#ourcombos

Little Pink Plus Sign - Rose POV - Part 11/?

Scooting back towards the wall, I winced in pain. I took a quick inventory of my pain wrapping my right arm around my stomach furiously hoping the twins were alright. Luckily, the pain was coming from my left arm rather than anywhere near my abdomen.

When I glanced over at Dimitri, all I could see was blood and fists. He was going to kill the Moroi, despite the two guardians trying to tear him away. In an attempt to stop him, I called out to him. Finally I got through, and as soon as he saw me on the ground, he jumped up and rushed toward me. With one good punch to the smaller Moroi’s face, he leaned down next to me.

“Are you okay?” his voice filled with panic.

“Yeah, it’s just my arm. It’s killing me,” I said as three nurses and two more guardians rushed toward us. They tried to get me up off of the floor, but before I could even move, Dimitri scooped me up in his arms, careful to avoid my left side.

Following the nurse, he carried me back to an exam room where she began to poke and prod and ask me a million times. After listening to the twins, she assured us that they were both fine and that my arm had taken the brunt of the fall. Murmuring something about an x-ray, she practically sprinted out of the room.

Almost as soon as she left, the two guardians were at the door. “Guardian Belikov, we need to speak with you.”

“отвяжись,” he said curtly. This was met with shocked and disapproving looks. “You heard me!” Dimitri shouted at them. “Your asshole assignments deserved exactly what they got. Honestly, they got off easy. Now get the hell out of our room.”

The look on his face gave even me the chills. I couldn’t imagine being on the other side of those eyes. Wrapping my fingers around his wrist, I pulled him towards me. “Comrade, stop.” His shoulders softened slightly, and I looked up at the guardians. “Please leave.”

Looking rather torn, they conceded. As soon as the door closed, Dimitri took me into his arms. Kissing me softly on the forehead, he whispered, “Я извиняюсь, Роза.”

“What are you sorry about?” I asked, placing my right hand on the side of his face.

“I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry that you probably hear these things on a daily basis. I’m sorry I can’t protect you from it. I’m sorry, so, so very sorry.”

“Stop.” I shook my head at him. “This isn’t your fault. I knew that this was going to happen eventually. But look, you can’t just go beating up people like that. You could’ve killed him.”

With fire in his eyes, he said, “That’s the one thing I’m not sorry for. I should’ve killed him. He deserved it.”

“Comrade, if you had, you’d never see Evanna and Adelaida,” I said simply, knowing this was the only thing that would get through to him. “They come first. Just because Lissa would side with us doesn’t mean we can get away with murder. Literally.”

“He could’ve hurt them,” he said blankly. His eyes welled up and he placed his hands on my stomach. Gently, he placed a kiss to both sides before glancing up at me. “How bad is your arm?”

“Broken,” I said flatly. No use in dancing around it. Something was definitely broken, but it wasn’t the first time and definitely wouldn’t be the last.

Seconds later the nurse burst in to lead us for the x-ray. Despite my fervent assurances that I could walk perfectly fine, Dimitri scooped me up once again.

Once the x-rays were taken, we had nothing to do but wait for the doctor. It seemed like that was all we did lately, and even though we’d had plenty of practice, neither of us had gotten any better at it. It wasn’t long before Dimitri was pacing the room.

Finally, the doctor walked in. “Five broken ribs, broken nose, broken collarbone, three broken wrist bones, fractured tibia and a slight concussion,” he read from his laptop.

“I think you have the wrong room,” I said in a small voice.

“No, this is the right room,” he said as he looked at Dimitri pointedly. “Thanks to Lord Szelsky’s actions against you,” he nodded at me, “Prince Lazar won’t be pressing charges.”

Scoffing, Dimitri threw his hands up. “Oh, that’s rich.”

“Do you think this is a joke, Mr. Belikov?”

“Are you serious? We should be the ones pressing charges,” he said squaring his shoulders up to the doctor.

Shrugging, the doctor set his laptop down. “You think that would be wise?” He put my x-rays up against the light and flipped the switch. “You two may be at the queen’s right hand, but going up against the Szelskys and the Lazars? I suggest being thankful that your little ones are unharmed, developing thick skin, and moving on, Belikov. Not everyone is going to understand your situation, and they will say hateful things. This doesn’t open up the door for you to try to kill them.”

The doctor pulled up a stool and held Dimitri’s stare. “Two centimeters,” he said calmly. “One broken rib was two centimeters away from puncturing his lungs. Two more centimeters and Prince Lazar may have died. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to deal with the Lazar family after killing one of their most respected family members.”

I sobered up and placed a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder when he opened his mouth to speak. “How bad is my arm?”

Focusing his attention on the x-rays, he said, “Luckily, it’s a clean break. It’s in the ulna just above the wrist. It should be pretty easy to set. You’ll have to wear a cast for the next six weeks, but there shouldn’t be any complications or anything.”

Pulling down the x-rays, he glanced over at me. “I do want you to monitor the twins especially closely over the next week. If anything seems off, anything at all, come in immediately. We’re sure they weren’t harmed, but we need to make sure the trauma from the fall doesn’t affect them. Sometimes the stress of a situation like this can be just as harming as the fall itself.”

I nodded. “Of course. The girls are our number one priority.”

“Now, let’s get that arm taken care of, shall we?”

Once the bone was set, he wrapped up my arm up nice and tight and sent us on our way. We set our appointment for the next week and with Dimitri fussing at my side, we finally left the office.

“Dimitri, please, I’m alright. I’ve broken a few bones in my time. You’ve broken my arm before.” He winced at that. “The twins are fine. My arm will heal. Stop fussing!”

“Okay, alright…” he yielded, backing off. “I’m just worried about you.”

I took his hand. “I know you are, but Comrade, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” Standing on my tiptoes, I kissed his cheek. “I had a great teacher, you know.”

“Must’ve been one heck of a mentor…” he sighed.

“Ehhh…he was alright. Bit of a hard ass at times though,” I giggled.

