What if Dimitri didn't make it to Rose in time when she was attacked by Natalie? What if he got there too late and Rose breathed her last breath? For now. Go through what both Dimitri and Rose feel as she takes her last breath. Dimitri could have done one hundred things differently, but he knew he may already be too late to fix it all.

Well, you guys begged for it, so here it is. Yet another Chapter of What If. In this chapter, I have a surprise: my solution to whether Rose dies or lives. If you guys don't like it, I can replace this one with a different ending and continue, but I think this was kind of like my somewhere-in-between solution.

I need to make another round of shout-outs to all of those who reviewed the story in general:

THANK YOU: star, Carla, xxkatylouxx, Janine hathaway, louise95, Nikki1724, Elbie and Fearless, LovinTheSun1996, Celly731, Naridai Belikova, FrostbittenRose, OzeraGirl, lori9048, obsessed53, Answer-the-door, evilneevil, and MorganvilleRoza, .

Also thank you to those who favorited (not even a real word) and followed the story! Everything about your encouragement to continue writing is greatly appreciated. I thank you all very much. (:

Without further ado, here's the concluding chapter to What If:

Dimitri's POV

It's been two and a half months.

One hell of a long time.

How have I stayed sane throughout this whole…ordeal? Rose. She has been talking to me, keeping me level with my own insanity. I can't stand to see her this way, not when there's nothing I could do about it. Eddie and Lissa are copping as well. He is now graduated, and so is Lissa. At first she wanted to attend a human College and go out into the world, start a life. But she refused to go without Rose. Eddie is always by Lissa's side – as her first official Guardian (upon request) so am I. Lissa has been patient with the Court's decision, but she's made it clear she will not hold on to that patience for much longer.

Today, we were visiting Rose for her birthday. It was a couple of weeks prior, but she wasn't here at Court at the time, so we never got the chance to see her. I was actually excited to see her today, though that shouldn't undermine how I feel every time we visit her. A Guardian should never show their emotions, and up until three months ago, I had mastered that technique. Up until three months ago, I didn't know Rose. In that short amount of time I had fallen for her – her attitude, her personality, her love for protecting those she loves, her long flowing hair – everything.

Lissa advised us to wear something nice, but to keep it close to our Guardian attire. The Princess herself was wearing a nice purple undress, complete with a nice flowing skirt and inched heels. She was carrying a small box wrapped in dark blue wrapping paper. Her shoes clicked with determination and power as we made our way to Rose's cell.

Eddie was wearing a pair of black dress pants, which we tailored perfectly down to his heels. His sleek black dress shoes were sporting the same tempo as Lissa's, showing just as much determination as her steps. His navy blue dress shirt was buttoned up, all except the last button. This was probably due to the fact that the last time his shirt was buttoned up all the way, Rose commented that he looked more like a butler than a 'kick-ass Guardian'. In one hand, he held a small green bag with tissue paper pouring out the top. In the other, he held a small pink rose. I knew as much as any of us did that Rose didn't like presents that had to do with the nature of her name, but I'm sure he was hoping she'd take it anyway.

I was wearing black dress pants as well. Lissa refused to let me wear my black boots, saying I would look like I was there to step on her, rather than to congratulate her on turning eighteen. So, instead, my shoes were much like Eddie's, though my steps showed eagerness to get to Rose. My shirt was a button down like Eddie's, but instead of navy, mine was a dark brown color, and my sleeves were rolled up to my elbows. In my hand I was holding Rose's present from me, wrapped neatly in red and purple paper. It was something Ivan had given to me to read before I left his side on another mission all those years ago.

"We're here to see Rose," Lissa said to the Guard standing post. He was here almost every time Lissa came to visit, and he should know by now that where ever Lissa goes, her Guardians will oblige and follow.

"Yes, Princess." He glanced at the gifts in our hands. "You should know, Princess, that the prisoner will be moved later in the day."

Lissa's eye flashed to the guard. "Where?"

He hesitated to answer, looking around for someone to back him up. He glanced at Eddie and I; he should also know by now he wasn't going to get any help from us.

"Where?" she asked again, a touch of darkness in her voice. I couldn't tell if she was compelling him or not, but he answered with (yet again) some fair hesitation.

