November 18, 2012

Hello my readers.

I would like to say hello to any new readers too. I have recently heard from the beta that had gone MIA. Tiffany has been sick and has not had internet access for some time. I wish her a fast and thorough recovery. Thank you Do'B for betaing this chapter and for all your feedback. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 25: Healing

Annemarie POV

Using my mind I called out to him. "I'm here and I am coming in." the cave opening was a little narrow and low but being as short and relatively thin I had no problem getting through. I could imagine though that it would be a bit uncomfortable for a fully grown man. For the briefest of moments I wondered who I would find. Would he be very young like me or would he be older like mom and Dad. I have felt his presence in my heart since I was very young but since souls are ageless I don't think I would be able to discern his age by the feel of his soul. I know our souls are in love and I suspect the rest of me will love him very soon if not immediately. Perhaps I should trust Fate but I can't help but wonder if he is someone I would have chosen for myself. Mom and Emma are both happy with the men Fate chose for them. Shaking off my worries I set my mind to the task at hand.

About fifty yards in there was a bend in the cave. Beyond that there was a fire burning in a stone lined pit. Nearby lay a sleeping man with handmade splits on his leg and arm. His face was familiar. He was old, like 45 – 50 years old. For a split moment my heart pounded with disappointment. Then I remembered two very important things; first a Strigoi wouldn't be injured and second, he would never sleep. She leaned down and whispered to the broken Guardian. "We will help you I promise." I placed my hands over his splint and sent healing love into him. I know that I can't fix his broken bones but my healing can at least take away his pain for now.

"I know you're here, I can feel you." I called out to the darkness.

"I don't want to scare you." A rich voice called out from the shadows further back. I found myself pulled to him. I followed the direction of his voice till I was almost swallowed by shadows myself.

"I know what you are and I am not afraid of you. I can't heal you unless I can touch you. Come to me please." Slowly he stepped out of the shadows. I froze in place and my breath caught in my throat. He was magnificent. He was tall, maybe almost as tall as my dad. The dim firelight didn't give me a clear idea of what his hair color was but it looked dark and lay neatly on his head despite the fact that he had been camping in a cave for many days. His eyes though ringed with red were a clear blue and kinder than any I had ever seen. His voice was rich and soft. It is a known fact that Strigoi have harsher eyes and voices then before being awakened. Even My dad's voice had changed a little when he was awakened; even though he was in control of his body.

"If you don't mind me saying, Miss, you are much younger than I expected." I couldn't help the feeling of dejection I felt. He must have seen it in my face despite the guardian mask I was desperately trying to erect. "I am glad though." He corrected. "I don't want to sound crazy but I feel…. Very close to you. I, I want to be close to you in a way that would be very awkward if you were in your mid twenty's or older, as I had feared. My guess is that you are a few years younger than I was when I was awakened."

"Um, something like that. It's complicated but I will explain that later. As for your feelings; you aren't crazy. I feel it too. I hope that I don't scare you away with this but well we are destined to be together. There is a very deep magic that has brought us together."

"Like a magically, prearranged marriage?" Instead of looking upset or sceptical he looked as if he was grasping to put a description to his own thoughts. I can't say how much his thoughtfully accepting look relieved me.

"That would be a very fitting description for it. It has a name; it is called a Marriage of the Heart."

"I guess I understand why I have never felt attracted to any other person. I'm seventeen; I thought something was wrong with me. But all this time it was you; my soul knew you already and it didn't want anyone else. What is your name?" He reached out and I gave him my hand.

"Annie, I mean Annemarie Belikova." His hand sent a current through me. It was strong and comforting.

"My name is Aidan Matthew Tanner." He took my other hand in his and brought them to his lips: kissing them before pressing them to his heart. "I, Aidan Tanner, take you as my wife. I promise to love you and only you until time itself come to an end; for even death won't take me from your side. The moment I saw you I knew that I found a home for my heart." The power of our love, a love I could never have imagined to be so strong wrapped around us.

"I Annemarie Belikova, take you as my Husband of My Heart. Forever I will stand beside you and together we will take the journey God has planned for us." Aidan leaned down and kissed my lips softly before wrapping me up in his arms. I snuggled into his chest feeling safe and complete. I couldn't help the giggle that erupted from me. I felt him gazing down at me. I could feel a blush flush over me as I met his red ringed blue eyes.

