Disclaimer- I don't own any of the characters. The characters all belong to the amazing Rachelle Mead.

CPOV:

We stood in our spots for a moment, until a voice spoke from the shadows, "Ah. Congratulations Roza. You would have done great things. To bad things are going to end now."

Before I could do anything I saw Rose being crushed between a seven-foot body and the wall. The figure bowed its head to her neck teeth. And then I felt a burning pain.

I saw the eyes. It was a strigoi. I didn't think. I just acted. Flames shot from my hands and engulfed the Strigoi. "Christian. Run." I heard her whisper. She crumpled slightly and her eyes shut. The Strigoi was still standing, but soon he crumpled bringing her down with him. I saw who it was. Shit. He was badass as a dhampir! Now he's Strigoi! Shit! Shit! Shit!

I did what Rose had said. I ran, "Help! Strigoi!!" I yelled as I ran. Soon I was hunched over panting in front of the Campus's Guardian Headquarters. I saw Alberta emerge from the building. She looked stunned to see me.

"Oh my God! Christian! What did Rose do to you?" She said running over to me. Wow Rose and me really did have a bad rep, even with the guardians.

"We… Looking at Lake… Dimitri…Attacked…Rose…Hurt…. I…Dimitri…Fire…" I tried to get a sentence out, but she understood what I meant. She took off towards the Royal's Dorm. I followed.

LPOV:

Everyone was dancing. I saw Rose and Christian moving to a complex dance that no one else seemed to know. People stopped dancing to watch them. I watched the two glide around. I studied how their feet were moving. Soon after, I realized, Christian was dancing and Rose was standing on his feet like a small child and their parent would dance.

I smiled to myself. Rose hated to show weakness, even if that was in ballroom dancing. She must hate to need to let Christian do all the work. The two things Rose hated the most were showing weakness and Christian, however she was smiling and had her arms wound around him. Maybe there was more to their friendship than they told. I puzzled over that thought for a while, until it was interrupted by Christian running down the staircase yelling, "Help! Strigoi!"

I glanced at Eddie. He reached into his pocket and produced a silver stake. Together we ran up the stairs. We soon found the strigoi. It was on a balcony over looking a lake. It was on the ground, on top of Rose. The strigoi was charred and burned everywhere. Christian. Eddie flipped the strigoi over onto his back and staked it straight through it's heart.

"Holy Shit! It's Belikov!" Eddie yelled. I looked. It was. There, dead at our feet, was Rose's mentor, and her first love, Dimitri Belikov, "Damn! I would have loved to see those two fight! He is badass and she is badass junior!" It was true. The only people who could beat either of them, was each other. I looked at him with a look I hope said What the fuck! He got the message and we ran to get help.

CPOV:

Alberta and I ran up the stairs two at a time. When we got to the balcony, I saw another guardian had already been there, since there was a hole in his chest. A hole caused by a silver stake.

While we ran, we had attracted some attention and a few other guardians had followed us. The other guardians picked up the now dead Belikov and carried him away.

"Christian did you attack him with fire?" She asked as she examined some of the burns on Rose's dress.

"Yes. He had her pinned to the wall about to bite her. I couldn't let her die." I said looking down at Rose's peaceful face. I raked my eyes over her body. Shit. I had burned her, too.

"Rose? Rose?" Alberta knelt down next to Rose and shook her.

"Five more minutes, mom." Rose said. I laughed in relief. I thought I had killed her. I don't know why, but since we had started to hang out with Lissa together, the thought of losing her was unbearable.

"Thank God!" Alberta said, "Mr. Ozera? Can you carry her to the infirmary?"

I thought about it. Rose was solid and not many moroi could carry her that distance, but then again I was a hell of a lot stronger than most moroi.

"I'll try." I said. Alberta nodded; she seemed surprised I would try. I lifted Rose into a cradle hold. Her arms wrapped around my neck and buried her face in my neck. It felt good to have her in my arms. To feel her steady heart beat. To know she was alive.

With Alberta following, I walked down the hall and the staircase. The moroi who had been partying only twenty minutes early stood solemn and watched Alberta, Rose and I pass.

"Christian?" I heard Rose speak and looked down. Her arms were still around my neck but her warm, brown eyes were staring up at me.

