He was waiting for the other shoe to drop, but so far it hadn't happened. No one summoned him to Kirova's office. Alberta Petrov didn't show up banging on his door to curse him for screwing up and opening his mouth. Stranger still, Stan Alto was walking around with a strange, haunted expression on his face.

Day rolled into night then back again, and still the incident went unmentioned. He ran into Alberta outside of the commons and immediately he noticed her bloodshot eyes. When she spoke to him, the slur to her words made him realize that more people were hurting over his little dhampires absence than just her group of friends. Judging by the bleary eyes and boozy breath of Saint Vlad's head guardian, some of the staff was suffering—badly.

After that, he made a point of paying attention to Petrov. As the days passed, he followed her around as she stumbled across the campus. She was so lost in her misery she didn't even notice him trailing behind her. In the morning she would appear slightly hung over, her hair mussed and her face somewhat haggard. So far, she appeared to be successfully staying sober while on duty.

He knew it was only a matter of time until that changed.

Her off hours drinking would eventually begin to claw its way into her working hours. It would intrude slowly, taking over her life in tiny increments—much as it had his own. He had to do something before she hit bottom. Before she spiraled out of control and lost everything she had worked so hard to achieve. He couldn't let her ruin her life. Once he reached the decision to intercede Adrian acted on it immediately, knowing that if he gave himself time to second guess himself he would probably chicken out.

He found her in her normally immaculate office—the floor was littered with manila file folders, her desk covered with a surprising amount of old photographs. All of them were of his Rosebud, chronicling different stages of her life. Alberta was slumped in her chair, a bottle of vodka in one hand, a small, faded photograph in the other.

"I took this the day she was dropped off."

Adrian jumped, startled by her husky voice. He hadn't realized she'd noticed his presence. Alberta's eyes flicked to his face and he noticed the tearstains on her cheeks. For the first time since he'd met her, she seemed frail and broken.

"Janine wanted to leave her here when she was just a few weeks old." She spit out the woman's name as if it were a dirty word. "Ellen refused. She claimed that it was in the child's best interest to stay with the mother for the first few years. Even then, Janine managed to leave her here for weeks at a time. She said Rosemarie needed to get 'acclimated' to the Academy." She took a drink, shaking her head. "She was just a fucking infant. I was the one who took care of her. I was just another guardian then. She was so tiny. So warm in my arms."

"Alberta. You have to stop this. You can't—"

"A week before Rose's fourth birthday, she was a ward of the academy. That bitch didn't even stick around to tell her happy birthday. Janine Hathaway may have given birth to her, but I was her mother. ME. I taught her to tie her shoes. I taught her ABCs. I taught her…" She broke off, her words lost in a mournful sob. "I never told her how I felt about her. I forced myself to be professional and cold. But I loved that girl. She was my daughter. My precious little Rose."

He was around the desk in two steps, cradling the sobbing woman in his arms. "Shh, Allie. She knows. Deep inside she knows."

"She used to cry out in her sleep for her mama. She would wake up in tears, and I'd sing Kalinka to her until she fell back asleep. For a whole year she called out for that bitch, every single night. Then she stopped. Do you know why? Because she asked me if she could call me mommy." She shoved Adrian away, hurling the bottle against the far wall. "And I had to tell her no, because it wasn't fucking professional. Kirova had already come down on me for being too attached."

"Allie—"

"Every year she would watch the other students leaving with their parents for holidays or trips. She'd watch parents show up for birthdays or class events, and she was all alone, Adrian. She had no one." Shoving past him, she began pacing. "This is my fault. All my fault. If I had put a stop to it… If I had transferred him to another academy…"

"Stop it." His voice was harsh. "You think that would have kept her away from him? She would have run away—followed him. She loved him." He grabbed her arm, stilling her frenzied motion. "She promised she'd come back, Allie. She just needs time to come to terms with—"

"Are you a fucking idiot? Are you really that stupid Ivashkov? Where exactly is it you think she's gone—on some joyride? Or maybe she's spending a week or two at a spa?"

