June 26, 2011

Hello every one, well the school year is almost over for me. The pre K classes graduated on Friday and we have one more week of school. I get a week off then we have summer school for 6 weeks.

I really hope you like this chapter. It is an important one because it sets up things for Dimitri. I thank my beta who is so good and even though she was not able to pre-read this for me she is awesome.

A few of you have asked me if I have some special tie to Ireland. Yes and No. I have never been there but I would love to go one day. I love Irish accents and was raised hearing them. I went to a private Catholic school and most of the Nuns and Priests were Irish. The school I use in So What Now is named after my childhood school. It will show up in other stories from time to time.

I do not own VA but that which comes from my deranged mind I happily share with you.

Chapter 14: Blood

Though I wanted clarification for my biggest questions I didn't feel right questioning my Ladybug. Usually when Rose leaves with her Pack Annemarie seems a bit somber but this time she was sad and downright distracted. Tomorrow would be Thursday, Thanksgiving Day and I could only imagine that she was upset that her mother would be gone for the holiday.

The next day I found out that Mikhail had gone with Rose, leaving Alberta to guard her with me. Mikhail once mentioned that he has guarded Annemarie since she was just two yrs. Old, if she is indeed as young as I suspect she is then he has been a constant in her life for at least 3 yrs. The fact that he is usually there for her when Rose is off hunting Strigoi probably makes it that much harder for her not to have him here. Realizing this I got a sudden pang of jealousy.

Friday was a special fun training day but even though we were on a playground and she always has fun challenging me to things like swinging competitions or monkey bar races; she barely spoke and didn't smile once. I decided to stop training and talk to her.

"Ok ladybug, spill; what has you so upset?"

"It's nothing, Woody, I'm fine." She lied to me. I shook my head and sighed. I knelt in front of her and looked her in the eyes.

"Did your M..Mentor, ever tell you that I am a human lie detector? I can smell a lie like a fly smells a cow patty. So let's try this again; with the truth."

"Guardian Hathaway gave me some … vitamin juice to put away in the refrigerator before she left. I was so upset about her going that I forgot; now it has gone bad." She began to cry; I took her small hand in mine.

"That isn't such a big deal, tell me the name of it and I will go out and get you some more."

"You can't, she doesn't buy it she makes it. I am supposed to drink one ounce every other day."

"Well in the time I have been here she has never been gone more than four days so she should be back today or tomorrow. I think you should be fine till then."

"I hope so."

~~*o*~~

Saturday afternoon I set out to pick up some wood that I had gathered and stashed close to the cottage house. When I got there I noticed the same guardian from the other night along with one I hadn't yet met. They were in the process of picking up the wood I stashed. It was more than the two could carry so I took the last of it.

"Good afternoon Guardian Belikov, I am sorry that I didn't formally introduce myself to you the other night. I am Nikolai Lenin and this is my Guarding partner, Ivan Korev."

"It's nice to finally meet you; Annemarie speaks highly of both of you."

"As she does, you." Nicolai said no more and I got the distinct feeling that if it were not for the cookout I would not be at all welcome here.

We set the wood by the fire pit along with several other stacks that I am assuming they collected. Guardian Korev began building a pyre while Guardian Lenin motioned for me to follow him. Twenty feet away, two foldout tables leaned against a tree. Together we unfolded them and set them down, making sure they were as steady and level as possible.

The back door of the cottage house opened and motherly looking Dhampir stepped out holding a stack of covered bowls. Behind her was a young Human woman holding a tray containing long skewers, the Hotdog franks and buns. Next came another human but by the slightly glazed look in her eye I could tell she was a feeder. The feeder brought a jug of juice and a bucket of ice. All three of us men run up to help them.

We helped them set up the food the men ran back in and brought out several of the bags I had left with Rose. I took the bag with the balls and bubbles and stashed it under the table then set out the cups plates and plastic utensils.

From somewhere in the house I heard a chorus of children shouting. "I DO NOT LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM! I DO NOT LIKE THEM SAM I AM!" The Dhampir woman chuckled when she saw that it had grabbed my attention.

