Hi guys, I hope I didn't make you wait too long for this chapter. I loved all your reviews and the fact that so many of you are enjoying my story. I won't write too much so you guys can get straight to the story. The usual disclaimers apply and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 7

Rose's Point of View

I woke up to the sound of angry whispers. A female voice was insisting on something but the male voice was resisting her. I slowly opened my eyes. Ouch, the moonlight streaming through the windows hurt my eyes. It was a full moon, and whilst the eerie glow usually wouldn't bother me, for some reason, my eyes were stinging. Some bastard had forgotten to shut the curtains, what the hell. I tried to move but was aching everywhere. I let out a small groan. That seemed to catch everyone's attention.

'Rose! You're awake!' my eyes focused on Lissa. Her face was etched with worry and I could feel the anxiety and relief tumble off her through our bond.

'Where am I?' I asked groggily. My head throbbed as I attempted to sit up. Lissa quickly helped me. Dimitri was immediately by my side too. I stared at him as he helped prop me up. Why was he here? His handsome face looked pained and serious. He seemed to avoid making eye contact so I turned back to Lissa.

'You're in the hospital,' Lissa sobbed, 'Oh Rose, you should've left with us. I shouldn't have let you stay back and fight,'

What was she talking about?

And then, the memories of New Years Eve flooded back into my mind. I remembered Dimitri kissing me, then the Strigoi attack, then Adam… Oh my God. Adam. Did he…? Fear gripped my heart as the realization of the violation sank in. I felt my skin crawl. I wanted a shower. I wanted to scrub myself raw. Colour must have drained from my face because Lissa was soon shaking me, 'Rose, are you okay?'

'What… Did… Lissa…' I stammered, looking up at her, dreading the worst. I tried to recall whether it happened, but by some self-protective mechanism, my brain must have shut it out. I couldn't remember what Adam did to me. Tears started spilling over, 'Did… Did it happen?' I had to know.

Lissa looked like she was about to cry. She shook her head furiously as she blinked back her tears, 'No! We just got the all clear from the doctor earlier today. It didn't happen, oh thank God, it didn't happen,'

I breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling like all energy had been drained from me. I was okay. He didn't rape me. I broke down again. This time, out of relief, joy and the fact that I couldn't believe my luck. Damn, I was emotional. Lissa held me as I sobbed, 'What happened?'

'Dimitri went back for you,' Lissa said as she brushed my hair away from my eyes, 'He found you just before it was too late. You fainted just as he finished killing the Strigoi. He brought you back. Oh Rose, I was hysterical. I thought you were dead. Your dress… It was in tatters. I tried to heal you Rose, I tried but Dimitri kept stopping me,' she glared accusingly at him, 'You've been unconscious for just over 24 hours and Dimitri and I have kept a constant watch over you,'

I looked at him. He was avoiding my eyes again. 'Thank you,' I whispered softly, with all sincerity. I owed him so much. He came back for me. That's what Lissa said. He came back for me. 'Why?' I needed to know why he came back, why he went against Alberta's orders, if his reasons were what I hoped they were. I'm not the first Guardian to be taken down in battle. Orders were orders. You didn't go back for the fallen.

His head snapped around and for the first time since I woke up, he looked at me. It was more a glare. His handsome features were twisted into a nasty scowl.

'WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING TAKING ON STRIGOI LIKE THAT?' he bellowed.

I stared at him, suddenly angry. How dare he question my ability to fight Strigoi. I was as worthy of a Guardian for Lissa as anyone would ever be.

'Hey! I've killed Strigoi before. I can handle myself!'

'Oh? What part of RETREAT did you not understand?'

'HOW THE FUCK WAS I SUPPOSED TO RETREAT WHEN I COULDN'T GET AWAY?'

'STOP IT!' Lissa screamed, shoving Dimitri away from me. He glared at her. Wow, he's grown some balls. He would never glare at a Princess before.

'You!' she poked a finger at Dimitri's chest, 'You need to calm down. She just woke up and you want to scream the house down?! What the hell are you thinking?'

'And you!' she looked at me, 'You need to get some rest so stop yelling. This isn't good for you,'

'YOU SHOULD WEAR ONE OF THOSE MEDIEVAL UNDERWEARS, SO I CAN LOCK IT UP AND YOU WON'T EVER FIND YOURSELF IN THIS TYPE OF SITUATION AGAIN!' he bellowed at me, clearly ignoring Lissa's warning. I stared at him. I'd never seen him lose his temper like this. And what was his problem with my underwear?

