Chapter 7:

DPOV

Rose and I were brought to the hospital at court. We were very familiar with the place and the place with us. We actually had our own room here. Between sparring and slayer mission we spend a lot of time here. But this was new to us and the doctors. They immediately hooked Rose up to machinery and an IV drip. They placed me in the bed next to hers and took vitals and some blood samples. But their main focus was on Rose.

Sydney was there helping the doctors, explaining what the tattoo was and how to deal with it, or not deal with it.

"Sydney, can they take the tattoo away. I mean that happens to alchemists too right. Or maybe just negate the effects using the same formula as you used to cancel the compulsion."

I asked hopeful. Although I trusted the doctors to take care of Rose physically, I knew mystically Sydney was our best bet.

"I don't know. Dimitri. Normally when an alchemists rejects the tattoo we have compounds which will erase the tattoo, but I assume Nathan already tried this. He had an alchemist help him and he would have tried to use as little amount of subject as he could as to not draw attention to himself. So I have to assume the results of that were disastrous. As for using human magic. It only works that way because the human magic over rights the Moroi magic in the tattoo. The effect of human magic on Strigoi blood is completely different. And going by the notion that Strigoi can't drink from witches I think the combination is volatile. I think Rose's best bet is to adjust to the tattoo."

I didn't like her answer. But at this point Rose was holding on. I wasn't willing to risk her life by trying something so dangerous just yet.

The doctor joined in the discussion.

"Actually I do believe Guardian Hathaway is going in the right direction. Although I am not sure how. Normally an immune response can be caused by a pathogen or a transplanted organ. The body recognizes it as 'not-self' and will try and combat it with antibodies and subsequent killer cells. There is no getting used to it. Either the body clears the pathogen or the pathogen invades and wins. What I am seeing here is remarkable. It's like her immune response suddenly started to see it as 'self' the leukocyte count is going down and the number of NK-cells has dropped back to zero. What caused the reaction I am not sure but it is saving her life."

I didn't care what was causing it. Of course Rose would make the scientific impossible, possible. I had an amazing wife. One who was going to live.

"As for you Guardian Belikov. I can't seem to find anything wrong with you. No immune reaction, no weird blood values. A slight dip in sugar and hemoglobin levels but I imagine you just need to eat something."

"So nothing… weird or out of the ordinary?"

"Not that I can see."

I let out a sigh of relief. I was fine, Rose was going to be fine. Nathan failed.

The next couple of days I stayed by her side. The doctors had discharged me a few moments after my tests had come in but they knew better then to ask me to leave. She was getting better. She actually had a little color on her cheeks again and she could stay awake a lot longer. We watched Netflix on her laptop and I had to endure hours of soap opera, but I would do anything for Rose.

Lissa had stopped by a few times. She always asked if she wanted her to heal her, but Rose always declined. Rose had also been getting better with dealing with Lissa's pregnancy. She had been happy for them, but there was a jealousy underneath. She was starting to let it go and was even enjoying talking babies and the wide range of pregnancy symptoms Lissa was experiencing. I tuned out of that one. Bad memories. I remember both my mother's pregnancy with Victoria and Karolina's pregnancy with Paul. Although Dhampirs usually didn't have that many symptoms, by family was certainly the exception to the rule. I shuddered at the thought. I felt sorry for Christian.

And when Rose fell asleep again I would slip into bed with her, even if hospital beds were too small for us both and I would just hold her. I was glad to notice her temperature had gone down dramatically.

After a few days the doctor agreed and she discharged Rose. She would still have to be on bedrest but at least she was able to go home.

RPOV

Dimitri brought me to our room. I was happy to leave the hospital. I hated it there. I died in there after Tasha shot me. I knew it was a necessary evil but I still hated the place with a vengeance. Now being back here, in our own room with Dimitri waiting on me, now that I could enjoy. But before I could enjoy the moment, Lissa was on our bed. She was hugging me. She had come by the hospital a few times but we just talked about nothing and of course the baby. I knew she was holding out on me, waiting for me to get better, before she went on a rampage.

I think Dimitri realized this too as he got out of bed and left the room with a smirk on his face. Traitor.

"Okay. Liss, let me have it.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, don't you ever do that to me again. I thought I wouldn't have to worry about you so much when I called you back from slayer mission's and then you pull this?"

"I didn't pull this Lissa."

"Oh yes you did, trouble follows you around like a lost puppy, so of course when a deranged lunatic needed test subjects he had no choice but to kidnap you."

