A/N: Back again! I am so sorry for the slow process of my writing the ending of this story. I am determined to finish the last two or three chapters. I have greatly enjoyed the process of writing this one, even though it has been a difficult one. I can't wait to finally see it through until the end.

ADAM

I watched in horror as Marcus brutality beat the woman I loved for what I was sure would be the last time. He was as determined to make me pay for killing Rebekah as I was to make Rebekah pay for all the times she had hurt my angel. And there was nothing I could do but watch.

I wanted so badly to be able to rip him away from her and take her to safety. I knew it was better that I stay chained up. Even as I listened to Katya's screams, I was fighting the urge to rip her to pieces. The scent of her blood hit me like a wrecking ball with every breath I took. I didn't dare try to break free of my chains. I knew she would be dead the second I broke free. I refused to give Marcus what he wanted by killing the person who meant everything to me.

"Kill me, please. Just kill me!" Katya's heart breaking scream followed the sound of several snapping bones. I knew it would only take one good yank to get away, but I wasn't going to give Marcus the satisfaction.

"Now, where's the fun in that?" Marcus taunted as he brought his foot down on her hand. I didn't need my extra sensitive hearing yo know that he had broken every bone in that hand. He blood curdling scream filled the room and shook my resolve.

Maybe giving Marcus what he wanted would be worth it, if it meant that Katya's suffering would end. No, I had to believe that someone was coming for us. Mazur's inside man had said they were sending a rescue party, I needed to have faith that they would come.

"This is getting boring." Marcus commented as Katya's screams turned to sobs. "I thought for sure you would break free by now. Surely, putting an end to her pain means more to you than beating me."

I looked at Katya's sobbing form on the floor and shook my head. Ending her pain meant the world to me, but I refused to give up on her. I refused to become the monster that Marcus had tried to make me. I would not kill the woman I loved.

"No matter." He grabbed Katya by her hair and started dragging her toward me. Shaking my head, I backed away as far as my chains would allow. The closer the scent of her blood got, the harder it became to keep the beast at bay. I wasn't going to kill her. I couldn't. "You will kill her before this night is over." He kept coming closer as I struggled desperately to get further and further away. I was barely even breathing at this point. I couldn't handle it.

Marcus threw her at my feet then bent down over her. I couldn't tell what he was doing, but another of Katya's blood curdling screams rent the air and the smell of her fresh blood filled the room.

"No. No. No." I shook my head and continued to struggle away from them. The chains around my wrist dug into my flesh, but I didn't care. I was not going to hurt the woman in front of my, no matter what my insitncts told me to do.

"Yes. Yes. Yes." Marcus said coming to stand in front of me. Before I could fight him off, he placed his hand on my face. My nostril filled with the sent of her blood, and that's the last thing I remembered.

DIMITRI

I was getting more and more paranoid as we walked through the emrgency escape tunnel that would lead us to the mansion. We were more than halfway to our destination and we had yet to run into anyone. Surely, Marcus wouldn't have left the only vulnerable place in the mansion unprotected. Yet, there had been no resistance at all. Did he have something else planned for us?

"I don't like this, Dimitri." Eddie whispered. "We should have met some kind of obstacle by now."

"I know, Eddie. Something isn't right, but I can't put my finger on it." I told him as we continued walking. "Why would he put the place on lockdown, leaving only one entrance without an protection? I mean if he wanted us dead before we even got inside, why wouldn't he have had us ambushed by now?"

We continued walking, taking in of inch of our surrounding. Our training would not allow us to be surprised, even if we hadn't met any resistance yet. I was not going to die before I had a chance to give Katya the happy ending that she deserved.

"So let's think about this from a different angle." Sonya whispered. No one liked the idea of bringing a Moroi, especially one as special as Sonya into something that could very well be a trap, but we didn't have much choice. She had to be the one to stake Adam. Eddie and I would remain by her side the whole time. We weren't about to let her die either. As it was, she was walking between Eddie and I. I was grateful she had been a participant in our Moroi fighting classes. At least she would be ever to defend herself if necessary.

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked. He flashed his flashlight into a dark corner.

"What if Marcus doesn't want to keep us out?" Sonya explained. "What if his goal was just to slow us down?" Her words made a light bulb go off in my head as I looked to Eddie. The look of horror on his face mirrored my own.

"He knew the lockdown would slow us down." Eddie eleborated on Sonya's theory. "He knew we would be cautious coming through tunnel because we'd be afraid of an ambush. He doesn't want to keep us out."

"He wants to delay us long enough, so we'll find her dead." I finished for him. "New plan, everyone." I yelled. "There is no danger here, but we need to get into the mansion as quickly as possible, let's move."

Our small group took off at a run as I prayed that we wouldn't be too late.

KATYA

I will admit after the first five minutes of Marcus's beating I prayed that Adam would just give Marcus what he wanted. Our plan had failed, Marcus had won, and I just wanted it all to be over. At least dead, Adam and I could finally be together without all the pain and suffering. That's all I wanted right now. I just wanted to be with Adam, and if death was the only way I could make that happen, so be it. I just wished Adam felt the same way.

My body throbbed as Marcus continued his assault on it. I thought after awhile I would become immune to the pain, or at least pass out from it. It didn't look like either was going to happen though, each kick or punch brought on a wave of pain I didn't think could possibly be worse.