"Annemarie is keeping the children occupied. They love it when she reads to them. Green Eggs and Ham was one of her favorite books when she was younger. Her Grandfather used to read it to her and make her shout out parts of it with him; so now when she reads to the children she does the same thing."

Once the tables were set we waited for Annemarie to finish reading. The Dhampir woman gave me a warm and friendly smile. She offered her hand and I shook it.

"You are Guardian Belikov am I correct?" I nodded affirmative. "It is nice to finally meet you. My name is Helen McManus; I help out around here from time to time. This young lady is Tonya Reader and she is the new cook for the family."

"Well I will be the cook once I learn how to cook." She mumbled under her breath. I almost asked what a human was doing working for vampires and half vampires but then I remembered that Annemarie told me that the Humans who are transformed are not allowed to go back to the human world. It is sad but it makes logical sense. What if the told someone who ended up trying to find a Strigoi in hope of eternal life; or if someone tried to expose us for what we are.

"This is Amy Heart, she is the resident feeder for the Moroi children and visiting Moroi." Helen Pointed to the feeder who looked at me for a moment but once she realized I was not a hungry Moroi she lost interest in the conversation. She wandered away followed by Tanya. Helen whispered to me. "Poor dear was kept as a sex slave and feeder by her high school sweetheart. He was taken and turned after taking her home from prom. A week later he kidnapped her and her best friend. Apparently they had made love on prom night. She was pregnant and her 'boyfriend' didn't care to provide her proper healthcare. He took blood from her with no regard to the needs of their child. When he was with her he was rough and careless. By the time Rose saved her she was hopelessly addicted, high as a kite with a dying baby in a box, in the corner of her room. Rose and the Spirit Wielders tried to save the baby but there was nothing they could do. Amy asked if she could be a feeder but we have to keep her away from the school. She will offer her body to any Moroi willing to bite her. We once found her in the middle of small group of royal boys."

"What happened to her boyfriend?" I was horrified by the story.

"He refused forgiveness and chose death and eternal damnation. He couldn't deal with the guilt." She said sadly. "Perhaps if he had chosen to live and try to heal; they could have healed together. She is lost without him. But at least she has Tanya; they were best friends and were taken together. It was another Strigoi who decided to turn Tanya." She paused and looked to Tanya who was trying to engage Amy in conversation.

"Tanya is a very special kind of person. Once in a while there are souls so good and kind that they are strong enough to hold the smallest amount of control over the body despite the fact that it is being possessed by a powerful demon. They can't stop the demon but they can force it to choose the lesser of two evils, and in Tanya's case she was able to make it have some compassion for her friend. She brought her food and water, every couple of days and brought her blankets for the baby. She understands that none of this was her fault but she still lives with a lot of guilt. She asked that she be allowed to stay with Amy wherever she go."

"That is amazing."

"It is," she nodded, "I see the same spirit in you. Despite what others may be saying and despite how you feel about yourself, I know you are a good and kind soul." She patted me on my arm and walked off. I wish I had the confidence in myself that she seems to have in me. After all the pain I have caused in Roza's life I find it hard to believe that I am all that good or kind.

"I told you hate isn't a good emotion. Who are you mad at?"

I jumped when Ladybug popped out in front of me. She held Karalin in her arms and in turn Karalin held her scruffy doll. I looked around me and realized that all the children were out and we had other guests as well. Lissa was talking to Guardian Korev while her Five year old Rachael and her two and a half year old Jennifer were running around with Sarah and Suzan, the Dashkov twins. Guardian Alto was tending to the fire with Guardian Lenin.

I suddenly felt very out of place. If I had stayed with Rose then I would be part of this picture; instead I feel like an intruder.

"Feeling lonely isn't much better." Marie set Karalin down and took me by the hand. Come sit by the fire with me. She sat down pulling me with her. She wrapped one arm around mine and leaned on me. How ironic that her mother and I would often sit like this by our campfires. I could only imagine that in a perfect world she would be my daughter and her mother, My Roza would be on my other arm. I feel like someone is watching me so I turn and see Lissa looking at me with almost the same look Rosemarie often gives me; as if she is begging me for something. When our eyes met she gives me a sad smile. I dragged myself out of my mood; my reason for suggesting this was so I could get to know the children that are important to Rose.

