Disclaimer: I do not own VA or Twilight or their characters.

Chapter 7

Dimitri POV

We were off the jet as soon as it landed and we went towards the castle. Christian and Eddie split from us and went to find Lissa while the rest of us entered the castle. We followed the long corridors and we were running through when someone impacted with me as they came around the corner. The small figure fell backwards from the impact and I recognized the person immediately. Her eyes met mine and I saw relief in them at the sight before her. My Roza was the same as the last time I saw her. I breathed a sigh of relief as I took in every inch of her appearance. She jumped up from her seated position where she landed on the floor and flung herself at me. If the situation wasn't so serious, it would have been laughable that the badass Rose Hathaway was so happy to see us. I held her as tightly as she held onto me, but our reunion was cut short when we heard footsteps running down the hallway ahead of us. I gripped her tightly and looked where she had come to see several hooded figures coming our way. The Cullen's and the Denali's engaged the figures while Rose and I fled out of the castle. Sure I hated to leave them without helping in their fight, but what could we do? I knew that there was no fighting these vampires as they were stronger than the Strigoi. Once we were outside in the sun, we went in search of Eddie, Lissa and Christian.

Edward POV

I was glad to see that Rose had escaped Aro's plan. I didn't know how, but that question could be asked later. Several of the Volturi guard came down the hall and we engaged them while Dimitri left with Rose. We fended them off rather easily and since Bella was shielding our minds Jane and Alec didn't affect us. Several of the guard were killed by the time Aro, Marcus and Caius arrived in the corridor.

"Cullen's why have you devastated my guard? There was no reason for this surely." Aro said. Why did he think he could play dumb with us?

"Aro, we know you want Rose taking her from her bed and forcing her to turn aren't the way to do it." Carlisle stated. "Rose will go back home with us Aro. Leave her alone and remember that your guard members would still be alive if you had just let us be." We left Volterra as quickly as we could. Lissa and Rose had been missing several days and I suspected from the look of these two that they weren't fed during their stay. Dimitri brought Rose and Lissa some food and they ate like they were indeed starved.

Finally we made it back to our homes and Carlisle insisted that they all stay here with us. I had to say that I agreed base on the events of the last several days. Rose slept through the entire flight with the exception of when she was eating. When we made it home, Dimitri carried Rose Upstairs to one of the rooms and Lissa went to another with Christian. Lissa was fairing much better since Rose had fed her while they were captive. I feared that the addiction Rose might have to the bites would be an obstacle for her, but only time will tell.

Rose POV

I finally woke up enough to know where I was. I was in an unfamiliar bedroom and fear gripped me until I realized that Dimitri was right beside me, sleeping soundly. I don't know how long I had slept, but now I was wide awake. I slipped out of bed and went downstairs. As I entered the living room someone crushed me in a hug. I recognized the height and the blonde hair. Rosalie pulled away and looked me over. We had gotten really close over the time we were here. No one would take the place of my old friends, but it was nice having Rosalie since her personality was similar to mine. I laughed at her since it wasn't a natural thing for her to run up and hug someone. I was wondering vaguely if Hell was freezing over.

"I am so glad that we got you out of there before Aro could turn you. How in the world did you manage to escape from them anyway?" She asked. I smiled.

"I'm Rose Hathaway, badass guardian and master escape artist didn't you know that Rosalie?" I attempted to raise an eyebrow but both rose without my consent. She smiled at my answer and sent a playful punch to my left arm. "Seriously it was close. I pushed Aro away at the last minute and the darkness sort of took over from there with a little help from the ghosts. After that I just ran like hell until I bumped into you guys, quite literally I might add." I sighed. "It really was too close for my liking." Jasper came up beside me with Alice and they both hugged me. Emmet, Edward and Bella followed. Surprisingly even Jacob and Renesmee came up, hugging me tightly. Carlisle and Esme were the last. All of the other Damphirs and Moroi were sleeping right now. Carlisle gave me a fatherly hug and Esme followed. Esme reminded me a great deal of Olena with her kind features and her fierce protectiveness of her family. I smiled at all of them.

