RPOV
Wow! I couldn't believe it. He was mine. He'd always been mine.
I was Russian and had been raised with Dimitri's family, until my marvellous mother had split us when I was four.
No wonder I felt abandoned, her lack of contact to even let me know she remembered I existed was one thing. But splitting me from the Belikov's, tearing me from Dimitri's arms, taking me out of my soul mate's reach and making me forget my protector, was another. This development was going to leave it's mark.
I get I needed protecting, hiding, but I also needed Dimitri. I was safe with him. With him I was happy, secure, and loved. I was no longer alone. I mean, sure, I had Liss but that was different. I was her protector, her family. Dimitri was mine, he was my other half, my protector, my security. I could go to him for anything and everything, even if it was simply time with him. It didn't matter.
I still hadn't gotten many memories back yet. But I instinctively knew he was my Dimka, the one who could calm me, the one who could read me, the one who truly made me happy and the one I could put all my trust in.
I loved him. I loved him so much it hurt. I would do anything for him, just as he'd do anything for me.
Waking up with him this, Moroi, morning had been amazing once I'd remembered Yeva's package. It was as if almost fourteen years had never passed. I had my Dimka and he had his Roza. We were back together, and complete.
This year was going to get mighty interesting sneaking around with him. It'd be happening all year, I was sure. We'd had our past revealed to us and we weren't going to hesitate to rebuild, reconnect and grow. We weren't going to let almost a decade and a half separation come between us.
"Rosemarie Hathaway!" I heard someone with a ridiculous Scottish accent call to me. That someone could only be my mother.
"Mother dearest." I stopped to let her five-foot-nothing frame catch up.
"Watch your tone."
"I know Mother. I know about them. I know who I really am. I know what you did to me. To him, to Dimitri, my Dimka. I get why but that doesn't stop me from hating it, from being hurt because of it. You tore me from Him. You hurt me, and you hurt him." I sighed. "I can forgive the 'why', I can't forgive the 'that', or the pain it caused. I've just gotten him back and I'm fighting to keep him."
She looked shocked, and angry. "Ro-"
"No Mother. You have no right to be angry. I do, you don't. I want my name back. I want my Russian name. I've got my protector back, give me back my name."
"Rose?" The honey and velvet, Russian accented voice that was my Dimka called.
"Dimitri." I sighed. "Guess who decided to make an appearance." I jerked my head sharply at my mother.
"Guardian Hathaway." He tersely greeted and nodded. He'd clearly read my emotional turmoil. And I suspected, after last night, her appearance was about as welcome to him as it was to me. It wasn't.
"Belikov." She nodded back.
"What's going on Rose? And don't say nothing, I can see you're hurting." My Dimka asked.
"I don't want her around. I want my name back. I can't forgive what she did, to you, to me, to us." That could so blow our cover.
"I agree, Rose. I agree." He turned to my so-called-mother. "Get her name changed back. She has me around and she's almost eighteen. I'm not leaving, I will protect her. Change it back."
"Bu-"
"For once Mother, just once, do something I'll actually thank you for. Please. Change it back."
"I'm not going to win this am I?"
"No." Dimitri and I said in unison. "You're not."
"Fine. I'll get it done." She turned to Dimitri, "this basically makes her your responsibility."
"She already is," he put his hands on my shoulders. "I'm her mentor as well, now. And I should have had her to protect from the time I was seven. You made me break my promise, the promise I made when she was born. You're giving her back to me."
"Ugh. Fine. Just take care of her. You know what she could face because of this."
"I do. I will."
She stormed off and I turned to my Dimka.
"Grab breakfast quickly and meet me in Alberta's office in fifteen."
"I think I know what you're doing."
"Albums and Alberta, yes. She needs to know just who we are."
"I'll see you in fifteen then." It was hard but split to grab food and rush off to Alberta's office.
"Rose. Come in." Alberta called me in.
"Alberta. Dimitri." I greeted as I shut and locked the door.
Ah, my man delivered the albums and diaries. The past, our past.
"Rose." Dimitri greeted. "You ready to do this?"
"It has to be done. Ready, or not." I sat in the chair next to his.
"You have a point. Here," he handed me the albums and I flicked through them. There were a number of adorable photos, a number of telltale ones too. I was sure the accompanying diary entries would, likely, reveal all.
"Okay. I'm ready."
He smiled his smile that took my breath away. And it didn't disappoint this time.
"You," I breathed, "you did that to me on purpose Dimitri Belikov!" I playfully chastised, slapping his bicep. We were blowing our barely-established cover sky-high. We'd be doing it anyway with the albums and diaries, but he'd decided to let Alberta see it still existed before she knew it existed.
"Are you sure?" He cocked an eyebrow and I glared at him.
"You know I've always hated it when you do that." I echoed last night and shifted my glare to the single raised brow.
"What?" He asked all too innocently after bringing the brow down.
"That single raised brow thing." I huffed.
"You're too-"
"Don't say cute or adorable Dimitri, I'm not two anymore." And there it was! That was the biggest clue and best lead-in we could give Alberta.
"What? What's going on you two?"
"Here," we said in unison and placed the albums and diaries on the desk. "These explain everything. We've barely gotten through album and diary one." My Dimka let me elaborate.
"Come here, my Roza." Oh, that did it. I melted and went to his waiting arms, and lap.
"Hmm." I sighed as he wrapped me in him. "Much better."
"Guys?"
"Take a look and read." I responded. "It's too hard for us to verbalise. And we don't know all of it yet."
"I've remembered most of it now, but Rose still has needs some time with the diaries and albums." He dared to peck me on the cheek and, as usual, my skin burned and tingled under his touch.
"You really don't know what you do to me, do you?"
"Speak for yourself Roza."
"Says the one who named me." I rolled my eyes and sighed while shaking my head, before pecking his cheek.
"Roza." He groaned.
"Payback's a bitch." I teased.
"That it is." He returned the playful banter. Then kissed my forehead.
"It's lucky I love you."
"I love you more." I knew what he was referring to.
"Damn you!" I playfully returned with a kiss to his forehead. "Y-" I got cut off by a kiss. On the lips. We hadn't gone there yet, still re-adjusting to being back together. I wasn't taken by surprise, not really. I didn't hesitate to return it. By god, I loved him even more now.
"Guys! Too far! I don't need to see that." Alberta interrupted us just as hands were about to start exploring. "Did you two seriously forget a world existed?"
"Yeah, maybe." I answered.
"'Maybe', Roza? You know we forgot the world existed."
"Do you always have to be right?"
"Speak for yourself."
"Really? Seriously you two. I don't need to see the foreplay."
"Sorry Alberta." We responded in unison, causing her to laugh.
She sighed. "I can't do anything about this. Rose, you need to be trained up, and Belikov, you're the only one who can do it. I can't, and won't, report this, simply because it dates too far back and only Belikov can train you up, Rose. Just keep this hidden. If it's possible with the chemistry I just saw."
"Yes. We can keep this hidden." I replied after looking into Dimitri's eyes.
We could do this, we could, and would keep this hidden. We were strong enough. We'd just gotten each other back and we'd fight to stay together. To protect each other.
With us, it was about feeling, about feeling and being. We'd do whatever it took, whatever was needed to not let this get out but, at the same time, avoid hurting each other in the process. If I needed a tough-love mentor that's what I'd get. If I needed my protector, that's what I'd get. I could hold off on getting my soul mate. And so could he.
"She's right. We can. We can keep this hidden. We will." Even if it meant avoiding each other for lengths of time.
"Good. Now, get to class, Rose."