“Mark my words, Roza. When you get out of that cast, I’ll make you pay for that little comment.” He hugged me to his chest. “Should we go share our news with Christian and Lissa?”

“They found out their gender tomorrow! I wonder what she’s having…” I trailed off.

Dimitri chuckled and led me towards the master suite. After explaining what happened to the worried guardians outside her door, I readied myself for the string of questions I was sure Lissa would have. The red cast on my arm was a bit conspicuous, and I wished I’d gone for a calmer color. For now, I tucked my arm behind Dimitri and followed him into the suite.

“Hey guys!” Lissa chimed, holding out a cupcake. “I knew you’d stop by after your appointment to share your news, sooooo we, well Christian, baked cupcakes!”

Christian came from the kitchen, licking icing off a spoon. “They’re damn good cupcakes too, if I do say so myself.” His head crooked sideways when he saw me hiding behind Dimitri. “What’s wrong with you?”

Deciding I couldn’t hide my arm forever, I readied myself and stepped forward.

“Rose! What happened?!” Lissa frantically set the cupcake down and waddled over to me. “You know you aren’t supposed to be getting into fights!”

“This wasn’t her fight actually,” Dimitri said, shame filling his voice. He detailed what had happened with Szelsky and Lazar leaving out the horrible comment that started it all.

“Why on earth would you pick a fight with such powerful people, Belikov?” Christian said, dumbfounded.

“They said I’d cheated on him,” I explained, “with you.”

When I looked up, I found fire in Lissa’s eyes. “Whatever power in government those two thought they had is now gone. I’ll make sure of it.” After seeing the blatant disapproval I’m sure was written all over my face, Lissa countered, “Rose, I won’t have people like that on any sort of council that makes decisions for my people. This is more than just a petty power move because they’re terrible people, although that would be enough of a reason for me. This is about what’s best for all of us. Those two don’t need to have any power.”

“Plus, I mean, I’m flattered, but honestly Rose, you aren’t my type,” Christian added, lightening the mood a bit. “Now how about those cupcakes?”

Suddenly, I felt ravenously hungry as I took the pastry from his hand. He jumped back. “Wow, don’t get in the pregnant ladies’ ways…,” he warned.

This earned a laugh from Dimitri. “You’re just lucky you don’t have any pickles.”

Lissa waved her hand dismissively. “We’re carrying your children. We should be able to eat whatever we want!” Then, smiling at me she asked, “So am I getting nieces or nephews? Or maybe one of each?”

“Nieces,” I said, earning a squeal of joy from Lissa.

“Evanna and Adelaida,” Dimitri announced.

“Oh, those names are gorgeous,” Lissa cooed. Smiling wide, she pulled me into an awkward belly-bumping hug. “I’m so happy for you.”

Holding my shoulders, she pulled me back to look me in the eye. “Promise me something?” I nodded. “Two things actually…”

“Whoa now Liss, let’s not get crazy,” I joked.

“First, no more fist fights.” She looked purposely at Dimitri.

Putting his hands into the air, he agreed, “No more fights.”

“Good,” she said directing her attention to me. “Second, come with me and Christian to our appointment tomorrow?”

Little Pink Plus Sign - Rose POV - Part 10/?

“Roza?” Dimitri’s voice shook me from my sleep. Groggily, I moaned and stretched my arms. My hands rested on my stomach as I gathered the energy to sit up.

“Need some help with that?” Dimitri smirked at me. His steady hand supported my back as he helped me to my feet.

“What time is it? Are we late?” I mumbled, remembering the doctor’s appointment we had this afternoon.

“No, but training ran late, so we will be if we don’t leave now.” Grabbing my bag, he slung it over his shoulder and guided me toward the door. I was still pretty dazed, but soon, the twins started kicking again which did quite a bit to wake me up.

“Training already,” I whispered.

Smiling, Dimitri stopped and rested his hand on my belly. “That must’ve been one heck of a nap.”

I sighed. “It really was. This was the first time in a while that they haven’t woken me up…and that I haven’t had to get up to pee.” Almost immediately after the words left my mouth, I regretted them. “Dimitri…”

Sighing, he unlocked the door and let me back inside. Thankfully, he was used to my overactive bladder and treated it as a necessary evil of our new everyday lives.

Quite a few adjustments had been made lately. Weekly doctor appointments, hourly potty breaks, minimal work hours...it was a wonder Dimitri and I hadn’t gone mad. Both of us longed to get back to work, but as the days passed, it became clearer and clearer that our lives would never go back to the way they were.

Once the twins were born, we’d have a full time job raising them. Who knew when I’d finally get back to guardianship? My heart was torn, so my current solution was to completely ignore the problem until I absolutely had to deal with it. Sure it wasn’t the best plan, but damn it was effective.

I found Dimitri patiently waiting outside the suite. “All set?” he asked. Nodding once, I took his hand and we set off for the doctor.

We knew this path far too well at this point. Luckily, aside from the one panicked trip, every doctor’s visit was strictly routine. I felt my heart fly into my throat when I remembered what today’s visit entailed.

“What are you hoping for?” I asked, curiously glancing up at him.

Scoffing, he shrugged. “Roza, we’ve having babies – our own babies – I could care less what the genders are as long as the three of you are healthy.”

“Indulge me,” I urged.

“Okay…” Tilting his head sideways, he said, “Well, I’ve been thinking of them as one boy and one girl. What about you?”

“Boys,” I said as one of them kicked my bladder pretty hard. “Little warriors ready for battle." I walked in silence for a bit, the next question resting on the tip of my tongue. “Have you thought about names?”

At this, his eyebrows raised. “I hadn’t thought that much about it.” He opened the door to the clinic for me, shrugged, and said simply, “Guess we’ll have to start thinking about that.”

Something in his tone told me he had been thinking about it and that he had names in mind. Strangely though, I understood why he was holding back. I’d thought about names for hours on end and never discussed it with him. With how high risk everything about this pregnancy was, I didn’t want to risk naming the twins yet. That made it too real, far too impossible to let them go should anything…

“Guardians Belikov,” the nurse greeted genially. “How is everything?”