"Thanks you guys. I'll admit that being one of your family might not be such a bad thing, but I would never want to be a part of the Volturi guard. They are all crazy and power hungry. Please tell me that you guys took care of them. Sure I hate to see anyone killed but they truly can't be stopped unless they are dead."

"Yeah Rosie we took out the witch twins and some of the other guard members they sent out. You should have seen the look on Aro's face when half his guard was gone." Emmet said laughing. I growled at the Rosie reference while he just grinned. I didn't even bother with threatening him right now. I was hungry and as if on cue my stomach growled loudly, causing them all to laugh. Esme wrapped her arm around me and led me towards the kitchen where I was surprised to see several vampires that I didn't know. I tensed and Esme tried to calm me. Their eyes were like the Cullen's but they were still strangers to me.

"Rose these are our cousins the Denali clan. They are here because they assisted us with the Volturi and getting you back safely." Esme said. There were three women, one looked slightly older than the other two. There was only a single male in the group and he stayed close to the older female. The male stood with a broad smile as I relaxed a little. Esme left my side briefly saying she would fix something for me to eat. The man approached and I tensed again. He noticed and looked apologetic. I smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry. It's just an instinct I've always had and after the last few days it's kind of amplified. Thank you for helping the Cullen's and me. I don't know much about the Volturi, except that you all took a risk standing against them." I said to him and Held out my hand for a proper introduction. "I'm Rose."

"My name is Eleazar and this is my wife Carmen. This is Tanya and Kate." He said and I smiled politely at them. Esme made something to eat and I sat with them and talked for a while. Once I was finished, I stood and went to the sink with my plate. I walked out to the back patio as another figure was coming in and I tensed. I hadn't met this person so naturally I was wary of him. Jasper saved me from attacking the unknown person and I finally relaxed just a little.

"Rose this is Garret. He is part of the Denali clan and Kate's mate. He won't hurt you." Jasper said as he calmed me.

"Sorry Garret. I'm sure that you understand my reaction given the circumstances of the last several days." I said to him and he nodded smiling slightly.

"Rose don't worry, they will be here when we get back from classes today and we can all sit down and talk." Jasper assured me. Great more talking. Who needs therapists when the house is full of them? I groaned as they smiled slightly at me. Edward looked like he was trying to keep from laughing out loud at my thoughts. He sent me a grin and I rolled my eyes.

The sun was starting to come up and it was time for us to return to school. I groaned at the thought but went upstairs to shower and wake Dimitri. When I got Dimitri up, I asked him to go over to the house and get me some clothes so I could shower. He smiled and kissed me before he and Eddie left to get us some clothes for school. When Dimitri returned I showered, letting the warm water relax my muscles. I got out quickly and dressed for the day. I was happy that Dimitri remembered to bring our things we were required to carry to class. I strapped my stake to my thigh under the skirt that I wore today. I smiled at the thought of all the humans on campus eyeing me today as we walked through the common areas of the campus to our classes. We had missed a few days due to the events of the last few days, but we would easily catch up.

School was awful and lunch was even worse. Everyone watched me in concern and I wondered what that was all about. Yeah I had been kidnapped, drugged and almost turned, starved and things like that, but why were they all sitting there like that, waiting for me to crack? I had been a little tense this morning but hell who wouldn't?

"All right guys, I understand that you are concerned but is it really necessary to stare, waiting for me to crack?" I said and they seemed to snap out of it a little bit.

"They are just concerned for you Rose just like we are." Eddie said.