She was joking but she was also a bit right. Even when I wasn't looking for trouble, trouble found me. I knew she was scared. I knew she wanted me around for the baby not just as her guardian but as her friend.

"Is a deranged lunatic not a bit redundant?"

I asked jokingly? And trying to lighten the mood and succeeding.

Lissa laughed with me and we spend the next ten minutes trying to catch our breaths in between hysteric laughs. I had been too long.

"So what is the plan for today?"

"I thought we could do a little shopping for the baby, if you are okay with that?"

She was asking a little hesitant. She knew it was still a bit of a sore spot. But her laying out all of her symptoms in the hospital actually made me feel a little better. At least I was dodging that bullet. But even though I wanted a child with Dimitri above anything, I knew she was right about trouble following me. Even if I did stay behind the wards at court, trouble would always find me. And although I don't think I will ever make peace with not having kids completely I do need to move on and be the best friend I could be.

"Of course. I need to perform my auntily duties."

"Rose that is not a word."

"Well I am inventing it."

We giggled some more. It felt like old times, back when we were in high school.

"Rose, actually I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

"I was wondering if you and Dimitri wanted to be the baby's Godparents?"

I laughed a little at that.

"Although I am honored Liss, if we need to step up as Godparents that means we failed in our duty as your guardians. It is a lot more likely we will be dead before you two are."

Her face fell. Sometimes I think Lissa forgets that our lives are very different. She was a good person and a good monarch. She really didn't see the difference between Dhampir's and Moroi. For good or bad.

"But on paper that just mean I get to spoil the kid right?"

She laughed and the topic of our untimely demise was forgotten. I also knew it was funny because even though being in a slayer unit and in the royal guard paid well, Lissa didn't need any help in that department. The thought of me spoiling the child where the parents couldn't was preposterous.

It became even more apparent when I say the prices of some of the items a baby needed. We were on the couch with a laptop in Lissa's room. We were doing our shopping online because if Lissa walked into a baby store here at court and bought babystuff people would have a field day. We looked at cribs and matching furniture. We looked at strollers and car seats. We looked at everything and my god did a baby need much stuff. Lissa was as organized as ever and had a checklist.

"Liss, isn't it a little early to be buying baby stuff? If you want to keep it a secret?"

"I know, but I have been looking forward to this ever since we were trying. I wanted you to help me but you were always on duty or on a slayer mission."

"I know, Liss, but I am here now and not going anywhere."

We didn't buy anything but we did end up with a very long list of things Lissa wanted. And organized Lissa made a list of furniture styles she wanted and had a top five baby rooms. I didn't know why she bothered. I am sure they would order something custom made just for them. Although I was pleased to know the amount of baby stuff with Dragons on them or dragon stuffed animals. We already had a theme for the babyroom.

Third POV.

Nathan Ivashkov, former prince of the Ivashkov royal line was sitting in a cell in the 'dungeon' at court. His son was sitting across from him. His son's guardian Eddie standing at attention near the wall, deliberately not looking at Nathan. None one of them was talking. Adrian was looking at his father but Nathan didn't look back. If it was because he was ashamed for his son about his own action or ashamed of his son's actions was anybody's guess.

But Adrian didn't seem to be able to move. He knew he needed to talk to his father. Understand how his father could amount to this. Understand that that part was not something he inherited from him.

"Why?"

Adrian finally broke the silence after about ten minutes of a one-way starring contest.

"for my people."

"Which people?"

"The only ones that matter."

"Royal Moroi."

Adrian sighed. He knew his father was a bigot and believed he was above pretty much everybody else but he didn't realize just how little other non-royal Moroi and Dhampirs meant to him.

"It didn't bother you that you were ruining your nephew's life even if he did survive?"

"No."

There was no hesitation and no deceit in his words. Nathan didn't consider Dimitri family simply because he was Dhampir.

"It didn't bother you, you were enslaving human beings like dogs?"

"No."

The only response to his answer the slight stiffening of Eddie at the back.

Anything to achieve his goals. Plus Adrian wondered if there really was a difference in his father's mind between dogs and Dhampirs. Hell no animal or creature should be treated the way his father treated Rose and Dimitri and the guardians he forced to help him.

"It didn't bother you that you had to enlist help from rogue alchemists and human extremists to accomplish this?"

"a little."

Adrian threw his hands in the air out of frustration and got up from his chair.