Lissa was clearly pissed off now. She dragged him – yes, petite Lissa dragging a hulk of a man; it would've been comical if the situation wasn't so serious and I wasn't so angry at him – out of the room, all the while saying, 'You obviously need to get some rest. You've barely slept since you came back,'

She slammed the door shut and I heard her muffled pleas for him to get some rest.

'Lissa… How can I sleep when… Rose. She could've been…' he wasn't bellowing but he was obviously struggling with volume control. I heard Lissa try to shush him, something about it being a hospital and all.

'Lissa, I need to be around,' his voice was strained. I could only catch muffled parts of their conversation after that, something about staying and not disturbing me and me being fragile at the moment. Pft. I'm not fragile, I rolled my eyes and attempted to swing myself out of bed. Pain wracked through me and I froze. I've been through pain before, but never this much. I eased myself out of bed and towards the door. Every muscle ached with each step I took. I opened the door to see Lissa and Dimitri still arguing in the hallway.

'Okay, fine. You can – ' Lissa started when Dimitri saw me.

'YOU NEED TO GET BACK INTO BED!' he yelled. Lissa turned around immediately.

'Since when do I take orders from you?' I shot back cockily.

'SINCE ABOUT NOW!' he started towards me, but Lissa managed to just hold him back. Lissa looked pleadingly at me. Rose, please. I sighed resignedly and started to retreat back to my room, but not before shooting Dimitri one last murderous glare. Bastard. How dare he yell at me. Yeah okay, he saved my life, but seriously. What's with the yelling?

I eased myself back into bed. I inspected myself – my arms and legs were bruised and cut. The pain mustn't have registered in me when I was fighting Strigoi. I let my mind wander back to the dark haired Strigoi – Adam. I'll never forget his face. I shuddered involuntarily at the thought of how close I was to dying, to being raped. Raped. That word made me feel dirty inside again. I may not have been raped, but the memory of his touch still lingered on. Again, I felt a sudden need to claw at my skin, to scrub to myself clean. I hugged my knees to myself and started to rock. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the memory. I told myself to focus on the disinfected smell of hospital sheets, on the shuffling of feet just outside my room, on the moon shining through the window.

Suddenly, the door burst open and my mum bustled in, shouting, 'ROSE!'

She was beside me in a second, cradling me, stroking my hair, sobbing, 'Oh I'm so glad you're okay… Lissa – Lissa just called to tell me you're awake. We've been so worried!'

I smiled weakly at her, 'I'm okay mum,'

'Oh my baby… I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you,'

'Mum… It's not your fault. We didn't know it was going to happen. I'm okay. Really. I promise,' I tried to sound reassuring. My mum sobbed harder. I've never seen her break down like this. It was quite disconcerting. Everyone's going crazy around me – Dimitri losing his temper, Lissa being so assertive, and now my mum, the legendary Janine Hathaway, sobbing into my hair. I saw Lissa enter the room quietly. I flashed her a small smile and she returned it.

'Where's dad?' I asked my mum.

'He's parking the car,' Lissa answered, 'Everyone's here to see you but I can't let them in all at once. Doctor's orders too. So I've decided to take matters into my own hands. Only small groups allowed in each time. Dimitri has forbidden me to heal you with my Spirit, so I'm going to heal you the natural way – making sure you have lots of rest,'

My mum turned around and smiled gratefully at Lissa, 'Thank you so much for looking after her for me,'

'Rose has always defended me, always made sure I was safe, always protected me. It's my turn to do the same. She's my family too,' Lissa choked. It made me teary. I have the best friend in the entire world. Lissa saw my tears and she immediately pulled herself together, 'Okay, okay. No strong emotions. You need to rest,'

I laughed and cried at the same time, 'Lissa. I've been resting for ages. I'm sure I can get out of hospital today,'

'NO,' both Lissa and my mum exclaimed. I laughed, surrendering, 'Okay, okay, whatever you say,'

Mum stayed a bit longer before leaving. She said she didn't want to keep me to herself when there were so many people waiting to see me outside. Dad came in after her and looked like he was going to murder the hospital bed. His fists were clenched tight and he growled, 'If Dimitri hadn't already hacked that bastard to pieces, I would've made it my life's mission to hunt him down and dismember him,'

Wow. I live amongst violent men. 'Dad, it's okay. He's dead,' I smiled at him. It seems like I'll be doing a lot of comforting. He hugged me tightly and said gruffly, 'No one hurts my daughter without hell to pay,'

I smiled and hugged him back, 'I know Dad, I know'

Adrian, Christian, Eddie and Lissa came in next. I was so glad to see Eddie unharmed, despite a few cuts on his arm. Adrian rushed to my bed and I had never seen him so serious, 'I should have stayed with you,'

I had a feeling I was doomed to hear that statement, or derivatives of it, many more times over the course of the night. I smiled at him, 'You had to leave. Your life was worth more than mine,' I shrugged. It was a fact of life that I had come to accept. They came first. Morois were worth more than Dhampirs. We were replaceable. They weren't.