"I know Eddie but I feel like some science experiment when you are all staring at me like that." They all smiled apologetically and when lunch was over, we endured several more classes before we were finally released from the torture of school. I really didn't understand why Lissa needed college anyway, but she loved it and I held back my complaints for her benefit. When we got back to the Cullen home, Dimitri and Eddie went with Christian over to the house to get some of our things and had them brought here. I went downstairs to vent my frustrations on the punching bags. I was vaguely aware that someone was watching me pummel the bag. As I lost myself in the workout, I momentarily forgot that someone else was here with me. I decided that I had enough punching and kicking the bag and I wanted to spar. I turned to find that Garret was watching with Kate and they wore broad smiles until they saw the blood on my hands from where I was punching the bag. Their eyes widened a little but they didn't move. I went to the small sink and washed away the blood. I wrapped my hands after the bleeding stopped and when I looked again they were still there, but looked a little more relaxed. As we walked back upstairs, they explained that Garret hadn't been on the 'vegetarian' diet as long as the others had. They apologized profusely but I waved it off, since nothing happened and it was over now. They smiled in thanks and as we entered the living room, of course Lissa noticed my hands.

"Rose why do you do this to yourself?" She asked.

"Liss I just get a little carried away that's all. I don't do this purposely, especially in a house full of vampires." I said. She healed my hands and the Denali's were amazed. I had forgotten that they weren't aware of her abilities. They fit in so well it was strange to think they weren't always here. "Dimitri, Eddie you guys want to go to the field and spar for a while?" I asked.

"Yeah I guess, won't be much of a challenge for you since you've already beaten us both numerous times." Eddie said. When Lissa was finished healing me, I took the wraps off and noticed there was a tiny scar on my wrist. I studied it, knowing that I was never there before. I flipped through my thoughts, trying to figure out where it had come from but came up with nothing. Suddenly it clicked, this was the wrist that came so close to being bitten by Aro and I hadn't realized just how close.

"Carlisle, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked and he nodded. Once we were away from the others I showed him the scar and he looked puzzled. "I wanted to know if this would have any effect on me. I don't feel any different but I wanted to be sure. Either way it is a reminder of how close I came to being bitten." I said.

"Honestly Rose I am surprised you didn't feel any different. Others have been changed with wounds similar to this. You are either very special, or very lucky." He said. I smiled.

"Considering my 'luck' lately, I'll go with special." I said and he chuckled lightly but turned serious again.

"Rose if you notice anything strange let me know as soon as possible. I won't say anything yet, but if something changes then we will have to." He said and I groaned.

"Okay Carlisle I will." I said and we went back to the others. I noticed Edward watching curiously and I groaned internally. I hadn't blocked my thoughts so he just heard all of that. He nodded at me and I mentally kicked myself. Is nothing secret or sacred around here? I mentally fumed and Edward smiled at my internal rant. I just flipped him off and he laughed. We all agreed to go to the clearing and spar.

As we walked into the clearing from our cars, Edward walked beside me. I knew he was curious but I was a little annoyed at him right now. He knew how close I had been to being bitten and according to Carlisle, I might as well have been given the venom and its nature. I studied the small scar again and it seemed larger than when I first noticed it. I could see it was almost like a scratch where Aro's teeth grazed my skin. We walked into the field and I got Dimitri and to spar like before. The Denali's watched as well and as we circled each other Dimitri suddenly lunged but I anticipated his move and quickly got out of the way. I sidestepped grabbing his wrist and with power I didn't know I had threw him to the ground. I 'staked' him and he rolled out of the fight. He wore a pained expression and I wondered what I had done. As I squared off with Eddie, I was vaguely aware of Carlisle checking Dimitri for injuries. After trading several blows, I managed to 'stake' Eddie and the fight was over. Eddie faired a little better than Dimitri as injuries went, but I was saddened that I had caused either of them so much pain. I didn't understand what was happening to me.

"Carlisle what's happening to me? I have never hurt anyone in a sparring session this badly." I asked and he looked almost pained.

