A/N: Sorry there is so much time between updates on this story. Since I'm still not completely positive where I am going with it, it is the story I work only when I am blocked on my other stories. I am trying very hard to come up with something for after Katya is rescued, and I think I'm getting something. This chapter is going to sort of set up for it. Hope you enjoy!

ROSE

"We need to come up with a plan to get Katya out of there quickly while putting her in the least amount of danger possible." I said pacing in front of Lissa's desk.

Dimitri and I had returned to Lissa's study to find that she had been extremely busy while we had been talking. Eddie, Adrian, Sonya, Mikhail, and, surprisingly, my mother—last time I saw her she was getting on a plane to rejoin her charge—had joined Lissa and Christian and had been brought up to speed about the Katya situation.

Adrian and I still weren't on speaking terms, and he was sitting in Lissa's armchair with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He smelled like liquor, and I could imagine that he was already too far gone to be of much help. Why had Lisaa asked him to join us in the first place?

The others were sitting around the room looking horrified, but ready to do battle for this innocent little girl. Eddie even looked excited about Lissa trusting him with something this big after the council had been road blocking every attempt he made to prove himself a worthy guardian again. Sonya and Mikhail were whispering quietly to each other while my mother just stood in the corner staring at me.

She hadn't said a word since we began talking strategy, which was weird considering she was always the first to jump in when something needed to be planned. I hoped it was because she finally trusted me enough to take the lead on this, but I wasn't sure.

"Can't Dimitri simply go to Russia and buy her back?" Adrian suggested with a shrug.

I looked at Adrian surprised by his suggestion. It was so obvious and simple a solution that I hadn't even thought of it. The fact that someone as drunk as Adrian came up with it before I did made me realize just how much this whole thing had messed with my head.

"What?" Adrian asked, narrowing his eyes at me. "I may be a drunk, but I'm not stupid, Rose."

"I didn't say you were, Adrian." I snapped back, crossing my arms over my chest. "I was simply marveling at what a simple and obvious solution it was. Not everything I say is an attack on you."

"Really, because the last time we talked, I sure got that impression." He said.

"I…I…" I started.

"Knock it off, you two." My mom said from her corner. "This is more important than your post break up fight. You need to stop acting like two year olds if you wanna help this girl."

"You're right, mom. Sorry." I said while Adrian just took another drink of his whiskey. I sighed and turned my attention to Dimitri. "Would that work? Would they simply sell her back to you?"

Dimitri, who had been sitting in my favorite chair, shook his head.

"If they like her as much as I did," He said with a curl of his lip. He was absolutely disgusted at the idea he had once felt that way about her. "And I'm pretty sure they do, they won't be willing to sell her to anybody; strigoi, Moroi, or dhampir. The only reason I did is because I knew taking her with me would be impractical. She would've been too hard to control while traveling."

"So that means we can't do things the easy way, then. So how can we get her out without getting her hurt?" I asked.

"Maybe you're thinking too small." Eddie suggested moving from his perch on the corner of Lissa's desk. "You are focusing on Katya, but what about the others who are prisoners there as well? What if Lissa did an official raid of the place? As Queen, she has a right to do that without warning. We could use it as a distraction to get Katya and the others out, and rid ourselves of a huge problem."

"That's a good idea, in theory, Eddie." Sonya answered. "But from what the others have said, they really aren't doing anything illegal. All those kids, except Katya, are there willingly. Besides, it is the only place some of them have to go. If we take them out of there, they will have nowhere else to go, except the streets."

"Not true." Lissa answered. "First of all, they are prostituting some of those kids, and prostitution is illegal in Russia for humans and vampires. And I'm willing to bet most of those kids are underage, which makes it even more illegal. Am I right Dimitri?"

"Sadly, they have kids as young as twelve working for them in a sexual capacity." Dimitri answered, putting his head in his hands. I walked over to him and curled myself into his lap wrapping my arms around his neck.

I had been so busy trying to process my own feelings about this, that I was forgetting how Dimitri must be feeling—and not just about Katya. He had admitted to doing sexual with things with several of these girls, and I could only imagine how much it was haunting him.

I may have needed time to process all of this, but he needed me, and I wasn't going to leave him stranded. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him.

"I will get you through this." I told him laying my head on his chest. He simply kissed my hair in response.

"If they are breaking both human and vampire laws, then a raid would be justified." Lissa continued sounding more regal than I thought possible. "As far as where the kids will go when they are rescued, we will help them figure that out when the time comes."

"I like the idea of finally shutting them down." Dimitri said. "But we can't just send a handful of guardians in there without knowing what we are walking into. We need to know the place inside and out before we raid them, especially because I can't be sure where they will be keeping Katya. I can tell you where the other kids will be, but Katya could be anywhere.

