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Chapter 16: 5 Months later; Rose's POV

I held my beautiful daughters, Alexa and Emory, in my arms. I cried for two reasons. One, because they are so beautiful and I'm insanely hormonal. Two, because Dimitri wasn't here. They were Moroi just like the doctor predicted. They had brown hair just like Dimitri and gold eyes just like me. They looked like complete angels. Emory was older by two minutes.

Ever since Dimitri was turned, I've felt empty. Dimitri and I are bonded, or were. I have no idea if he's still there. Part of me hopes he isn't because I'm worried about my safety and about my daughters'. Part of me misses him so much that I feel empty on the inside.

"I wish Dimitri was here to see our beautiful daughters." I said to Lissa and Christian as I held my twins.

"We know this is hard, Rose, but you can't do any more crazy attempts to save Dimitri. You have to think about your daughters." Lissa said quietly.

I rolled my eyes. "I will never stop trying to find a way to save my boyfriend and their father. I am thinking about my daughters!" Hey. I was running on about zero sleep from labor. They could get over my attitude this one time.

"And we're trying to think of you!" Christian snapped. I think this whole experience was a new birth control for him and Lissa. I laughed at the thought.

Dimitri, I've been searching for answers for months. I will never give up until you have been saved or killed. I will save your soul. I love you forever and always.I mentally told this to myself. I owed Dimitri that much in return to save him.

But can I actually save him?

Dimitri's POV

In the five months I've been one of the living dead, my life has never been so difficult. Since I am or was shadow-kissed, it made things more complicated and different than any other Strigoi. For instance, I could emotionally feel things, but only if I really concentrated on it. I still had my bond with Rose, but not nearly as strong.

Our bond was a lot more limited but it still allowed me to see our beautiful daughters after they were born. Even though I didn't see, I could still feel Rose's strong pain. Physical and emotional because I wasn't able to be there to witness their birth.

I had so much to live for. So many things I never got the chance to do like proposing to Rose when I had the chance. There's going to be so many things of life that I'll never get to see like our daughters growing up. Sure, I wish this never happened to us but I don't regret turning due to our situation because it meant protecting my girls.

God, I miss them so much. If I wanted to, I could go visit them. Only problem is I'm afraid. I'm afraid that I will get the urge to kill them. I would be able to hear their heartbeats and the blood running through their veins. No, that's not an option. I will always watch over them, but I will never show Roza or our daughters the Strigoi me. I don't want to shatter their image of me.

The normal me.

Just because I still have emotions and a lot my personality traits that carried on after the transformation doesn't mean I don't still have urges to kill or drink blood.

I was strolling along the streets one night like I always do. I'm only about 20 minutes away from Court. It's been about 5 months since the attack at Court. I suddenly become alert when I realize I'm not alone. I smell the scent of another Strigoi nearby. I search the surroundings. I tense up.

Tasha.