"Kill me, please. Just kill me!" I begged after a particularly brutal kick shattered all the bones in my leg. I honestly didn't know if I was talking to Adam or Marcus at the point. I just knew that I wanted the pain to end. God, why wouldn't it end?

"Now, where's the fun in that?" Marcus taunted as he brought his foot down on my hand. I felt the pain before I heard the sound of the bones in my hand shatter. I desperately tried to block out the sound of my blood curdling scream. Why couldn't I just pass out already?

I wanted to tell Adam that it was okay to give Marcus what he wanted because I just wanted to to be over. I wanted to be with him, and I was okay if death was the only way to make that happen. I just couldn't make my mouth form the words. Why couldn't I just tell him to kill me?

"This is getting boring." Marcus commented as my screams turned to sobs. "I thought for sure you would break free by now." The part of me that could register what Marcus was doing prayed it would work. He just needed Adam to lose it for half a second. I was ready for that. "Surely, putting an end to her pain means more to you than beating me."

I wished a had the energy to raise my head and somehow show Adam that it was okay, but it was like I no longer had control over my own body. It was almost like I was watching myself get beaten to death and there was nothing I could do. I could feel the tears spilling down my cheeks, but I could even wipe them away. I prayed that it would be over soon.

"No matter." I barely felt the pain when Marcus grabbed me by the hairs and began dragguing me across the floor. I didn't need to see to know that he was bringing me closer to Marcus. It was strange, but I could hear his feet shuffling as he struggled to stay away from us. Again, I wanted to tell him that it was okay, but I found that I couldn't. "You will kill her before this night is over." Adam continued struggling as Marcus threw me down at his feet. I was only down for a few seconds before I felt a sharp ripping in my stomach. I couldn't help but scream from the pain as I felt more blood spill out of me. How much more could I lose before I died? I hoped not much.

I don't know what happened after that. Marcus. I heard Marcus and Adam exhange a few words then Adam let out a feral growl. The sound of metal being yanked out of the ceiling told me I would get what I want in a very short time.

I closed my eyes and welcomed the end.

ROSE

"Rose, please sit down and breathe." Christian said. "Your pacing is driving me crazy. "Besides, pacing is not going to help them now. All we can do now is pray."

"I know, Christian, but the pacing makes me feel better. It makes me feel like I'm doing something when I am completely helpless and faced with uncertainty."

"Belikov is a survivor, Rose." Adrian spoke for the first time since Dimitri's call. "You should know that by now. No matter how bad things are, he always finds a way out of it."

I knew he was right, but he forget the part about me being with Dimitri in pretty much all of those situation. Adrian was being nice, though, so I decided it would be crappy of me to point that out to him. Instead, I did what Christian asked of me and sank onto the sofa beside my mom. In an unusual motherly gesture, she put her arm around me, and I allowed myself to lay my head on her shoulder. It was strange, but we had been having more moments like these since she found out about me and Dimitri. I couldn't say that I didn't like it.

Lissa, who had been sitting behind her desk this whole time, walked over and knelt in front of me. She placed her hands on top of mine. It was still weird, even months later, not knowing what she was feeling, even though it wasn't hard to guess.

"And if something does happen to him, we will help you through it, just like we always have." She said. "It is what family does, after all."

"Thanks, Liss." I sighed. Her words didn't do much to make me feel better. She was trying, though, they all were, and I didn't have the heart to tell them it wasn't working. Nothing would work until Dimitri was back here with me. I didn't want to try to explain that to them.

"What are friends for."

We sat in silence for a long time after that contemplating what could possibly be happening on the otherside of the world. Was our side winning or losing? Who would we lose when it was all over? Would we ever Dimitri again? Or Eddie? Or Sonya? Or even Abe? God, I wish I could be there with them. I wish I could see what was happening.

I don't know how long we sat there before my phone began vibrating in my pocket.

DIMITRI

When we finally made it to the mansion, we split into groups of three to search the whole place. I had a pretty good idea where they would be, but I didn't want to leave anything to chance. Eddie, Sonya, and I led our group down the hall toward the only room big enough for the spectacle that I knew Marcus would be holding. I just prayed we would get there on time.

We didn't get too far down the hallway before we heard the sounds of screaming.

"I smell blood." Sonya whispered. "Lots of it."

The whole group took off at a full out run at that point. The screams grew louder as we got closer. It was obvious lots of people were dying, but who? And why? As far as we knew Katya was the only one Marcus wanted dead. Surely, he could've done that without bringing other innocents into it.

By the time we arrived at the room, the screaming had stopped. It was replaced by what sounding like a male sobbing. What was going on?

We pushed the door open to find a room littered with the bodies of Moroi and Strigoi men. There was blood and body parts everywhere. If I hadn't been used to carnage like this, I would've lost my lost my lunch. In the center of the room was a male Strigoi. He was holding a female in his arms. The petititness of her body told me it was Katya. The Strigoi had his head buried in her neck. At first, I thought he was draining her, until I saw the way his shoulders were shaking.

"Adam." I whispered trying to keep my voice from shaking.

"Save her, please."

A/N: So I really hope you liked it. I know there wasn't much of an action sequence, but I am really bad at writing fight scenes. I hope that I wrote it well enough for it to still be entertaining for you guys. Let me know what you think.