“Great,” Dimitri responded immediately. “The twins have started kicking!” He sounded like a little boy who had just won his first baseball game. The pride and enthusiasm in his voice almost brought tears to my eyes.

“Have they??” She stood up and peeked over the counter at my little swollen belly. “May I?”

Nodding, I directed her hand to where the twins where currently kicking the hell out of me. I’m not sure what they were trying to accomplish, but damn they were working hard at it.

“Oh my!” she exclaimed. “They’re quite active.” Smiling at me, she added, “Like they’re parents, I’m sure. How much longer do you have?”

“They’re due the end of December so four more months,” I replied.

Sitting back down, she smiled widely at both of us and finished checking us in. “Well, I wish you both the best of luck.”

With a giddy smile, Dimitri said, “спасибо.”

Laughing quietly at the nurse’s confused face, I said, “He means thank you. Sorry, when he gets too excited, he slips into Russian.”

Four bottles of water later, the doctor finally called us back. He was apologizing for the wait because of something with the sonogram equipment being messed up. Honestly, I didn’t care what his excuse was. All I knew was that I was about to pee on the floor and it was going to be his fault and responsibility to clean up.

When he started pressing on my stomach, I thought for sure my stomach was going to explode. I was about three seconds from cussing him out when I saw the twins up on the screen. Every part of my body softened as I watched them. One was sucking its little thumb and the other was punching away at the sonogram wand. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“That one takes after you,” Dimitri said gently.

The doctor nodded, staring at the screen. “Little fighter just like her mother.”

“Her??” I perked up at the word.

His head bobbed once. “Little girls, both of them.” He pointed out the evidence on the screen.

My heart swelled. When I glanced excitedly at Dimitri, I noticed tears in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away. “Aделаида.”

“What does that mean?” I laughed. I’d never heard him use that word before.

Shaking his head, he explained. “It’s a name, an old Russian name that my mother always loved. I grew fond of it myself growing up.”

“Adelaida,” I tested the word on my lips. It was quite beautiful. “Adelaida and…Evanna.” Dimitri’s eyebrow raised at that last bit, so I explained, “Mom mentioned once or twice that her mother’s name was Evanna. I never learned much about her, only that she was a guardian that put even my mother to shame with her battle prowess.”

“Evanna and Adelaida,” Dimitri said softly. “I love it.” He planted a small kiss to my cheek before turning his attention back to the screen.

When the doctor managed to pry us from the screen, he wiped my stomach clean and sent us back to the front to make our next appointment. It was then that I noticed two Moroi men. They looked to be about fifty, but I knew they were probably much older. Both of them had their eyes locked on my stomach.

One of them, the shorter one, made eye contact with me as we passed. I flinched as his glare cut into me.

“What’s wrong?” Dimitri asked, noticing the small movement.

“Nothing,” I lied, pushing him toward the front desk in hopes of a quick escape.

The taller of the two began speaking. It was too loud to ignore, too clear as it sliced through the air to be misheard. “I heard she cheated on him…yeah with none other than Lord Ozera.”

Before I could blink, Dimitri had left my side. He picked the guy up out of his chair and threw him to the ground. I watched wide-eyed as fists flew. Then, suddenly felt myself knocked off balance. I grabbed desperately for something to hold myself up, but found nothing nearby. The last thing I saw before hitting the ground was the cold glare of the shorter Moroi man that was too pointed to be misunderstood. He towered over me, smiling maliciously.

Vampire Academy - College AU - Part 8/?

Rose POV

I snatched the cereal out of the cupboard, slamming the door shut and dragging my bowl out of the cupboard and thumping it down onto the counter.  Christian let out a low whistle and raised an eyebrow.

"Who pissed in your cereal?" he asked. I ground my teeth together and poured my cereal into the bowl and dumping in the milk after it. I grabbed a spoon and sat down at the breakfast bar.

"Nobody," I muttered, chewing the cereal angrily. Christian laughed and stood up.

"Riiiiight, so what did he do?" he asked, locking his eyes onto mine and gesturing towards the general direction of his apartment. I sighed and made a vague gesture with my hands.

"He freaked out," I muttered, shovelling cereal into my mouth. Christian nodded and pecked Lissa's forehead.  Lissa closed her eyes, smiling and leaning against his touch. I felt my heart clench and I smiled at them both. I loved seeing the blissful happy look on Lissa's face…and I loved Christian for putting it there.

"I'll see you tonight girls," he said, grinning at us both and heading to his own apartment.  I smiled, resting my hand on top of Lissa's arm.

"Are you okay today Liss?" I asked. Lissa nodded, clasping her hands over mine.

"I am. Today feels like a good day," she said softly, her eyes lighting up. I forced a smile onto my face and Lissa's smile fell.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I nodded and laughed.

"I'll be fine," I promised, forcing a smile onto my face.

 Dimitri POV

Christian smiled and sat down in front of me.

"I need a favour," he said, giving me a full grin. I laughed and raised an eyebrow.

"What, no buttering me up first?" I teased. Christian scoffed and whacked my arm.

"My aunt Tasha is going to be visiting and I was wondering if you would mind if she stayed with us? I can pick up a spare bed and duvet sets today…I just wanted to clear it with you first," he said, his eyes filling with excitement. I laughed and shook my head. He was talking a mile a minute, how could I do anything to ruin his mood?

"Of course she can stay, do you need any help picking things up?" I asked. Christian grinned and tossed me the keys to the car.

"Um…her? Okay thanks," he said, disappearing out of the door. My mouth fell open and I stared after him. What the hell. My eyes spotted the note on the coffee table and I laughed.

2pm outside rail station

Thanks Belikov!

I shook my head and glanced at the clock. It was almost one thirty. If I left It would mean I would be there in time to meet her off the train. I shoved my feet into shoes and stood up, grinning to myself. Tasha and I were old friends and the thought of seeing her again sent a buzz of excitement through me.

 I rocked on my feet nervously as I waited for a sign of Tasha. I was beginning to think she had missed her train when I spotted her hair in the crowd. I grinned, pulling her into a hug and smiling at her.