If we have any hope of saving her, we need to know where she will be before we go in. If we don't know where she is, and Rebekah and Marcus do, they'll probably kill her or use her as leverage to get out. We need to be able to prevent that."

"That means we need to send someone in that will give them no reason to be suspicious." Eddie said, tapping his chin with his finger. "It needs to look like this person is just going in to have a good time, and doesn't care about the illegal happenings around them."

"What about me?" Christian, who had been standing behind Lissa massaging her shoulders, said. "The Ozera name is still associated with evil, and I can definitely act the part."

"That would work." Adrian stated, taking another drink of his whiskey. "If your relationship with Queen Vasilisa wasn't a "scandal" talked about throughout the entire vampire community. I'm sure they know all about it in Russia too."

"He's right." I sighed. "If the queen's boyfriend, despite his last name, walked in there, they would immediately be on alert. No, we need someone's whose attendance at an illegal night club full of underage prostitutes wouldn't raise an eyebrow. Someone who could smile and charm his way into any information, including the whereabouts of the bosses' favorite "pet." I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face as I realized exactly who we needed.

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed a number that I didn't think I'd be using so soon after his departure.

"Rose, is everything alright?" He answered after the third ring.

"No, it's not, Old Man." I said. "I need your help."

KATYA

I tried hard not to cry as I laid there awaiting Adam's return, but it didn't work very well. The pain was too intense for me to hold in any longer, but my body jolted with every sob sending waves of pain all through my back, which made me want to cry even more. It was an endless vicious cycle that I hated.

Through every wave of pain, I prayed Adam would come back soon. He would not only tend my wounds, but his presence would go a long way to soothe the turmoil my session with Rebekah had caused. He would take care of me and remind me that I had a reason to keep going. I just had to hold on until he got there.

At one point, I closed my eyes and prayed for sleep. God must have heard me, because the next thing I knew, the fire running over my back had been extinguished—it was replaced by a gentle cooling sensation—and I was no longer on the floor.

My face was buried in a pillow and a sheet was beneath my stomach. Whatever I was laying on was softer than the floor but not quite as comfortable as the bed, probably the couch. In the places the cooling sensation was lacking, I felt gentle fingertips running across them. It was as soothing as the cooling sensation, but much nicer. It was the gentlest touch I had felt from anyone since the night Dimitri killed my father and made me his prisoner. I wanted to revel in it forever.

The sound of sobs coming from above me ruined the pleasure of the moment. If it wasn't for the gentle state in which the sobbing person was treating me with, I wouldn't have recognized him. I had never heard Adam cry before, and he had been the one to treat me through some of my worst injuries while at the club. Had Rebekah really hurt me enough to bring him to tears this time?

"Adam?" I asked fighting to turn my head to look at him. Pain seared through my back, not quite as intense as it was before, but enough to cause me to cringe. The feeling of gentle fingers left my back.

"Try not to move." Adam whispered, grabbing my head and helping me to move it without causing too much pain.

"Why are you crying?" I asked as he gently laid my head back on the pillow. He quickly swiped at his looking embarrassed about being caught.

He shook his head, looking down at his feet.

"You scared me this time." He finally answered not meeting my eyes. "When I saw you asleep on the floor, tore up like that, I thought she had actually killed this time."

"Unfortunately, I'm still here." I said. Yes, I had decided to stop trying to get myself killed, but that didn't mean I didn't want it to happen. I wanted to get out of here, and if death was my only option, I would accept it with open arms.

"Don't say that." He said running his fingers over my cheek.

"Why not?" I argued. "I don't want to die, but it is looking more and more like death is going to be my only escape from this hell. All I want is to get out of here, Adam. " Tears fell down my cheeks. I didn't bother to try to wipe them away; it would've hurt too much.

"I know, but death isnt the way." Adam answered wiping my tears away for me. "Death is giving up, and you have survived too much to give up, now."

"I'm gonna die here eventually." I argued. "The sooner it happens, the better."

Adam sighed and went back to running his fingers along the more serious wounds on my back.

"Where there's life, there's hope, Kat." He said using the nickname he had given me after my first week at the club.

He said it suited me better than my actual name, Ekaterina, or its Russian nickname, Katya. I liked it because it felt like a secret between him and me. Plus, it was the only time I heard any form of my actual name anymore.

"I know." I sighed, not wanting to be angry with him. He was the only in this place who was ever kind to me. I didn't want him to walk away. "It is just really hard to hold on to hope when you get beaten and/or raped every night by vampires who use you as their own private soda fountain."

"Then let me be your hope." He said dropping to his knees in front of me. "I'll get us out of here, I promise. One way or another."

"Adam, it is impossible."

"Nothing is impossible, Kat." He placed a gentle hand on my cheek. "You just have to want it bad enough, and I want to get you out of here more than I have ever wanted anything in my life. I hate seeing you like this, baby. I hate never knowing if you'll be dead or alive the next time I see you. I want to know that you are always safe."

