Sorry for delay – my internet went last night and I couldn't upload! So here it is :)

Chapter 16

Neither Victor nor Robert said a word while we were waiting for Sydney to return with Rose. Nor did I.

Rose walked into the room what felt like hours later, though it could only have been minutes. I felt relieved at having someone else there who was capable of defending should the need arise.

She looked better than she had earlier. But still not herself. She wasn't as pale and the gash on her forehead was clean and looked like it was already starting to heal. Plus the bags under her eyes weren't as obvious. She still grabbed the attention of the room when she walked in.

"So," Rose stated confidently, her hands on her hips; something I had loved about her. No matter what situation, she made herself seem so unbothered and nonchalant. It made the strength inside her shine through.

"There's one lake in this town," Victor replied cockily. "One blue house. Maybe you had trouble with those directions, but for the rest of us, it wasn't that difficult."

"Well, if you're so smart, what's your plan now?" Rose asked him.

"Since you're so smart," Victor mimicked her words. "I assumed you'd have already obtained the needed information."

"She's not exactly forthcoming." Rose said and gestured towards Sonya, still trapped in the chair.

"Sonya Karp." Victor's eyes landed on Sonya. "You've changed since I last saw you."

"I'm going to kill you all," Sonya snarled in reply. "And consume you one by one. Normally, I'd start with the human and work up to the Moroi, but…" she looked from me to Rose. "I think I'll save you two for last and drag out your suffering. You've annoyed me the most."

"Do all Strigoi go through some boot camp and learn all the same threats?" Rose retorted. "It's a wonder you don't cackle too."

She turned and faced Victor once again.

"See? Not that easy. We've tried everything. Beating it out, torturing it out. Sydney went through the names of all her relatives. No reaction."

Victor turned to look at Sydney.

"So," he started. "You're the pet Alchemist."

I hated the way he talked about her like she was some sort of animal.

"Young," Victor continued studying her like a cow at a fair. "But of course she would be. I imagine it's the only way you could manipulate her into this little escapade."

"I'm here by choice." Sydney stated calmly, but confidently. "No one manipulated me."

"Look," Rose snapped and Victor's attention returned to her. "If you wanted to keep torturing me with your not-funny comments, you could have just kept invading my dreams. If you don't have anything useful to offer, then get out of here and let us wait until hunger weakens Sonya."

"We can help." He replied and touched his brothers arm. "Your methods were destined to fail. If you want answers, there's only one way to – "

I realised as he was speaking that I had momentarily let my attention go from Sonya to listen to Victor Dashkov.

Sonya made her move.

She bucked up from the chair, effectively snapping the chain in at least two places. Rose ran to my side to help keep her down. Both of us were on her in a second, trying our hardest to keep her restrained.

I raked the stake I was still holding across her skin to distract her from trying to break free and let us get her under control. She screamed at us and struggled harder.

"No!" Rose shouted suddenly. "Don't kill her!"

I turned, thinking that she had been talking to me and had thought that I was about to kill Sonya. But then I saw movement. By the time my mind had registered what was happening, Robert Doru had reached us and plunged the silver stake in his hand through Sonya Karp's chest.

Sonya's scream was louder than before and less angry. It was full of pain. A blinding white light suddenly filled the room and there was nothing else I could see. I felt as though I was being filled with this beautiful happiness. This magic that made everything feel like it was going to be okay.

I felt a force pushing me back, and I let it.

Suddenly, everything stopped.

Everything was silent as my eyes readjusted to normal light. I studied the scene before me.

I realised that I was half sitting on the floor so I got up, noticing Rose was doing the same. Robert was lying on the floor, looking like he had passed out and Victor was by his side. Sydney stood frozen, just looking in shock at something in front of her.

I turned and felt the shock course through my body as I looked at Sonya Karp.

"Unbelievable." I heard Rose's soft voice whisper.

Sonya was sitting in the armchair, alive. Her skin no longer a deathly pale. Her eyes no longer a bloody red. My mind was immediately transported back to the day that Lissa had pushed that stake through my chest. I remembered the pain. I remembered the grief.

Why had I felt that and not Sonya? She just sat there, staring at the stake in her lap.

Then she started screaming.

As in wailing.

I ran to her, dropping my stake in the process, physically feeling the pain she was feeling. Remembering it. I wanted to comfort her. I needed to. It was almost unbearable to me to know that there was another person who was feeling what I had felt when I had been changed back.

I began ripping at the already broken chains, freeing her. She tried to struggle away from me but I didn't let her. As soon as I had the chains off, I pulled her to me. She gave in and sobbed mercilessly into my chest and I let her.

"What are you doing?" I heard Sydney's voice exclaim. It sounded far away. "Don't release her!"

"It's okay. It's okay." I heard Rose calming Sydney. It made me realise that I was not the only one here that had been involved in a miracle like this.

It was because of Rose that I was alive again.

No she had not physically changed me back. She hadn't been the one to put the charmed stake through my heart…except that she had.

She made all of this possible.

She had saved me.

"It's what happened to Dimitri. Exactly the same." Rose said to Sydney.

Victor's voice snapped me out of my revelation.