"She…she's being moved to the Palm Springs prison."

Eddie and I exchanged a look. Palm Springs was reserved for the prisoners that would spend as many as thirty years to life in a cell.

She thanked him and we moved on. We slowly walked down toward her cell. One left turn… One right turn… Down one flight of stairs… Another right… Another left.

Upon approaching the cell, my heart started to heave. It's been a week since our last visit. Every time they take Rose away it's to do some kind of testing on her. It's always something different. And yet, Rose doesn't say a word about it. She doesn't seem to care that they're poking and probing her for their own personal gain. It's sickening.

Finally, we stepped in front of Rose's cell. There were two Guardians standing watch.

Lissa nodded toward them and they left, knowing that Eddie and I would replace their watch. Once they were around the corner and gone, we stepped closer.

It was dark and quiet except for our own breathing. Rose was huddled in the corner of her bed, her knees drawn tight toward her chest and her head down, making her beautiful brown hair flow nicely around her.

Lissa was the first to speak. "Rose…" Rose didn't move. "We came to visit."

Rose tilted her head, but her eyes and most of her body were hidden in the dark shadows and the white baggy clothes she wore.

"And we brought presents!" Eddie announced, putting on a goofy smile and raising her hands to show what he had.

Finally, she stood, but kept her body in the dark part of her cell. "I told you guys to not bother. They'll take them from me soon enough."

Lissa's jade green eyes flashed a bit of sadness. Then shepressed her body up against the cell door, wrapped on hand around one cell bar, and then extended her other arm out into Rose's cell, twisting the gift so it could fit through. "Come on, Rose. It's your eighteenth birthday. We had to get you something. I promise it didn't cost me anything. The only thing I had to buy was the wrapping paper, I swear." Her voice was pleading with Rose. "Please, Rose. For me?"

Taking a deep breath, Rose stepped out into the light, showing off her tanned skin that stood out against the white clothing they made her wear. She stood just in front of Lissa's present smiled widely, and they took it gently and slowly from her. "You know I can never resit you. Thank you, Liss. You're the best friend I could ever ask for."

Standing at the opposite end of the hall from Rose's cell, I took far-guard, keeping close with farther away from Lissa. I couldn't quite see Rose's face, but she looked happy to see her. Again, slowly, Rose started tearing away the paper around the small box. Lissa took the paper from her and crumpled it in her hand. Opening the box was another slow process, but when it was open, I could almost feel surprise radiate from Rose.

"Lissa…this is beautiful! How did you not spend a fortune on this?"

"It has the Dragomir crescent on it. It was my father's Guardian's. And now it's yours."

Rose's head snapped up from gazing at the jewelry. "Liss… I can't accept this. It needs to go to one of your Guardians, not me." She extended her arm for Lissa to take it back. Lissa shook her head.

"You were always my Guardian, Rose whether they liked it or not. You were the one that protected me when we living among the humans, you were the one who protected me from Victor, and you were the one who saved the whole school from Natalie." Rose cringed at the memory. So did I. "Just keep it as a…reminder of your passion to keeping me safe."

With a moment of pause, Rose nodded. Then Eddie stepped forward. "Just a little something I thought you'd like," he said as he hands the small bag to her. "And a little decoration for you room. Plus, it smells. Some floral scent is desperately needed."

Rose laughed, that beautiful jingle making my heart squeeze. "Thanks, Ed." She put the rose and Lissa's present on her bed, and then proceeds to open Eddie's gift. Just as she's tearing the paper away, a new voice sounds from down the hall.

"I can't believe you started the party without me!"

Adrian Ivanshkov strides down the corridor, a slight wobble to his step. Not surprisingly, he had a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a gift in the other.

Lissa smiles. "Adrian! I didn't think you'd be at Court. I thought you were visiting Tatiana in Mossoc."

He made it over to us and shrugged. "She'll live another day without me. Besides, I can't forget about my Little Dhampir's big eighteenth birthday."

We all froze when he said that. Although it hit kind of a soft spot, we all knew he was only joking. But still if he keeps calling Rose 'his' in any way, shape, of form of the meaning, I might lose my resolve and knock him out.

"Adrian, please tell me you're not just here to ruin my day." Rose sounded annoyed, but I could tell she was happy to see another friendly face.