"How are you?" I asked, setting her down.

"I'm fine Dimka! My skin is a little itchy but you know how my scar gets with any change in the weather," she said, making a vague hand gesture as she pulled her bags into the car. My eyes were drawn to the scar on her face and I felt my stomach lurch.

That scar was Tasha's badge of honour. A scar she had gotten fighting of Christian's parents when he was a baby. His parents had been ready to rob the house, taking everything they could find, including attempting to take Christian's college fund which Tasha had started for him. When Tasha had butted in she got more than she bargained for. The steak knife they had used had left a jagged scar across her face. But, she was still one of the most beautiful women I knew.

'She has nothing on Rose of course' the voice in my head quipped. I shook my head and focussed on Tasha who was complaining about the train journey. They hadn’t even offered her water.

"So, anyway. Enough about me. I want to hear about you! Abe giving you and Christian an apartment? It's insane. Although you always were like his second son," she said. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.

"It's great," I said simply, hoping she wouldn't bring up Andrew.

 Rose POV

Lissa smiled and grabbed my hands.

"Tasha is back! Christian just text me. This is so exciting, I bet he is so happy to see her!" Lissa said excitedly, almost knocking over her coffee with excitement. I laughed and nodded.

"I don't think he will be the only one pleased to see her judging by your reaction," I teased. Lissa smiled and clapped her hands together.

"We'll be able to go shopping tomorrow. We could start looking at outfits to get you some action," she said, wiggling her eyebrows at me. I shook my head, pretending to be exasperated but in reality I was excited to see Tasha too.

I closed my eyes, blocking out Lissa's excited rabbling. An outfit to get you some action. I inwardly scoffed; what would that be for Dimitri…cowboy boots and hat? I had to stifle my laughter at the thought of wearing anything like that in front of him. I could imagine it. His avoiding eyes he pretending not to look. I laughed and Lissa gave me a suspicious look.

"You're in your own little world today aren't you?" she mused. "Tell me what's bothering you."

I shook my head and shrugged.

"Nothing important. So tomorrow, manicures?"  I asked, swaying the conversation. Lissa let out an excited squeal and began jotting down things in her to do list. I laughed, shaking my head. She would be the death of me.

 I glanced at the door to Dimitri's apartment and sighed. I was contemplating whether or not to talk to him. Because we obviously had to discuss last night. But, at the same time I knew that exactly what he would say. I didn't mean it. It didn't mean anything. It can’t happen again. I took a deep breath and sank back against the wall.

 Dimitri POV

I shook my head and looked at Tasha.

"You have to be kidding," I said. She shook her head and pulled out her phone.

"I'm 100% serious. God, Dimka, you really need to get with the times and get a Facebook," she told me as she scrolled through her phone. "Ah-ha!" she said finally, shoving the phone into my face to show me the baby pictures of one of our mutual friends.

"This is baby number two!" she said. I shook my head and headed to the fridge, grabbing a can of juice and throwing it to Tasha, who almost caught it but, instead it hit off the arm of the chair and exploded all over the both of us. Tasha let out a shriek and stood up, brushing off her pyjamas.

"Damn it, this is the only set I brought," She muttered. I laughed and gestured to my room.

"Feel free to take a shirt from my room. It should be long enough to cover you. I'm going to clean this up," I said, using kitchen towel to mop up the mess I made. It really was everywhere.

I was halfway through cleaning up the couch when I heard a knock at the door and let out a groan. Tasha stepped past me and laughed.

"Don't worry, Dimitri. I'll get it," she said, making her way over to the door.

 Rose POV

I knocked the door, deciding to bite the bullet. The front door opened and I looked up preparing myself for Dimitri's 'Come on Rose' look. Instead I was met by Tasha. My eyes lit up and I was about to give her an enthusiastic hello until I realised what she was wearing. A shirt. Specifically Dimitri's shirt. I clenched my jaw and met her eyes.

"Rose! Hi," she said brightly. "What can I help you with?" she asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder and smiling at me. I shook my head.

"Nothing, I came to see Dimitri but apparently you guys are preoccupied," I said, giving her a fake smile. Fighting back the lump in my throat, I turned and walked…well sort of jogged back to my apartment, ignoring whatever bullshit excuse Dimitri was giving.

He wanted to play this way? Fine. I slammed the door behind me and flopping down on the couch,  thought about what Lissa said.

An outfit to get you some action.

Little Pink Plus Sign - Rose POV - Part 5/?

Waiting for the doctor was agonizing. My heart throbbed in my chest as tears made rivers down my cheeks. Dimitri kept whispering, “It’ll be okay” in my ear, but I wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince me or himself. I definitely couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes for fear that they’d be full of tears, and I tried my hardest to ignore the sniffling sounds coming from him.

I felt like a failure. Carrying a child was something that anyone could do and here I had already messed it up eight weeks in. How would I tell Lissa? What would I tell my mother who didn’t even know about the baby yet? How would Dimitri ever forgive me?

Distantly, I heard a nurse call my name, and I stood up, ignoring the nausea that rolled through me. I wiped my tears and tried to make my feet work. Finally, I just gave up and just let Dimitri drag me to the back. The nurse asked the usual questions, most of which Dimitri answered while I cried, then she led us back to another waiting room to wait for a sonogram.

“I’m going to need you to drink quite a bit of water in the next 30 minutes. Do you think you can do that for me?” she said, patronizingly.

“Yeah,” I muttered. I really didn’t appreciate her tone, but I took the stupid bottle of water from her anyway. The first of many.

After the third bottle, I’ll admit, I had to pee pretty badly, but I kept drinking to spite the nurse and to keep myself busy. I still couldn’t bear to meet Dimka’s eyes no matter how hard he tried to catch my attention, and trust me, his attempts were getting hard to ignore.

About halfway through my fifth bottle, I felt as though my bladder was about to explode, so tiptoeing up to the nurses station, I told her I was ready. She nodded slightly and said the doctor would be ready in a minute. Only when I found out that “minute” actually meant thirty minutes did I waddle back up to the desk, keeping my legs clamped together and practically yell, “I need to see a doctor NOW.”

