Before you, lovely reader, proceed, I want to say thank you and that this is my very first story published on here.

Disclaimer:

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS. THIS IS NOT MY WORLD, CREATION OR CHARACTERS IN THE FOLLOWED WORK.

The Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series and characters belong to Richelle Mead.

It had been eight years, I realized.

Since what? Since...well, everything. Since I got my life back. Honestly, since Rose went with me to see Jill before Coronation day.

It's hard to believe I've been married for six and a half years now. But everything is going good. Lots of factors have brought Christina and I together, and likewise, apart. Being Queen, time, Adrian's disappearance to Palm Springs nearly seven years ago, reputations, girls'-nights-out with Rose and Jill, jealousy, spirit, even our own love. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better ending.

I'm not worried of what the future has to hold, though I know Christian is. The thought of our daughter running around Court, always finding trouble wherever she goes, often with Lucy Castile, troubles him, though he knows Hans keeps an eyes on them and is always filling me in on everything they do. Marie and Lucy, I learned last night at dinner from Dimitri, though standing at attention with his guardian eyes on-looking and wary, got into his and Rose's room somehow and prettied each other up with Rose's lipstick and large collection of short dresses. Rose curled their hair for them when she found them "because," she said, "Lucy started crying when Marie told me that she took the key from the table when Jill brought her and Marie over when I was giving her her present." It was Jill's birthday two days ago. Rose said she noticed the key was missing but didn't care much because she could "stake anyone who tried anything" and have Dimitri as a back-up.

Sydney and Adrian, of course smoking after nearly five minutes on solid ground, had come up, too. Their seven-year-old, Jet, was hopping off the plane as soon as he could see the runway out the windows. I remember seeing him trying to shake off Adrian's hand, wanting to see Court once more and as soon as possible. Adrian was chasing after Jet as Sydney emerged from the plane's entrance. Their two-year-old, Ally, asleep in Sydney's arms and pulling the middle one, Foster, along carefully, seeing as all he wanted to do was go back to California. I don't know how she did it, her stomach about to pop with that new baby. But, then again, so was mine.

Lucy waiting with us to welcome them, and ran forward to take Foster from Sydney, always trying to help. Lucy is a sweet girl, a year younger than my Marie, much sweeter than her partner in crime. She's got Eddie's sandy hair, my sister's nervous touch and freckles and of course, the Dragomir eyes. Marie on the other hand, is colored like her father, blue-eyed and dark-haired. Even acts like him, sometimes, the Christian from our days at St. Vlad's; mean-spirited, sarcastic (even at age four!), bearing her fangs at other children, trying to scare them off with the tales of her paternal grandparent's evil turn.

At around six that day after dinner, we were all in a lounging room, laughing and talking, two extra guardians, not to mention the three we had in the room, standing at the doors. Foster had fallen asleep in front of the fireplace. Adrian, sitting on a emerald velvet love seat in which the color of his shirt matched next to Sydney, promptly stated when I asked that they were planning on naming the baby, "Geronimo." Sydney had hit him. When Sydney politely told me that they didn't know what they were going to name him/her, I nodded in a way I knew Rose would be pestering me about if we still had our bond. I heard Adrian, leaning in the slightest bit whisper to his wife of almost eight years, " I guess we don't have much time to think about names, huh?" I guessed that was a thing of past talks because she smiled and placed her hand on his cheek, smiling. He looked into her eyes like she was his world.

At that point I turned, not wanting to invade, about to talk to Dimitri in the quiet manner I could with him when Rose pulled me aside with a tug on my sleeve. She had a strange expression on her face. Like she was nervous, yet her dark eyes showed happiness. She was in one of her dresses tonight. A red one that was not at all modest. But then again, neither was Rose. Her hair was up, the was I knew she only wore it to distract her ever-stoic husband.

"Liss, did you see that?" she asked me in a breathless voice.

I looked around the vicinity. "What?"

Her head moved nonchalantly toward Adrian and Sydney who had broken out of their spell and trying to usher Jet back into his seat. He was trying to stand up and have a playful crayon duel with Marie but Christian and Adrian weren't having it. Boys, freaking out about nothing because there are tiny people around. I watched Christian pick her up from the floor and carry her out of the room. Dimitri, of course, followed him, apologizing to Eddie for having to leave their conversation at what it was.

