Anna smiled, "I'm happy for you both... though I hope I get to feel her kick soon. I bet it's amazing..." She noticed Gunner falling asleep and smiled somewhat. She was glad he was getting rest... it hadn't been easy being shifted from strigoi back to yourself again. Not just emotionally and mentally but physically it was draining. As they all laughed and talked Anna slowly started to feel at home again. When the Guardians came to get the map, Seb was nice enough to take it to them and afterwards Anna urged Gunner up and into the bedroom. She couldn't leave him alone, not with all those monsters lingering in his head, so she curled up with him on the bed. She didn't talk to him about his time as a strigoi, instead she hummed quietly to fill the silence and played with his hair with her free hand...

~*~

Seb grinned great big and leaned down and planted a kiss on her tummy, "About time..." He straightened up and noticed Gunner falling asleep and after the elites took the map he followed Anna's suit and urged Serena to bed. He let her get comfortable and then ran his fingers up and down along her side gently. "Maybe things will get better now... We've faced my parents, Gunner is back, Anna seems better..."

He kissed her shoulder and neck gently, "I love you, Serena."

~*~

Another month passed as Anna allowed Gunner the time he needed to recoop but she couldn't put off going after the kids forever and the Elite's numbers were thin as it was. She knew the Queen would urge for Moroi help again even though it wasn't a popular move since most of the children taken had been Dhampir and not Moroi. Still, there were those willing to help on the simple knowledge that trained Dhampir Strigoi would be a force to be reckoned with once they were old enough to turn.

Anna frowned as she hung up her phone, it was the second time in a week the Elite's had called for her assistance and she couldn't keep saying no. With a sigh she bit at her lip before going to find Gunner. She had to go, even if he couldn't... which she would understand... she had to go. Those kids were probably terrified and they'd waited too long already. That wasn't Gunner's fault, they'd needed a month to build up the forces they'd need to take out the Strigoi in those caves, but now they were ready to go and despite her need to stay at Gunner's side right now... She HAD to be part of fixing this... part of her still blamed herself for Gunner being turned Strigoi to begin with.