The nurse nearly fell out of her chair, “Mrs. Belikov, please understand that Dr. Ashland is very bus –”

“Please understand that in about five minutes I’m going to pee on this floor and you will be responsible for cleaning it up. I need to see a doctor now. I need to know what’s going on.” My mouth shut abruptly as desperation entered my voice. “Please.”

“Miss, I understand the predicament that you’re in, however, I’m going to have to ask you –”

“Oh, do you? Do you understand? Really?”

Dimitri caught my arm. “Rose, stop. It’s not her fault that this is happening,” he said, leading me back to the chairs.

“Oh course it’s not,” I whispered, finally making eye contact with him. “It’s mine.”

“Oh, Roza, no.” He took me into his lap and cradled me against his chest.

I began to sob violently, and chocked out, “Yes it is. We had the chance of a lifetime and I ruined it.” Pain ran through my throat and down into my chest.

Stroking my hair, he sobbed with me. “Roza, I love you. Nothing can ever, will ever change that.  Loving you is the chance of a lifetime.”

My whole body shook against his. “I love you too,” I whispered barely audibly.

He rocked me back and forth until Dr. Ashland finally arrived. Smiling sadly, he took us into the sonogram room. As he squeezed out clear slime onto my stomach, we sat in the most uncomfortable silence. He began to smear it around with an instrument that looked like a remote control.

I stared at the screen, seeing nothing but darkness. He poked and prodded, testing my bladder, but all that was there was darkness. My stomach sank. My chance to have a baby was gone. It was a one in a million chance that it would even happen in the first place. I doubted that we could somehow manage it again.

And then suddenly, a small black circle appeared, and Dr. Ashland stopped and smiled. “There’s your baby.”

“What? How is that possible?” Dimitri asked, stealing the words from my mouth.

“It’s very common in the first trimester to experience bleeding or spotting much like you would during a normal menstrual period.  It doesn’t always mean that you’ve had a miscarriage, although if it continues we’ll need to start monitoring it as it is a concern at that point,” he explained.

“Then why the hell didn’t anyone tell us that?” I asked pointedly. Burning red anger flashed behind my eyes.

“Well, Mrs. Belikov,” he said, setting the instrument on the table. “We don’t like to offer that sort of hope unless we know for sure that a miscarriage hasn’t occurred. It doesn’t do well for our patients.”

Humbled, I nodded once. Then sheepishly, I asked, “Can we see the baby again?”

He chuckled. “Of course.” Taking the instrument once more in his hand, he pressed on my stomach again. The black dot appeared once more and I couldn’t help but smile. Our baby. Dimitri’s and mine. It was still there, alive and well. “Wait a minute,” the doctor said unexpectedly.

“What?” I asked, searching his face. I couldn’t quite place the emotion on it. Confusion. Concentration. Surprise?

Taking a big glob of the goo, he pushed on the right side of my stomach, and then on the left. “Maybe not…” he muttered to himself.

My chest crumpled. Was it all just false hope? Did I really lose the baby and this black circle was just a blip on the machine? “What is it?” I said frantically.

He continued to stare at the screen switching from left to right on my stomach. Then he stopped. Surprise filled his face.

“Doctor, what’s going on?” Dimitri asked firmly. “Is the baby alright?”

Smiling, the doctor said, “Yeah, it’s just that...” Then he muttered to himself. “Let me just focus this a bit.”

Roles Reversed - Dimitri POV - Part 3/?

I exhaled heavily and met Lissa's eyes.

"Promise me Dimitri!" she snapped, her hands slamming down on the table. I met Christian's eyes and he gave me a sympathetic look. I cleared my throat and pushed my hair out of my eyes.

"I'll try my best to bring her back here alive," I promised. Lissa meeting with Dashkov had been a complete waste of time. It had taken a large chunk of my savings to arrange the meeting with him…the extent to which some guardians would go to make money was ridiculous. When we had met with him he had promised to tell Lissa everything, in exchange for her healing him. I had almost knocked out his teeth then and there. But, Lissa had agreed and Dashkov had began telling her some wonderful tale of Strigoi being restored. Christian and I had agreed instantly that it was bullshit. Lissa was convinced that it was true and began instantly researching into the fairytale. But…this was real life. I didn't believe one word of the tale which had convinced Lissa that Rose could be saved. Mostly because I couldn't let myself think like that or when the time came I would hesitate. Lissa grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"You bring her back to me," she pleaded. I closed my eyes and swallowed the lump in my throat and smiled at her.

"I'll try," I promised. I used my hand to tilt her chin up to face mine.

"Now you promise me that no matter what happens you won't do this again," I said, rubbing my thumb over the scars on her arm. Lissa flushed and Christian's arms wrapped round her waist.

"I'll make sure of that," he promised. It was my turn to hug him and when I leaned in he squeezed my shoulders.

"Good luck," he said, we both knew it was unlikely I would be bringing Rose back with me. If I could even come back at all. I pulled my bag over my shoulder and I set off, to kill the woman I loved.

 Three days, that’s how long it took me to find her group. I watched the small group of Strigoi that were in turn watching the humans. My eyes fell on him, the one who had taken her from me and I gripped my glass tightly, averting my eyes. I was guessing that he would be her sire. Which meant she would be around here somewhere.

I swirled the drink around in my hands and swallowed the contents. I stood up, making my way to the outside of the club. I leaned against the wall and exhaled heavily. Rose, how was I ever supposed to face her? I grabbed the stake in my hand and twirled it, heading down the alleyway. You're prepared. You can do this. I told myself. Then I felt it, a pair of eyes on my back and the hairs on my neck stood on end. I spun round, my stake poised, ready for attack. I couldn't see her yet, but I could sense her. Then I saw movement and I heard a pitying tut.

"Oh Dimka, come to kill me? I'm flattered," she said, her voice lacking its usual warmth, but there was something so familiar about it that my heart skipped a beat. My eyes focused in on the area her voice was coming from and tightened my grip on the stake, my hands were beginning to sweat and I could feel my breath increase.