"Did we really just do what I think we did?" I asked.

"Yes my wife I think we did. We pledged ourselves to each other. I know it isn't official but it is very real to me." He held me tightly and though I know that his Strigoi strength could squeeze the life out of me his hold was strong yet so very gentle.

He held me in silence for a few more moments; then pulling away slightly he asked.

"How does it work; changing me, I mean? How many others have you changed? How come we have never heard of this before?"

"Slow down, first I have to tell you that I have never done this yet. My mom, sister and I are special Dhampirs. We are given the gift and burden to find Strigoi and cast out the demon that inhabits them. By doing this we transform them back into their original state. Most of the Moroi society doesn't yet know about us; and those that do are in on the secret. I have not been ready to take my place yet because I was not mature enough but now I am. What I will do for you is going to be different than what I will do for any other Strigoi I will ever encounter. My sister and my mom have both done this for their Husbands too. I will heal you and cast out the demon but you won't go back to your original state; if you were Dhampir or Human than you will become a Dhampir with a higher Moroi DNA than the norm. You will still need blood and you will take on the ability to wield magic like a Moroi." I still had to address the question of how. I wasn't 100% sure to start with but there was a ghost near us who began to explain to me what I needed to do. I began to blush a bit and I found it hard to look at him.

"And how will you do that?" His voice was patient but curious

"Um, I know how it was done by my mom and sister but they had a helper with them and I don't so I am going to have to … Um." I took a deep calming breath. "I need to make contact with the skin on your chest and torso. Um … The more skin the better." I looked up to be met by Aidan's embarrassed gaze. I felt a little better knowing he was just as embarrassed as I was. I couldn't help but bite my bottom lip.

"Well we have already pledged ourselves to each other so I guess it should be ok if my wife sees me without my shirt." I could feel his nervousness as he pulled away and slowly began to remove his jacket and shirt.

"Aidan we should sit or lay down because if this works; we will most likely lose consciousness."

He nodded and laid his jacket down almost like a pillow than sat down. I was so nervous that I couldn't work the buttons on my coat. After I struggled for a few minutes Aidan took my hands in his and guided me down to his lap.

"Allow me." He whispered. His voice was a bit deeper than it was a few minutes before. All I could do was nod and let my hands rest at my sides. He gently took off my jacket, sweater and thermal shirt. When he got down to what should have been bare skin and a bra he gasped. Fingers that seemed too gentle to belong to a Strigoi traced the bandage that wrapped my chest. "Who broke your ribs?' This time I could hear the hard cold edge in his voice. His eyes held a mixture of concern and contempt. I didn't want to explain this but I know you should have honesty in your marriage; I have no choice but to explain the aging fast thing.

"No one has hurt me. I am more than fine. I keep myself wrapped up because I am hiding the fact that I have developed breasts. I am really much younger than I look. I am the child of a Love Wielder; we age at twice the rate as other kids till we hit 5 then we slow to normal. I begged the beings responsible for us to allow me to mature faster again. My parents have been sick and my grandmother and sister would throw a fit if they knew what I did."

"I am afraid to ask your true age. Is it wrong that I still feel attracted to you and want you for my wife even though you are so young? My mind is telling me that we should hold back a few years. By the way I am willing to wait as long as you need me to."

"I think I will wait a bit before I tell you my true age because I don't want to freak you out. As for it being wrong for us to feel the way we do; no it is not wrong. I am as mature as I look; physically emotionally and mentally. I will continue to mature till well I assume it will slow again once I catch up to you. Fate would not have brought you to me unless I was ready for you. Together we will figure out what we are ready for and when."

"Ok; I trust in God with my whole heart and I believe that he brought me to you. I promise to wait and not pressure you to get physical till we are both ready and willing. Annemarie, I love you already."