He winced at her sarcastic tone. That, in fact, was exactly what he'd thought. "She needed to clear her head. To get over him. She said—"

She cut him off abruptly. "It was you, wasn't it? I thought it was Vasilisa at first, until I saw how angry the princess was. You gave her the money to leave."

Adrian frowned. "We made a deal. I funded her trip and in return, she gives me a chance at dating her when she comes back."

"Damn you to hell, Adrian Ivashkov." She laughed, and it sounded bitter and acidic. "Rose won't be coming back."

"Of course she will. She promised—well it wasn't exactly a promise, but she gave her word, and that's almost the same thing. Rose always keeps her promises."

Jerking her arm free, she bent to gather the folders that were splayed across the worn carpet. "You're right. She does. I take it you're unaware of the other promise she made?"

"What promise?" He watched as she sank down into one of the uncomfortable looking chairs that sat in front of her desk.

"The day after Rose left, Stan Alto came to see me. He was distraught. He figured it out before anyone else. He reminded me of a report he'd filed back in November. He was concerned about the mentorship between Belikov and Rose."

Adrian winced at that, but Alberta didn't notice.

"When Victor Dashkov took the girls shopping, Alto was one of the guardians that accompanied them." She shuffled through the folders, finally pulling one out of the pile and opening it. "According to Stan, there was a noticeable… tension between Dimitri and Rose throughout the car ride. He was seated in the front of the van, but he kept an eye on them. He claimed every time they brushed against each other, they both would blush, acting like," she flipped through the papers, "a couple of teenagers with a crush. Apparently even Dashkov noticed it, commenting on the fact it reminded him of Sonya and Mikhail. Sonya Karp was teacher here who voluntarily turned Strigoi. Guardian Mikhail Tanner was her lover. He left active duty to hunt Sonya down to free her soul. Belikov and Rose both verbally agreed if it came to it, they'd both rather be dead than to live as a Strigoi."

Adrian winced. Surely she wasn't suggesting that Rose—

"Alto claimed that after they said that, they were in their own little world. In his words, 'it was as if they were having some sort of conversation without saying a thing. After a minute or two of staring at each other, they both nodded, then the moment was over." She shut the folder and dropped it on the floor. Arching an eyebrow, she looked up at him, a wry smile on her face. "Wanna take a guess about what they were agreeing to?"

"You think she's gone to kill Belikov." His voice was flat and emotionless. Rose had played him. She let him spill his heart out to her, and all along she'd been planning on using the money he'd given her to go off on some wild goose chase, searching for him. Sure, she'd promised him a chance, but as always, Belikov came first.

"No Adrian. I think she's gone on a suicide mission."

Her words snapped him out of his momentary pity party. "Rose would never do that. She's a survivor. She—"

"You didn't see her at the cave that night, Ivashkov." She cut him off, her tone as lifeless as his own had been. "Even after she saw the Strigoi draining him, she kept fighting to get back in that cave to Dimitri. Stan and Janine had to practically drag her away."

"I saw." It came out a whisper. "That's what the visions were about."

"And you didn't warn him? I guess you decided it was a good way to get rid of the competition. To let a filthy monster turn him into—" She stood up, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"NO! It wasn't like that Allie! I couldn't remember—I swear to God. After everyone had set out on the rescue, I had another vision, and it all came back to me. I tried to get ahold of you but they patched me through to someone else. She didn't believe me. Then I tried to get into his head and warn him—"

Her fist slamming into his face cut him off. "It was you! He was the best we had—he'd never falter like that. I thought it was Rose that had distracted him but it was you! Your fucking interference made him hesitate." She grabbed the front of his shirt, her furious face inches from his own. "You killed him just as much as the Strigoi did."

"Alberta, I was only trying to—"

"And now you've killed Rosemarie as well." She released him, sinking to her knees. "Oh God. Rose."

Rubbing his jaw, he tried to comfort her. "Rose is strong. She'll succeed Allie. She'll set him free. Have faith."

"No she won't. She loves him too much. She'll hesitate, and that's all he'll need. He was fast before, but now, Belikov will be unstoppable."