He made a pouty face. "I thought my presence was present enough."

"And is that gift in your hand for yourself?" Eddie points out.

"Yes, actually. It's for me to see the look on Rose's face when she opens it." He reaches through the bars and hands it to Rose. "I'd actually like for you to wait to open it." She nodded and put it with the others she already opened.

I gave him a curious glance, which he caught. The look he gave back told me he'd tell me later. I was slightly worried is to what other bad influence he was giving Rose. It's bad enough she occasionally gave herself a soured reputation.

"Just open my gift already!" Eddie whined. He glanced over his shoulder at me and then winced when he seen my eyes on him. I raised a brow at his not-so-Guardian behavior, but shrugged it off.

"Okay, okay! Keep your panties on," Rose said, hurrying to oblige and finish opening the present.

Paper gone, she holds up a small note book with a red and blue floral design in the corner of the front cover, as well as a green click-y pen. When she looks at him in question, he says, "It's so you can write your love letters to Belikov." He jerks his thumb in my direction. I then repress the urge to smack him upside the head.

Rose shook her head. "I swear, your ideas of comedy are getting lamer and lamer."

I shook my head, too. The…incident between Rose and I was kept amongst the six of us – Rose, Adrian, Lissa, Eddie, Christian and I. Lissa was at first upset that Rose hadn't told her sooner. She didn't stay mad long when Rose was scheduled to be put to death. All of this happened within 24 hours of finding out that she was in fact alive. Eddie seemed unfazed by the news. He had said that he kind of suspected just by the fact that we've trained for this long and hadn't wrung each other's throats yet. Christian cracked a few jokes, but he never seemed to have a problem with it. Adrian seemed… Well, he seemed pissed that Rose was in love with me instead of him. I knew he had a crush on her, but never chose to look too far into it. He seems to be dealing with what we feel for each other, but it's also clear that he doesn't like it.

Eddie backed away from the cell door to stand next to me farther behind Lissa; her, Rose, and Adrian launched into a full blown conversation about how Lissa and Christian's relationship is going.

"Dimitri." I turned to Eddie. "You need to talk to her. She looked eager to get to you present."

I sighed. "I want to talk to her, I do. But not with Adrian here; I can tell he is already uncomfortable with the idea of Rose and I being an item."

Eddie nodded. "I gotchya covered there. But…can I ask you a serious question?" I nodded and waited for him to continue. "How are we going to get her out of here? I mean, it's not fair to keep her in there. She hasn't threatened anyone. She does their stupid tests without complaint; what else are they expecting from her?"

"They're waiting for her to kill someone," I answered almost automatically, having thought about the same topic myself. "They're waiting for her to give them a reason to kill her on the spot, rather than waiting for proof like Lissa asked."

Eddie shook his head in dismay. "If it wasn't for Lissa taking the thrown soon, Rose might not…" He paused. "Well, all that fighting we did for Rose two months ago would be for nothing, and they won't let Lissa save her this time."

Tatiana announced not long after Rose's incident that she has an aggressive cancer, one that they caught too late to treat. Fearing the future of her race, she needed someone who would be able to take over when she's gone. Lissa, being the last known Dragomir, was the appropriate choice to put on the thrown. The Queen has already handed over parts of her reserved rights to have control over all others, and Lissa shows no mercy when it comes to keeping Rose safe.

I resisted the urge to cry, thinking about Rose slipping away yet again. "I know. We have a lot to thank her for. And to the Queen as well."

Eddie nodded this time. "Yeah…" He was quiet for another minute, thinking about something. "I'll get Adrian out of your hair. You talk to Rose. She seems to be the only one keeping you sane." He winked at me and then turned away; turned toward Lissa.

"Liss," he said softly, his Guardian mask back on. She turned her head toward him, her body still in the way of a good view of Rose. "We have a meeting with your new advisers about taking the thrown in an hour. I think it best to cut this visit short."

Her face fell. "What about Rose? We can't leave her here alone; we barely get to see her as it is."

He motioned to me. "Guardian Belikov has agreed to escort Rose to Palm Springs later tonight, and will be her Guard all night until she leaves and lands." He winked at her then, trying to get her to see where he was going with this.