I pressed my hand to his heart and wrapped an arm around to his back as he held me close to him. I pulled all my healing power and focused it on him. I called to daddy in my mind and immediately felt spirit come to me. Something wasn't working though at first I thought that it wouldn't work without a Spirit Wielder at my side; but then the ghost woman told me what was wrong. The bandage was blocking me. When a love wielder transforms Strigoi she only has to touch his body on the chest or torso and say her prayer while wielding love. It doesn't matter if there is clothing on them or not but when Mom healed dad in the vision she reached into his shirt to touch him. Adrian had told me every detail of what she did to him in this timeline and dad wasn't wearing a shirt at all. I pulled back and couldn't help but notice the look of pure bliss and serenity in my husband's face morph into one of confusion and disappointment.

"Why did you pull away?"

"It's not working because there isn't enough skin contact. I need to take the bandage off." I unhooked the metal clips then started to unroll the bandage. I could feel his intense gaze but I kept my eyes down. When I was done he gasped again. "So Beautiful" I heard him whisper.

This time I straddled his lap instead of sitting across it. We resumed our embrace and again I called on dad for spirit and focused healing love and healing spirit to him. I could feel it beginning to work. A feeling I could only describe as passion blossomed within me and swirled around us intermingling with the love already wrapping around us.

His soft lips brushed the skin of my ear igniting an electric current within me. I inhaled his sent and it made me feel light headed because he smelled so good. I brought my lips to brush against his and he caught my bottom lip between his; my first real kiss was with my husband on the day we began our bond. It was a tentative sweet kiss and it was something I know I will remember for the rest of my life. We both pulled ourselves from the kiss at the same time.

Aiden looked into my eyes and smiled. I could see that the red was gone. His skin was still pale but not like a Strigoi and he was warm. He pulled me closer into his arms again and laid his head on my shoulder. I know I wasn't done channelling Spirit to him so I continued wielding love and Spirit.

I could feel Aidan's lips on my neck. I felt his desire for my blood and in truth I felt desire for his as well. I tilted my neck to give him more access and I also sought out his neck with my lips. In my mind I whispered to him. "It's ok to drink from me, it is part of the magical bond we have." He needed no more encouragement. Oh God, did it feel good. Not like the pain medication I have had to take when my cancer is bad and I hurt. No this was good like, like … like nothing I have ever felt. I let my own fangs sink into his jugular. He moaned and I swear something inside of me came undone; intense pleasure sent shockwaves to every nerve of my body. Suddenly everything went black.

o~O~o

Abe POV.

I sat on that rock for what must have been an hour. I know I should have been worried that my granddaughter was in a cave with a Strigoi. I know my Annemarie is capable of handling this. If she wasn't then the Council of the Pure would not have granted her request to be made ready sooner. Also they wouldn't have allowed her husband to cross her path yet.

For a while I heard the faint muffled sound of voices as they reverberated against the stone walls. I couldn't understand what they said but they had sounded friendly.

I have been around Wielders of Life and Death (or as Rose, prefers to call them Love Wielders) for a long time. I am familiar with the feeling of healing love being wielded near me. I smiled when I felt Healing Love flow around. It was when the feeling of passion infused itself with the healing love that I became concerned.

No man wants to acknowledge even the thought that his daughter or granddaughter may have lost their virginity. But the thought that my little Annie may be discovering the physical aspects of married life at this very moment is very disturbing. Oh my goodness I am going to kill my wife when I get home….. Annie told me not more than two and a half hours ago that Janine took her out of Health class because they were going to cover reproduction.

Poor Annie has had a very sheltered life. The movie's she has watched have all been PG; there are so many little ones in the house that Rose doesn't even watch anything else. Rose doesn't believe in letting the children watch television. So I know that Annie has most likely never been exposed to sex in the media. She has no friends in her classes because she is so different than her classmates. I don't think they know what to make of her so she probably hasn't been exposed to gossip from girlfriends. And my brilliant wife took her out of the class that would have given her some rudimentary instruction and explained that sex is how babies are made.

Yeva was the one to explain to me about the Marriage of the heart. Any Dhampir who is lucky enough to find their true soul mate has the ability to procreate with them even if they are both Dhampir. Rose has explained that all the love wielders of the past have become pregnant upon first coitus. (For some strange reason Rose herself didn't become pregnant for a few months but her theory is that Dimitri and she had held back a bit of themselves from each other and it wasn't till they pledged themselves to each other that she conceived.)