"Come on, let get out the bubbles." I whispered to Ladybug. Her eyes widened and I have to laugh. She reminds me of my niece Zoya sometimes with the facial expressions she makes. We brought out the bubble wands and also smaller jars of bubbles. It was funny to watch the little ones chasing bubble or trying to blow them. Joshua has quick reflexes and had more fun popping bubbles than he did blowing them. Aiden blew bubbles only for his little sister Karalin because she was too shy to chase with the other kids. Brian kept blowing them for Rachael; I think he has a crush on her. We must have played with the bubbles for almost an hour.

Helen produced some kerchiefs and we used them as blind folds on Stan and me. The kids called to us and we had to try to catch them. It was kind of like the pool game, Marco Polo only not in the water.

We didn't even get a chance to play with the balls before the kids started to talk about food. While we had been playing Helen and Tanya were cooking hot dogs over the fire. Over part of the fire pit stood an iron grill. It had four legs and stood six inches above the fire. I remember telling Rose once that I wished I knew how to weld because I wanted to make something similar for us. I wonder if she took my idea and had one made. Barbeque ribs were cooking on the grill and my stomach knotted with hunger. Rose knew I loved Ribs; I wonder if she had planned on having them especially for me, probably not.

I helped get the kids plates dished out. The three large bowls that Helen brought out were salads. One was leafy greens, another was pasta and the last was fruit in a cream cheese sauce. She brought out some corn on the cob quarters already covered in butter. I haven't had home cooked food since I left Tasha's. I have a kitchenette in my room but I find no joy in cooking for myself. Once the kids all had a plate the adults got to serve themselves. I have to admit that I had a bit of everything. The ribs, by God the ribs, they had my favorite sauce on them, Sweet Baby Ray's, could she possibly remembered it was my favorite.

After dinner I brought out the smore's fixings. The adults helped the little ones roast the marshmallows and sandwich them with the chocolate squares and graham crackers. Lissa and I both laughed when Jennifer started to suck on her sticky sweet fingers.

While making one last Smore for Josh I burned my thumb on the metal skewer and got melted marshmallow stuck on the same spot I burned on the metal. I held back the Russian obscenities and quickly dunked my thumb in my cup of cold juice. Without saying a word Annemarie reached for my hand and pulled it out of my cup. I was about to pull it away but resisted when I saw the concern on her face. She bent her head and kissed the blistered red skin. I felt love wrap around me and the sting eased substantially. When she released my hand I could see that it was still blistered but instead of the angry red it was now slightly pink and the blister was smaller. Lissa watched on with pride radiating from her. Now I understand why she insists on checking wounds and bruises that her classmates get. She is trying to heal them. How is it that a Dhampir has the ability to heal? It isn't the complete healing Lissa does but it is enough to ease the pain and speed up the process.

Lissa whispered to Marie who ran into the house. When she reappeared she held Rose's guitar. I've been told that you know how to play. Auntie Lissa told me you have permission to use this. She handed me the guitar. I played several camp songs but as the sun began to rise I started to play some mellow songs. Annemarie knelt down close to me laid her head on my knee. Soon I could tell she was asleep. I picked her up wanting to put her to bed and kiss her forehead goodnight but Nicolai opened his arms for her. I could see the order in his eye that I was to hand her over to him. Reluctantly I kissed her forehead in front of everyone before passing her to her guardian.

After helping to clean up I headed to my room with a large plate of leftovers that Helen insisted on giving me. I guess when I saw the ribs I stopped fighting her. I took the plate and thanked her. I slept well that night with dreams of Rose, the children and me, together as a family.

The next day I went to church with a smile on my face. I may not feel very close to God but today I am thankful that he gave me time with the children, I just wish Rose had been with us. I looked up at the altar and paid attention to the service today. It wasn't till service was over and I saw Tanya and the children with Guardians Lenin and Korev. Annemarie looked very tired, the other children were a bit tired looking as well but still I was a bit worried that my ladybug should be so tired. Dhampirs have a high tolerance for fatigue; it is one of the things that make us such good guards.

