Dear Comrade,
I'm writing to you from the hospital in Missoula, but don't worry – Junior is fine. Who's not going to be fine is Blake Aylett when I get back on campus! I was in Townsend's class Friday morning, and we were doing upper technique sparring when he grabbed my hands and intentionally kicked me in the abdomen. It hurt like a bitch, and I thought I was going to lose our baby, but Dr. Olendzki sent me to the human hospital in Missoula to get checked out, and we're both ok.

So Alberta and Dr. Olendzki now know about Junior and that you're the father. I hadn't planned to tell them about you, but they needed to know your medical history and blood group. I'm not sure Dr. Olendzki completely believes me, but I know Alberta does. Mason and Eddie also know I'm pregnant, but they don't know about you. Dr. Olendzki wants to keep Junior's paternity a secret in case people try and run tests on Junior and me. So other than Alberta, Celeste, Dr. Olendzki, and Lissa when I finally tell her, I won't be telling anyone else here that Junior is our baby.

I had the twelve-week scan a couple of hours ago, and it was cool. Everything is as it should be, although the doctor did say that Junior is going to be tall. I wonder where he or she gets that from? He recorded it on DVD for me, so when you get back, we can watch it together. They've also taken blood to test for a whole heap of things, but that's routine.

I have to remain in the hospital until Monday, and then if everything is still ok, I can go back to St. Vlad's. I'll have to stay in the infirmary there until Friday, and then I need to get back into things. The Moroi doctor I saw said I can only train for another eight weeks, so Alberta is going to try and move my training up and give me my combat exams early so I can graduate. Just as well you trained me so well, because I'm going to need every advantage I can get if I'm to pass.

While it was wonderful seeing Junior, and to know he or she is safe, it made me miss you even more. I would have given anything to have you here with me for our first look at our baby. I haven't heard any news about you since you were deployed. I'm hoping no news is good news, but I worry. It seems all I ever do is worry.

Now Alberta knows, I've been thinking about telling my mother and yours. I know my mother will take it badly, but I don't know about yours. I've been putting it off thinking it's something you should tell your family because they probably won't believe me. That's assuming you believe me.

Everything seems so much more real now I've seen Junior. I didn't ask, and I don't think I want to find out, but I think it's a boy. I'm not really sure why. Maybe because I like the idea of a little boy who looks just like his Daddy? Celeste bought a baby name book downstairs in the gift shop before, so I'm going to read through that later and see if I can get any ideas. I thought I'd make a list of names I like so we can talk about them when you get back.

I miss you, Comrade. I wish you were here. It's hard doing this alone, especially when I want to share every thought and moment with you. The doctor gave me some photos of Junior which I've attached. I hope when you see these you'll be as happy as I am.

I love you, Dimitri. I miss you, and I can't stop wondering where you are.

You need to come back to us because you're everything to Junior and me.

Always your loving
Roza

"So you two haven't driven each other crazy?" Alberta asked with a chuckle as Celeste and I walked out of the hospital to an Academy van. It was almost 10 am Tuesday morning, and I was being released from the hospital. I could have gone home Monday night, but Alberta needed to pick up some things from some stores in Missoula, so she needed to be here in daylight.

"Nah we're good," Celeste said with a laugh, "although I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again."

We'd spent the time in the hospital going through the baby name book umpteen times, playing scrabble and monopoly, Celeste quizzing me on theory for an upcoming Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection test, binge-watching TV series, me texting Lissa and eating. The hospital food had been horrible, but Celeste had discovered a decent café a short walk from the hospital, so she'd used some of the money Alberta had left us to make sure we didn't starve.

"Matthews? Why don't you drive?" Alberta suggested when we reached the van. "I want to sit in the back and talk with Rose."

Celeste took the keys and climbed into the driver's seat as Alberta and I clambered into the rear. We sat side by side in the middle row.

"Now, first of all, Novice Aylett has had all social privileges revoked for his attack on you, and he's also been given a formal warning. One more step out of line and he won't graduate. Castile and Ashford have told the other Novices you were taken to hospital to be checked for internal injuries. In time people may guess the truth, but until you start showing, we'll just run with that. I've spoken with Principal Kirova, and she's agreed to a modified combat examination timetable for you. We will be telling people that academically you're still not where you should be after your time away with Lissa, so we're finishing your combat training early so you can focus your last few months on your academics to be able to graduate.

