*Warning—slight spoiler in this for a future chapter of 'The Mask I Wear'. You'll know it when you see it. ;o)*


ONE YEAR LATER

When Rose's phone rang an hour before our alarm was scheduled to wake us, I wasn't sure who it could be—but to be honest, I was so tired that I couldn't bring myself to care. We'd only been asleep for a few hours at best—which was my fault entirely. Sitting in front of the Christmas tree last night and watching the way the colored lights played across her face as she stared up at them in wonder… well… one thing led to another and fairly soon clothing started coming off… I'm sure you get the idea.

I rolled over, burying my head under the pillow to muffle her hushed murmurs of protest—and was just dozing off again when she poked me in the back; I didn't respond—which she didn't like. She turned to drastic measures, ripping the warn blankets off me and shoving me off the bed. Hitting the cold hardwood floor woke me up rather quickly; I rolled over scowling—but my irritation faded at the sight of her peering over the edge of the bed with an innocent expression on her face.

"Rose—that wasn't very nice." It was hard to chastise her when she looked so angelic; her dark hair was wild and mussed, hanging in her face.

"Sorry—but we have to get up. Liss wants us over there in thirty minutes to have breakfast and open presents."

"For the love of—" I groaned, hiding my face in my arms. "Rose… it's the middle of the night."

"I tried to tell her that but you know how she gets. She wouldn't take no for an answer. Come on—up and at em. We've gotta pack up all our presents—she wants us to open them over there," She hopped off the bed—entirely too chipper for a woman who'd barely slept; it was more than a little disconcerting since usually she's the one begging for ten more minutes sleep.

I might have dozed back off right there on the floor had I not heard her rummaging with the presents under our small tree; a thought struck me—one that was horrific—propelling me to my feet and sending me padding down the hall after her. She was carefully sliding the gifts into her duffle bag—she'd emptied it out by dumping the contents on the floor beside the couch. Tripping over one of her sneakers as I moved to crouch beside her, I frowned, reaching out to stop her.

"You don't mean she wants us to open all our presents over there? Just the ones for her and Christian—right?"

"No… she wants us to bring all of them—why?" She glanced over at me, her lips curved up in a questioning smile.

"You can't open your presents in front of Lissa and Christian—"

"Oh it's not just them. Everyone will be there—except maybe Adrian. She invited him… but you know… he probably won't show up." Her happy expression dimmed a little at the thought of how he avoided her. "But who knows… maybe he'll do it for Liss. Abe might stop by too."

I started pulling gifts out of her bag—trying to remember what paper I had used to wrap certain things.

"Hey! Stop that—I just got them all to fit!" She huffed, shoving my hands away from the bag.

"Roza—a few of these things… you can't open them in front of other people. Trust me." I felt my cheeks flush at the thought of her opening some of the lingerie I'd bought her—lacy, see through things that were meant only for my eyes—in front of our friends and her father.

"Why not? We always—" her voice trailed off as she studied my face. Giggling, she reached over, brushing my hair back out of my eyes. "Did you get me naughty presents, Comrade?"

"Maybe—you'll have to wait until later to find out. If you open them now… we won't be leaving he apartment all day."

"Hmmm… I kinda like that idea. Maybe I could open just one now and try it on and model it for you?" She gave me a sly smile, leaning forward to brush her lips against mine as her fingers trailed down my abdomen—but she pulled away abruptly. "On second thought… you're right—better wait. If we're late Lissa will probably send someone to get us and I'd hate to be interrupted in the middle of—"

"Roza! If you want to actually make it to breakfast… you need to stop talking like that." Since I knew exactly what it was she'd be trying on, it was far too easy for me to picture the sheer black fabric skimming over her curves—giving teasing glimpses of her luscious body underneath. I reached for her—she skirted back evading me; a moment later she was tearing of towards the bathroom— slamming the door behind her. I was on my feet in an instant, scattering presents across the floor as I chased after her, rattling the bathroom doorknob—but she'd locked it. "Roza… open the door."

"NO! We have to hurry. You figure out what needs to stay here while I get dressed… and if you're a good boy then you'll get a special present when we get home."

I rested my forehead on the door, closing my eyes as I tried to shove aside the images that were playing out in my head—ones that involved peeling her clothes off slowly and bending her over the arm of the couch. "You are a very cruel woman—I hope you know that."

"I know—good thing you love me, huh?" She called out as I heard the shower turn on.

