It was 2:00 am when I woke to incessant knocking on my apartment door. 'This had better be good' I thought as I crawled out of my warm bed and trudged over to the door. The incessant knocking continued and spurred me on. "I'm coming, I'm coming. God, it's like 2 o'clock, what could possibly be so important at this ungodly hour?" I whined. Swinging open the door my face fell. I had hoped that it would have been Dimitri in a lust filled craze or Alberta announcing a strigoi attack. But no, it was just Lissa and a sleepy looking Claire. Claire stood there in her princess pyjamas and pink ugg boots, glowing droopily in all her four year old glory.

"Hey, Rose, can u watch Claire while I go to the council meeting? They moved it up without informing me." Lissa asked me with a slight plea in her voice.

"Sure, come on hunny." I said as I scooped up Claire and started off to my room where my nice warm bed lived.

"Okay so I'll just pick..." Lissa was cut off as the heavy wooden door slammed in her face.

As me and Claire crawled into bed she snuggled up against me and I have to admit, it was nice. Since Christian turned Strigoi after Tasha's sentence I'd been taking care of Claire more and more often. I'd watch her while Lissa went to this meeting or that dinner, while she announced the newest laws or lead a court.

"Auntie Rose?" Claire asked sleepily from under my arm that was draped over her back.

"Yeah Baby?" I muttered, already half way back to the nice little world that was dream-land.

"Mummy's mean." She confessed.

"I know gorgeous, I know." With that we both fell into a deep sleep and I went back to my dreams of Dimitri and me vacationing in Russia.

It was a sunny day and Dimitri and I were perched on the edge of a cliff where we sat, cuddled up and looking over Novabrisk. It sure was a pretty sight, green trees, colourful houses and most of all we had a clear view of the oval where Leo and Lorelai were playing chase with their cousins.

"I'm gonna get you!" yelled Lorelai as she ran after Josh.

"Naa, you're a girl. Girls can't catch boys." Josh yelled back playfully. It was nice, just sitting and watching my tree year old daughter and six year old son play nicely with their relatives. Nothing could spoil this moment.

"Yeah they can, my mummy catches daddy all the time. She's faster than him and she's a girl. Right mummy?" Lorelai yelled up to me.

"Right baby girl." I confirmed with a nod.

"See, told you so." Lorelai told her cousin as she poked her tongue out at him.

"That she got from you." I heard Dimitri whisper huskily in my ear from where he was perched behind me. We were in my favourite position to just rest in. I was set between his legs with my back to his chest. It was also one of his favourite positions from when I was pregnant with either of our children. He splayed his large hands over my stomach and drew me closer to him. It didn't have the same effect as when you knew he was bonding with the growing child inside of me.

"Yeah, well Leo is like your mini-me. I told you not to teach him all those Zen life lessons. He's gonna get the crap beat out of him if he's that calm at the academy." I chastised Dimitri. I was so glad that our children had some of our traits but the Zen lessons I could've lived without. I'd taught Dimitri not to give me any of it but hadn't told him that the same stood for our children. Lorelai of course took after me in most things, my attitude, her style and her kick ass moves. She was only three and already she could take down half the five year olds in her training class. Getting back to the point here... she was just too stubborn and had too short of an attention span to listen to anything Dimitri had to say so I knew she'd be okay from day one.

"Seriously, with us as his parents. No one'll be able to set a finger on that boy without doing some serious damage to themselves first." Dimitri chuckled into my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. I tilted my head back to kiss him and them... I was falling, down the cliff I assume but all I know was I was falling. Next thing I knew I was wide awake and staring up at a laughing Claire.

"Not funny, what have I told you about pushing Auntie Rose off of the bed?" I asked Claire in a harsh voice.

"Not to." She replied in a small whisper.

"Good, and what happens if you do?" I asked, just as harshly but with a small grin working it's way onto my face.

"The tickle monster will get me." She proclaimed proudly, like it was the first thing she had gotten right in years. Her face slowly fell as she saw my evil grin. "Uh-oh." She yelled as she ran away, playfully squealing.

"Grrr..." I yelled, bounding after her. Trying to look like a monster and failing miserably. What can I say, I have a soft spot for her, she's my niece.