I liked that he was willing to do this for me, but it was too dangerous. As an employee, he could walk away at any time. Marcus and Rebekah never made anyone stay against their will. All he had to do was tell them that he wanted to leave, and he could walk right out the door. Me, I was a prisoner. The only way I was getting out is if they let me go, or I escaped. I couldn't escape alone, but I wouldn't let Adam put himself in that kind of danger.

"Adam, you can't." I said. "It is too dangerous for you. If they even find out about the things you do for me already, you will be in so much trouble. And if you try to help me escape, I have no doubt that they will kill you."

"I don't care anymore, Kat." He said firmly. "It gets worse every time I have to come in here and tend to your injuries. I will not wait for you to be dead before I get you out of here. I will figure out a way to save you, no matter what I have to do."

I opened my mouth to tell him that I wasn't worth the risk, but a familiar, cold voice cut me off.

"Are you sure that's a promise you want to make, Adam?"

DIMITRI

Rose had crawled off my lap while she talked to her father about helping us. I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought about asking him for help from the beginning. He did a lot of business in Russia—most of which was illegal—of course he would know about the illegal workings of Russia. He would also be able to get into a nightclub and make inquiries without arousing suspicions. He could simply play it off like he was trying to get into the business of trafficking. It was absolutely perfect.

Plus, no one knew how closely involved he was with the Queen's guardian's family. The fact that Abe Mazur was Rose's father wasn't something that was widely known. In fact, Rose had only told those closest to her, and they would all take it to the grave. His involvement in this would give us a great advantage.

I hadn't expected Katya's rescue would turn into something this big, but I was glad that Eddie had suggested it. When I was a Strigoi, I had loved going to that club and getting my fill of easy sex and blood. I enjoyed how scared the girls had been whenever we were alone together. Yes, I had my favorites, and I had compelled them to flock to me every time, but I made sure they were afraid every time. The monster fed on those feelings of fear and dominance.

Now that he was dead, though, I could hardly believe that I had enjoyed even the tiniest bit of those girls' discomfort, especially the ones who were barely teenagers. It made me sick to think about the things that I had done, and I hated knowing those girls were still suffering. They may be there by choice, but they didn't deserve to be treated that way. I couldn't wait to see the end of that club, and the end of Marcus and Rebekah. They had hurt too many people to be allowed to live.

I hoped I could be the one to stake them both.

"He is getting on the first plane to Russia." Rose said snapping me out of my thoughts. "He will visit the club and get as much information as possible. We're going to meet him there in a few days and form a plan based on what he finds out. Dimitri, do you think your mom would mind letting us use her home as a base of operations?"

"I suppose. I will give her a call after this meeting just to make sure." He answered.

"Good. Now, Mikhail, I need you to get a group of our best guardians together." Rose continued in guardian mode. I couldn't help but smile as I watched her. This was her element, and I loved watching her shine. "Brief them about what's going on and tell them to be ready to go to Russia by Friday. Make sure they know we don't know how long we will be there, but I need them to pack lightly."

As she continued giving orders, I couldn't help but marvel at the wonderful creature I got to call mine. I had just rocked her world mere hours ago by telling her all of this, but she had put all of that aside in order to help this innocent little girl from a fate worse than death; a fate Rose knew I had gotten her into. And she still loved me, even knowing that evil I had done. She was truly the kindest, most forgiving person that I had even known, and she was all mine, even through the worst of what I had done.

I didn't deserve her love and forgiveness after all I had done to her, to others, and to Katya, but she was standing by me through all of it, and that thought made me feel lighter and better than I had since Lissa killed the monster. If Rose could love me even after what I'd done to Katya, nothing else mattered.

"Mom," Rose continued once Mikhail had gone to do assignment. "Will you please keep an extra close watch on Lissa and Christian while we are gone? I know you'd rather be where the action is and, to be honest, I'd rather have you at my back, but with Dimitri and me gone, you are the only one I trust enough to be in charge of their safety."

"Don't worry, Rose. They will be in good hands." Janine said, putting a hand on Rose's shoulder. "Besides, this is your raid. Your chance to show those who still believe that you are unworthy that you are. You will take the lead with this, and you will come back successful."

"Thanks, Mom." Rose smiled at the praise.

"Wait a minute." Lissa said. "I'm not staying behind. I want to help."

"No." I said before Rose had a chance. "It is too dangerous, Lissa. If they had a chance to kill you, they'll take it. You're safest here behind the wards."

"What if someone needs healed?" She argued. "You need a spirit user there."

"We will have Oksana on standby." I told her. Oksana was a nice spirit user who lived close to my family. I had met her upon my return to Russia as a dhampir. She would be able to handle any injuries that were acquired during the raid. There was no reason to put the queen in unnecessary danger.