Cursing under my breath in Russian I returned to the living room and began sorting through the presents—trying to ignore the way my cock throbbed painfully as I moved. I would punish her for making me wait—but first I had to get through breakfast and a present exchange with our friends.

Sometimes—in moments like this one—I wish Roza were a little more anti-social, like me; it would certainly be more conducive to spending the day in bed and celebrating Christmas the way I wanted to—making love to the woman I loved, over and over again.

TWO HOURS later, we were sitting in Lissa's large family room, still opening gifts. The room was warm and cozy from the fire that was roaring in the stone fireplace, making me more than a little sleepy; I fought back a yawn as I watched the young queen hunt through the pile of presents that were still waiting to be unwrapped—she'd gone overboard, as she is apt to do.

I let my eyes roam around the room as Rose snuggled closer to my side; she heaved a contented sigh as she played with my fingers—I knew she was overjoyed to be surrounded by her 'family'. "Happy, my love?"

"Mhmmm… it's all so perfect—everyone being together like this," she whispered. "Though it'd be even better if you stopped watching them so closely—he's behaving himself."

By 'them', she meant my sister and Adrian; to everyone's surprise he'd shown up—with his 'guardian' at his side. Lissa had pulled a few strings to extend Vika's visit—instead of returning to Saint Basil's for her field experience, she was serving it here at Court; I still wasn't sure how Lissa had managed to finagle it—probably, the administrators at Saint Basils' saw it as an honor to have one of their students singled out by the Queen. I'll admit I was more than a little angry when I found out who it was that Lissa arranged for my sister to 'guard'—I'd spent weeks trying to keep Viktoria away from Ivashkov; Lissa's intervention meant that now she was spending twenty for hours a day at his side.

Though in all honesty… I must say… I was taking quite a bit of pleasure in 'attacking' her charge on a regular basis—purely to test her skills, of course.

She'd surprised me—surprised all of us, actually. No matter which one of us attacked them—I'd enlisted Mikhail and a few of the larger guardians on staff, and of course, Roza too—we couldn't catch her off guard. She fought like a demon to protect him—beating us every single time. As proud as I was of her, it made me sad at the same time; she was so extraordinary skilled, but her talent would be wasted away. Vika would not become a guardian upon graduation—she'd return to Baia and settle down, just like Mama and our sisters had.

When they'd entered the room she'd greeted everyone, then moved to stand at the wall, the same way that any full-fledged guardian on duty would do; it filled me with pride to see her standing there so alert—she didn't even acknowledge our protests that she sit down. Of course… her vigilance was rather short lived. Her 'charge' threw an absolute fit—demanding that Lissa tell Viktoria she had the day off then tugging her down beside him as soon as Lissa complied.

Which happens to be why I was watching them. Rose was right—he'd done nothing wrong… but I didn't like the fact he was sitting so close to my baby sister.

I sighed, my eyes automatically flicking to the other couch where the two of them were whispering. As if they could feel the weight of my gaze, they straightened up and leaned apart; Rose dug her elbow into my side, chuckling softly at their reaction.

"Dimitri—this one is for you." Lissa was struggling to slide an extremely long rectangular package out from behind the tree.

Immediately I stood, moving to help her; it wasn't that the gift was heavy so much as it was bulky. "How did you even get it back there?"

"I didn't—it's not from me," she replied, looking puzzled.

"I glanced at the name tag, not recognizing the handwriting—there was no name on it other than mine, which was written in an elegant scrawl. "Perhaps it is from Father Frost?"

"Santa Claus—we are in America, Mitya." Vika corrected me—smiling rather smugly as I sank down on the hearth of the fireplace and began opening the gift.

"Ah—of course. You are quite right, sister. Father Frost will not show up for another week or two—" I stopped speaking abruptly as the paper fell away—my eyes locked on the contents; it was a large framed sketch—or rather, I should say sketches, since there was one large central figure with three smaller ones surrounding it.

The biggest picture was of my grandmother—it was a perfect rendition, capturing the wise look in her eyes and the way her mouth often turned up in a sly, knowing smile. To the left was one of my mother—her head was back and she was laughing in a way that crinkled up her face—a contagious laugh that made everyone around her smile; on the right was one of Viktoria—her expression eager, her lips twitching up in a teasing, mischievous smile. Above Yeva's portrait was one of Rose; she was wearing the fierce determined look that always made my heart race. All of them were flawless—so lifelike that they took my breath away. Only one person could have drawn them—the question burning in my mind was why he would go to so much trouble for me, the man who had wronged him.