'Don't ever say that!' Adrian, Lissa and Christian shouted in unison. I looked at them all and started laughing. They were stunned for a second before joining me in laughter.

'Thanks guys,' I smiled, 'But really. I'm glad you're all safe. I heard one of the Strigois say that they didn't manage to capture any Morois. I was so relieved to hear that,'

'I can't believe you were still thinking of us when you were captured!' Lissa exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief, 'Don't you know anything about self-preservation?'

'Hey, I thought I was managing quite well until Alberta started screaming for everyone to retreat. I was caught off guard by a Strigoi. He was fast – faster than any Strigoi I'd ever met and before I knew it, I was surrounded by Strigoi. I couldn't escape,' I shuddered at the memory.

Adrian rubbed my back gently. Lissa's eyes widened and I could feel her fear pulsate through our bond.

'I guess, in a way, it was a good thing that the other Strigoi weren't interested in you. Otherwise…' Lissa shuddered at the thought of the possibility of them holding me captive, 'Dimitri… He might not have gotten to you in time otherwise,' she said quietly. We all fell silent as we all contemplated that possibility. My skin started to crawl again. Subconsciously, I started to claw at myself.

'Stop it,' Lissa grabbed onto my arms, 'Stop it,'

I looked at her and her crushing feelings of helplessness, fear and worry flooded me. 'You're safe now. We're not leaving you,' she was trying to be strong but I could sense her sorrow.

'This is disgusting,' Adrian suddenly exclaimed, standing up and in his frustration, started to pace the room, 'Dhampirs should not have to give up their lives for us. We can fight for ourselves. We have magic for fuck's sake. We could have easily outnumbered the Strigoi if all Morois practiced offensive magic and stayed and fought alongside Guardians. I am not letting this happen again,'

'I agree,' Lissa said softly, 'Too often, I've let Rose take the frontline and all I've ever done was run away. I want to learn how to use the magic. I want to learn offensive magic,'

'No, you ca-,' I started, concerned about her ability to control her powers. Healing already commanded an incredible amount of darkness in Lissa; I didn't want to contemplate the shadows that would engulf Lissa if she learned offensive magic.

'I will,' Lissa said with steely determination. She looked at me squarely in the eyes, 'Don't worry Rose. I know you're worried about the darkness. I'll learn to control it. There has to be a way. I'm sure someone has done it before. Australia holds the answer,'

'That's my girl,' Christian smiled at Lissa. I knew he was always pro offensive magic but isn't he aware of the blackness that comes with Spirit? 'I agree. It's about time Morois fought beside Guardians. Let them try and take us then!'

Eddie nodded, 'I agree. If Morois learned to use their magic to fight Strigoi, along with Guardians, they would be of no match to us,'

'Then it's set!' Adrian declared before returning to my side, 'I don't care what my aunt says, we're practicing offensive magic. The sooner we get to Australia, the quicker we'll learn more about it'. Then, turning to me, he said, 'I was so worried about you – I couldn't even walk your dreams to make sure you were okay,'

I smiled at him, 'I must have been out cold,'

'We thought you were dead,' Eddie offered, 'When Alberta called everyone to retreat, I was searching for you. There were so many Guardians. I finally found Dimitri and asked if he saw you. He didn't and when we realized that you weren't with one of us, Dimitri insisted on going back for you. Alberta and Stan held him back, saying it was too dangerous and that there were too many Strigoi. He was shouting for you and it took a few more Guardians to restrain him and drag him back to our villa, where they had quickly set up wards again. I don't think I've ever seen him lose control like that. He managed to sneak out when the other Guardians were tending to each other's wounds. I saw him and he told me he was going to go after you. That must be when he found you,'

Eddie stared out the window before continuing his story, 'When he brought you back, you were bruised everywhere. You were bleeding but worse of all, you had barely anything on,'

I winced at the memory. Adrian squeezed my hand in support. I silently thanked him for not cracking a joke. 'Lissa tried to heal you,' Christian continued, 'But Belikov stopped her, saying that there wouldn't be anyone to take away her darkness and that if you woke up, you wouldn't be strong enough to handle it, that it would crush you, especially because of how close you came to being… You know. He said you would have your own demons to battle. It wasn't easy trying to stop Lissa, I've never seen her so hysterical and upset,' he put a protective arm around her.