If my poor granddaughter gets impregnated today; before she even knows how babies are made; I am going to kill my wife. How dare she interfere in Annie's education? Especially since Rose herself had to have signed the consent form.

I waited outside. Part of me wanted to rush in and stop whatever might be taking place but the rest of me thought better of it. First of all I know I really don't want to see what I might see. I once walked in on Emma and Ben; Emma may not be my biological Granddaughter but the memory still haunts me two years later. The other reason I didn't interrupt them was because I know that whatever was happening was happening with Annie's full consent.

There was an almost electric charge in the magic being emitted from the cave then it suddenly went quiet. I cringed at the thought of what that could mean. I stayed on the rock for another half hour. Thank God that I had several layers of clothing on as well as the battery operated, heated socks and gloves that Yeva gave me for Christmas. Crazy old bat probably had a vision of me sitting on a rock in the snow for hours.

I figured they should be coming out of the cave soon but when the half hour passed and they still didn't emerge I decided to buck up and go in there. I had to crouch down to get through but I made it without having to crawl. I could see firelight coming from somewhere around the bend. When I got to it I saw a Dhampir man sleeping alone. In the dirt floor I could see footprints leading farther back in the cave. In an area farther back than the light from the fire reached I saw the outline of two bodies lying together on the ground.

I should hope that they would have had enough decency not to have consummated the Marriage Bond when there was an injured man sleeping nearby. I called out to her and received no response. After several more tries I gave up and approached them. To my dismay and relief they were in a state of half dress. Both were bare from the waist up but completely clothed from the belt down to shoes.

Annemarie was laying over him with her legs straddling him in a very intimate way. Her arms were trapped under their bodies and his were wrapped protectively around her. The bandage she had obviously been using to disguise her recently developing body was carelessly flung to the right side. Almost all the other clothing was spread around on the left. The boy's jacket seemed to have been set for a pillow but I could only assume their heads had missed the mark.

I tried to call out to both Annie and the young man but still got no response. I could hear their breathing and hearts beating. There isn't much I can do but wait for help. I know that Janine will probably send out the Guardians when were not home by breakfast. I had to lift them a little so that I could extract Annemarie's forearms and hands out from under him before they lose circulation. I next moved the folded jacket so that it cushioned the boy's head. Then I took her jacket and the sweaters and covered the young couple as best I could.

While trying to carefully extract Little Ones hands From under him I observed that they both had fresh fang marks on the left jugular. Well even if they didn't physically consummate the bond with intercourse they consummated the blood bond. There is no doubt in my mind that this young man and my granddaughter have already made the conscious choice to accept one another as husband and wife.

"Congratulations Little One, he is a handsome young man and if the way that he is holding you is any indication; than he already loves you. And you young man, you have a very special woman in your arms; take care of her and love her or you will be answering to me." I whispered to them before retreating back to the man by the fire. He was still sleeping and there was more than half of a good sized roast rabbet sitting close enough to the fire to keep warm but not enough to burn. I picked off a leg and ate it.

I stayed by the warm fire for a while before realizing I should go back out where My paranoid wife's search party can find me. Wanting something to do I picked up a piece of wood and searched my pockets for a knife to whittle but instead found one of Dimitri's western books. I donned my hat and gloves and went back outside. I don't know how many hours passed but the crunch of boots pulled me out of the book just as I was about to finish the fifth chapter.

o~O~o

Rose POV

It wasn't too long after Annemarie left that I heard her voice in my head. "Ok, send me spirit." I felt the energy change coming from Dimitri. I wasn't sure if he would be able to hear her, I have been trying to reach him through Dream Walk but the Spirit overload has kept his brain closed to me. It was a relief to know he could hear her call to him and respond to it. I know that neither one of them is used to channelling Spirit so I used my own ability to channel Spirit energy remotely and helped him channel his Spirit energy to Annemarie. After a moment I heard her in my head telling us to stop. I was worried for a moment but after a few minutes she called to us again asking for Spirit. This time I could feel a change in the flow of energy as if it were flowing freely instead of being pushed.