Rose stepped out from the shadows and I felt the air being knocked out of my lungs. She looked so much like my Rose. But, at the same time she looked so different. If my Rose had represented everything light then this Rose represented everything dark. She was mystifying. My whole thought process had taken all of three seconds but it was enough of a hesitation to give Rose an advantage. Before I knew it she was beside me. She grabbed my shirt, lifting me off the ground, her strength more than making up for the height difference. She made a tsking noise and I knew this was it. I was dead. I had failed, my stake lay on the ground.

"Didn't you always tell me not to hesitate?" Rose asked, using her free hand to brush her hair out of her face. I hissed, kicking my feet out to try and hit her. Not that it would do much to her. Rose let out a growl of frustration and slammed me back against the wall.

 When I woke up I looked around blearily, trying to see where I was. I moved my wrists and scowled when I realised I was handcuffed to the bed.  I glanced around the room, looking for Rose. This didn't make any sense, I should have been dead by now. I sat up, thankful to see that the handcuffs stretched that far, and leaned back against the bars of the bed. When Rose entered the room I looked up and narrowed my eyes.

"Handcuffs, seriously? Is there some sort of compliment in there somewhere?" I hissed, tugging against the restraints. Rose laughed and it was so familiar that I blanched.

"You think I'm going to let you out of those cuffs so that you can try to kill me? Really Dimitri, you should know me better than that," Rose said, sitting down on a chair next to the bed and staring at me. I closed my eyes and began praying in Russian. Let it be quick. I couldn't bear to look at her any longer. It hurt me to look at her and see those red eyes staring back at me.

"Why won't you look at me Comrade?" Rose asked. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Comrade…how dare it use her nickname for me.

"Because you aren't Rose! You are a…Демон! сатана!" I hissed. Rose laughed and it chilled me to my bone.

"I always found it so sexy when I heard you speaking Russian, even now when you're trying to insult me," she said, I closed my eyes and tried to block out what she was saying.

"You know, at the academy all I used to think about was you murmuring dirty things in my ear in Russian," she said, her hand tracing my torso. "Made all those workout sessions particularly hard," It was then I realised that I would have to keep my eyes open. If I kept them closed I could pretend to myself that this was my Rose.  I focussed on her eyes and narrowed my own at her.

"Why don't you kill me and get it over with!" I snapped. Rose laughed and again it chilled me to hear how cold the laugh sounded.

"I'm not going to kill you, I'm going to awaken you. When you choose it of course," she told me. I scoffed and Rose grabbed my chin forcing me to look in her eyes.

"Trust me Comrade, you will choose it," she said, her nails digging into my cheeks. She slung her legs over my hips and I dug my heels into the bed and forced myself against the headboard to get away from her. She smirked and pulled me towards her, crashing her lips onto mine.

Visiting Mason's Grave - Dimitri POV

I don't know why I even went looking for her. It was the same every year. Every Christmas eve Rose went missing…well not really missing. I always knew exactly where she was.

I pulled my duster on and stepped out of the car. It has been raining so much over the past few days that the ground was coated with a layer of wetness. I just hoped Rose had thought to bring a jacket. The rain was beginning to fall and I knew it would feel like ice on her skin. I opened the gate to the cemetery and sighed with relief when I seen Rose sitting at the graveside with a bunch of flowers in her hand. My happiness was short lived when I noticed the thin cardigan she was wearing.

"Oh Roza," I said softly, I pulled off my jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "You're soaked," I murmured. Rose let out a small sob and I felt a clench in my chest.

"You should be inside," I added. Rose shook her head.

"This is where I should be, this is where I need to be," she muttered. I sat down beside her and touched her hair.

"Your butt is going to get wet," Rose mumbled. I shrugged and pulled her into my lap and smoothed back her hair.

"I was worried about you," I told her, wiping her tears away with my thumb.

"I miss him," She cried. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat and ran my hands through her hair.

"I know Roza, I know," I told her, I cradled her against my chest and made soothing noises.

"I should have done more to protect him. I could’ve saved him. If I hadn’t led him on like I did and told him about the strigoi, he wouldn’t have even been in Spokane at all. He shouldn’t have been in Spokane at all." She rambled through sobs and I felt her body shaking against mine. Oh Roza…

Holding her tight to me, I whispered in her ear, "Rose, there is nothing more you could have done. You did the best by him." I reassured her. I began to rock her in my arms as her sobs grew louder. “He wouldn’t want you to be like this, to feel this way. He loved you, Roza. He’d want you to be happy.”

It hurt me to think that another man loved her as I did, but I knew it was true. Mason had adored Rose enough to die protecting her, something I would never, could never, truly forget. Even after death, he refused to leave her unprotected.

I felt Rose cuddle closer into my chest, and I leaned over her to further protect her from the rain. Then, she truly surprised me. She began to laugh. “Rose?”

“Do you know what he told me once?” she asked, brushing the tears onto my rain-soaked duster. “He said, ‘I hope they let me carry an axe.’ An axe. He would look absolutely ridiculous carrying an axe around with him.” A giggle escaped her lips, but soon more tears formed in her eyes. At a loss for words, I began to caress her arm.

“He should have had that chance,” she whispered. I felt my heart shatter.

“Yes, Roza.” I didn’t dare look at her face. “He should have.”

We both fell silent as we listened to the rain fall around us. I was prepared to sit there for hours as long as it brought her comfort. Stroking her hair, I furiously hoped that she wouldn’t catch pneumonia. After several minutes, the sobbing stopped and I felt her body go limp. Her steady breathing told me that she’d fallen asleep.

Looking to the grave, I let out a sigh. “She loves you, you know,” I whispered. Staring at the dates, I felt my spirit drop. Eighteen years. “And she’s right. You should’ve had more time.”

Knowing I needed to get Rose out of the weather, I carefully shifted her in my arms and stood up. As I carried her carefully back to the car, several thoughts filled my head. I dreaded these graveyard visits and I hated to see her cry, but I also knew one thing with absolute certainty: Rose was strong. She would overcome this.