"It's okay, Rose." I knew what she was worrying about, "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything. Don't worry. We're safe. Dimitri was put to rest."

I felt her relax in my arms as she buried her face into my neck. I felt her hot tears on my skin and shirt. I didn't care that I was ruining a good shirt, all I cared about was she was safe.

APOV:

I was confused. It was common knowledge that Rose Hathaway and Christian Ozera should not be kept together alone for a long period of time, unless you want Christian to get his face rearranged or Rose charred to a crisp. So why was it the queen had assigned Rose to guard Christian, especially if Christian was to be king.

I walked out of my office in the Campus's Guardian Center, grabbed my coat and walked out the door. Only to be met by Christian Ozera.

"Oh my God! Christian! What did Rose do to you?" Was Rose chasing him? No she would have caught up to him, Belikov would have made sure of it.

"We… Looking at Lake… Dimitri…Attacked…Rose…Hurt…. I…Dimitri…Fire…" He tried to get a sentence out. I understood, he was talking about the lake in the Royal's courtyard. They must have been outside and Dimitri attacked them. Since Rose was Rose, even though she hated Christian, he was her charge and Dimitri would have to go through her to get to Christian. By the sounds of it Rose got hurt and Christian ran here and he couldn't breath because his throat was on fire? The last part didn't sound right, gut that was all I had.

I took off to the Royal Dorm, Christian hot on my heals. He's pretty fast. He could at least follow slightly behind Rose. I let him lead me to the balcony they had been on.

While we ran, I did my best to attract some attention of the other guardians, it worked and a few followed. When we got to the balcony, I saw another guardian had already stabbed Dimitri through the heart with a stake. Was it Rose? I ordered him to be taken away. The other guardians picked up the now dead Belikov and carried him away.

Once he was taken away, my eyes landed on Rose. She had on high-healed boots that made my feet hurt just looking at them. She wore a short, black dress. The dress had been ripped across the stomach to expose a good amount of her midriff. The already plunging neckline was crocked exposing her left bra cup. Then I looked at the rips closer. The edge's were singed. Fire. Christian had specialized in fire. Fire killed Stigoi.

"Christian did you attack him with fire?" I asked as I stared at Rose's crumpled figure.

"Yes. He had her pinned to the wall about to bite her. I couldn't let her die." He looked down her, his eyes raking over her body. I saw guilt cross his face. He had seen the burns on Rose.

"Rose? Rose?" I knelt down next to Rose and shook her.

"Five more minutes, mom." Rose said. Christian laughed.

"Thank God!" I said, "Mr. Ozera? Can you carry her to the infirmary?"

He thought about it. So did I. Dhampirs were heavier than moroi, since they had more muscle, and Rose had stronger muscles than the average dhampir, guardian or not. Most moroi couldn't carry her that far, but I knew Christian had trained with his aunt, so he was a lot stronger than most moroi.

"I'll try." He said. I nodded; I was surprised he would try, like I said before, he and Rose frequently were at each other's throats. I watched as Christian lifted Rose into a cradle hold. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he buried her face in his neck. I watched his eyes, I saw something in them, but I couldn't make it out.

Christian walked out the door and down the hall. I followed. All the royal moroi and their guardians stopped to watch us pass.

"Christian?" I heard Rose speak and looked over to her. Her arms were still around Christians neck but her eyes were staring up at him. She spoke in a whisper, so no one but me and Christian heard.

"It's okay, Rose. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything. Don't worry. We're safe. Dimitri was put to rest."

She looked at him for a minute more as we continued to walk and then buried her face into his shoulder. I saw his shirt get wet. She was crying. I had seen Rose Hathaway happy, excited, worried, mad, pissed (and she brought pissed to a whole new level), and almost every other emotion, since I had raised her here since she was four, but I had never seen her cry.

I figured she wouldn't want anyone else to see so I speed up so I was beside Christian. Vasilisa Dragomir, Rose's best friend, saw what I was doing, and came to walk next Christian, blocking Rose's tears from the other side. Edward Castile, a friend of Rose and Vasilisa's guardian, came to walk behind Christian. The three of us walked with Christian to the infirmary where Christian handed Rose to a nurse. I explained what had happened, allowing Rose's friends free to follow Rose down the hall. Then I left.