She brought her tone down now that there were less people in the room, though Adrian was now making jokes at Jill and Eddie was busy trying to keep Lucy entertained. Sydney had excused herself for a moment as well. "The way Adrian was looking at Sydney. It was like he was winning a lifetime supply of tequila or something." Or something. "But whatever; you know what I mean. Also, you need to sit down."

Rose. Always trying to add a lighthearted note to any situation. And always telling me to do things for my health. My back was starting to bother me. I sat down in the nearest chair, rubbing a hand over my eyes. This day had worn me out; council meeting in the morning, lunch meeting, Jill's birthday, Adrian and Sydney coming in... Unfortunately, on this chair there was no room for Rose. She was going to either have to lean down in her dress and heels and risk showing off her bottom to the rest of Court or sit on the floor with her knees together because with a dress that tight there was no way she was wearing underwear. She opted for the cherry coffee table, carefully pulling it closer to the chair. She sat, flattening out the dress over the tops of her thighs, but in fact there was nothing to flatten out. It was all sticking incredibly well to her skin. "He never looked at me like that."

I laugh, despite my suddenly reassured anguished state. "Yes, Rose, he did. You never noticed it. You were too busy killing Strigoi in Russia and finding your lost boyfriend and pestering him about his bad habits and trying to prove yourself innocent for a murder you didn't commit to notice."

"You make me sound bad," she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "besides, what about all that stuff you did to Christian before we got out of school?"

"What are you talking about?" I sniff, though I do know, but it seems like a billion years ago.

"Aaron at that party?" she says in a long way, like she's trying to help me remember. "The avoiding, the Mia encounters, come on."

I roll my eyes, but I can't help but smile. "That was us being stupid and jealous and young. He knows I love him and I know he loves me. We have two children together, or will have, and definitely, hopefully soon." I put a hand on my stomach. I could feel little him/her moving around in there. Rose was making a face at me and I laughed, but went on. "Christian and I know nearly everything about each other. And I know that he also thinks you were sort of oblivious when you were with Adrian."

"Oh, come on," Rose almost groaned. You've got to be joking. We were together for not even a month, in my terms. That was like almost a decade ago anyway. We didn't even celebrate any birthdays toge-"

A loud shrill noise then made me jump, and him/her unhappy. The fire alarms. Rose almost lost her dress. Foster sat up by the fire, immediately crying. Adrian dropped an unlit cigarette onto the floor to grab for Sydney's hand, who had recently returned. Eddie swiped up Lucy while Jill picked up Foster, trying to soothe him. Adrian took an also crying Ally from Sydney as she grabbed for Jet. Rose and the other two guardians reacted in a fashionable manor to get everyone out on time.

Outside, or, almost outside, we were stopped in a confusing manor when the alarms stopped. We stood there for a moment, thinking maybe it was a drill. But then I saw Christian, red up to his ears with embarrassment and anger and Marie pouting with a thick bottom lip as he carried her, round the corner, along with Dimitri, who was smiling in a funny way.

"What happened?" Eddie asked in a clear tone, very guardian-like.

Dimitri looked at Christian, and Christian rolled his eyes. "I was taking Marie outside to let her run around for a bit and on our way out..." he looked over at Dimitri in expectancy.

"I put Marie up on my shoulders because she didn't want to walk anymore, and she started the fire alarms," Dimitri explained, but not quite.

"Wait," I said, looking at my husband. "How'd she start the fire Alarms?" In response, he poked his daughter on her shoulder. She put a lock of her silky black hair into her mouth and reached out her hand, palm up. Christian put out a hand, too. Almost at the same moment, both their hands lit up with a small lick of fire, though Christian's was more of a ball of fire.

Thank God she's not a Spirit user, was all I could think.

Note: I don't know if I'm going to be updating this story anytime soon but I definitely plan on writing about more Lissa-Christina stuff and little Dragomirs. This is my first story and again, thanks!