"I've also spoken with Guardians Rickard, Townsend, Martinez, and Alto about your pregnancy. They understand the need for secrecy and will be working with you closely to prepare you for your examinations. They've been told that you're refusing the say who the father is. I've asked them not to press you about the issue, but let me know if any of them need reminding. I've also made some appointments for you to see the counselor Deirdre to talk through things and look at options for you and the baby once you graduate."

"Thanks, Alberta," I mumbled. While I was looking forward to getting back to the Academy, it would be different now people knew. Even if they didn't say anything, I knew what they'd be thinking. One more stupid Dhampir girl who got herself knocked up. At least the students wouldn't know, and that was something. I rested on the trip back because we'd be transitioning back to Vampire time. We'd be arriving about noon, so campus would be quiet. We were driving through the main gates when Alberta looked at me, and I swear I saw a look of apology on her face.

"Also Rose? Your mother is here… I didn't call her, she called me. Her charge's nephew is a freshman here, and the news got to her you'd been injured in training badly enough to have to go to a human hospital. I told her you'd be discharged today, so she's here for twenty-four hours."

My heart was nearly thumping out of my chest. Shit. I'd have to tell her, and I knew she was going to go off her head.

"Does she have any idea?" I moaned.

"No. I just told her you had to have a range of tests done and be kept in for observation. She arrived just before I left to come and get you. Would you like me to go with you when you tell her?"

I shook my head. "No. This is something I'd better do alone."

We pulled up to the infirmary, and I climbed out of the van, grabbing my duffel bag. I hoped to slip in quietly and get a few hours sleep, but my mother was sitting on a bench beside the front doors waiting for me.

"Rose! Thank goodness you're alright," she said looking at me almost fondly. "What happened?"

"Hi, Mom. I have to stay in the infirmary until Friday – let me just put my stuff down, and I'll tell you all about it."

I walked into the infirmary and waved hello to Dr. Olendzki.

"Welcome back, Rose. We have your usual room prepared," she said with a chuckle.

"You usual room?" Mom asked in confusion.

"Yeah, I end up here quite a bit," I answered distractedly.

I put my duffel down on the bed in the single room where I usually stayed. At least one of the other rooms was occupied, so this wasn't going to be the best place to tell Mom about the baby.

"I've been cooped up in a hospital room since Friday – you ok if we go for a walk?" Mom nodded, following me out of the infirmary.

"Just going for a walk with my Mom," I called out to Dr. Olendzki.

"That's fine," she said kindly. "Don't overdo it and we'll see you back here when you're ready." She'd apparently figured out I was going to tell my mother.

We walked in silence down to the lake, and I sat down on a bench, my mother sitting beside me.

"So you got your molnija," she commented, looking at my neck. "I wish you'd told me; I would have liked to have come for the inking."

"Sorry, it kind of happened in a hurry and by the time I knew it was scheduled it was too late for you to get here," I muttered.

Mom shrugged. She'd missed it – there was no point carrying on about it now.

"So how did you end up in hospital? Alberta was a little vague on the details," she asked suspiciously.

"I was in training, and we were doing technique sparring – upper body only. They were new methods to the class, but Dimitri and I had been practicing them for months already…"

"Guardian Belikov," Mom admonished.

"Like I said, Dimitri had already shown them to me, so I was a lot faster and was getting a lot more points. One of the Novices got his ego injured, so he grabbed my hands to stop me spinning and kicked me as hard as he could in the abdomen."

"You couldn't free yourself?"

It wasn't necessarily a criticism, just a question I reminded myself.

"No. I pivoted, so my hip took the worst of it, but it was still pretty bad. Dr. Olendzki took a look, but because of the circumstances she transferred me to the human hospital in Missoula."

"The circumstances?" Mom asked looking confused.

"Because of the baby, Mom. I'm three months pregnant, and she was worried the blow might make me miscarry."

I looked at my hands. I didn't want to see the expression on my mother's face at that moment. There was an ominous silence, and with a soft sigh, I lifted my eyes to look at my mother. I could see a myriad of emotions crossing her face before she saw me watching and yanked her Guardian mask into place.

"The father?" she demanded obdurately.

"Is not around," I replied, letting her know through my voice that I wouldn't be discussing that aspect of things.

A muscle in her jaw flexed, but it was the only outward sign she had even heard me. She looked at me, and her silence alarmed me more than if she'd started shouting.

"I'm done," she said standing up. "It seems that every time you might be growing up and becoming more accountable you do something even more irresponsible and reckless. I'd really hoped that you'd turned a corner this time, but I can see I was wrong. I can't do this anymore," she said with a note of finality. "I won't do this anymore."

"Mom?" I pleaded with her.

"I'm not your mother," she replied firmly. "I don't have a daughter."

