A.N: Hey, well just a quick note to thank all my reviewers, see as i said more reviews equal a faster update!! Big kudos to you as your kind words keep me going.

Oh and well....Becaause you are such cuties i'll give you a tiny spoiler ( well huge actually) for next chapter: Rose will finally stare in the eyes of her reason to breathe. =)

Don't forget the more reviews i get the faster i'll update.

SO enjoy!! R&R

Hugsies.

Steffy.

Chapter 10:

I was glancing at Kashka from time to time while driving back to the motel as I still couldn't believe everything that had happened in the last 30 minutes.

I faced death in the eyes without fear so maybe I was suicidal ….Never mind that was another issue. I've been saved and by one of Dimitri's, the love of my life, relative.

I glanced at her one more time and saw a small smile playing on her lips.

"I can imagine that you probably have a couple of questions right?" She asked with a heavy Russian accent, a lot heavier than Dimitri's.

"Yeah…" I shrugged "about thousands!" I added with a snort.

"Ok well… better stop at the city hall first and then I'll tell you everything you want to know, ok?" She asked politely but it sounded more like an order than a request.

I looked at her puzzled

"There were plenty of strigoi so; I guess there is more than a basement under that warehouse…" she bit her lip as she thought. "I think we should get blueprints of this specific area to see if there is a specific sour system or something like that running under that warehouse."

I looked at her with wide eyes. She was brilliant! Strategic!! I guess it was genetic or something.

"Eyes on the road Roza" she said pointing at the windshield. "I'm too young and far too pretty to die you know." she said with a wink.

I parked in front of the tiny city hall. It looked more like a kindergarten than anything else.

"Ok I'll distract him by playing the poor Russian girl who is lost" she said with a smile "and you go to the basement and steal the blueprints. Deal?"

I nodded and looked away. "But… Could….could you not call me Roza anymore please?" I asked in an uncomfortable whisper. Hearing her calling me like that was like being stabbed in the chest every single time. "Rose… can you call me Rose?" I added finally looking at her.

I saw her eyes shadowed with sorrow, solicitude and pain.

"Of course Rose." She said squeezing my hand. This touch was worth a thousand words.

25 minutes later we were back at the motel with two hot coffees, some chocolate chips muffins, and the famous blueprints.

"Govniuk!" Growled Kashka as I was unfolding the blueprints on the table.

I looked at her with surprise. I already heard Dimitri mumble that word and I knew it was a Russian swear word. I just didn't know what it meant.

''What's wrong?'' I asked.

''That man…'' she shook her head. ''He was treating me like an idiot! Tried to get me in his bed.'' She tsked with anger.

'And…And what does Govniuk mean?'' I asked trying to sound detached.

She looked at me for a couple of seconds, doing the super cool Dimitri 'raise one eyebrow' thing. I guess it's genetic coolness I thought like an idiot.

She sighed giving up. ''It means…'' she bit her lip trying to figure out the English translation.

''Well I'm not supposed to teach you swear words but I'm pretty sure you heard most of them with Dimka.'' She said with a small chuckle ''Govniuk means Shithead in Russian.''

''Oh one of my favorite swear words!!'' I said spontaneously before blushing with embarrassment.

''Don't be embarrassed. I know how spontaneous you can be.'' She said with a sad smile.

I looked at the blueprints trying to hide my surprise. Then I saw that there was a underground tunnel that was full of other tunnels, connecting the divided warehouses that had been knocked down now, it was previously used as a military base.

''Did you guys talked about me a lot ?'' I asked trying to hide my curiosity keeping my eyes on the blueprints.

''Well…'' I gave her a sidelong look, she shrugged walking around the room. ''He did talked about you when we were on the phone so about twice a week.'' She had a sad laugh. ''He was so proud of you! I knew he loved you I think even before he realized it himself.''

''Really?'' I asked looking at the blueprints but not seeing anything anymore as I was doing my best to fight the tears.

''Yeah … the impetuous, extra brilliant Rose'' she said with some pride in her voice which was funny as it sounded like I was a member of her family. ''That's why today surprised me really.'' She continued.

I shoot my head up finally clearly looking at her. ''Surprised you? Surprised you how?'' I asked somehow hurt by her comment.

''Well it was a stupid move Rose, sorry.'' She said with no apology in the voice. ''Reckless…suicidal really.''

