A/N:

Thank you to everyone who has picked this story up since I began updating again; your words of encouragement to keep going mean so much and keep me motivated!

I hope you fall in love with my take on Richelle Mead's beloved characters as well as all the new faces introduced.

All questions, concerns, criticism, and/or ideas are welcome, so please read and review!

Disclaimer: Vampire Academy and all its characters are the property of Richelle Mead. The storyline and any new characters introduced are of my own creation.

Lissa's Point of View

As I stood in the living room of the suite Rose and I had shared, I couldn't help but wish I could muster half the strength evident in the guardians who fiercely strode around the room.

I hated myself for being so weak physically and mentally. When the Strigoi had attacked, I hadn't been able to do anything except cower behind Rose and the other guardians as they risked their lives for me. In that moment as I moved to sit on the couch beside Christian—who had been so brave and fought so valiantly in the alley—an overwhelming sense of disgust rolled through me as I contemplated the uselessness of my magic.

I wasn't like Christian, or even Mia. When it mattered most and lives were in danger, I had been worthless. The most I had been able to do was heal the injuries the guardians had sustained in battle. While most people would consider being able to heal a miraculous show of power, the dark feelings churring within me convinced me that if my power was so great, I would have been able to save Rose.

If Spirit was so spectacular, I wouldn't be sitting on the couch awaiting the moment Sasha walked through the door and I had to deliver the news that she would never see her mother again.

No, my magic wasn't great at all. I sighed and brought my knees up to my chest and buried my head to hide the tears that threatened to fall.

In an instant, I felt Christian's arms circle around me as he pressed his lips to my exposed temple. "It's going to be okay," he said fiercely. "We are all going to be okay. The guardians have everything under control." His hold on me tightened and I felt the black pit of despair I had fallen into begin to lift.

I gave my husband a small smile, though it didn't reach my eyes, as I lifted my head. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew he was right. We were safe now.

The guardians had turned my living room into their temporary HQ earlier as they had all been in my room anyway while I was healing their injuries. With every guardian who had survived the attack in my room, this was the safest place in the entire building.

As my gaze shifted around the room, I noticed that all the Moroi had followed their guardians and were scattered throughout my suite. After the ordeal we went through, there was safety in numbers.

Adrian sat on the couch opposite me not really paying attention to whatever Avery was saying to him. He had a faraway look on his face and as his eyes briefly moved from Avery to me, I saw the agony that was tormenting him. He too was plagued with thoughts of Rose.

He didn't try to reassure me everything would be okay. He just took a sip from the bottle in his hand I hadn't noticed he was holding and turned his attention back to his fiancé. He grimaced as she spoke again and took a larger gulp of the clear liquid and gave the bottle a wistful look as if that would be enough for the alcohol's effect to numb him from the day's events quicker.

I turned away from Adrian and Avery making no attempt to eavesdrop on the conversation. Instead, I let my attention be captured by Guardian Austin Reynolds who was praising Mia for her amazing use of water magic. "You saved my life," he exclaimed. "And here I thought I was on the trip to protect you," he added teasingly.

"If it hadn't been for her and Christian we would have lost more," Mikhail added joining their conversation. There was a hint of pride in his voice as he regarded Mia and it brought back memories of Rose mentioning how Mikhail was teaching Mia combat.

I mentally filed that away for later and almost smiled as thoughts of Rose threatening to beat up anyone who dared teach me combat drifted to the forefront of my mind. It's an insult really, she would say angrily. I'm a damn good guardian; as long as I'm doing my job, you'll never need to learn combat. But I can think of a few moves I'd like to use on Mikhail.

In that moment I resolved to never be weak again. I don't want to be a burden to my guardians anymore. I thought back to Eddie as he had barked orders to the other guardians right after we escaped from the alley. They come first. That's what he had said.

I mentally groaned; my earlier sadness replaced by fury. Fury at a system that conditioned Dhampirs from an early age that their lives were not as important. Fury at a system that led them to repress their own wants and desires for the greater good. It happened time and time again. Rose and Dimitri denying their love because it might have cost me my life. Eddie, Max, and Ryan not turning back to save the friend they loved because it might cost me my life. Maybe if things had been different Sasha would have been raised by both her parents. Maybe Rose could have been saved today.

