I could not believe I got such a good amount of feedback on the last chapter! With that, I'm more than happy to continue this story! I hope my faithful readers enjoy this chapter as much as the last. It took me a few days to write and perfect. Even so, it's still not perfect, but I'm doing the best I can.
Also, I forgot to mention this before, but this story takes place 6-7 years after LS. That makes Lissa and Rose to be around 25/26, and Dimitri is 32 Years old. I have not read the bloodlines series, so I will not be intentionally referencing anything that happened in those books. Being a fan of fanfiction, though, I am well aware that a relationship blossoms between adrian and Sydney. Should I incorporate that relationship in this story?
I love reading your reviews, so please feel free to review again! Also, feel free to PM me, especially if you have ideas for the next chapter!
Enjoy!
I laid in that God awful hospital bed for who knows how long, waiting for someone, anyone to walk through that door. I wanted to know more about my life, about any and all relationships that I had before I fell into a coma 2 years ago. Questions kept buzzing around my head.
What was my childhood like? Who is my mother? My father? Did my parents and I have a good relationship? How did I become best friends with the Queen? Would the Queen be mad because I don't remember her? What about my husband? What was he like?
The list of mental questions ran through my head over and over again, until the solid door opened. I snapped out of my thoughts just in time to see Dr. Olendzki walk in, followed by a petite blonde woman that looked to be around my age, and a very tall, very attractive guy with deep brown hair that fell to his shoulders. Dr. Olendzki broke the silence.
"Rose, this is Queen Vasilissa Dragomir, and her personal guardian, Dimitri Belikov. I'm going to give you some time to get reacquainted with the Queen. Do you need anything before I go?" I only heard half of what the doctor said, because my stomach had started rumbling.
"Something to eat, maybe. I feel like I haven't eaten in years." I tried to make a joke at my expense, knowing that I hadn't technically eaten in almost 2 years due to my comatose state. All three of the people standing in front of me cracked a small smile, but not one of them dared to laugh.
"I'll see what I can conjure up for you, dear. I'll be back. Enjoy your visit, Your Majesty." With that, my doctor turned and left me alone with a pair of strangers.
The room stayed quiet for a few minutes and the tension filled quiet became too much for me. I broke the silence.
"So, Your Majesty, I was told that we are best-" She cut me off. When she spoke, she sounded as though she was trying not to cry.
"God, Rose. I can't believe this. You have finally come back home to us! And for crying out loud, Rose, call me Lissa." She hurried over to the side of my bed and sat on the edge, grabbing my hand. I noticed her guardian still standing near the door. He hadn't moved and he held no emotions on his face. He caught my gaze with his sad, chocolate brown eyes, and suddenly, those eyes felt familiar. I couldn't place it though. I broke the gaze and looked back at the Queen- Lissa. I wondered if she knew that I had no memory.
"Lissa, what did the doctor tell you when you got here?"
"What do you mean?" She looked confused.
"About my memory..." I trailed off, hoping she would understand. She gasped, then sighed.
"She said you don't remember anything. Like you don't have any memories left. Is it true, Rose? Do you really not remember me, your best friend?"
"I'm sorry, Lissa. I really don't remember anything other than the dream I had right before I woke up."
I genuinely felt bad for her. I don't know or remember her, but I'm not heartless. She was my best friend - at least that is what I'm told. She has probably spent every day over the last two years, worrying about when/if I would ever wake up.
"What was the dream?"
"It was about microwave tv dinners. The microwave would not stop beeping. It was really irritating. That's when I woke up." Lissa startled me when she laughed out loud next to me. What was so funny?
"Only you, Rose, would come out of a coma, dreaming about food."
" Hey, what is that supposed to mean? " I tried, and failed, to sound intimating. This time, the guardian near the door spoke. I didn't catch his name earlier. His voice was thick with emotion, causing his Russian accent to be heavy.
"Oh, Roza. She means that you love food. You always have. At least, you have for as long as I've known you. You could put a grown man to shame in a chocolate donut eating contest."