'We took you to the hospital and… Belikov wouldn't leave your side,' Adrian said darkly.

'He told us what happened,' Lissa said. I could tell she was struggling to keep her tears under control, 'I couldn't stop crying for you. We didn't know if … you know … if it happened. But we know now that it didn't. I was so relieved. Dimitri and I received the news this morning, and we couldn't stop crying,'

The idea of Dimitri crying shocked me. It took me a while to process everything – he came back for me, he was hysterical, he wouldn't leave my side, he cried… I meant a lot to him. I felt a tiny ray of hope light up in me but I quickly squashed it. It came as no surprise that I meant something to him. Yet, he still chose to be with Tasha. He's being sensible, I told myself. We would never have a future together anyway. He can have children with Tasha, and one day, maybe… I'll be able to have children with someone else. That way, it's for the greater good. There will be more Guardians. What's a few broken hearts when the greater good is at stake? A familiar ache started in my heart.

Lissa squeezed my hand. Through our bond, I knew that she knew what I was thinking. 'Come, we need to give her some rest,' Lissa started to usher everyone out of my room. She turned to me and said, 'I'm allowing one last visitor. And that's only because he saved you. I think you've had too much excitement for one day already. Everyone else will have to wait until tomorrow,'

My heart raced at the thought of seeing Dimitri again. He might yell at me again… As if reading my mind, Lissa reassured, 'I've given him specific instructions not to yell,'

I smiled at her. 'Why does he get time alone with her?' Adrian protested.

'Because he saved her,' Lissa said firmly and shoved him out of the door. I smiled at this new Lissa. I was usually the assertive, bossy one and look at me now, I'm bed ridden. It was a disgrace.

'Lissa,' I called out before she shut the door. She turned to look at me, 'Lissa, I'm sorry. I'll train harder to be a better Guardian for you,'

Lissa had a look of disbelief, 'Have I ever been hurt? Have I not always ended up safe? I cannot ask for a better Guardian Rose, so stop that. On the other hand, even Guardians need Guardian Angels,'

'But… What if next time…'

'No, Rose. You're more than just my Guardian. You're my best friend. Next time, we'll fight side by side,' Lissa looked determined. I could feel her excitement and anticipation. I let it go – for now. 'I'll go get him,' Lissa smiled and I felt my heart leap in anticipation.

I was staring out of the window when Dimitri walked in. I turned to look at him and smiled, deciding to extend an olive branch, 'Hey,'

He grunted a reply and sat in a chair beside my bed. He stared out the window, seemingly lost in his thoughts. He looked like he hadn't shaved or slept much. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was disheveled. He looked cute and without knowing what overcame me, I reached out to ruffle his hair. His head snapped around to look at me, possibly shocked at the sudden gesture. His eyes were troubled and pained. I smiled meekly at him and shrugged, trying to indicate that I was sorry for touching him and I didn't know what overcame me. He continued to stare at me. Was this guy going to talk or what?

'Cat got your tongue?' I asked cheekily, trying to lighten the mood. He shot me a look. Sheesh, someone was moody. A minute passed and he remained silent so I decided to break it, 'Thanks for coming back for me. Eddie told me what happened and I'm very grateful for what you did. You didn't have to risk your life for me but you did. I definitely owe you one…'

I took a deep breath, 'Lissa also told me how you've watched me for over 24 hours. Thank you for being so concerned about me. However… Please do not think that I'm any less of a Guardian for Lissa. I would never let her get hurt; I've always made sure she was safe. I'll train harder; I'll be a better Guardian. I'm sorry… If you felt that I let you down,' I didn't know why I felt like I had to justify myself to my former mentor. I felt like I had disappointed him. First losing concentration when I sparred with him a few days ago, and now, this.

'You should have left with Lissa,' he finally spoke, gruffly, still avoiding eye contact, 'You should always know where you charge is. Something could have happened to her and then what? Where would you be?'

I knew he was right but I also knew that Lissa would have been safe, 'Lissa was with Christian and Adrian. Adrian's Guardians could have easily protected her,'

'Three Royal Morois, amongst them, the last of the Dragomirs, and the potential heir to the throne… That would have been a Strigoi's dream catch,' he said vehemently, 'You never leave their side,'

'What about you? You stayed!' I was angry at him for criticizing my decisions. I knew that it was dangerous to leave Lissa, Adrian and Christian together. If something went wrong, it would all have been over.

