her to the healing chamber!" Soon enough, I was submerged into the liquid. But this time, I was sure, maybe it was a bit too late.

"Rosemarie, hang in there!" Daryl called out to me. I smiled at the two of them weakly. Sure it was only a slash, but my physical state had weakened considerably as Vladmir said so even the tiniest thing could kill me at this point. "Rosemarie! Listen to me! Hang on!" I put my hand on the glass and the two of them immediately matched it with mine. Slowly, my hand fell and I saw Dimitri reach in to grab my hand.

"I'm not letting you go! You said we're a family! Then so be it!" He yelled. My necklace reacted and I smiled.

"The necklace…it's keeping her alive. She's safe Dimitri. Her mother saved her with that necklace," My eyes closed and I rested up.

"Rose…" I heard Dimitri whisper. "Why do you do such risky things?" I opened my eyes and looked at him. 'If I didn't, you wouldn't listen to me too.' I told him. My wings came out to surround me like a blanket.

"Son, get some rest. I'll stay here for the night and look after her. You've had a rough day. There's a room upstairs down the hall, last room. You can use that," Dimitri looked at me sadly.

"I'm…I'm not leaving her…I can't leave her in this state," He whispered. I smiled at him. 'I'm fine now. Go to bed.' I saw a tear stream down from his face and I looked away. 'I'm sorry…' He tried to laugh. 'Why are you sorry? I'm the one who pushed you too far.' He replied back to me. Daryl put a hand on Dimitri's shoulder.

"Papa?" I smiled at Dimitri's word.

"Son, get some rest. She'll be under my care. Don't worry," Dimitri nodded and I got out for a moment. He gave me the best kiss I think I've ever received from him.

"Don't scare me like that anymore. Alright?" I nuzzled against him and he did the same despite my wet state. "I love you, Roza. So much," He kissed me again and again.

"I love you too. Get some rest. Go," I gave him a push. He smiled now and left. Daryl smiled at me.

"You sure have a way with him. I'm sure you can cut his life down by half just by doing that," He joked. I smiled at him.

"Yeah…it's the only way I can get his attention. That's why I act more like a brat around him than anything else. But, he knows why I do it," Daryl sat down and saw Dimitri's book. Apparently he dropped it or something.

"Still reading western novels, I see," He smiled at the book. "He's always like cowboys. Before I 'died', he used to dress up as one even when going to school. All the girls loved him for it," He chuckled just the way Dimitri does.

"Wasn't it against the rules?" I asked.

"Sure, but that didn't stop him. He never told you, did he? He's not the perfect student you make him out to be. He was quite the rebel like you in school. Got into trouble and all, but still studied his butt off," He opened up the book. "Has he been reading this?" I nodded.

"Carries it with him all the time. Why?" I asked.

"It's the first book I've ever given him. When I gave it to him, he said he couldn't read such a hard book so I told him to wait until he was older," He answered. 'So Dimitri never hated his father. In fact, he just misses him…' I thought. "Hey, let me see your hand," I gave him my hand. The wound had sealed up and healed.

"You can get out. Your wound sealed up. If you keep injuring yourself, you'll end up staying here for a lot longer than you bargained for," I laughed.

"That's what the doctor said at school," I climbed out to go find Dimitri.

"Um…do you mind if I take that book to him?" He handed it to me. "Thanks," I ran upstairs to his room. He was there sitting on the bed, looking quite solemn.

"Rose…what are you doing here? Are you okay already?" I nodded.

"Dimitri…you still love your father, don't you?" He gave me a confused look.

"Where did you get that idea from?" He asked. I threw his book to him and smiled.

"All this time…I should've know that guardian mask of yours," He finally smiled, flipping through the book and looking at it.

"How did you figure it out? Was it papa who told you?" I nodded.

"He said that he gave it to you once when you were little and you said you couldn't read it. Then he told you to read it when you were older since you loved western stories so much. He even told me that when you were little that you used to dress up and all the girls loved you for it despite school rules," His face turned red. I sat on the bed and he held me tight. "So why do you have to hide all this? If you miss him, tell him. He's waiting," Dimitri shook his head.

"It's not the right time. Roza, it's getting late. I'll talk to him. Get some sleep," I nodded and changed before climbing into bed. Looking at the moon outside, I wondered what Vladmir was doing. Would he be looking for us? Would he send the school guardians after us? Every day had some sort of risk to it. Tomorrow was just going to be a continuation of the dangerous game my life contains. Slowly, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Major turn of events, right? Anyways, take note of Daryl's switching side. It does influence the story later. And for all you people who want Daryl evil, he's not so deal with it. The real evil villain has yet to show his face. Anyways! Review!

At this point, it seems reviews are dropping, but I'll still finish up the story. If you guys have any ideas or anything, just review and let me know and I'll consider it! Thanks!