Monday Alberta sent word to me that she had been called to court and I was guarding Annemarie on my own. I had a bad feeling that something went wrong with Rose's mission. I held my worries in as much as I could. As soon as I saw Annemarie in her class I found something else to worry about. Annemarie looked horrible. Her face was pale, slightly yellow and she had a shadow under her eyes. Her posture was droopy and she seemed sluggish. She had trouble keeping up in her classes. I noticed that the long walk from the lower campus to the upper one caused her heart to speed it's pace.

During fourth hour I took her to the clinic instead of having training. Annemarie protested but in the end she gave in.

"Good Morning, what can we do for you?" The front desk assistant asked.

"I need to see Dr Olendzki." Annemarie said.

"I am sorry Miss but I don't recall your name."

"Annemarie B. Donnelley."

"I am afraid she has been called away from the school but Dr. Rowen is here. Have a seat in the exam room and he will be right with you."

"No I need Dr Olendzki. She is my Doctor." Annemarie looked panicked."

"She will see Dr. Rowen." I took her arm and pulled her to the exam room. She began to cry silent tears and her body trembled. I sat on the exam table and held her in my lap. She cried into my chest. About 15 minutes later a short Moroi walked into the room.

"It seems that we cannot find Miss Donnelley's file. I would call Dr Olendzki but we have strict instructions not to call unless there is an emergency. So let's just play it by ear. What seems to be the problem?" He addressed me since Annemarie was still crying into my chest but also appeared to be falling asleep.

"She is on some kind of homemade liquid vitamin regiment and has missed several doses. I don't know what the mix is but from my observations she is showing signs of anemia. I am not a doctor but I have had extensive training in the past so please don't disregard my assessment."

He looked me in the eye and nodded. Ok let me do a quick blood test and I think that we should give her some supplemental shots. Annemarie was asleep and didn't even wake up when he drew a small vial of blood. He did a few quick tests and confirmed my assessment.

"Well Guardian what do you think we should give her?"

"I think a Multivitamin shot with an extra dose of B12 would be good but the Minerals should be given with an IV, do to the fact that she is so severely anemic we should boost the Iron by no more than 2 mgs."

"Very good, I agree with you, you really should consider furthering your training." I watched him get the shots together and administer them, Annemarie winced but stayed sleeping. I gently stood up and set her on the bed so he could put in her IV. I wanted to call Rose but if I did and she is in battle the phone could be a deadly distraction. And if my previous worry was correct and something went wrong on her mission she might not be able to deal with this. Instead I opted to care for her myself and deal with Roza later.

It took a half hour for the IV to drip into her bloodstream I held her little hand and watched as her face slowly gained more color. She missed lunch and her next two classes but when she woke she looked much better. Dr Rowen brought us some sandwiches and orange juice. We ate lunch in silence.

She was dismissed from her afternoon classes and was sent home to rest for the remainder of the day. I walked her to her front door and watched as she got safely inside. I went to Lissa's quarters but found out that Lissa and the children had left on Sunday to visit a friend. This only made me more worried.

Tuesday Annemarie looked better but not all the way well yet. I thought of taking her back to see Dr Rowen but she insisted she was fine and wanted to train. Rather than argue with her I agreed to a light training session. We had just come in from a slow jog doing only four of her fourteen laps, under the lights of the gym I could see what I missed in the dark outside. Her face had gone greenish and I noticed how clammy she looked. She looked like she was going to faint.

I grabbed my earpiece and made a call to the clinic. I asked the nurse to tell Dr Rowen to prepare another IV and vitamin shot for Miss Donnelley. I started to pull her to the door but she fought me. We were wasting precious time so I picked her up and cradled her in my arms. I could feel her energy fading as I held her.