My thoughts churned on and eventually turned inward as a realization struck me. It wasn't the system that was the problem; it was the Moroi—royal Moroi like me—who benefited from the status quo and did little to rectify the injustice that was a guardian's duty.

I'm not useless, I'm not weak, I thought. I could learn to fight and most importantly I could use my voice. The voice of the last living Dragomir—once the most powerful house among the royals.

Guardian Reynolds' and Mikahail's words came back to me. Mia and Christian had saved their lives; if those two Moroi hadn't been there we would have sustained more losses. In the fight against Strigoi it had been ingrained in our minds that the drop in guardian numbers was to blame for the Moroi's existence continually being snuffed out. But that wasn't the case. The problem wasn't that there weren't enough guardians.

Memories from the alley flooded back to me of one of the Strigoi taunting Rose. The guardians were great at their jobs; I had witnessed firsthand how deadly they were. But their foe was just as deadly and wasn't entering the fight with a liability. If you didn't have them to protect, you might fare better in a fight. That's what the Strigoi had said to Rose.

I never thought I'd see the day that I agreed with a Strigoi, but he had been right. Protecting the Moroi put the guardians at a disadvantage. Seeing as preemptive strikes against the undead hadn't been sanctioned by the Queen, almost all fights were a result of the Strigoi attacking us. Not only were the guardians having to preserve their own lives, but they had to protect their charge, which limited their movement as they threw their bodies between us and the enemy.

But if more Moroi could do what Christian and Mia could do…well…that would turn the tides of the fight.

My thoughts continued to race but as they did my fury morphed into resolve. My birthday weekend might have been ruined with the death of my best friend, but my experience here in Miami would ensure that I not allow any other Dhampirs to lay down their lives unnecessarily. I would be a voice of change for my people. I would be the voice for people like Rose. I will change the system. I would create a better future; a future Rose would be proud for Sasha to grow up in.

Christian must have noticed a change in me because his grip on me loosened and he gave me the first genuine smile I had seen this morning. He opened his mouth to speak, but anything he might have said was cut short as his phone rang.

I squeezed his arm reassuringly to let him know I really was okay before vacating my spot on the couch to give him a moment of privacy.

My legs were absentmindedly moving me toward the balcony and the promise of fresh air when the door opened, and Sasha and Abe walked in.

Sasha was animatedly talking to one of Abe's guardians and didn't notice what Abe's astute eyes had already picked up. His eyes narrowed in thought as they found mine. He analyzed my face and the room in all of a few seconds and I saw the moment the cogs turning in his head told him the truth of what happened this morning.

The cocky dangerous air that always seemed to surround Abe dissipated and for the first time, I witnessed what looked like pain adorn his pale features.

He shifted his gaze from me to Sasha and then to his guardians. When he was confident they were wrapped up in their conversation, he walked straight over to me. All he said was one word and it took everything in me not to breakdown again. "Rosemarie," was all he said, but that one word held so much. His tone hadn't sounded like a question. His eyes told him Rose wasn't in the room. There had been a resoluteness in his voice that said he knew she was gone but wanted me to confirm what his eyes and mind had already put together.

I turned away from him; I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes any longer. There had been a look on Abe's face I never thought I'd see: wistfulness. It was almost as if he were waiting for me to tell him what he knew to be true was wrong and Rose was just in her room recuperating from the fight. "You know she doesn't like to be called that," I said, deflecting trying to hold off from telling him the inevitable.

The dangerous tone that came second nature to him returned. "Vasilisa," he said.

Whatever I might have said to Abe was interrupted as Sasha ran over to us. "Aunt Lissa, where's my mommy? I want to show her the book Zmey bought me," she said happily brandishing her book in the air.

I smiled indulgently at her. How could I say what I needed to when she was so happy? How could I ruin her life? What could I say to lessen the pain my words would undoubtedly bring?

"Little one, why don't you take your book to my room," Abe said. Before Sasha had the opportunity to argue he continued, "The guardians are busy coordinating their efforts after the attack." He didn't mince his words or try to sugar coat that there had indeed been a Strigoi attack. "And you know your mother doesn't allow you to interfere with guardian business." Abe was careful with his next words. "Go read your book and we'll come find you later," his tone left no room for argument. And although he told Sasha that 'we'll come fine you later', I knew he meant he and I would talk to her about her mom later.