After a momentary pause, a look of realization flashed across her face. She nodded. "You're right." She turned to Rose and hugged her tight, thought the cell bars made it look a little uncomfortable. "I'll be with on your flight to Palm Springs."

They broke apart. "How?" Rose asked.

"I'll pull a few strings. I have more power now with Tatiana's up-coming retirement. I'm going to be Queen, after all." She giggled a little, making me wonder what devilish thoughts were going on in her head. I realized then just how her and Rose were so alike but so different at the same time.

Eddie then turned toward Adrian. "As for you, your advisers have yet to meet you, so I'd advise going to that meeting. It starts in ten minutes." I'm not sure if Adrian noticed, but Eddie not once glanced at his wrist to check the time; let alone that fact that he wasn't wearing one.

Adrian sighed. "I hate politics, and yet I surround myself in it." His eyes locked on Rose, and 'blew her a kiss'. "Until next time, Rosie."

Before he started walking after Adrian and Lissa, Eddie purposely – yet made it look like an accident – dropped a piece of paper on the ground. I bent over my shoe, making it look like I was going to tie it, picked up the paper, and stood again. I'll read what it says after I talk with Roza, I decided.

And with that, they all walked – well, Adrian stumbled – back down the hall the way we came.

Now, it was just Rose and I until she was to be moved. We watched the others leave; I was silently thanking Eddie for the Adrian-distraction, greatful that he has an amazing memory and could recall the meetings they had to attend. Turning again to Rose's cell, I noticed she had backed away into the cell, her back to me. She was fiddling with the gifts she had just received, moving them from the middle of the bed to the pillow, arranging them neatly.

When she was done, I thought I'd try communicating. "Roza-"

"I'm scared, Dimitri." Her voice shook, which took me by surprise, because I've never heard a level of fear this great come from Rose. "I don't want to die, not like… like this." She gestured to herself then forced her hands into tight fists. "I can't take the fact that I could…kill someone; that losing my resolve could get even you killed. I can't trust myself, Dimitri. So…I don't want you guys around anymore. You can't keep coming down here."

I stepped closer, putting myself inches from the cage. My Guardian mask was locked in place, but I wasn't sure how long I could hold it there. "Rose, you need to understand something: I don't care." Her fist loosened slightly upon hearing my words. I continued: "I don't care if you feel you are a throat. I don't care if I die protecting you and Lissa from anything dangerous. I don't care if they strip me of my Guardian duties because I'm in love with you They can take every aspect of my life away, Roza, but they could never take you." It was faster than I'd ever seen a person move, even as a Strigoi, but she was across the cell and face to face with me in the blink of an eye – literally.

Her eyes, those same beautiful chocolate brown orbs, with just one exception: the red ring around her irises. Her movement, nor her eyes, startled me in the slightest. I had grown accustom to Rose's new body, and was amazed by how she adjusted her speed and other movements to make it seem like her old self.

"I am a monster, Dimitri, a monster! I'm the very thing I fought to protect Moroi from – to protect Lissa from. I may not crave blood now, but I can feel that evil lurking inside, waiting for a way out. That darker side – she's down there somewhere. I fear for your life – for Lissa's – every time I lay my eye on you. Just the scent of fresh blood could propel my body at your neck and it would be too late." A tear fell down her cheek. "I'm a real freak of nature, but you love me, regardless of the truth. I don't know how I still have my sanity, but…" She reached through the bars for the first time today and grabbed my hand. "I'm willing to fight for it if it means I'll get to be wrapped up in your arms again, even if it's just one last time."

I smiled my special smile for her, getting lost in those new yet familiar eyes. I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You could never scare me away, my Milaya. We will pull through." I reached into my pocket and grabbed that note from Eddie. I held it up for her to see. "And our friends are helping us out of here. Together."

End

Well, don't shoot me or anything! I swear, it'll get better.

I really like this version, and I hope you guys do, too. I put a lot of thought into it, so don't shook it down just yet. As promised, this story will end with this chapter. And if it's a hit, there will be a much longer sequel. If it's a dud…well, I don't know. But I'll figure out a real plan once I know what you guys thought of my secret idea.

Well, you guys know the drill. Let me know hat you think, and get back to me on it.

Thanks For Reading! R&R

-Aly