My daughter has used Healing Love many times; it was one of the first things she did even before walking. I had pricked my finger on her diaper pin on day and when she saw me wince and look at my finger she pulled my finger too her mouth and I thought she just wanted the blood that was dripping from it but when stuck it in her mouth I felt the familiar feeling of healing love swirl around us and the pain from the pinprick lessened. Since then she has been known to kiss many ouches, especially those of fellow novices. Lissa even shared with me the memory of her healing a burn that Dimitri got during his picnic with the kids.

I could only imagine how beautiful the love she is wielding right now feels. Part of me wishes I was there to share this moment with her but I am happy to be here aiding her father as he helps her.

I can already feel my husband come back to me as the excess of Spirit is drained away. His arm which I have been wrapping around myself is now holding me close to him. I can feel him bury his nose into the hair at the nape of my neck. If not for the fact that he was busy focusing on channelling Spirit to our daughter, am certain that he would be initiating more contact.

Once the connection to Annemarie came to an abrupt stop I knew she had done it. She has healed the man who will be the husband of her heart. I can't wait to meet him. If the Council of the Pure think he is good enough for my baby girl I know I he will be just right for her. I am not strong enough to go outside yet but I know Dimitri will soon fix that when he cures me of this cancer. I was distracted from any further thought by the velvety voice of my love.

"Roza" he whispered into my neck as he pulled me closer. "Roza you're really here with me. I thought I have been dreaming of you this whole time. I was worried that I would wake too late and you would be gone."

I rolled over so that I could face him.

"I am here Dimitri and I will stay with you till we are both ready to go home to God." I kissed him softly on his lips.

"Let me heal you now so that we can go see our Lady Bug."

"Dimitri do you know what has been happening?"

"I heard her ask me for spirit. Somehow I knew that even in the state I was in I would be able to send out spirit I just didn't know how to get it to her but I guess you must have helped me with that. Why did she need so much spirit; what did she do with it?"

"Our little girl grew up on us Dimitri. She found a way to communicate with a heavenly body of beings; called the Council of the Pure. They are the ones who oversee the Love Wielders. They make the rules and they are the ones who help us cross paths with our true soul mates. She made a request to the council; she feels she is ready to step up and take her place with her sister and me as a Love Wielder. She has been hiding the fact from Janine and Emma because she knows they are going to flip."

"Less than three months ago I found out I had a 6 year old daughter who; in all practical sense was 11 going on 12. I have missed out on her whole childhood. Now she has decided that she is ready to grow up and somehow found a way to do it. I am never going to get to be a father to her am I?" I cupped his cheek.

"You will always be her father. I didn't find my father until I was 18 and already expecting a baby but I look to him and need him just as much as I would if I had always had him in my life. She is always going to be your 'Ladybug' and you will always be her 'Woody'. Just like I am Abe's 'Little Girl' and he is my 'Old Man'." He mulled the thought over in his mind then his eyes grew large as if a frightening thought occurred to him.

"Roza, you didn't answer the question about needing Spirit. Is she already transforming Strigoi? She isn't out hunting with Emma is she?" His Eyes grew wider. "No. That can't be why because if that was the case she would be drawing energy from a pack and not from just a Spirit Wielder. Roza, did our daughter have a boyfriend that I didn't know about?"

"When Annie was still very little she told me about a soul that she could feel. She couldn't see it so we knew it wasn't a ghost. We thought that it was perhaps someone who was in a vegetative coma somewhere. She has felt the connection ever since. She would sometimes tell me that it must have been a very good person because the soul was so good. Recently the connection has grown stronger and they have been able to communicate on some level. He has come looking for her; he knew she could rid him of the Strigoi Demon that has trapped him."

"Him, this soul is he her hu, h hus husband?" I could only nod in reply. "I have to heal you so we can get to them." I felt bad that he missed out on so much with Annemarie. I could only hope that the secret I held will bring him some happiness. I could almost see him slip into doctor mode as he looked at me appraisingly.

"I can see the cancer; it is a shade of greenish brown." He lifted his hand to my face and began to trace my facial scars. "You're still beautiful to me." He closed his eyes and I could feel spirit energy but instead of feeling it radiate from the point of contact throughout my body, it was concentrated only where his fingers ghosted over my scar. I closed my eyes and lost myself to the beauty of it. He took hold of my hospital gown and tore it open and freed me of it completely.

