It was now lunch and Dimitri hadn't left my side. I was currently sitting with the group, hunched over my drop out forms with Dimitri standing behind me. I could feel him and his height made me feel extra short. "Dimitri! You make me height conscious enough normally. Now sit your ass down." I tapped the spot next to me. He didn't move. "Comrade! I might want some help here, with these forms." That had him next to me in a millisecond.
"What are they, Rose?" asked Lissa. Curiosity was coursing through the bond.
I sighed before answering with, "Liss, please don't freak out." I didn't continue until I felt a conscious control an calm coming from her. "Drop out forms. I'm leaving. Something had changed and I have to go."
Shock, then hurt, radiated through to me. She forced herself to calm down and let the control and curiosity takeover again. I was proud of her efforts. "Why?" she cautiously asked. She suspected secrets played a big role.
"I have a family to protect. And I can't do it here."
"Family?!" Christian laughed.
"Yes, Firecrotch. Family." Liss couldn't process it yet. She was stunned that I had even been with anyone. "Liss?"
"Rose? How could you be pregnant? You've been nowhere near guys and I know wouldn't give your virtue over to just anyone."
"I am. I did give my virtue to someone who means the world to me, and vice versa."
"Anyone who was with you would show you off," Adrian joined in. "Unless-"
"Don't you dare!" I interrupted.
"Why?" he challenged. "Why shouldn't I reveal your dirty little secret? You clearly don't care about him if you cheated and are now running."
"Who said I cheated? Who said I was leaving him behind?"
"What?! He's leaving too? Never saw that coming, well going."
"Adrian!" I growled. "That was not cool!"
"Neither was you getting knocked-up by him." Argh! Why did he want to be so damned irritating. I had to wonder how Dimitri was managing to stay out of this, how he was keeping his mask in place. He had to be fuming inside.
"He didn't get me "knocked up". I started my family with him. There's a difference."
"Yeah right. Now. Time to reveal your dirty little secret." He was going to do it. I bloody knew it. "Now, Lissa, Christian, Eddie, this will shock you." Adrian built up the suspense and I suppressed a groan. "Do you want to know who Rose has been not-so-subtly sneaking around with all year?"
"Who?" Lissa asked.
"Yeah. Who?" Christian enquired.
"Rose? What was really going on with Mase?"
"Nothing. I tried. But it just wasn't there."
"Guys! Pay attention," Adrian didn't like Eddie shifting the focus.
"Okay." The other three returned their attention to Adrian.
"Belikov." It was a statement of fact. Pure and simple. Damn you, Adrian!
"What?!" They squeaked.
"Rose? Please, please, please deny it." Lissa begged.
"Liss..." how did I deny what was true? I looked at Dimitri and his face had paled. What was he thinking? What did he want to do?
"Princess." He looked at me, took a deep breath and let his face show everything- all the love, pride, and joy. He pulled me to him after kissing my forehead. "It's true."
"Rose. You wouldn't, you didn't, you couldn't cross that line?"
"Liss," I sighed. "It's not my fault he's my soulmate."
"I guess we can't help that. I can see it in your auras."
"Thanks Liss." I turned to Dimitri and pushed the forms over to him. "Have I done this properly?" He checked them thoroughly while Liss and I continued to talk.
"So, in losing my best-friend-and-supposed-to-be-guardian to my bonafide guardian, huh?" Her mood was slowly turning to amusement.
"You're not losing me." I laughed. "I'll stay in touch."
"And you can visit us Lissa," Dimitri offered after looking up from my forms.
"Really? You know where you're going?"
"Yes." He then returned to checking said forms.
"We do know where we're going. And all four of you are welcome to visit," I added.
"Rose?" Dimitri looked at me.
"Yeah?"
"They're perfect- just like you are for me." My other half pecked my cheek. "Let's go. Baia and the Belikova's await."
"I guess it's time." I stood up and hugged all my friends farewell.
"Take care, Rose. Look after her Belikov- I didn't bring her back from the dead for no reason. She's my sister- you hurt either of them and you'll have me to answer to."