I seen the smile on his face, and busted out laughing. I couldn't help myself. They were right. Even without my memories, I knew I loved food. My mouth started watering at the thought of a chocolate donut eating contest. Lissa started laughing beside me. Laughing with her felt natural, like I had done so all my life. Which it was entirely possible that I had since she was supposed to be my best friend. I spoke to the guardian this time.
"What's your name? I know the doctor said it before, but I didn't really hear it over my growling stomach."
"Dimitri. Dimitri Belikov."
I felt my head start to spin. Belikov. Like Belikova. Dr. Olendzki said that my husband would be coming with the Queen. Could I be married to this man? He seemed to know me pretty well. Well, he knew my love of food pretty well, anyway. I leaned back against my pillows, suddenly feeling dizzy. Lissa's small hands rushed to my face and I was faintly aware of her asking of I was okay. I steadied my emotions, and tried to sit back up.
"Lissa, can I speak to you alone?" My voice was a whisper. She heard me, and looked over to Dimitri, who had moved close to the side of the bed. It was obvious that he was worried about me, as was Lissa, but I just needed him to leave right now. I looked back to Lissa, pleading for her to understand. I felt safe with her, I realized. Finally, he spoke up.
"I'll be in the waiting room with Christian."
Then he left, leaving Lissa and I completely alone. We sat in silence for a few minutes while she let me calm down and readjust myself.
"Thank you. I..I don't know what happened. All of a sudden, I was consumed with emotions. Lissa, who is he?"
I was tripping over my words, scared of her answer. She stayed silent, but in my mind, I heard her delicate voice as clear as a bell.
He is your husband, Rose.
I felt my whole body tense. I knew that she hadn't said a word out loud, but I had a feeling that I hadn't imagined that sentence. I asked again.
" Lissa, if you are really my best friend, you will answer me. "
"I'm sorry, Rose. It's just that Dimitri wanted to be the one to tell you who he is to you."
I looked down at my left hand and played with the wedding ring there.
"He's my husband, isn't he? His last name is Belikov. Dr. Olendzki told me that my last name is Belikova. I picked up that his accent is probably Russian, and I think in Russian surnames, it's kind different for women. Lissa, please just tell me. I hate secrets, and right now, I feel like my whole life is a secret that everyone is keeping from me."
"Yes, Dimitri is your husband." She sounded defeated and exhausted.
"Did I love him? Like really and truly love him? How did we meet? Did I ever tell you if he was good in bed?!" Again, I started to get excited. My husband was hot, and that accent of his made me shudder in pleasure. My mental rambling was interrupted by Lissa's laughing.
"Of couse you loved him, Rose. When we were kids, you never wanted to get married. You were completely dedicated to becoming my guardian. You always protected me, even from myself after Andre and my parents died." I noticed the pain sliding across her features when she mentioned Andre, and at the same time, I suddenly felt as if the loss was also my own. Lissa paused when she noticed that my smile had faltered.
" What's wrong?" That's all I heard before I felt darkness pull me under.
I opened my eyes to realize I was in a car. I was in the back seat next to a younger version of Lissa. Maybe this is a memory. Next to Lissa was a guy that looked to be a few years older than Lissa, although their looks were almost strikingly identical. His shaggy blonde hair was a mess next to her perfect curls. He was drop dead sexy, and then it hit me. That must be Andre. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I knew it was true. My eyes ventured to the front seat, and although I couldn't make out every feature, I knew that Lissa's dad was driving and her mother was in the passenger seat. I felt like I was with family, and it was the best feeling in the world. There was a catchy song on the radio, and younger Lissa was begging for her dad to turn it up. Finally, he complied. The moment his eyes glanced away from the road, everything went white. We had collided with another car. In that instant, I knew what happened to Andre and Lissa's parents. They didn't survive that accident, yet somehow, Lissa and I did. I felt myself coming back to my own body, and with a start, shot straight up in that uncomfortable hospital bed. Once my vision came into focus, I seen several people in my tiny hospital room. I made myself aware of Lissa. She was hanging onto a tall, dark headed guy that had icy blue eyes. He was staring at me while trying to comfort Lissa, who I noticed was crying. Beside them was Dimitri, my husband. The husband that I had been married to for 5 years, and yet I knew nothing about him except his name.