''No it was not!'' I shouted harshly. ''If he talked that much about me. I'm sure you know that I'm careless sometimes, I act before thinking.''

''Oh I know that!'' she said so calmly that I felt bad for being so bitchy to her. I concentrate my attention on the blueprints again looking at the boundaries. ''I also know that you act carelessly in the heat of the moment and that wasn't the heat of the moment Rose.''

I looked up speechless, she really did know a lot about me, too much to my liking.

''I could have believed it if you had done that yesterday but no…'' she shook her head. ''You came back here… Slept on it! And still did that….'' She grimaced while brushing the engraved part of my sword with her fingers. ''I … I can't help but think that it has something to do with today's date.''

''It has nothing to do with that!'' I shouted while some tears ran down my cheek. ''Nothing!''

She looked at me with both surprise and hurt as she didn't expect such a burning reaction. ''Of course…'' She said. ''But just so you know I AM grieving too. HE was maybe the man you loved but… but he was my BROTHER!!''She said losing some of her control for once.

I took a deep breath ''I'm sorry'' I whispered ''but I promise it had nothing to do with today even if…. If It hurts to think that today he would be 25.'' Because yes today was Dimitri's birthday.

She came beside me kissed my temple and looked at the blueprints

''YOB!''She shouted looking at the tunnels.

I frowned.

''You 'll know all our swear words now…'' she shook her head. ''Again boy…Dimitri would have kicked my ass for that… Yob means fuck.'' She said sheepishly.

I nodded like it was no biggy but I was not going to forget that one that's for sure.

I saw her eyes fixed on the cross around my neck.

''I'm…I'm sorry I took it.'' I started embarrassed. ''It's just -''

''Don't even do that!'' She said seriously looking for my eyes. ''You meant the world to him Rose. You were his strength!'' She added nicely. ''You had every right to take it and I'm actually happy you did.'' She said truthfully.

I looked at her and smiled. ''But…don't get me wrong I'm pleased you are there but how did you find me?'' I asked curiously.

She laughed. ''Well you are my brother's student after all, you think like him and, even if I didn't train to be a guardian, believe me I've got the guardian instinct.'' she said sitting down at the table.

I copied her and sat too.

''I trained with the novices coming around the community during the holidays and I got some hints by the guardians visiting and all that.''

I nodded.

''I made it to the Academy two days after you left and I was almost sure that you would try to find them from the starting point like Dimka would have done so I went to Spokane and waited for you there.'' She shrugged ''I knew you would make it there sooner or later and well you did! I followed you from there.''

I frowned. ''Man I suck!'' I said with a whine. ''I even didn't get it! I never noticed I was followed. My instinct are…''

''They are just fine'' she said showing me a weird necklace she was wearing. ''You know not only Moroi can do magic and even if you never heard of ours… it's pretty powerful. It's a special spell which helps to get somehow unnoticed.''

''Your grandma did it?'' I asked knowing that their grandmother was some kind of witch/fortune-teller.

"Dimitri told you about her?" She asked surprised, I nodded. "Boy he really opened up to you didn't he?"

"He trusted me as I trusted him; he opened his heart to me." I said feeling stupid.

But as she nodded I could see she got my point as she simply said…

"I'm happy he did find you." She said nicely. "You were good to him I could hear it in his voice he was happy…. I never heard him that happy. He did find peace with you. A kind of peace he never found before."

I bit my bottom lip. "But why did you come?" I asked trying to change subject, "I mean…" I blushed "why did you bother?"

"No I understand" she said with a small laugh. "Well…When we received Dimitri's belongings my Ba'booshka.'' She saw my confusion. ''Grandmother…'' She said to clarify ''came to have a 'feel' of his stuff and after a while she reached in one of the boxes, took the old bible she gave him for his christening.'' She looked deep into my eyes to show me how serious she was. ''She put in in my hands and put hers on top and she said I quote 'most beautiful and fragile creation on this earth are protected as a Rose and its thorns but if you're brave enough to face these barriers than you'll be facing the most beautiful Rose you'd ever seen, and your brother was just brave enough. You've got to keep this flower safe Kashka....protect your brother's heart, protect Dimitri's reason to breathe.''

My jaw dropped, that was so much clearer than anything Rhonda said!