"Rose knows that. She won't stand there and let him kill her, she'll—"

She laughed again. This time it contained a hint of instability. "He's not going to kill her Adrian. He loved her. He's going to make her Strigoi so they can be together forever."

"Listen to what you're saying Allie. It's crazy! Everyone knows Strigoi don't feel emotions like we do. Hell, they don't even think like we do. They're like sharks—their sole desire is for blood, for the kill!"

"Are you sure about that? She got to her feet, grabbing up the file folders she'd left on the chair. "Sit down. I have something for you to listen to."

He sat, watching as she collapsed in the large chair behind her desk. She pulled a file out of the stack, removing a small brown envelope from inside. Reaching into her desk drawer, she produced a micro cassette player. A moment later her voice echoed through the room, sounding somewhat distorted due to the small built in speaker.

"Guardian Alberta Petrov, taking the statement of Novice Rosemarie Hathaway regarding the incidents pertaining to Victor and Natalie Dashkov. November 24, Dr. Izolda Olendzki stands as witness to this testimony." She fast forwarded the tape. When it resumed playing at normal speed, Rose was speaking. Her voice sounded tired and… frail.

"Victor said Natalie understood sacrifice. I tried to reason with her, but… She said he was a great man. That he'd help her control it.'" Her voice faltered. "She… She still loved him! How could she still love him? I thought Strigoi couldn't love. I don't understand—"

Alberta stopped the tape. "She was talking about Natalie Dashkov."

"Who, if I'm not mistaken, had only been a Strigoi for what—an hour at most? Those feelings could have just been lingering remnants. They would have faded if she hadn't been staked."

She tapped the stack of folders. "What about Lucan and Moira Ozera? They'd been Strigoi for over a year when they went to collect Christian. They wanted their son with them. Natasha Ozera's testimony stated that Moira was crying for 'her baby boy'. Each one of these files contains something similar, Adrian. Forty-five accounts of Strigoi going after their loved ones. Not for the sake of killing them, but because they wanted them to turn. Most of the statements claim the Strigoi clearly stated they wanted their loved ones with them."

Running his hands through his hair he stood, leaning over the desk. "Rose wouldn't let him do that, Allie. Never in a million years. So what's the worst thing that could happen? If he still loves her, like you claim, he won't hurt her. He'll let her go. If she can't stake him, she'll come home to us."

Alberta shook her head, her eyes full of pity. "Put yourself in Rose's place Adrian. Keep in mind that for a dhampire, it would also mean freedom. She would be free of duty. Free of the side effects of Lissa's magic. Free to be with Belikov. If Rose appeared before you—as a Strigoi—and said she loved you and wanted to be with you forever, what would you do? Even if she had the strength to say no, do you really think Dimitri would let her walk away? He'll keep her by his side, trying to convince her. Eventually, she'll give in. She won't be able to deny him. I know it and you know it."

Sighing, he sank to his knees in front of her, resting his forehead on her lap. "You're right." He felt her hand smooth his hair, a comforting gesture that reminded him of his Aunt. "I have to stop her."

"It's too late Adrian. That's what I've been trying to come to terms with. There's nothing anyone can do for her now. There's no way to find her… to reach her."

An idea began to form in his head. It was crazy, but that was nothing new. "I can reach her, Allie. In her dreams. But I'll do you one better. I think I might be able to reach Belikov."

"Strigoi don't sleep, Adrian."

"So?"

"May I remind you that in order to dream, you have to be asleep?" She was beginning to sound more like her normal, sarcastic self.

"Really? What about daydreams?" He sat back, smirking up at her. "Uh… did I fail to mention I've been pulled into his head a time or two since he… changed?"

Her eyes widened. "Bullshit."

"Nope." He stood up, grabbing her hand. "Tomorrow I'll start trying to find them. Tonight, you and I are going to get well and truly drunk."

"Adrian—"

"I won't take no for an answer, Allie. Think of it this way. This is the least you can do for the guy who's gonna save your little girl." He gave her his million dollar smile, relieved when she returned it. "Come on. This is the last bender I'll be able to have for a while. Tonight we're having martinis—James Bond style—shaken, not stirred."