Then she walked away without a backward look, leaving me alone on the bench. I let the sunlight warm me as tears rolled down my cheeks. Janine had never been much of a mother, and I hadn't expected her to be of any practical support, but I hadn't expected her to disown me. Had it been anyone else I would have given them time to calm down and rethink things, but I knew my mother well enough to know that that wasn't her way. In her mind, any connection between the two of us was now irrevocably severed.

It had been an hour, and I didn't want Dr. Olendzki to worry, so I walked back up to the infirmary, slipping unobserved into my room. I wanted to close my eyes and sleep for a year. For once, the Gods must have been listening because I was able to fall asleep without any other calamity befalling me.

I lay on my bed basking in the afterglow of Galina's bite. Since she'd made her offer to me three days ago, I'd been shadowing her daily, getting an idea of how the operation worked. While I was not yet privy to all the workings of her dominion, I was already stunned by the intricacy and reach of her jurisdiction. The Royal Council had no idea what they were facing, and unless someone stopped her, and soon, the deposition of the Queen and the ruling Moroi would be a fait accompli.

Today was the second time she'd drunk from me, and while I hated myself for liking it, I did. As soon as Galina had finished feeding from me, I'd come back to my room, closing my eyes and picturing Rose. In my blissed out state, it was easy to imagine I was lying beside her; running my fingers through the strands of her long dark hair. That we were kissing. Making love. And while I knew they were only daydreams, I needed them to cope with the horror of the compound.

Because for all its veneer of respectability, it was a brutal place. Galina ruled with an iron fist, and her voice was law. As her current favorite that suited me, but I knew her patience would only extend so far – I had to make her believe I was likely to accept her offer, but at the same time I had to come up with a way to escape this place.

The problem is it was so well secured. Thanks to tinted windows, inside the Strigoi were on guard twenty-four seven on rotating shifts. During the daylight hours, when Strigoi were unable to go outside thanks to the sun's light, paid humans manned the perimeter and every entrance and exit point. Their instructions were explicit – shoot first, ask questions later.

The endorphins from Galina's bite fading, I let my thoughts return to Rose for a minute. It was the 14th of February today. Valentine's Day. I'd never celebrated it before, but I would have this year. I'd have wanted to show Rose that she was special to me. That I loved her.

The sun was just coming up, and suddenly I wanted to see the sunrise again like I had the first day I'd been together with Rose in Missoula. Standing up, I slipped on my duster and stepped out of my luxuriously appointed chamber in the guest wing. The Strigoi guarding my door asked, "Where are you going?"

"I want to feel the sun," I said in a flat voice. Galina made it clear my every request was to be accommodated. "Show me how to access the roof."

The guard looked conflicted.

"I'm not going to jump," I sighed rolling my eyes. "I just want to enjoy it while I still can." I was certain my every action was relayed to Galina, so this would hopefully make her think I was coming around to her idea.

"Follow me," he said. "You have half an hour, no more."

We walked through corridors and up stairs until eventually, we were standing at the foot of an old metal ladder with a door at the top.

"There's a landing up there. Don't move beyond it; the roof is steep and will be slippery with snow."

"Thanks," I said, acknowledging his instructions. "I'll be back down in thirty minutes."

I climbed the ladder, opening the door and stepping onto a perforated metal walkway surrounded by a metal railing. The platform was hidden between two dormer windows and ran back over the main roof of the house. Slipping my gloves on I grasped the railing for support, deciding to explore. I kept my face impassive, looking as though I were merely watching the sun and sky. I knew Galina's security system was second to none, and that the entire building was wired with cameras. While it seemed unlikely that the service area on the roof would receive the same attention, it didn't pay to risk it. I walked to the end of the extended platform and leaned against the railing taking in my surroundings.

On the left was an air intake for the heating system, the primary system a little further over accessed from a second walkway. On my right was an enormous tank. I could see it was supported by a long row of heavy-duty gantries, so it must be incredibly heavy. At first, I thought it must contain fuel for heating, but its position on the roof was wrong for that. It wasn't until I saw it was gas heated that I appreciated it must be the water tank for a gravity-fed sprinkler system.

Surreptitiously looking around I saw no sign of cameras, so I opened the flap of my duster, looking down into my inner pocket as though I were searching for something. In reality, I was taking a sneak peek at my photos of Rose. Committing her every feature to memory yet again. And then, in case anyone was watching, I fished out a hair tie and tied my dark hair at my nape. Then I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the sun thinking there was more than a little truth in what I'd told my Strigoi guard. I did want to enjoy the sun while I could.