Despite the serious subject regarding our daughter we talked about earlier or the gravity of my illness; I could feel the effect that my naked body had on Dimitri. After so many years of feeling hideous because of my scars; knowing that I was still able to cause this kind of reaction from Dimitri made me feel as if I am still beautiful. Unfortunately for him I don't think having an erection felt good with the catheter he had. I opened my eyes and caught him wincing and pulling it out. "Sorry Comrade." I reached out to touch him but he stopped me. "I'm not getting frisky, Comrade, just trying to take the pain away with my magic." He submitted but once I was done he made me lay back down so he could continue to heal me.

"Roza, I think you may have a mass in your abdomen. It is a little distended." Dimitri reached to touch my stomach but I put my hand in his way.

"Please my love, can we save the deeper stuff for last. I really want to be rid of all the scars." I knew that once he got a good look at what is going on in my belly he would be distracted and I would hate to have him pull his attention away once he saw my secret for himself. "As you wish." he replied using his favorite quote from the princess bride.

He continued healing the scars on my neck and chest. He then moved to my arms and chest. My legs were next starting from my feet up to the apex of my legs. His hands trembled with anger when he worked on the scars near, on and in my sex.

I could feel my health return to me with inch of healed flesh. I have been sick for so long now that it is almost shocking to feel this good and I know he is not fully finished.

Dimitri took a cleansing breath and placed his hands on my abdomen. I could feel that he worked first on the superficial layers of flesh and progressed deeper. I knew the moment that he realized the true nature of my secret. He pulled his concentration away from his hands and focused on my face.

"Roza?" he breathed softly. I gave him a smile. The next thing I knew he moved up to kiss me before refocusing on healing the scaring from my womb. I watched his face intently as he worked. Different emotions flickered on his face mirrored by the emotions I felt through our marital bond. He went from joyful to concerned, concerned to grieved and then hopeful. It was with the hopeful that I felt an extra boost of healing spirit. When he was done he moved back to kiss my lips tenderly.

"Roza, I have always wanted to be a father. When I was young I realized that it would most likely never happen. I knew that I wanted my children to be made with a woman I could give my whole heart to. Prior to meeting you; no woman ever caught my heart; not even close. When I met you my desire changed. All I wanted was to have you as mine and only mine. As you know that lead me to make the biggest mistake; leaving you pregnant and alone. My stupid mistake cost me time with you, and Annemarie. My not being here for you has cost us to lose Marianne. I don't deserve a second chance. I don't deserve your forgiveness. Whether or not I deserve it you have: forgiven me, taken me back and now I find out that you are giving me more children. Nothing I ever do will be able to show my gratitude but I will try; I will spend the rest of my life devoted to showing you and our children how much I love you."

"Children; I thought there was only one in there? I am happy to have twins again but pregnancy with multiples is hard; even for a Dhampir."

"Roza there are three in there."

Dimitri POV

I watch the look of amazement and worry that etch my Roza's eyes and smile. I wish I could tell her that all was well but I cannot lie to her. Two of the embryos were doing fine all on their own. They were identical twins, sharing one placenta but having separate amniotic sacs. Both were about the size of a grape; which is just about right for the number of weeks since Roza and I made love.

It was the third embryo that had me concerned. Its placenta was situated right over one of the scars. The coloring of the placenta itself held the sickening color of Roza's cancer as did the blood and flesh. Despite this the embryo was still alive. It was not as large as its siblings but the level of development was still there.

I didn't know what to do. I healed the scar beneath the placenta but I wasn't sure if I could remove the cancer from the placenta or the baby itself without killing it. I decided to try to heal the placenta but when I did the tiny life began to falter. I decided to let it be for now and vowed to keep an eye on it and heal what I could as the pregnancy continued.

I was thankful that I had taken an interest in foetal development back when Tasha was pregnant with Connor. I wish I had been here for Roza when she was pregnant with the girls but this time she won't be alone in this. I will be by her side for everything. Tasha had her own Gynecologist and gave birth in a hospital and though I had been in the room with her I didn't deliver him. If Roza was willing I want to be the one to take care of her and our babies and I want to be the one to help her bring them into the world.