"I'll have to run some blood work Rose, but I think you were exposed to more of the venom than we originally thought." He said sadly. The others besides Edward gasped at this. I remembered that this was the first they have ever heard this. Darkness started to well up inside me as Lissa healed Dimitri and Eddie. I tried to knock it back down but I just couldn't get a handle on it. I struggled with it for a few more minutes before finally running into the woods at my highest speed. My speed had also increased. I ran until I came to a small open area near a creek and I fell to my knees. I didn't know what I was any more. I sat there for what seemed like forever when the Strigoi nausea slowly grew. I stood up now on alert and drew my staked. I waited for several minutes until there were roughly a dozen Strigoi surrounding me. As I dropped into fighting stance they just laughed. I guess they didn't think one Damphir could take them all. Well normally I would agree, but since it was me, I could take them. Of course the darkness that I had been trying to tame was a big help as they lunged forward at me. The darkness gave me an advantage, fueling my body and making my movements more fluid and deadly. Within just a few minutes I had all of the Strigoi dead at my feet and I heard the others coming towards me. They must have heard parts of the fight, or Edward just read my thoughts. By the time they arrived, the darkness was gone and I had calmed. I almost laughed at the shocked faces of my friends as they entered the area where I had just fought.

"Rose, how did you take all of them by yourself?" Eddie asked amazed and I could tell the others wanted to know as well. I simply shrugged because honestly I really didn't know.

"Rose lets go back to the house and I'll run some blood work and see if we can get some answers." Carlisle suggested and I nodded. I didn't know who or what I was anymore.

Edward POV

Rose's conversation with Carlisle had me puzzled. We hadn't noticed anything different about Rose since we got her back from Aro. As we walked into the open field where we often sparred, she examined her wrist again and I noticed a small scar that I recognized anywhere. Aro had been so close to biting her that when she pushed him away, his teeth grazed her flesh. I understood now what she was concerned about. She sparred with Eddie and Dimitri again and she quickly got Dimitri out of the fight. Her speed and power seemed to be heightened and she actually did some damage to Dimitri. Eddie faired a slightly better but still had some injuries. She looked lost and vulnerable as she looked to Carlisle.

"Carlisle what's happening to me? I have never hurt anyone in a sparring session this badly." Rose asked and he looked almost pained.

"I'll have to run some blood work Rose, but I think you were exposed to more of the venom than we originally thought." He said sadly. The venom would explain how she had managed to gain the strength and speed. Shocked gasps surrounded us and I could see Rose fighting the darkness as Lissa healed Dimitri and Eddie. She took off into the woods faster than I had ever seen her move. We gave her the space she needed while we explained to the others about her.

"Why did she run away like that and what did you mean about venom Carlisle?" Eleazar asked.

"We believe Aro might have been much closer to biting her than we originally thought. She has a scar on her wrist that seems to be from the venom. She hasn't noticed any differences until today though." Carlisle explained and all of Rose's friends looked pained but none more so than Dimitri. "These two were injured during the sparring session because she didn't realize her increased strength and speed."

Moments later we heard a commotion towards the direction Rose had went and we followed the sounds. The closer we got it was obvious that there was a fight going on. The noises had calmed down and we entered the small clearing to see Rose surrounded by the bodies of roughly a dozen Strigoi. Eddie asked her how she managed to take all of them by herself and she just shrugged, honestly not knowing how she did it. We went back to the house where Carlisle could run some blood work. We all sat downstairs and waited to hear what Rose's blood showed.

Rose POV

If there was ever a time that I was literally scared for my life, it was now. Carlisle took some blood and went to analyze it while I waited. I was stronger and faster, but I was scared of the unknown. I didn't know what changes were happening in my body. My body temperature was dropping as well and I feared that I would be turned like Aro wanted despite my fighting against it. I was just sitting there going over all the events of our time here when Carlisle came back into the room. I waited patiently as I could but since I am Rose Hathaway, that isn't very promising is it? Carlisle had and almost confused expression and I wondered what he found out.

"Rose the venom was surprisingly not enough to turn you, but was enough that it gave you abilities similar to our own. You are faster and stronger that you were. I don't know if you will have to have any blood or not. So far it seems that you have some of our abilities without the bad effects such as taking blood. This may change and I suggest that you avoid contact with our venom. Any more exposure will make you one of us." Carlisle explained and I sighed in a little relief. I wasn't completely out of the woods but I did see an end to the strange occurrences of the last several months since we moved here. Boy was I very wrong.