Author's note: I did a series of drabbles on my tumblr (booksrockmyface) in honor of getting over 500 followers. This is one of them. Please feel free to let me know what you think.

Happy reading!

Something Unexpected

Romitri Cuddles

by Danielle Cheri

"Rose?" Dimitri called as he walked into their bedroom. "Roza, Lissa said you weren't feeling well and left early."

"I'm not." She said into her pillow.

He kicked off his shoes and threw his coat over the foot of the bed. He climbed in behind her. "What's wrong?"

She didn't say anything.

Dimitri pulled her onto her back. "Talk to me."

"Would you hate me…?" She rolled into him and pressed her eyes into his shoulder. "Do you remember when I told you about Adrian?"

"That you and he slept together?"

"Without any sort of protection."

He sat up and looked own at her. "Rose, are you…?"

"Yes." Rose watched him for a moment and then said desperately, "Please say something."

He pressed a kiss to her lips and pulled her close once more. "Ya tebya lyublyu, Roza."

"Do you? Do you really?"

"Of course I do." He rubbed her back and kissed her face. "I love you."

"I want to make a better effort than my mother. I won't ship it off. We're here. This child will be trained here and raised here."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know yet."

"Don't you think he deserves to know?" He scratched her back gently.

She scratched back. "I don't know of he'll care."

"You won't know until you tell him."

"Most don't." She pressed her eyes into his shoulder.

"I know most don't. Mine father only existed to beat my mother and make my sisters and me. He never really cared that we existed. Not in the way Adrian will. I feel he's a much better man than my father. Nearer to yours."

"Mine was never there."

"But he always showed interest in how you were. And he's there for you now."

"I don't want to tell Adrian right now. I don't want to tell anyone. Lissa knows. You know. For a while, I'd like that to be all."

He kissed her forehead. "Anything you want, Roza."

"You still want him to know."

"I think it's only right. And I don't want him angry with me."

"Why would he be angry with you?"

"A dhampir raising his child. But not just any dhampir, the one who stole you back. You tore him apart, Rose."

"Dimitri, you know there was no way I was staying away from you."

"I know. But perhaps having unprotected sex with a Moroi wasn't the best way to stay away from me."

"Are you trying to make a joke? Because it's not working if you are."

He combed his fingers through her hair. "I apologize, Roza. It was rude of me."

"I love you, Dimitri. I don't ever want you so angry with me that we start resenting each other."

"Nothing you could ever say or do would make me resent you." He kissed her softly. "Are you hungry? We could go get something."

"I'm not really up for going out. Maybe order a pizza in?"

"I could go for that."

"Good." Dimitri pulled his phone out of his pocket and made the order. "Thirty minutes." He said, wrapping his arms tightly around her once more. "Vse budet khorosho, moya lyubov'."

"I know you called me 'my love,' but I don't know what the rest is."

"I said all will be well." He kissed her. "And it will be. We will raise this child. It will be one of the best guardians because it will be raised by us and trained by us."

"You really think so."

"I know so."

She kissed him. "Thank you."

He held her and combed his fingers through her hair and whispered to her in Russian for the rest of the evening.


Post-story author's note: If you liked this and want to know more, I encourage you to read my story One Step Farther, which is the continuation of this story.

The things Dimitri says in Russian are: I love you, Roza. and All will be well, my love.