'Tasha was there,' he said softly. I felt like I had been slapped in the face. How could I have forgotten? Tasha chose to practice offensive magic. I kept quiet and glared out of the window. We sat in silence again for another minute or two.

'I said I was sorry if I let you down,' I spat out, trying not to cry. I focused on a distant tree branch and willed myself to keep my emotions in check.

'Yeah, well. Try not to do it again,' he said angrily, confirming my fears. Angry tears threatened to spill over but I blinked them away furiously. I refused to let him see me cry again, I refused to let him think I was weak. I hated that I always sought his approval. I hated that his praise would send me soaring and his disapproval broke me.

Any hopes I had of him confessing his feelings for me shattered. He kissed me on New Year's Eve possibly because he was drunk. He rescued me possibly because Lissa's heart would break if anything happened to me and since she's going to be Tasha's niece-in-law, it was probably a favour for Tasha. Again Hathaway, I scolded myself. You've let him fool you again. I challenged anyone to be more pathetic than I was.

The nervous excitement I felt before quickly dissipated. Sure, I was more than grateful that he saved my life, but at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be far away from him – far enough to not see him, hear him, smell him, feel him. His presence served as a reminder of how out of reach he was to me, how distant and unattainable. It was agonizing to think that he only kissed me because he was drunk. Lissa said he cried, but I was pretty sure then that it was merely out of relief and concern for an old acquaintance, a previous student – nothing more, nothing less.

'I'm tired,' I announced, easing my head onto the pillow, turning my back to him. Pain wracked through me, but the physical pain couldn't compare to the pain inside my heart. I was seriously messed up. And yet, lying there, all I could think of was how devastatingly close he was to me. I could feel his eyes bore into my back, as if mentally undressing me. The thought gave me shivers in places of my body that I never thought was possible. And at the same time, the same thought plunged me into the hells of my own misery.

I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep, making sure my breathing was controlled so he would suspect nothing. A single tear drop fell on my pillow. I heard him stand up.

'Rest well,' he said, before walking out of the room. I then let the tears fall freely. I was alive and well, but I had never felt less so.

Dimitri's Point of View

I stood up from the chair and stared at Rose's back. My heart was aching in so many places I had stopped keeping count. I saw her try to suppress a shudder. I wasn't sure if she was wincing from the physical pain or whether she was trying to control a sob. She had looked at me expectantly when I walked in. I knew she was waiting for me to explain myself, explain why I kissed, why I went back for her. The answer should be more than obvious, I'm sure she knew why; she was just waiting for me to confirm it.

For a minute, I imagined myself holding her, telling her that I would lay my life down to protect her any day. For a second, I wished I was kissing her, professing my love for her. Then, the memories of New Years Eve would engulf me and I would once again be reminded of Alex's mission. Foolishly, I had led her out on the balcony, wanting to tell her how much I loved her, but now I realize that proclaiming my love for Rose would only put her in danger; it would make her an instant target. I wasn't sure how, but Alex was always watching me. Somehow, he knew my every move. By sheer luck, he decided to show no interest in Rose last night, leaving her with Adam. I must have played my part well, for I had successfully convinced Alex that Rose was nothing to me. He wouldn't have left her alone otherwise. I shuddered at the thought as I relived how close I came to losing her.

I was brought back to the present by the sound of Rose's controlled breathing. I knew she was trying not to cry. My heart strings tugged painfully and I felt like breaking down myself so I said, 'Rest well,' instead. Once again, I had to pretend that I didn't care. Once again, there was nothing I could do about the dull ache within my chest.

As long as she was alive and safe, it didn't matter if our hearts were broken. If staying away from her would keep her safe, it didn't matter if I was doomed to be forever empty inside. Her heart may be broken, but hearts mend, I tried to convince myself. A broken heart is better than a broken soul.

A little mysterious I know, but I felt that I had to write Dimitri's PoV, just to redeem him a little. All will be explained soon. I hope this chapter tugged at your heartstrings a little. I know the past few chapters have been a little on the sad/heavy side, but that makes their reunion sweeter no? I hope you're still enjoying it anyway.
I hope the pace at which everything is progressing is okay with you guys. If you'd like things to speed up/slow down, please let me know. At the moment, I'm trying to merge chapters together (you get to read longer chapters – yay) so I get them to Australia asap. Until my next upload, take care. x