Another shot (A Vampire Academy Fanfic)

Another Shot Chapter 4

"Dimitri!" she panted. "You really are amazing." I was amazing? She was the amazing one.
"Roza..." I sighed. "You, milaya, are the amazing one".
"You know I've waited for this, to be with you? For six years. Only you. Only ever you. I love you Dimitri- so much." She'd never moved on? She'd waited for me?
"Oh Roza. I love you too." We fell asleep entwined in each other. It was perfect- she was perfect.

"Comrade! Wake up! We gotta meet Stasiya for training!" Ah. My daughter awaited. Since when did Rose wake up before me?
"Did I sleep in or you get up early?"
"Both- now get dressed. Your daughter is as demanding as her mother." I got dressed still trying to wrap my head around having a five year old daughter.

When we got to the gym Stasiya was waiting.
"Mother. Father. You're late!" Damn, she was pissed. A pissed off five year old enhanced version of Rose and me was not good.
"Sorry Anastasiya." Rose and I said in unison.
"You're lucky Tasha is around. Otherwise you'd both be in for it." Oh boy.

"Stasiya. Let's get started."
"Humph. What's the drill today? What are we showing Daddy?"
"Laps for warm up- easy, medium or hard?"
"Hard."
"Right, 35 and you need to shave a minute off your best time." 35 laps? Was she insane? The child was five!
"What else?"
"Just stretch and go. We'll work on that when you get back. You know what happens if you don't make your time requirement." Stasiya was stretching just as I'd taught Rose. Hmm.
"Yes Mommy. Another set with a new time requirement." What the? How hard did this kindergartener train?
"This time it'll be a two minute shave if you don't meet the one minute off." God Rose. She's five! Was I really expected to push her this hard?
"Yes Mommy."
"You know why I push you this hard don't you?"
"Because I'm not normal. I'm a Guardian enhanced by a Hunter. One day I'll be better than you. I'm almost Strigoi strong- I need to learn how to use it. I need to meet my potential to be as fast as one too." This was clearly a well covered and reinforced topic.
"Atta girl!" Rose smiled. "Now get your ass out to the track." My daughter left with a smile on her face.

"Rose, she's five!" I let the exasperation come through.
"You'll see why in a few minutes. You remember my 35 laps best time was 14 minutes 22? It's now 4 minutes 22. She's catching up. She's on about 9 minutes 31."
"What?!"
"She's you enhanced by me. Remember that." I was going to have to apparently.
"So you expect her to be back in what? Six more minutes?"
"Yup."
"God. What else do you have her doing?" She smiled almost evilly. What did she put our daughter through?
"Wait and see comrade. Wait and see what our mini us can do." I had noted the muscle on her last night but that came at what cost?

"Mommy! Daddy!"
Rose stopped the stop watch. "7 minutes 57. Good work baby!"
"That means another 15 in what? 3 minutes 28? Under?" She sounded excited- at more laps? Rose hated laps when I gave them to her.
"You got it!" She grinned. And out Stasiya went.
"Another set when she beat the time requirement?"
"Yup. She asked for hard. That means a total of 50 laps- one 35 and one 15. It's another 35 set if she doesn't meet time."
"Rose?"
"She's five but isn't spending all her time in books. She's like us- prefers action."
"Clearly."

"Mommy! Daddy!"
"3 minutes exactly." How on earth was our five year old that fast?

"What next, Mommy?"
"Add an extra ten reps to everything and it's eight sets."
"So that's 55 reps right?" How high could our daughter count?
"Yep. Eight times for each. Remember to finish one exercise completely before moving on."
"Of course Mommy."

She set to it and I watched in complete amazement. She was doing every machine, every exercise I had given Rose. Without complaint. Her weights were a little too heavy but this little angel was clearly advanced. She was packed with power and energy. Fast and clearly full of potential. She loved working out- just like me, and Rose.

"What now Mommy?"
"Punching bag."
"Yay! Then dummies?"
"Fine. But punching bag first- and don't forget your gloves."

"The bag and dummies?"
"Watch and learn. Watch and learn, comrade."

Our girl gloved up and ran to the punching bag. What she could do to that bag surprised me. She had techniques most fifth graders didn't- and she had them perfected.

"Dummy time, Stasiya!" Rose was clearly impressed by her little angel.
"Yay!" Stasiya squealed.

If I'd thought she was good on the punching bag she thrived on the dummies.

"Go have a shower and head to breakfast Stasiya" her mother directed.
"Mommy!" it was the first time I'd heard her whinge.
"Anastasiya Louiz Belikov. You won't get dummy time for the next two days."
"Fine," she huffed and left.

"Rose. What was that?"
"She loves the dummies- more than food. Her appetite is more legendary than mine." Okay, that was saying something.
"Please tell me she doesn't eat chocolate donuts for breakfast."
"No. But French toast, pancakes, orange juice, milk and cereal she does. In one sitting if she's really hungry. After that she'll ditch the pancakes- they usually only come in after 70-plus laps."

"Does she ever get a session of only running? Like our first few?" We walked out of the gym intertwined.
"Yes. Not so often now. She's often got to be in a 'you're being punished' mood."
"What did she do when you didn't follow procedure? When she gave you a Guardian Mask payback? How old was she?"
"About three. She made my life hell. That week she didn't speak to me, was late and lazy in trainings and avoided me like the plague."
"What you do to make up for it?"
"Triple everything the next trip."

"Rose? Belikov?" Lissa cautiously greeted us.
"Don't start, Lissa. Yes, he knows about her- she loves him to bits and vice versa. I ain't letting him go."
"I sure as hell am not leaving either." I brushed Roza's hair out of her face and kissed her cheek. She blushed and giggled.
"Comrade!" I did it again, this time pressing kisses all over her face. Causing her to giggle more. I silenced the giggles with a kiss.

"Get a room!" Lissa laughed. "I'm glad you're happy again Rose. I haven't seen you like this in years." Rose looked a little guilty. Why? Must have been some silent extra through the bond.
"Liss... I'm sorry. Don't feel bad. You have had a lot to deal with since the crash." Liss hadn't seen her like this since before the crash? That was almost nine years ago.
"Rose?" I couldn't comprehend nine years without Lissa seeing Rose this happy.
"You saw me like this occasionally but it was too dangerous. Stasiya does make me happy but not this kind of carefree happy. The crash took it's toll immediately, then two years on the run, we were complicated and hidden, then Stasiya came along and Elite not long after." She had been through more than I'd thought.
"Oh Roza." I pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead and wrapped her in a hug. If only I could protect her from everything.