Overwhelmed with love I kissed her. Sweet kisses opened themselves to more passionate ones. Roza was the one to set the pace; it was on fire with passion, fast and hard with her newfound strength and energy. Though cautious at first I gave as good as I got and in the end I had to smirk at the slightly bow legged gate that Roza used as she walked to the bathroom after.

It would take too much time to get released from the clinic so we just left after Maria Olendzki showed up with some clothing she had the foresight to bring. She told us that she had heard that Janine and Emma were freaking out because Abe and Annemarie had left for a walk at about 7 am and now at 2 in the afternoon they were still gone. Alberta was at the Cottage House trying to calm them down but it was a losing battle. We ran home just in time to tell the guardians to go back to whatever it was they were supposed to be doing. After that Rose turned to confront her mother and daughter.

"Mom, Emma, Dimitri and I know about the walk they took and he has my permission to take her wherever she wanted to go." Roza told them.

"Rose it has been seven hours. Anything could have happened. Emma has tried to reach Annie telepathically and she hasn't gotten any reply." Janine cried.

"Nothing bad has happened. I have been in communication with my daughter and I know they are fine. Honestly if I were her I would ignore the two of you too. From what I hear you both have been suffocating her since we left her in your care two months ago."

"We have to find them before night fall. Emma and I can go with Annie's guardians. Stay here with the kids and rest, Rose; we will take care of everything." Janine said as if she hadn't heard a thing Roza has said.

"ENOUGH!" Roza yelled, "Dimitri, compel them for me." This was the only thing I already knew how to do. Strigoi have no elemental ability but they can use compulsion and Adrian taught me how during my two months as a Strigoi.

"Emma, you will go home with Ben and you will stay there for the next two days." I focused my spirit at Emma and though she refused to look at me I could feel that she had fallen under my influence. Ben took her coat and helped her into it. He gave me a small smile and led her out the door.

"Janine, you will not leave this house nor will you call on anyone else to go searching. Annemarie is mine and Roza's daughter, we gave permission to her grandfather to go on an outing and now that we are feeling well we will be joining them. You will stay here and rest." Though I could feel her resist the compulsion with all her might she to fell victim to the power behind my Spirit. I could see why using it was considered wrong. There was one thing that her conscious mind picked up.

"Rosemarie, Dimitri, how is it that you are out of the clinic. Are you truly both ok?"

"Yes mom we are both very well. I can't explain what happened but just trust that we are good. Now please go to bed mom. Dimitri and I will go meet up with dad and Annie. We might be gone for a few days. I will call you if I need to but other than that I really need you to trust us and stay here so that we can spend some time with our little girl. I have missed her so much."

"Ok Rose. I will stay and take care of the children here. Are you taking Josh too?"

"Not this time. Her birthday is coming so this will be our special time with her I am going to send Dad back as soon as we meet up with them. Dimitri and I will do something special with my little man in March for his birthday."

o~O~o

I called Mikhail and asked him meet me at the carport in twenty minutes. Roza and I packed a bag for each of us and for Ladybug. We could have asked Guardians Lenin and Korev but I know that ladybug likes Mikhail and would be happier to trust him with her secret.

We used the fire access roads to drive around the outside of the school to the location Roza believed Annie would be found. She parked behind a gray Jeep Cherokee. After consulting a map of the area she led the way to the caves that we once suspected were used as the Strigoi lair before the attack on the school. Abe was sitting on a fallen log in front of an opening in the rock face; he was reading one of my books. The relief in his face was almost comical.

"Oh thank God it is you. I was afraid it was your mom and a battalion of Guardians." He chuckled. "I think your Kiz needs her mother, Dimitri can I speak with you for a moment. I stayed outside with him and Mikhail till Rose came out. Meanwhile he informed me of some of the things that have happened or not happened while we were out of commission. Roza would not be happy about what Emma and Janine have done but we are here now and we will help our daughter and her new husband.

Quiz.

How do you think Rose is going to react to the fact that Janine pulled Annemarie out of the sex ed class?

What do you think will happen to the third baby(the one with the contaminated placenta)?

What do you think will happen when Mikhail sees Matthew?

Please Review.

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Suzanna