"Well I am glad you draw the line somewhere."

Adrian had hoped he would have found some part of his father he could love. Some part of him that had compassion, that didn't make Adrian hate him. But he was coming up blank.

"I did what I did to protect my people."

Adrian thought it was funny his father didn't even seem to include him anymore when discussing Royal Moroi.

"The thing was that Dimitri and Rose were already giving everything to protect royal Moroi. You couldn't ask for a better role model of guardians. They probably killed more Strigoi than any other guardians. Why on earth would you risk them?"

"Hump, they don't give everything. They married each other, the thought alone is enough to make me vomit let alone witnessing it. Dhampir's only goal in live is to serve us. But I needed them because all other test subjects didn't withstand the procedure."

Adrian was about to give up. He couldn't find anything of his kin in this man. He was saying goodbye to his father. He couldn't even acknowledge the man sitting in front of him as a human being let alone his father. He never had a close relationship with his father but he thought something must have changed over the years to make his father like this. He just couldn't think of anything. His father had it all. Money, power, authority. Why did he need more? When did the judgmental father turn into Mengele?

The door opened with a load bang and Adrian couldn't do anything except gawk at the man who emerged from the stairs. It seemed the world was shifting around the man. Like the air above an asphalt road on a hot day. The man was on fire without actual flames. It was hard to focus on him. His aura was all over the place. One thing Adrian could see though: he was angry.

Eddie moved to take action but Adrian stopped him with a wave of his hands. If Eddie interfered now it would mean the man would retaliate against Eddie instead of his intended target. And even though Eddie was able to take care of himself this was an opponent he wasn't used to dealing with.

The man walked up to the cell. His hands trembling at his side.

"MY SON. You dare do that to MY SON."

Randall Ivashkov was furious and for once in his life he was sober. It was evident that this rage wasn't alcohol induced but fueled by the betrayal of his younger brother.

"Uncle Rand? What are you…"

"Adrian, boy, if you want to say goodbye to your father please do so now, because there won't be much left of him when I am done."

Adrian believed the man too. His tone was dark, almost inhuman. Adrian could see his aura and it was pitch black. Surprisingly the color of hate wasn't blank. There was only one thing that caused an aura to be black.

Adrian's eyes widened. His aura was almost suffocatingly dark but he did make out one more color: gold.

Adrian touched his uncle's shoulder and send a small wave of spirit into his uncle trying to get him from murderous to just angry. Although it isn't an easy task when ones brother tried to kill your son.

"Boy, what did you just do?"

He sounded more like a person and less like an animal so Adrian knew it worked.

"First of all, don't call me boy, I am twenty seven and second, you have no idea what I did?"

"No, otherwise I wouldn't be asking."

"huh. We need to have a conversation."

"After I kill my brother."

He turned back around to Nathan.

"Now little brother where were we?" Adrian didn't know what bothered him more. The clear bloodlust in the man's voice moments before. Or still hearing him saying he would kill his brother even though he was in a more normal frame of mind.

Nathan stood up trying to defy his older brother but winched and sat back down again.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Dimitri's wife kicked him in the nuts after he used her as a lab rat."

A smile crept up on his face. A smile slightly mirrored on Adrian's face.

"Ah I like the girl already." Yes everyone either loved or hated Rose and in this case the brother's opinions couldn't be further from each other.

"You met her remember? In the Dhampir commune."

You could see him thinking hard. Before a look of shame settled upon him.

"Honestly Adrian, that day is a little fuzy. Actually the last twenty-to thirty years have been a bit fuzzy."

Adrian placed his hand on his uncle again. He realized he may not have a father anymore but that didn't mean he didn't have family. And his uncle needed him. Although the man Dimitri had always described conflicted with his memories of his uncle he understood now how the twist was formed. He was suffering from spirit darkness. Not that that excused his behavior. Lissa and himself weren't running around drunk beating up their spouse. But it was nice to know that even if the seed was there it was spirit darkness which caused him to fall over the edge. Also a scary thought. He couldn't imagine him hurting Sydney or god forbid Declan even in his darkest moments but everyone dealt with the darkness different.

He knew he had to take the man away from his father. If not to protect his father it was to protect his uncle. And he needed a good conversation with his uncle. He apparently didn't know anything about spirit. He needed to understand why he had been drunk all those years and where his dark thoughts and actions came from.

"Come on uncle, there is nothing for us here anymore."

The two man left with the guardian not far behind.