Romitri AU

"Rose, I really don't understand why you are so angry with me," I said exasperatedly. Rose held up the booklets that she had found inside one of my books and she waved them in my face.

"This! You don't understand why I'm angry about this?" she asked. I glanced at the booklets and back up at her.

"Rose-" I said softly. Rose slammed her hands down on the counter and glared at me.

"No," she said. She slammed the leaflets into the bin and turned away from me. I ground my teeth together.

"No? No? Are you serious right now Rose? What...we aren't even going to have a discussion about this?" I asked. Rose turned round and glared at me.

"No. This isn't up for discussion Dimitri," she hissed. I sucked my top lip between my teeth and looked up to glare at her.

"So you aren't even going to consider adopting with me?" I asked. Rose spun round to face me and she took a step forward.

"I never wanted kids Dimitri," she hissed.

"No. You said you never thought about it because it wasn't an option. I have always wanted kids. You know that. Rose, can we at least talk about it?" I asked. Rose ran her tongue over her teeth and looked up at me.

"I guess you should have really thought about it before you picked me over Tasha huh?" she snapped. I took a stepped back and furrowed my eyebrows, her words literally caused an ache in my heart. I focused my eyes on Rose's and tried to ignore the tears that I could feel building behind my eyes.

"Yeah, silly me. Imagine me choosing to spend the rest of my life with the woman I love," I muttered. I grabbed my pamphlets from the top of the bin and looked at the ceiling.

"The fact that you won't even think about this really hurts me Rose," I murmured, my throat constricting. I felt the tears splash onto my cheeks and I blinked. Rose didn't respond and I shook my head. I grabbed my keys from the table and Rose suddenly straightened up.

"Where are you going?" she asked. I glanced back at her and shook my head.

"I can't be around you right now Rose. I just can't," I said. I could see the hurt on her face and it sent another jolt of pain into my chest. All I wanted to do was to wrap her in my arms and apologise but I couldn't. She knew how much this meant to me. She knew exactly how much I wanted this and yet she still wouldn't discuss it with me.

"Dimitri," Rose said. I glanced down at the booklets in my hands and thought about the kids in the pictures. So many children who had lost their family. Children who didn't know how much some people would give to have them in their life. I closed my eyes again and blinked away the tears, forcing myself to step out of the house.

………………………..

It took me hours to work up the courage to go back home and by the time I got there, the lights were all out. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. I made my way up the stairs and unlocked the door, stepping into the house. I locked the door behind me and rested my head against the doorframe. I could do this. This was Rose. We had already been through so much. Arguing over adoption wouldn't come between us. I pushed my hair out of my eyes and headed up the stairs, pausing at the door and to watch Rose fidget in her sleep. I glanced behind me at our spare room and tried to rid the nursery plans which were swirling in my mind. I heard Rose let out a sob in her sleep and I instantly forced the thought of the nursery out of my mind and made my way over to her. I ran my hand through her hair, pushing it off her forehead.

"Shhh, Roza everything is okay," I soothed, running my thumb over her eyebrow. Rose's eyes fluttered open and she let out another sob. She sat up and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Dimitri," she cried, sitting up and cupping my cheek. "I didn't know if you were coming back," My heart clenched and I wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"Of course I was coming back Rose, I just needed time to calm down," I said softly. Rose leaned her forehead against mine and I felt another sob escape her. Climbing onto the bed beside her, I pulled her into my lap and cradled her against my chest.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pressure you earlier," I said softly, pushing her hair behind her ears. Rose shook her head, burying her face into the crook of my neck.

"Don't apologise for something that was my fault," she pleaded. I cupped her cheeks between my hands and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips.

"Roza, I don't need to adopt to be happy with you. I already have everything, I have you," I said, pressing my lips to hers again. I wiped at her tears and pressed a kiss against her forehead.

"I love you Rose, nothing else matters to me," I said, running my hands through her hair. Rose's sobs finally stopped and she slid of my knee and took my hand.

"Earlier...it was just the fear talking Dimitri. I'd love to adopt with you, I really would. But, what if I'm not a good mom? What if I screw everything up?" she asked, trailing a pattern on my hand and avoiding my eyes. I curled my fingers through hers.

"Roza," I said softly. "There is nothing in this world that you are bad at," I murmured. I sat on the bed and pulled her against my lap. I was used to dealing with this side of Rose. It had been the same on our wedding day. She was so scared, so scared that she hadn't wanted to walk down the aisle. I smoothed Rose's hair back from her eyes.

"Let's just pretend tonight didn't happen Roza. I don't want you beating yourself up over this. I shouldn't have pressured you. I shouldn't even have picked up the flyers without talking to you first…I'm sorry," I said softly. Rose  curled against my chest and we lay down in bed. I don't know what I was thinking, I didn't need kids to be happy with Rose. All I needed was Rose by my side.

Rose – POV

I woke up before Dimitri for once. I had been awake most of the night, tossing and turning. I couldn't get it out of my head. Dimitri's face when I had refused to even talk about adopting. I had hurt him so much…and I knew he was acting like it was okay when it really wasn't, simply because he wanted to protect my feelings. I couldn't stand it. So I made a decision. I was going to give this a chance. I had called a local dhampir orphanage and made an appointment. I sighed, pulling my hair back into a ponytail and went to Dimitri's side of the bed. I smoothed his hair away from his face and pressed a kiss to his head.

"Wake up comrade," I said teasingly, his eyes snapped open and he glanced at me sleepily. I smiled and nudged him.

"Get dressed. I'll meet you down stairs," I said brightly. Dimitri sat up, and scratched his chest.

"Okay Roza, I'll be a few minutes," he said, standing up and grabbing clean clothes. I made my way down the stairs and I noticed that I was shaking. The thought of meeting kids we might potentially adopt…well, it terrified me.

"Where are we going?" Dimitri asked, suddenly alert. We had been driving for almost half an hour and we had just passed our usual turn that lead to Lissa. I chewed the corner of my lip and glanced at him.