"I will," Dimitri and I sang in unison.
'Adorable. Far too cute and sickly sweet for supposed-to-be-stoic guardians,' came through the bond. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at my friend's hopeless romanticism.
"'Bye Rose. Belikov- I second Lissa's threat."
"Understood, Lord Ozera," Dimitri nodded.
"Oh Rose. I never thought I'd see you give up guarding."
"Neither did I, Eddie!" I laughed. "Neither did I. You realise this almost guarantees you'll get Liss as your assignment after grad? Look after her or you'll have the Belikov badasses to answer to." I said it seriously, but playfully punched his shoulder. Dimitri audibly gasped when I included myself as a Belikov. He quickly recovered to add, "seconded Castile."
Eddie nodded. "Got that. Oh, and Belikov? I also second Lissa's threat."
This time Dimitri nodded. "Understood, Castile."
"Get outta here, Rose," Adrian teased. "I'll see you in your dreams, little dhampir."
"You'll find someone, Adrian. Take care."
"Roza?" Dimitri held my papers in one hand and extended the other to me. "Ready?"
"Ready." I took his hand and left the group in the cafeteria. I cast one last glance behind me and immediately wished I hadn't because they were all crying. Even Christian and Eddie.
"You alright?" my marvellous man asked with concern and love lacing his words.
"Yeah. This needs to be done. It's the right thing, the best option."
"It is, milaya. It is."
Kirova was shocked. To say the least.
"Rose? Why? After everything?"
"I have to. I need to."
"Again, why?"
"That's personal, and private."
"I'm going with her, Headmistress," Dimitri added.
"Belikov? You would abandon your post? Your Moroi? Deny your duty?"
"Yes. I would. I am."
"Why?"
"I'm going home."
"You're taking Rose to Russia?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
I swear this was conversation was becoming more of a Ping pong match than when he argued for me to stay. Except the tone from, and attitude of, Kirova was the reverse. After wanting to kick me out for so long I was now going. And she didn't want it. Thanks to Spokane, the attack and rescue she wanted me on campus until grad. She also couldn't fathom she the one who was so adamant I stay was now the one so adamant to take me away. "Ugh. Fine," I jumped in. "I'm pregnant."
"My family will get along with Rose and take her in."
"Just as you did. I know what family means to you, Belikov. Fine." She signed my release forms and the admin officer made a copy. "Belikov?"
"Yes, Headmistress ?"
"Look after her. You've fought so hard to get her in line, up to scratch and to excel. I can see she means a lot to you, that you connect with her on a level no one here has ever been able to achieve."
"I will."
"Go pack and get out of here. I'll have a jet ready to fly you directly to Novosibirsk. Be at the airstrip in two hours."
"Thank you, Kirova," I replied.
"Yes. Thank you, Headmistress."
We were at the Academy airstrip in under two hours. Alberta was waiting for us. As was Stan, Emil, Yuri, and Celeste. "It's happening, isn't it? You're going to Baia, abandoning 'they come first' for each other," Alberta said wistfully.
"Of course they are!" Yuri and Emil laughed.
Stan was next. "Never thought I'd say this Hathaway, but I'm gonna miss your attitude. Oh, and Belikov? I'm not surprised in the least."
"Protect her Belikov. At all costs, no matter what. What you two have is incredibly rare. Most humans and Moroi search their whole lives, often not finding it, and you two stumbled into it. And foolishly fought it." Celeste was absolutely serious.
"She's right Belikov. Fighting it was incredibly foolish, you had to know how rare your connection is- even more so between our kind. Protect her, at all costs, protect her- even from herself," Alberta added.
"I will. I swear. I won't make that mistake again. I know how much she needs me."
"Good. Now get on that plane. Baia and the Belikova's await."
"'Bye guys!" they all sang as we waved from the door to the plane's cabin.
"Roza?" Dimitri asked after we had taken off."
"Hmm?"
"We're in for a ten-hour-direct flight, then a fifteen-hour-straight drive."
"Then we need to sleep," I guessed.
"Yes. We do. It's amazing how quickly our life has changed."