Sasha pouted but didn't argue. She grabbed the hand of one of Abe's guardians and let him lead her out the room.

The room had gone completely silent, and Abe was again the one to break it. "You too," he said. "Go with my granddaughter." When his additional guardian hesitated Abe spoke again. "I'm in a room full of guardians." As if to prove his point he waved his hand around the room. "I couldn't be safer unless I was behind wards." At that the guardian moved and disappeared through the door to join Sasha and his partner in Abe's room.

Silence hung in the air for a few minutes after the door closed behind the guardian's retreating figure. Though we all knew what happened to Rose and had seen her in the clutches of the Strigoi; none of us had openly talked about it since getting back to the hotel.

It was like an unspoken truth. One that if not given voice, could be pretended hadn't happened. We could hope against hope that Rose would walk through the door.

But she hadn't. And she wouldn't.

This time Eddie broke the silence. He had taken on a leadership role after Rose fell in the alley. "Abe," he said. When he spoke again his words came slowly, but they were firm. "Rose is d—" He stumbled at the end, but only hesitated for a second.

He started to begin again, as the door flew open. We all turned expecting to see Sasha coming through the door, her advanced brain having put together what Abe's sharp eyes and mind had already concluded. But it wasn't Sasha it was Tasha Ozera, Christian's aunt.

Confusion sprang up inside me as I hadn't expected to see her. I didn't even know she was in Miami.

I hastily looked at Christian who looked just as shocked to see his aunt as I was. My attention turned back to Tasha as she stood with the door open barking orders. "Clear the sofas," she shouted looking at Christian who occupied one sofa and Adrian and Avery who were perched on the other. "And where's Lissa," she asked frantically scanning the room.

A guardian I didn't know walked through the door Tasha was holding open as I began to speak. "I'm over here." My voice was strong and confident not betraying any of the confusion I had at seeing Tasha burst into my room.

"Good," she said locking her gaze on mine. "We're going to need you." She didn't elaborate and my mind immediately jumped to conclusions as my brain started to put the pieces together.

Tasha was here and the unknown guardian who had walked in the room must have been assigned to her. But he wasn't the only one assigned to her. Dimitri. He was her other guardian. And from the look on Tasha's face and her words, he needed me. We're going to need you, Tasha had said. I didn't know what condition Dimitri was in, but I knew I had to help him. Help him like I hadn't been able to do for Rose. Sasha would not lose both her parents in one day; even if she didn't know her father, I still had to save him. "Where is he," I asked. "Where do you need me?"

Tasha didn't get a chance to answer because Dimitri burst through the open archway and my mouth hung open at the sight of him as he moved toward the sofa.

I ran to meet him there already filled with the magic I would need to perform the healing.

"Don't overdo it, Princess," came Dimitri's accented voice. He hadn't turned to face me but being the astute guardian he was, knew it was me who had approached him.

He shifted his body so I could see his face and I was met with eyes like Sasha's. His guardian mask was in place so I couldn't read his emotions. But as he towered over me with his height that was uncharacteristic for a Dhampir, I couldn't take my eyes off him. Or rather yet, eyes off what he carried.

Cradled in Dimitri's arms was a woman whose face was obscured as it was pressed into his chest. Her hair hung from her head in long, loose, dark brown waves and I didn't need to see her face to know that Dimitri had done what the rest of us had wanted to do but were duty bound to forego.

He had saved Rose's life.

My assessment took place in the matter of seconds, and I was reaching for Rose as Dimitri gently placed her down on the sofa Christian had been lounging on just seconds before. Spirit burned in me, and I was filled with an intense joy that magic use typically wrought.

Dimitri caught my arm before I could touch Rose. "Only enough to keep her alive," he said gently. I started to argue that if I could bring her back from the dead then I could surely heal her from the brink of death. The ghost of a smile played on his lips, but his guardian mask remained firmly in place. "Otherwise, she'll give us all hell for letting you risk yourself for her sake when she wakes up," he paused but continued only a heartbeat later. "And with that much Spirit use there will be consequences." No trace of a smile was detectable as he finished making his point. "And Rose will take the darkness from you. And after what she's been through," he paused, and his guardian mask only fell for a second as he glanced down at Rose's bloody neck. But that second was all I needed to see the wealth of emotion warring inside him. "After her brush with death, she doesn't need any more darkness."