"And I will be there too." Adrian said, downing his third glass of whiskey.

"No, you won't." Rose stated. "You are in no condition to do something as dangerous as this."

"First of all, you have no business talking about my 'condition.'" Adrian snapped back. "Second, what is dangerous about sitting around with a nice Russian family until you guys come back from the raid?"

"You need to sober to use your healing powers, Adrian." Rose responded. "You haven't been sober since…" She trailed off, looking to the floor.

Despite Adrian's attitude, Rose still felt horrible for doing what she did to him. She never wanted to hurt him, but you can't deny the heart what it wants. Adrian was hurting, though, and nobody knew how to help him.

"Since you broke my heart." Adrian finished for her. "Just say it, Rose."

Rose opened her mouth to argue back, but I stepped in.

"This is why you aren't going." I said. "You can't let go of what happened long enough to think straight."

"Don't talk to me about letting it go, Belikov."

"Enough." Janine snapped again. "All of you need to stop arguing like children. The queen, Christian, and Adrian are staying right here at Court, because their lives are too important to risk. End of story."

Everyone stopped arguing after that. Janine Hathaway was a formiable woman and guardian. When she spoke and gave orders, there was no arguing there was just doing as you are told.

"Now," She continued. "I'm sure Rose and Dimitri have a lot to discuss before we leave."

Rose and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows. She we had a lot to discuss about this, but it was something that could be put on the back burner until after the raid. I mean, saving innocent young kids was more important than fixing our relationship. Janine sighed pinching the bridge of her nose.

"If this has caused any issues with trust between the two of you, it needs to be worked out now." She explained. "You two are the best guardians I've seen in a long time, and that's on your own. Together you are lethal. If that has done anything to mess that up your flow, it needs to be dealt with now. You two need to be at your best for this. So deal with it. Everyone else, out now."

Again, nobody questioned Janine they simply followed her out the door. I swallowed hard and looked to Rose who looked back at me, eyes full of uncertainty.

KATYA

The couch was situation in the middle of the large room that served as an apartment to Rebekah and Marcus. There was a T.V. in front of it, but the door was directly behind us. Neither Adam or I saw or even heard Rebekah walk in until it was too late.

Adam stood up to glare at Rebekah. He even dropped into a crouch prepared to attack.

"Yes, I really do. I've seen you hurt this girl too much in the last few weeks. I won't let you do it anymore."

"Adam, don't." I whispered from the couch. "Just walk away."

"I can't do that, Kat." He told me. "Not anymore."

Rebekah chuckled and I fought to get into a sitting position through the pain in my back.

"From the moment I spotted you on the street, I thought you were stupid." Rebekah said. "But I didn't realize how stupid until now. Stand down, you can't win."

I finally managed to get sat up to see Rebakah had brought back up. Three vampires and a couple dhampirs stood behind her.

"I will fight for her until there's nothing left." Adam answered sinking deeper into a crouch.

Rebekah laughed again and nodded at one of the other vampires. Before I could even register what was happening, I was yanked off the couch by my hair and dragged over to Rebekah. The vampire had yanked my head to the side giving him better access to my neck. I could feel his lips at my neck. I swallowed hard, praying that Adam would live no matter what happened next.

"Let's try this again." Rebekah snapped. "Stand down, or my friend will kill her."

Slowly, Adam relaxed raising his hands in surrender. Rebekah walked up to him and slapped him so hard he fell to the floor. He didn't make a sound as he painfully collided with it.

"Adam!" I yelled struggling against the vampire holding me.

"Shut up." Rebekah snapped at me, kicking Adam in the stomach. "Did you think we wouldn't find out about this?" She asked kicking him again. "Did you think you could hide your feelings from us?" She kicked him again and again. "We are smarter than that, you stupid little boy. We've known for a while now."

"Please, leave him alone." I begged from the vampires arms. Rebekah kicked him again.

"Bring her here." She snapped at the vampire. "We are going to show lover boy how helpless he is."

The vampire dragged me over to her and shoving me into her arms. He and one of the other vampires yanked Adam off the floor forcing him to look at me.

Rebekah shoved me to the floor and began kicking me just like she had kicked Adam. I screamed in pain and gasped for breath as I tried to block the kicks to my already battered body. I was vaguely aware of Adam yelling for me, but it was too much to focus on.

When the kicks finally stopped, I heard Rebekah say,

"Lock him in the dungeon across the hall. Marcus and I will decide what to do with him when he returns."

Then everything went black.

A/N: What do you guys think? I know it is a little early for Adam and Katya to get caught, but I need this to set up for the next part of my story. Also, for anyone who was wondering Katya is a legitimate Russian nickname for Ekaterine, which just happens to be my favorite Russian name.