''Wait it gets spookier'' she said laughing seeing my face. ''When I opened the bible there was a picture of you, you were wearing a beautiful back dress and laughing with two other dhampire boys and under the picture there was a dry Rose bud.''

It was probably a picture taken during the ball I went with Mason. And that's when Eddie did his lame joke I felt my heart tightening on my chest as it was a much happier time then.

''So….I took some holidays and here I am.'' She said putting her hands flat on the table.

''Holidays?'' I asked surprised. ''You are working?'' Which was probably the stupidest question I could have asked. Way to go Rose!

''Yeah…'' She said slowly like I was mentally challenged. ''The rumors are not helping us'' she said annoyed but not against me, it was more of a general feeling. ''You're going to laugh but I'm a sort of guardian you know…'' I looked at her with curiosity ''except that I'm not protecting moroi but humans.''

''How-'' I stared confused.

''I'm a cop!'' She said laughing seeing shock spreading on my face. ''Yep! And a pretty good one! As I can use my dhampire senses. You know, I'm only 22 but I'm already inspector. The youngest in my unit!''

''Wow!'' That's all I could say.

''Yeah that's how I got the idea of the city Hall and stuff…'' She said standing up again and looking at the blueprints. ''So don't feel bad. Now the question is how to take down those Khuyesos' without going down ourselves.'' She said seriously looking at me.

I asked her what Khuyesos' meant and boy that was bad so so bad… I loved it!!

''I will protect you Rose…Even from yourself.'' She added knowingly

I stood up to stand beside her to look at the blueprints. I didn't know what to say really and denying wouldn't help.

''You are the strigoi expert, no? Tell me then, how can we stop them?'' She asked without any trace of mockery or anything which was shocking but I guess that I was the expert in this room.

''Well this is the main warehouse,'' I said pointing to the place where we fought yesterday. ''As you can see it's like the center of the spider web. The other entrances have been sealed with cement and there is no roof to protect them from the light anymore so…'' I pointed to the last warehouse standing about half a mile away. ''If you can see there is only 2 tunnels connecting with this building and well apparently…'' I pointed to two specific points ''the walls have been built up to stop access.''

She looked at me questionably.

''I know a wall will not stop them but it could stop humans and some dhampires'' I said knowingly. ''They are smart you know, and they have enough space not to take those walls down.'' I nodded. ''They can keep an eye on their surrounding a lot better that way.''

Kashka nodded approvingly.

''The only real way to kill them without getting physical'' I said with regret as the fun part for me right now was to get physical. ''Well… there is only fire really.''

She smiled at me as she liked my way of thinking.

''Causing some nice explosions at some strategic points and the whole tunnels will be filled with fire in no time.'' I said with confidence. ''No escape possible.'' I added with a grin.

''And how do we do that?'' She asked but I was pretty sure she already had a partial answer, she was humouring me which was nice.

I showed her 8 places in the tunnels where to put the explosives. ''It would be enough but the problem is that we need a powerful accelerant causing a big and fast enough fire.''

''And?'' She said for me to continue.

''And what will be perfect you'll ask me?'' I said rhetorically. ''Napalm and C4 but weirdly enough I don't think they will have that in Wal-Mart even if they advertise they have everything.'' I said with sarcasm

''You really are a smartass aren't you?'' She asked not expecting an answer. She took out a cell phone and dialled a number. ''Don't worry… not every dhampires are angels believe me.'' she said putting the phone at her ear and starting to talk in Russian.

About 5 minutes later, she looked at me again.

''I need to drive down to Eugene'' she said looking at her watch ''I should be back in 5 hours max with… what we need'' she said eloquently.

''No shit!'' I said not even bothering apologising. ''You are not even living here but you managed to find napalm and C4 in one freaking phone call??'' I asked astonished and slightly jealous.

''Told you we're not all saint Moy AngelOchek''she said nicely. ''And Uncle Boris is surely not.'' She added taking her bag.

''It's too dangerous for you to come but…'' she looked around. ''There is some kind of military shop up in Portland. Go to check it out, maybe there will be some stuff we can use as…I don't know a switch for the explosions…or whatever.'' I nodded as she left.

I was maybe going to take down all theses strigoi and live anyways…I thought not able to council my regret and wanted to slap myself as I felt this regret.

The important part was to take them down and protect our future! Make him proud!! Wherever or whatever he is. I thought as I reached for my own car keys and decided to follow her lead by going to Portland to find what we needed.