"You'll see when we get there," I said, hoping that I sounded cryptic…but I think I ended up sounding constipated. I was so nervous it was unreal. As I took the next turn Dimitri sat up in his seat and looked at me.

"Rose…," he said anxiously. I could hear the excitement in his voice but I could tell he didn't want to get his hopes up. I cleared my throat and avoided looking at him. The next ten minutes of the journey were focused around Dimitri's excited glances around the scenery. Like a kid when they realize they are on route to a theme park. When I eventually pulled up in front of the orphanage Dimitri glanced at me. His face filled with excitement and love. I gulped.

"Dimitri…don't get your hopes up okay?" I asked. He nodded and pulled me in for a kiss.

"The fact that we are even here means so much Roza," he said. I could hear the break in his voice. He sounded like he was about to cry. I opened the car door and headed towards the door. I stopped on the first step and exhaled. Dimitri put his hand in mine and I glanced at him gratefully. The whole thing terrified me. I had never imagined children being part of my life, even with Dimitri. We entered the house and were instantly greeted by a short stout woman who grinned at us both.

"You must be the Belikov's! I am Marie," she  said brightly. "Come in, come in. Okay, so if you go through the door to your left it will take you into the main dining area. Most kids will be in there just now. There are also some outside. Do you want me to escort you around?" She asked. I glanced at Dimitri and back at her.

"Can we walk around ourselves?" I asked. She nodded and gestured for us to head in. I glanced around as soon as the door opened and I felt my chest constrict. There had to be at least twenty kids in this room. All of whom were orphans. I exhaled and glanced at Dimitri. I seen his face fall and he stepped forward to comfort me. I stepped away from him and shook my head.

"I can't do this. I'm going to go outside," I said softly. "Talk to the kids. I'll come in when I'm ready," I promised, pressing a kiss to his cheek. I could see the look in Dimitri's eyes. He knew that this was about as close as we would get to adopting. I just wasn't ready. I stepped into the fresh air and let out a huge sigh. I slouched down the wall and glanced around at the kids playing outside. I had to at least try to make an effort…for Dimitri. I stood up, making my way over to a kid sitting at the picnic table. A little girl at about seven with long blonde hair. I sat down and smiled at her.

"What are you doing?" I asked, it was fairly obvious she was coloring…but hey I was trying! The little girl looked at me and gave me a half hearted smile.

"I'm trying to cheer up my sister," she said softly, returning to her drawing. I felt a frown tug at my lips.

"What is wrong with your sister?" I asked. The little girl looked at me and sighed. Her eyes startled me…they were so familiar….but I couldn't place them.

"She doesn't think we are ever going to get adopted together, not many families want a teenager," she mumbled. "But I won't go anywhere she can't go," the little girl said adamantly. I felt my chest lurch, the odds of a teenager getting adopted were slim and the fact this little girl was willing to risk her own adoption to stay with her sister…it killed me. I cleared my throat.

"My name is Rose," I told the girl with a smile. She smiled back at me.

"I'm Katie and that is my sister Olivia," she said gesturing to a redheaded girl, sitting underneath a nearby tree, sketching. The girl looked up at if sensing my gaze and our eyes locked. Suddenly I recognized where I had seen Katie's eyes before. They were Mason's. Looking at Olivia sent a jolt down me. She looked so much like Mason that it hurt. I felt my eyes tearing up and I smiled at Katie.

"Why don't you introduce us?" I asked. Katie nodded and I smiled, walking over to the girl. I crouched beside her and smiled.

"Olivia, this is Rose," Katie said smiling. Olivia looked up and gave me a nervous smile, a blush covering her cheeks.

"Hi," she said softly, her hair falling in front of her eyes. I glanced at her notepad and smiled.

"Those are good," I told her, and they were. It was a sketch of the landscape behind the orphanage. Olivia shrugged.

"I have had plenty of practice drawing this," she muttered. I felt another pang in my chest and I looked at the girls.

"How long have you both been here?" I asked. Olivia glanced at Katie and back at me.

"Over a year, no one wants a pair," she muttered the last part as an afterthought and I felt my chest constrict. My nose was tingling and I could feel the tears building.

"Mrs Belikov," Marie shouted. I stood up, brushing down my jeans.

"It was lovely to meet you both," I said smiling at them both. Olivia scoffed and turned back to her drawing. I heard Katie scold her. I walked over to Marie and Dimitri. I glanced back at the girls and then at Marie.

"Why haven't they been adopted?" I asked. Marie sighed and glanced at the girls.

"People don't want kids as old as Olivia. She's fourteen…and people don't usually want pairs. It's a real shame. Katie has had a number of offers…but she refuses to part with her sister. It's heartbreaking really," she said softly. I glanced back at the girls. I couldn't get it out of my head…their resemblance to Mason. It was like it was some sort of sign. A sign that I was supposed to adopt these girls. I glanced at Dimitri and I took a step forward.

"Look at them," I demanded. Dimitri glanced at them both and I seen the recognition in his eyes. So, it wasn't just me. They had Mason's eyes.

"It's a sign," I insisted. Dimitri glanced at me and I seen the cogs in his brain whirling.

"A sign of what?" he asked, I could hear an element of giddiness in his voice.

"Dimitri, these girls are meant for us. I can feel it in my heart," I whispered.

"I know you were thinking a baby. But, we have the room. We both know how to handle stroppy teenagers," Dimitri's mouth twisted up. I could feel myself set to ramble.

"We could move the office into the loft…or move one of the girls up there…it has the window seat. I can't bear to think of these girls being split up-" I began, I could feel the tears spilling down my face. Dimitri grabbed my face and pressed his lips against mine.

"Roza, you don't need to convince me. We'll sign the paperwork," he said softly. I heard a gasp of surprise come from beside us and Marie shook her head.

"That is quite a big task for your first adoption. Really, we are looking for a more advanced couple-" she began. I raised my hand and cut her off.

"You have just told us how you can't get a family to take them as a pair and now you are trying to talk us out of it?" I snapped, clenching my fists. Dimitri put a soothing hand at the base of my back and gave me a look. Marie shook her head.