Here is the next two chapters, took me a little longer to write these ones.

I follow the standard Disclaimer, I own nothing except for that I write.

Thanks to Uchiha Sophitia for giving me a few grammar tips and helping me with the plot a bit.

Hope you all enjoy, and I hope you all continue to read and enjoy my stories!

Chapter Two - Shadows Gather

Shortly after classes had ended, I decided to go see Lissa, since I hadn't seen her for three or four days, and she had been in her room the whole time. She had moved into the guardians building since we returned from the Court, there were a few spare rooms there that were used either for storage or guests, and one of them in particular she liked. It was small and built into a corner of the building, so it was quiet and secluded, perfect for her, especially since she had been so distressed after Adrian and Christian had died. When I approached, I expected to hear something, but I heard nothing. I knocked on the door, no answer. I knocked again, and heard what sounded like soft sobbing. I opened the door and saw Lissa lying on the bed with her face buried in a pillow, she had been trying to muffle the sound of her crying with it.

"Lissa, are you alright?", I asked softly. As I moved towards her, she stopped crying and choked back a few sobs.

She lifted her head and looked at me, "No, I'm not. Without the bond, the shadows are with me, I can't handle them."

I moved over to her and took her in my arms. I whispered softly, "Don't worry, it will be fine, we will save Rose, she will be with us again someday. Nothing will happen to you, because I am here, and I would die to save you, just as I would for Rose."

She looked up curiously and asked, "I understand that you would do it for Rose, but why me? You don't love me the way you do her."

I sighed, "No. But I am a Guardian, you are my charge, I am bound to protect you, no matter what the cost. Even if that cost is my death."

"I am amazed that you would do that for me, even with your position. Is there anything I can do to repay you for that loyalty?"

"Oh, no. I have everything I need already, and I don't need anything else." I went to leave, but she tugged at my arm, I turned around and she looked me in the eyes.

" Well, could you do something for me?" I wanted to leave, but she looked so sweet, and hurt, I couldn't do that to her.

"Well, what would you like Princess?", I asked in a soft tone.

She leaned forward and kissed me.

"I need someone to love me, someone to hold me. I have felt so alone recently, with Rose, Adrian and Christian gone. I need someone who can help me with the shadows."

I knew this was wrong, but she had a point, she was lonely, it was only hurting her. Until we got Rose back, I needed to help her through her suffering.

"I don't have a bond with you, I cannot take your shadows, or the effects they bring."

She looked at me and whispered, "No, but you can help me soften their effects. When Rose was gone, she stopped taking the shadows, but knowing that Adrian and Christian were here, and cared about me. It helped, not as much as taking them completely, but the comfort helped."

She began to sob and I took her in my arms again, "Alright Lissa, I will help you.", I whispered softly. I kissed her lightly on the forehead and lay her down on the bed, I stood up and said in a quiet voice, "I will be back later, I have things to take care of. You just try and rest, please."

She smiled and said back, "Thank you, I have a lot to do too though, but I will be waiting."

As I left the room, I wondered how I was going to fulfill my Guardian duties and help Lissa through her suffering. One thing was for sure though, we needed to take Rose out of the picture, kill her or turn her back, it didn't matter.

We needed to end this.

Chapter Three - Unexpected Visit

A few weeks had passed since the houses in the Rocky Mountains had stopped reporting, a scout team was sent, and reported another massacre. Just like every other attack, most of the bodies were Moroi, with few Guardians left. I helped comfort Lissa every two or three days, and she thanked me with a kiss here and a hug there, it was actually rather sweet.

I hadn't received a "package" from Rose about the Colorado attack yet, and I was wondering if I would get one, I did. Instead of something violent or graphic, I recieved a letter, it read:

My Dearest Dimitri,

Meet me outside of the wards of St. Vladimir's by the cabin with Lissa on Friday, after your classes are over. I will be waiting, and Stalkers will be watching. I will trust you not to bring Guardians, and I will not bring any Royal Guardsmen with me. Fail to meet me, or meet me with Guardians, I will run, and return with troops within 48 hours. It would be such a shame to have to shut down St. Vlad's so soon, but it will be up to you.

Eternally Damned,

Queen Rosemarie Hathaway-Sivrisko

P.S. - Sarojev and I were married last week. A girl has to move on some time....

It took me a few minutes to realize Sarojev must have been the odd looking Dhampir I had been seeing in memories. He must be her second in command. If we kill her, I realized, it may not be enough. A Strigoi immune to sunlight would be a very dangerous thing.

I went to see Lissa again, she was laying in bed, watching TV when I got there, and I hugged her and told her the news. "Rose wants us to meet her outside the wards tomorrow after classes.

Lissa, understandably, looked shocked, "What?!? How do we know it isn't an ambush?"

I sighed, "She said if we don't go to meet her, she will return to St. Vladimir's within two days with an attack group. We could never evacuate in that short timespan."

She looked very scared now, "Well, I suppose we have no choice. Even if we are taken, it may save the school for a time."

We decided to go, but make sure I kept my emergency radio on me, it could trigger an automatic distress call at the press of a button, and we could probably use it if it was indeed a trap.

We left immediately after classes ended, this way we would be there and back before anyone noticed. As we neared the cabin, I remembered the night me and Rose had been here, the night this whole mess really started. As we approached, I smelled something vaguely familiar, it was the smell of cloves. I remembered Adrian had smoked clove cigarettes, but he was dead, then I suddenly remembered, Rose had started smoking them shortly after she killed him.

"My sweet Dimka and his charge the Princess Dragomir. So nice you could meet me here.", Rose spoke in a cool, collective tone, she inhaled from the cigarette again, then dropped it and stomped it with her foot. She took a step towards us, and I got ready to fight, but noticed the sword on her back and realized it would be a useless fight, so I just stood there.

After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again, "What, don't feel like talking, I risk my life to come out here, and you decide to stay silent. I hope the students you are training are as effective as you are in combat, otherwise my army will have no true competition."

I was curious as to how she knew I was teaching, but I decided to speak up, "I am training them as well as I did you. So they would be quite an even match."

She laughed with a tone so remorseless and cold it made Lissa shudder, "Even match? I have the same training as them for starters, I also have several sneaky combat tricks as well as the fact I have become an accomplished swordsmen, well, with kanatas anyways." She unsheathed the sword on her back and twirled it a few times before lunging out and pinning me to a tree with her free arm. "Is this an even match little Dimka? If not, they stand no chance." She lowered her arm and put the sword back.

"Do you ever wish you were your old self again? I mean, what is life like now?", Lissa spoke in a quiet but obviously curious tone.

Rose smiled, "I would wish I could live this way forever, but I already can. I feel amazing, my senses, my sight, it is transcendant. I wish you knew what it was like, but you will never feel this way. Ever.

The emphasis Rose put on the "ever" in the sentence meant one thing, Rose would kill her before she would awaken her. I decided to ask her one last question before leaving.

"So, Rose, how is married life? How's your husband."

She looked at me with another smile, "Amazing. He does things with me you never would, including commit and marry me. He has also been leading the others amazingly well, he has a level of natural charisma that is even greater then Lissa's. Everyone loves his speeches."

I decided that it was time to leave. "Come on Lissa, we need to get back, before the others start worrying."

"Nobody would worry about you Dimitri, nobody truly cares about you, well, except for Lissa."

She knew! But how?

"Wait, how do you know about that?"

She laughed, "Dimirti, Dimitri. I have my sources. Now, I must leave, I have business to attend to. Farewell, for now." She lit another cigarette and walked away.