Chapter 26:

Rose's POV

"Some day huh?"

"Yeah. Between our son bringing home a Strigoi and effectively ending our entire occupation it has been quite a day."

"Oh don't forget we are no longer blood craving hybrids."

My husband chuckled. I could feel it rumble in his chest as my head lay on top of it.

"Oh yeah, there is that. How are you feeling about that?"

I snuggled a little closer to him.

"Strange. Calm. It has been so long since I was alone in here. But I am more worried about the kids. They have had this power their entire lives. They have relied on it, worked with it. They were forged in its wake. I remember who I was before we were tattooed. They don't have that."

"They will be fine. They have special people in their lives now to help them and who need their help."

I picked my head up and looked at him a bit annoyed.

"So you have absolutely no problem with your son dating ex-pure evil."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were fine with it too?"

"Just because I laughed my ass off at the situation doesn't mean I am fine with it. I mean I like her enough, but still, that is my baby boy she defiled."

Dimitri couldn't do anything except laugh.

"Yeah, now you know how I feel when Eric stares at Lera's chest."

"I gave her condoms yesterday."

"You did what?"

"Nothing."

I smiled innocently, but the dark look in his eyes told me he wasn't buying it.

"Anyway. I am just wondering what we will do now."

"We too will be fine Roza. We could retire."

I scoffed at that. Yeah, we were made to take it easy and knit. Although we would probably age normally now, we still looked thirty. So didn't have to retire anytime soon.

"There won't be any need for guardians anymore. We could do anything, be anything. But why can't I think of anything to do."

"Because most guardians, certainly in our generation, were more or less forced to be guardians. But not us, we are born protectors. I imagine that Lissa being queen still will need bodyguards, so we won't be out of a job just yet. And I think the restored Strigoi might still cause some trouble. Some will be grateful for the change, but some will not, like Lee. I image at least for now guardians will become more like police…Or…you could be a good little housewife and every time I come home from the office have my slippers and papers ready for me."

I laughed and he chuckled. I started to press my body against him.

"And how would I greet my dear husband that is so kind as to provide for little old me."

Now Dimitri had a big smile on his face.

"Naked."

He whispered as he started to trace down my neck.

I giggled.

I had the little bit of fear in my mind now that our animal instincts were down to basic human levels we might see a drop in our libido. Not that we had any problem with this before the tattoos but there was definitely a different edge to most of our sessions. It wasn't just making love or showing affection. It was a primal need that needed to be satiated. But as he pulled me close and traced his hand from my inner thigh to my happy place I knew my worries were for naught. One touch and he could set me on fire. I was actually a little relieved I was incredibly turned on but didn't have the need to drain him dry. Well dry of blood. I would gladly drain a different part of him.

My mother called us in her office a few days later. She had asked us and Casya to come. I wondered what she wanted with the girl.

I laughed at my own thoughts. The girl. She was God knows how old. Certainly older than me. But I understand now why Sasha had been attracted to her. She was definitely strong and took crap from no one, but there was also a strange vulnerability and innocence about her. For her, it really was like seeing the world for the first time. The other day she had gone out into the sun for the first time and she had stayed and bathed in the rays until she became sick. It wasn't just the sun she had missed. She said things looked different in the day. Colors were more vibrant and light and even the people were different. Sleep had been another thing for her. Strigoi don't sleep and she wasn't used to feeling tired. The first day it had taken us a while to figure that out. She had become incredibly cranky and I think I was minutes away from a good spanking when I noticed she was swaying and dead on her feet. It had been interesting to get her to sleep. Getting her into pajamas and brushing her teeth. The whole time, she was complaining this was an asinine practice and Moroi were weak to be affected by the lack of sleep this much. We all had laughed and rolled her eyes. We have heard that particular phrase a few times this week. Bathroom visits were definitely an experience. Although she wasn't stupid by any means and knew most of the common rituals we mortals did based on movies and such, doing them herself was definitely different.

The three of us walked into my mother's office. I was surprised to see Sydney there and her sister Zoe was there as well. This did not bode well. Although I had seen Zoe over the years and she was definitely the go-to girl when it came to things at court, I knew that her presence in the lion's den sort of speak meant whatever the Alchemists wanted was big.

"Ah, Rosemarie, everyone, please sit down."

We all did as we were told. It was a bit cramped in here with all of us, but we would make due.