Next to the bed, I realized, was Dr. Olendzki and Sydney. Neither one seemed willing to speak or touch me. They just stared at me, like I was some type of freak.
What had just happened? A memory. I had a memory. It was only one, but still. One is better than none. This lightened my mood, and I let it reflect into my words, addressing my doctor.
"Dr. Olendzki, you came back! Did you bring me something to eat? I'm starving over here. And would everyone please stop looking at me as though I could randomly combust into flames at any moment?"
"Rose, how can you joke right now? You scared Lissa half to death when you blacked out. Then everyone in the hospital heard you scream like you were in agony." The voice belonged to the dark haired, blue eyed boy that was holding Lissa.
Wait, I screamed? I didn't remember screaming. I did the only thing that I knew how to when I didn't know what else to do. I turned into a sarcastic bitch. Who was this guy talking to me anyway? He had no right.
"Of course I screamed. I woke up and there was a strange guy that I don't know or trust hanging onto the only person I know right now!" I glanced at everyone in the room. I noticed that when I said that, Dimitri flinched like someone had slapped him. Lissa, Sydney, and Dr. Olendzki just stared at me in amazement. The guy with the blue eyes just smirked.
"Wow, even after being in a coma for two years and completely losing your memory, you are definitely still the same Rose that we all know and to some extent, love. My name is Christian."
The nicknames Pyro and Sparky popped into my head. It was almost like earlier when I heard Lissa's voice in my head. This time, I decided to address that voice in my head.
"Lissa, come sit down. I'll explain what happened in a minute. Right now I have a question." I turned my attention to everyone else. "Can I have another minute or two alone with Lissa? Dimitri, I guess you can stay in case I black out again, but keep your distance. I just don't need an audience right now."
Christian muttered some sarcastic remark, which I pointedly ignored as he walked out the door. Dimitri sulked into the chair in the corner and picked up a book that I hadn't seen before from the small table beside the chair. The doctor and Sydney left after Christian and I heard something come from one of them about finding food. Lissa sat back on the edge of the bed. Before she got comfortable, I reached up and pulled her into a hug. After her initial shock wore off, she hugged me back. I felt tears escaping my eyes, and silently I cursed at myself. I gathered my voice and tried to make it steady when I spoke.
"I remember the accident..." I trailed off. She pulled back and it was clear that shock covered her features, so I continued. "I remember the accident with Andre. And your parents. Lissa, I should have died. That's why I blacked out. I was reliving that accident." I noticed the tears in her eyes starting to fall. "Lissa, please stop crying. I don't know how, but I know you saved me that night. Thank you for that. As soon as I remembered the accident, it clicked. I knew you were my best friend since the beginning. I know your family loved me like I was your sister. And I loved your family like my own. And I had the biggest crush on your brother." I blushed, and she looked astonished.
"You had a crush on Andre?! You never told me!" She squealed at me.
"Really, Lissa? I get one horrid memory back and you squeal because I had a crush on your brother?" I pulled her into another hug and whispered into her ear this time. I didn't want Dimitri to think I was crazy when I asked about her voice in my head. "I don't remember everything, but something in my gut is telling me that the accident that night is the reason that I can hear your voice in my head. What is that about?"
She pulled back again, shock covering her features again. She looked me straight in the eyes, and I heard her voice in my head again.
You can hear this?
I nodded, afraid to speak. I heard her voice in my head once more.
I thought it might have disappeared after all this time. We still have our bond. I can't believe this!
She pulled me into another hug. I thought she was going to explode with excitement. She turned her attention to Dimitri.
"Dimitri, the bond. It's still there. Come here, please. I might need help explaining this. Dr. Olendzki said she probably doesn't know about Moroi or Dhampirs or anything that goes along with that."
He put his book down and pulled a chair up to the bed. I spoke while he moved.
"What are moroi and dhampirs? And what's with the bond you keep talking about?"