"It most certainly is. Tell me more about your family."
"Well, my mom- Olena- is amazing. She's so tender and caring..." He told me everything he knew and I took it all in.
"You're right. I will fit in."
"You will, you most certainly will, my love."
"It'll be good to relax, for once."
"Yes, it will be."
"I love you, Dimitri."
"I love you too, my Roza. And Bubba." I grinned at the mention of our baby. We ate dinner on the plane, then slept for the remainder of the flight.
"Roza? Honey? We're here. Welcome to Russia, milaya," Dimitri gently woke me.
"Hey," I smiled as I stretched my limbs.
"I have a call to make. I have a contact lined up to take us out to Baia, but need to see if he's here yet."
"All good, Comrade."
DPOV
"Zmey?"
"Belikov."
"You near the airstrip yet?"
"Five minutes away."
"Good. See you then."
"Belikov?"
"Yes?"
"Who else are we taking to Baia?"
"Rose. Rose Hathaway."
"Who?" What on earth? Zmey caught off-guard? He chose that moment to step out of the seven-seater SUV, which had just parked in front of me. "Who?" He repeated as we ended our cell call.
"Rosemarie Hathaway," I hated saying her full name as much as she hated hearing it. Even "Rose" frequently felt too stilted, too formal. And that was when it suddenly clicked. Oh shit! Zmey had a daughter apparently. One who just happened to be my Roza. Oh boy! I'd just joined the familial league of Abe Mazur. How had I never suspected? Looks, attitude, logic. They all lined up perfectly with his. He didn't miss my reaction, either.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Ouch! Was it that bad? I had now come to terms with my Roza seeing ghosts, so the mention of them made me flinch.
"Zmey. Don't use the word 'ghost' around either Roza or me. Especially that phrase. She actually does see them. It's especially painful for her outside the wards." Sadly enough I knew only too well how much it hurt her when she was outside the wards.
"'Roza'? Belikov?" Oops.
"Yes. Roza. My Roza."
"Yours?"
"Zmey!" I almost growled in warning. He was pushing it.
"Explain. I know she's your student. So, what makes her 'your Roza'?"
I sighed before letting out a "Lyubov moya." It was Russian for 'my love'.
"Surely not."
"Yes. She is my love, my girlfriend, my soulmate." I'd broken all the rules anyway.
"You know what I'm capable of. So, standard threats apply- double time." Not surprised. "Now. Time for me to meet my daughter."
"Of course." I returned to the plane's cabin, and found my other half asleep. Of course. But god! She was beautiful. She was always beautiful, but looking that peaceful- and with the start of the pregnancy glow- made her even more stunning. I smiled adoringly at my sleeping girlfriend. I wasn't game to wake her again, only to risk a bout of morning sickness. So, ever-so-carefully, I picked her up and carried her out like a sleeping baby on my hip.
"Seriously? She's asleep?" Abe enquired.
"She's had a long day."
"Hmm?"
"Try a three-almost four- hour bout of morning sickness." I was so in for it. I'd made Rose a teen Mom and taken her graduation and guardian career from her. When all society thought I was meant to be was her teacher, her trainer, her mentor, and when it wasn't supposed to be possible. Oh well. He was going to find out anyway, so it was better to hear it from us.
"What?!" he screeched.
"She's pregnant. And we only just found out."
"Being her, it's somehow yours?"
"Ours," I corrected. "Yes. Our child and our family."
"So, you're taking her- and them- out of the public eye." It was a statement, but I felt the need to confirm it.
"Basically."
"Good move, Belikov."
"Thank you."
"Let's get you two-three, god that's weird- home. Your stuff's in the SUV already.
"Let's go." I loaded Rose in and sat next to her. When I wrapped my duster around her I was reminded of the Missoula trip. Back when we were first falling in love. Our lives, and life (as in singular because of our partnership), had spun in a hundred different directions since then. And a million different twists and turns had come our way since Portland. And just like on the way home from that Missoula trip, I fell asleep in the back of an SUV with Rose. But this time, this time, we were legal. We were both full adults, ones free of all constricting roles.