"So we have confirmed our suspicions and indeed Strigoi seemed to have gone extinct. We don't know yet if Moroi can still turn willingly, but as of now the population of Strigoi is zero. However, we have been getting a lot of disturbing reports about restored Strigoi. Some are confused and have a hard time adapting. We have dispatched some troops to deal with those, but there are also those, probably those that turned willingly in the past, that have gone off on a killing spree no doubt in an attempt to turn back again or to recapture their former glory. We will need more specialist units to deal with those and I was wondering if Dimitri would be up coordinating that."

My dear husband nodded.

"Also I was wondering if Casya might be interested in coaching some of the newly restored. I know everything is still fresh for you, but I think they could benefit from your experience. I mean if you can adapt I don't see why any of them can't."

"Of course. But adaptation is the most important survival skill and not often found in Strigoi. They believe their immortality excuses them from having to conform to the environment."

"But you don't share this belief?"

"No. I believe Darwin was spot on. It isn't the strongest or fastest that survives; it is the one that can adapt to change that is most likely to thrive."

My mother nodded at her.

"Furthermore, you have been requested both by our side as well as the alchemist to see if you and other old Strigoi that have been restored can shed some light on old documents, and historical events. Having centuries old people that might be willing to corporate now might prove beneficial in deciphering some unsolved mysteries. Also, I think it will provide you and some others some much-needed occupation."

I could see Casya was thrilled. It was an amazing opportunity. Her perspective and that of others would be invaluable because they were actually there.

We had told people Casya got turned back just like the rest of them when we killed the first Strigoi when we went on the raid to save the kids. Nobody seemed to notice the delay of the few days and reports of inactivity always take a while to reach everyone anyway. Most people knew Casya had been very old and she had a unique skill set. Ancient languages were her area of expertise. Her curiosity as a Strigoi would serve her well now, even if it doomed her as an immortal.

I had asked her how many languages she knew both dead and still spoken and she had said that the only places she hadn't been being the deepest parts of jungles, so other than a few dialects and languages there, she knew them all. Some she had an outdated vocabulary. It was funny watching her converse in Russian with Dimitri. She knew the language, but her slang was that of what they carried around in the 1900's.

"Okay now, that we have that settled you can go. All except Rosemarie. Vasilisa is coming in later to speak with Zoe and I would like you present."

I nodded and stayed in my seat as the rest left. Dimitri kissed me on my head as he exited.

After they left and Zoe had been excused to get some coffee it was just me, my mother and Sydney.

"So why is Lissa meeting with Zoe?"

I asked and saw the faces of my mother and Sydney darken.

"She is here to negotiate. I figured I would have Lissa make a statement to the alchemists first to negotiate a peace treaty before they even have a chance to think. Zoe shared my concerns and wanted to participate."

"Peace treaty. Why do we need a peace treaty with the alchemists?"

"It is no secret Alchemists hate vampires of any kind. But it was more efficient to deal with the Moroi and Dhampirs to keep the Strigoi in check. They were willing to accept the lesser evil to stop the larger. Now that that problem is gone I fear they will target the next threat on the list: Moroi. Although some within the alchemist are moderate and simply want to keep humans from learning about vampires, some are extreme in their views and those are the ones we have to worry about. Now that the Strigoi threat is over the Moroi and Dhampir population will thrive. Their fear of the Moroi world mixing with humans will eventually come to blows if nothing is done. So I thought I would have Lissa make a statement to the alchemist negotiating a new working relationship. They continue to help them keep Moroi separate from the human world and they will keep their world contained to the shadows."

I hadn't considered that. I would imagine the relationship between alchemists and other vampires would shift now that they weren't fighting a common enemy. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, but I don't recall what happens to these 'friends' when the war is over.

Somehow I was a little relieved. In a Utopian world, there was no need for warriors such as myself. And although our jobs would definitely be different, I knew our world still needed protectors to keep it safe. Our enemies might change, our directive might chance, but one thing would always remain. We would always protect against those that would do our world harm.

I think they should add a line into the monument in the park.

Not just 'Protectors of us all.'

But 'Protectors against anything.'

That was it. This story is over. I would like to thank Swimming the same deep waters for ideas on the first part and stardreamer2608 for checking my spelling on the last part.

I have a short story planned but am still writing so I won't be uploading it right away. Romitri going undercover for Abe! Rose as a college student and Dimitri as a member of the Russian Mafia. Maybe a few chapters long.

But after that, my stories are finished. I am still contributing to the VA10th anniversary project so you will see some entries from me there and am planning a few epilogues for this story and for Soul Bound. Also, I have a few one-shots, but this was the last big story. I hope you have enjoyed this and my other stories and I appreciate all the feedback and nice words, and even the sometimes not so nice words.

Thanks everyone!