"What, no witty quips now? You should be happy. We've given you what you wanted. You need answers from Sonya Karp? Go get them."

"No!" I shouted at him, pulling Sonya close to me. I had this need to protect her. It was strange, but I felt as though if I could shield Sonya from even the slightest bit of pain, then I would protect myself from that same pain. If I could comfort her and let her know that I knew exactly what she was feeling, I would at least be doing some good in the world. I never wanted anyone to go through what I had gone through.

"Are you crazy?" I said to Victor. "Didn't you see what just happened?"

"Yes. I noticed." He replied.

"She's in no condition to answer anything. She's in shock. Leave her alone." I warned.

"Don't act like she'd the one who'd suffering here," Victor snapped. I realised that his brother was still only semi-conscious. I didn't care.

"You'll be alright." He said to his brother, helping him to the couch.

"Will he be?" Rose asked. "He…he did it before and recovered, right? And Lissa's fine."

"Robert was much younger – as is Vasilisa," Victor replied. "And this is hardly a simple spell. Doing it even once is monumental. Twice? Well you and I both know how spirit works, and this feat takes a toll on both body and mind." I tuned out, focusing my attention where it was needed.

Sonya was still sobbing into my chest and I cradled her close. She looked exhausted.

I stood up, not caring if I was interrupting anyone.

"She needs to rest," I said, my tone letting them know that it was not something to be argued with. I knew better than anyone what she needed. "Believe me, you have no idea what's going on inside her right now."

"Oh, I believe you," Rose answered.

"You're idiots, both of you." Victor snapped at us.

I glared at him. "No interrogation yet."

I saw Rose nod and agree with me.

I left the room and entered a small bedroom.

I gently lay her down on the quilt and just let her continue to cry.

I could exhaustion in her face and soon enough, she had cried herself to sleep while I sat beside her, murmuring comforting words in Russian.

When she was asleep, I stood up and walked back out to where the others were.

When I reached the living room, I saw Rose leaning heavily against the wall and Sydney stood near her. I glanced and saw Robert asleep on the couch.

"She's sleeping too," I notified Rose and Sydney. The transformation…it's difficult." I struggled to find the right words to tell them. I was still thinking about my own transformation and the overpowering feelings of every bad evil thing I had done pushed themselves on me.

"I don't think we should leave Sonya alone," Rose said. "Someone should stay with her in case she wakes up. She won't know what's going on."

I could sense that there was something else on her mind. I gave up trying to figure it out and agreed with her.

"You're right. Do you mind sitting with her?" I asked Sydney. It was wrong, but I felt this need to just be near Rose right now. She was the only one who understood. The only one who had been there when I had been changed. Plus I wanted to talk to her. To ask her about my own transformation. What had it looked like to her?

"She doesn't know me. It might makes things worse when she wakes up. Besides…I don't really feel that comfortable with someone who was a monster five minutes ago." Sydney said.

"She's not Strigoi," I exclaimed, feeling defensive. "She's absolutely, completely Moroi again!"

I realised by her expression that my voice may have been a little harsh. After all, it wasn't her fault. She had never experienced anything like this before.

"I know it's hard to believe," I said, softening my voice. "But she really has changed."

"I'll stay with her then," Rose said.

"No, no. Sydney's right about one thing," I told her. "Sonya might be confused. It's better if someone's there who understands what's happened."

Rose looked like she was about to argue but let it go. I saw her briefly glance in the Dashkov brother's direction.

I leaned in close to her so that they wouldn't hear.
"Keep an eye on them," I whispered. "Robert's down right now but might recover sooner than we think."

"I know," she replied.

I started to walk away but I couldn't without asking her first.

"Rose?" I asked and turned around.

"Yeah?" She looked up at me with a tired soft expression.

"That…" I struggled a little to find the right words. "was that what it was like when Lissa changed me?"

"More or less." She answered me.

"I didn't realise…it was…" I had always considered my transformation one of the worst moments of my life – all the pain it caused had been unbearable. It was now that I realised that it was actually probably one of best things that had ever happened to me. And whatever pain I had felt since then had lessened a great deal since talking to Rose the other night.

I tried again.

"The way that light filled the room, the way she changed. Seeing that life emerge from death…it was…"

"Beautiful?" Rose supplied.

I nodded agreeing. Somehow, 'beautiful' didn't seem like enough.

It was…a miracle.

"Life like that…you don't – no, you can't waste it."

"No," Rose said quietly. "You can't."

Saying it out loud, it finally seemed it hit me.

I had spent weeks, sulking over the fact that I had been changed, when I should have been embracing the fact that I have been given a second chance at life.

I walked back down the hall towards Sonya. I didn't want her to make the same mistake I had. I needed her to know that she mustn't waste her life, she should celebrate it.

I opened Sonya's door and saw she was still asleep. Looking at her clearly Moroi features, I was reminded once again of this miracle and that Rose had been right all along.

I closed the door gently behind me and sat on a small chair by the bed.

I sat there for hours, thinking and watching Sonya sleep – just waiting for her to wake up.

A/N: I really hope you guys think that I'm doing Dimitri's POV justice. Thank you to everyone who liked what I'm doing and let me know – it really just completely brightens my day :)