Just as we got to the gym door Rose ran in. She looked pale and tired but her focus was on the girl in my arms. She took Annemarie in her arms and leaned against the wall allowing it to guide her down. She pulled her turtleneck sweater off and with it the necklace she wore fell off with it. I was shocked by what I saw; her face and body had many scars on them. They looked like the scars that Annemarie has from her tragic birth. The scars on her hands and arms looked like defensive wounds. There was one that looked like it went from one side of her neck to the other. There were so many scars on her stomach. Her hair was dull and thinner than it had appeared just moments before. Despite all the scars to me she was still so beautiful; if not more so, those scars were the evidence of her fight to keep her unborn baby safe. They were a badge of Courage.

The next thing she did surprised me. Rose helped Annemarie sit up and guided her daughter's lips to her neck. Annemarie didn't hesitate in taking the bite. Rose hummed our Russian lullaby to her while she drank. It was almost a minute and a half before Annemarie pulled away. They either forgot my presence or they didn't care.

"What happened baby?" Rose asked softly.

"I am sorry mommy, I forgot to put it in the refrigerator and it went bad. I tried to use Amy but it made me sick, I couldn't even hold it down. Yesterday woody took me to the clinic when I was sick and they gave me some medicine that helped. This morning I tried to go to Amy again and I managed to keep some blood down so I thought today I might be ok but I was wrong. Woody was going to take me back to the clinic when you came."

Rose looked up at me. I was half expecting her to yell at me but I she didn't. Instead I heard her voice in my head.

"Why didn't you call me?" She whispered. I couldn't help but notice that she looked so drained. I kneeled down to her and whispered back so I wouldn't wake Annemarie who had fallen asleep against Rose's chest. I tried not to think of the fact that rose sat in front of me shirtless.

"I was afraid that something had happened on your mission and that you wouldn't have been able to leave there." She only nodded at me. I offered my arms for Annemarie so she could get dressed. When she realized the necklace was off her she quickly turned away from me. She put the necklace on then her sweater. She still didn't turn around. Instead she rested her head against the wall and covered her face. The scars on her hand were blurry but I could still see them.

"Roza, please turn around."

"Dimitri, don't look at me, just take her home for me please."

"No, Roza, turn around." She sighed and slowly turned. Like with the scars on her hand I could still see the scars on her face. It occurred to me that her necklace held a charm which obscured her scars from view. I guess now that I know they are there I can no longer be fooled by the magic.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. I know this happened when you fought to save your unborn baby girl. You are more beautiful now that I know how truly brave you are." I leaned down and kissed the edge of her eye where it was twisted by a scar that ran from her hairline to her chin, and then I kissed the side of her face where the scar marred the edge of her lips.

"Thank you, could you help me get her home?" She asked, again I noticed how worn out she looked. I nodded and readjusted Annemarie so that she was sitting up with her head lying on my shoulder and I could hold her with one arm. With the other I wrapped an arm around Roza; to my surprise she not only allowed the gesture but she leaned on me and used my strength as we walked to the cottage house.

She allowed me inside and when Guardian Korev appeared and tried to take my ladybug from my arms she shooed him away. Inside her home were so many pictures of children but the ones that drew me the most were the ones of Annemarie. On the way up the stars I counted six birthday pictures and in the first five of them she seemed to have grown two years for every one year. She led me to a room that had a sign with Annemarie's name on it. I set her one her bed and took off her shoes and socks. I covered her up and kissed her cheek. As I turned to walk away the fat Siamese cat jumped down from an open dresser drawer and jumped up to cuddle with my sleeping Ladybug.

"I guess you have some questions?" Roza asked. I nodded but when I looked at her I knew I was not going to get any answered from her any time soon. She began to sway and I reached out and caught her just as she fainted.

POP QUIZ

1. Why did Mikhail go with Rose this time when he never has before?

2. Did you catch Dimitri's Freudian slip?

3. Why didn't Annemarie want to see Dr Rowen?

4. Why couldn't they find her chart?

5. Do you think Rose was embarrassed or ashamed of her scars?

6. Why is it that Annemarie is not able to use a feeder?

7. What is wrong with Rose? (Hint in chapter 55 of So What Now)

8. What is the deal with Guardians Korev and Lenin, and their behavior towards Dimitri?

Please review. I didn't get that many last time and I really miss the feedback. Dimitri loves it when you Review. If you send a really long review Adrian might dreamwalk with you. :)

Suzanna