It was the only argument that could stop me from using my full power. I didn't want to be responsible for anymore of Rose's pain. I nodded at Dimitri to let him know I understood and would only use enough Spirit to keep her alive and he released my arm. As I touched Rose, I felt the magic well up inside me again and warmth spread from me to her, although I was good on my promise to Dimitri to not overdo it, I did us enough magic to ensure the bite mark on Rose's neck disappeared.

Dimitri spared one last glance for Rose before turning to the rest of the room. He quickly fell into a leadership role and if Eddie minded, he didn't show it.

Dimitri explained that he had Tasha call the Alchemist to clean up the screen in the alley, as well as call a Moroi doctor who was on her way to perform a blood transfusion for Rose. The Moroi doctor would also be bringing a feeder for the Moroi who Dimitri had assumed would need blood after the copious amounts of magic used today.

All the guardians gathered around Dimitri and deferred to him his reputation preceding him. They briefed him on everything they knew so far. Our plans for stay in Miami, when and how we were getting to the island, as well as the guardians we had lost in the attack.

I winced as I listened to them list our fallen. Guardians Jeremy Nowitzki, Jason Kovalic, Jack Dawson, Melina Shriver, and Felicia Yuran.

When we left court our guardian numbers were 12. Now we were down to 7. We had lost almost half our force. If Dimitri hadn't been in time to save Rose, we would have lost half our guardians.

The guardians continued to talk and make plans. I moved to sit on the couch opposite Rose having grown weary of their logistical plans. I did not envy the guardians the burden of their duty but still stood resolute in my resolve to help lessen that burden.

Across the room Christian chatted away with the aunt he hadn't seen in years. I knew he had missed her, and I was happy my husband was reconnecting with the woman who had saved his life as a child and raised him after his parents were staked.

I felt the couch dip beside me and turned to see Abe occupying the sofa's other cushion. "Amazing," he said, "A miracle." His usual impish gleam was in his eyes, but I knew he was just as happy as I was that Rose was still amongst the living.

"Yes, I'm grateful Dimitri was in town and got to Rose in time," I stated as I watched Rose's chest move up and down with each breath she took.

Abe inclined his head to the group of guardians who were now all congregated around a laptop someone had produced. "With how that group has taken to Belikov and the numbers they lost today, I presume he'll want to remain with us for the rest of the trip." His eyes fell on Rose, "That among other things." His gaze shifted to where Christian and Tasha still stood catching up, "I'm sure your husband would enjoy his lovely aunt's continued presence as well."

I nodded in agreement knowing that Abe was probably right. The next words out of his mouth however, shocked me and I had to look around to ensure no one overheard. "How would you like to start a little bet on how long it will take Belikov to figure out Sasha's parentage," he said jovially. "I'd be surprised if the wheels of suspicions weren't already spinning after he met her earlier today."

A shiver went down my spine. "What do you mean he met her earlier today," I asked suspiciously. "Please tell me you didn't arrange a meeting. I know you don't approve of how Rose has handled this but even I thought you would respect her wishes," I whispered.

Able fiddled with one of his gaudy gold necklaces that had gotten caught around the top button of his shirt. "Of course not, Vasilisa." He spoke as if him betraying Rose's confidence was the most outlandish thing in the world. "And I meant exactly what I said." He stared across the room at Dimitri who was now helping Eddie create new guardian assignments and coordinate a sooner departure to the island and safety behind the wards. "At most a week," he stated matter-of-factly and with that he rose from his seat.

I narrowed my eyes at Abe. "And where are you going? Hopefully not to start any trouble," I inclined my head toward where the guardians stood.

Abe shot me a winning smile as if to say he and trouble were very distant cousins, but to me all he said was, "To check on my darling granddaughter of course."

As Abe left the room, I grabbed hold of Rose's hand and sat patiently while we waited for the Moroi doctor to arrive with the feeder and for the guardians to finish their planning.

During the wait I tried not to let Abe's words bother me too much. But as I sat and watched Dimitri in action commanding the group of guardians in the room, I knew he was smart enough to figure out what Rose was hiding from him. The only thing that had kept the truth from him this long was distance.

I groaned realizing my birthday vacation was likely going to get a lot more interesting.

As always, my apologies for any grammatical mistakes encountered while reading this chapter.