As soon as the question left my lips, one thing was certain to me; I was a dhampir. I held up my hand to stop them from answering. They stayed quiet, but my mind roared. Slowly, all the pieces came together. Dhampirs are half moroi, half human. Moroi lived off of daily feedings of human blood, never killing their feeder. Moroi welded elemental magic. Dhampirs sacrificed their lives to protect moroi which insures the continuation of the dhampir race. Another thought slammed into me; Lissa was a moroi. Not just any moroi though, she was MY moroi. That's why I felt protective of her. I look at Lissa, and finally said what I was thinking.
"I'm your dhampir guardian, aren't I? And you are my Moroi? You have elemental magic, and that's how you saved me that night. Then we ended up with this...bond? I still don't quite understand that part yet."
"Do you remember anything else?" My sexy Russian husband was the one who asked the question. I shook my head.
"The only true memory I have is from the accident with Lissa and her family. The other things I remember are things that just come to me, almost like instinct kicking in during a time of distress. I'm guessing that you are a dhampir too?"
He chuckled slightly. "Yes, Roza. I'm also a dhampir as well as a guardian."
"Why do you call me Roza instead of Rose?"
"It's your name in Russian. My whole family calls you Roza instead of Rose." He clipped his sentence short as if someone bit him. I heard Lissa's voice in my head.
He just freaked out because he doesn't know that you know that you are married. He doesn't want to push it on you just yet.
I got the wicked idea to play with him a bit. I glanced down at his hand and seen a white gold wedding band that was obviously the other half of our wedding ring set.
"So, Dimitri, I see that you have a ring on. Who's the lucky lady?" I think Lissa's eyes were about to pop out of her head. She couldn't believe what I was doing. Dimitri's face held surprise just before he put up a mask of no emotions. He still appeared speechless. So I took the opportunity to speak again.
"What's wrong? Afraid she might not be able to take a little competition if I decided that I liked you?"
His discomfort became obvious and I finally doubled over in laughter. His voice broke through my laughter.
"No, Roza. My wife has no competition, no matter what anyone says. She has captured my heart completely. Not a day goes by that I don't think about wanting to spend the rest of my life with her. She is the most beautiful person that I've ever known. I love her."
He loves me. He thinks I'm beautiful. What did I do to deserve his unconditional love? Lissa piped up over our bond.
If you two are going to start making out and doing the dirty, I'm gonna leave.
I glared at her, but only half heartedly. I looked back at Dimitri. He looked as though he wanted to say more, but he was biting his tongue. I couldn't stop myself before I blurted out.
"Tell me more about her. What's she like? How did you meet?"
I wanted to know more about myself and what he thought about me.
"We met in Portland. She was on the run, and I was sent to bring her home. When I first laid eyes on her, I could see that she was beautiful and brave. She and her friend were completely out numbered, but that didn't stop her from trying to take us down to protect her friend. It was stupid, but brave. I admired her loyalty and fierceness. In the end, I brought them both home safely. Since they had been gone for two years, she was significantly behind on her training. I was given the task of mentoring her so that she could hopefully graduate on time. Needless to say, we fell in love, but we couldn't be together. She was my student. I hurt her, more than once. I didn't deserve her. I still don't. But she loved me and forgave me as if nothing happened, even when I hated myself. She is selfless and determined. In the end, her unconditional love saved me from even myself."
I knew it was selfish of me, but I wanted to hear him tell me that I was his wife. I wanted to be the person he was describing to me, the person he loves with all of his heart.
"What's her name, Dimitri?"
He met my gaze and held it. I was lost in his chocolate brown eyes. His face was full of love, adoration and passion. He grabbed my left hand and started playing with my wedding ring. I almost missed it when he spoke.
"I call her Roza. Roza Belikova."
That's the exact moment that Dr. Olendzki decided to walk in with my food, and all thoughts of my marriage went out the window.
I'm open to all ideas being thrown my way, I'm kinda stuck after this chapter. I should be posting again soon, so send me your ideas ASAP.
Thanks again!
