Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy

A/N: Hello! I had this idea a little while ago and finally decided to get it down. Hope ya'll enjoy. Let me know what you think afterward!

"Oh, god," Lissa exclaimed from the other room, "they actually did it."

Rose, uncharacteristically dressed in just a plain tee and sweatpants, looked up from one of Dimitri's paperbacks, hearing something strange in the way Lissa's voice sounded.

The two of them were relaxing in one of Lissa's vacation homes on the East Coast. It was one of Rose's days off, though she never truly considered herself off duty. The girls were waiting for their men to return to them before heading back to Court together.

"Who did what?"

Rose shut her book and slowly got up from her relaxed position. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and her pulse started to race. Something was wrong.

When she reached her best friend's side, she checked her over for signs of injury. Lissa's eyes were starting to fill with tears, her eyes locked onto the flat-screen that hung on the wall. Rose's eyes followed suit and her heart sank with an overwhelming feeling of dread.

On the television, in bold lettering, it read, 'President drops nuclear bomb on Moscow'.

Immediately, her mind went to her husband. He and Christian were at St. Basil's overseeing the Moroi defensive magic program. She checked the time. It had been a little over two hours since she'd last spoken to him. According to the news, the bomb had just detonated a little over five minutes ago.

Rose felt the aching urge to call him, but the loud siren sound emitting from the television captured her attention first.

"Fuck," she cursed, rushing over to her bedroom. She ripped off her pajamas and started changing into something more appropriate.

The guardians stationed throughout the house and along the outside perimeter were already preparing to move the Queen. Rose was Lissa's head guardian, so she'd usually have to give orders, but there was a strict protocol when it came to situations like this, and everyone on her team knew what had to happen next. Get the Queen to Court's underground bunker.

Over the earpiece she'd just shoved into her ear, Rose heard two of Lissa's other guardians ordering the jet to be ready for arrival. She quickly grabbed a couple items she knew she couldn't live without and rushed out of her room. She met Lissa and another guardian in the middle of the hallway.

A small duffel bag dangled from Lissa's shoulder as she cried uncontrollably. Her hands shook as she typed something into her phone.

"He won't pick up," she exclaimed, her voice shaking.

Rose knew how close St. Basil's was to Moscow. She did not know how much of a warning the academy would've been given before the bomb hit. Lissa's panic was quickly rubbing off on her, but she had a mission to complete. She would not let her mind go there. Panicking wouldn't help keep her best friend safe.

She comes first.

The mantra ingrained into her like second nature chose to rear its head right then, and she jumped into action.

She roughly grabbed Lissa by the arm and dragged her toward the door. Her eyes darted toward the TV for one quick moment to see how much time they had. The other guardians started guiding the Queen to the car as Rose took one last look around the vacation home where she'd made many good memories - her wedding included.

Just before she stepped out of the house, her eyes fell onto the discarded book she'd left on the couch. Releasing a huge breath, she heard the loud voices in her ear telling her they were ready to depart, and let herself have one selfish moment. Instead of leaving without looking back, Rose paused, grabbed Dimitri's book and then shoved it into her small bag.

For all she knew, Dimitri was already dead.