I looked up, my eyes locking with his green ones. "Adrian… I am speechless. It is absolutely magnificent!"

He shrugged, dropping his eyes from mine, his lips curving into their customary smirk. "I thought you'd enjoy having something to remind you of your family—it's off balance because I left space to add your other two sisters later on. I couldn't draw them since I've never seen them."

"Let me see!" Rose jumped up, moving to my side—her eyes wide as she trailed her fingers along the glass. "Holy shit! These are amazing!"

"He did them entirely from memory too," Vika piped up, glancing at the man beside her with a look of pride in her eyes.

"Thank you so much… I don't deserve—"

"It's Christmas Belikov—just accept it and let's move on. I'm dying for a cigarette but Lissa won't let me out of here till every single present is unwrapped." He shot a pointed look at Lissa; Vika leaned over, murmuring something too soft for me to hear. Whatever it was she said distracted him—his scowl of irritation faded, replaced with a look I couldn't quite place…I only knew that I didn't particularly like seeing it directed at my baby sister.

"You're staring again," Rose whispered, leaning the framed picture up against the wall and tugging me up by my hand. "It's Christmas… let it go—just for today. Please?"

I followed her back over to reclaim our seats, trying my best not to let anyone see how tense the situation made me; I appreciated the gift—but it didn't negate the fact I believed that getting involved with Adrian would end up hurting Vika in the long run. She'd eventually have to return home and when she did, whatever promises he made her would be forgotten—by him, not her. Deep down Vika is a romantic—I knew when she finally gave away her heart… it would be forever—just like it was for me; that wasn't a good thing when dealing with someone like Adrian—one too many drinks and it was more than likely that he'd end up in someone else's bed.

Rose shot her best friend a pleading look as she cuddled against my side "Liss… can't we just open all the rest of the gifts at once? I wanna play Xbox."

"My present—not yours. You don't get to touch it." Christian shot her a smug smile, looking up from the game systems manual.

"Christian… if you can't share your toys like a good boy then I'll be forced to take them away. Lissa smiled sweetly, still eyeing the presents under the tree. "I suppose we could start doubling up—that way Adrian can escape to destroy his lungs sooner rather than later." Lissa smiled to take the sting out of her words as she passed my sister a long, narrow box and a small decorative gift bag. "Your turn Vika."

"I don't need presents—I'm supposed to be working!" Even as she protested she was tugging at the bow—attacking the largest present first, just like when we were children.

"Wait—you didn't read the tag. Who's it from?" Rose leaned over, half laying in my lap; I distracted myself from my agitation by combing my fingers through her hair.

"It doesn't say—Santa again?" She glanced over at Adrian with a teasing smile on her lips as she opened up the box. "Oh my God! This is too much!"

Reaching inside she carefully removed the contents; it was a silver stake—but not like any I'd ever seen. Guardians often personalized their weapons or their charges had it done as a reward for loyal service—Ivan had given me one inscribed with my name, and recently I'd given Rose one with a stylized, lethal looking Rose etched on the shaft—but the one that my sister held was completely different… practically a work of art. The hilt had been formed in the shape of a cats body—as if it had been caught in mid-stretch; I could tell at a glance that her hand would fit perfectly around it's torso. The cat's tail wrapped around the body once, melding into the shaft—but the way it was designed, it appeared to be more than just decorative; it flared out just enough for her to brace the side of her hand against it—giving her extra force when she drove the stake home. It was a beautiful weapon—one she would never use—and far too expensive a gift.

"Every guardian needs a weapon, baby Belikov—you're just getting yours earlier than most. It's not just from me—I designed it then Lissa and Abe went in with me on the cost." His eyes dropped from her face; he actually looked embarrassed to admit that he hadn't been able to afford it on his own.

Rose tensed—her body rigid against mine; I understood why—I knew she felt extremely guilty about the way she'd used up his trust fund, on top of everything else that had happened. I stroked my hand down her back—attempting to calm her; it seemed to work—she sat up, reaching for the stake. "Can I see it? Wow… this is really nice. It's weighted differently than most, huh?"

"Mhmm… it's the tail. I noticed she tends to thrust sort of backhanded—the extra weight in the tail will give her jabs a little extra momentum."

We all stared at him, dumbfounded by what he'd said—Christian peered up over the edge of the manual, looking at him with wide eyes. "What did you just say?"

"What? I'm an artist—we tend to be observant. At times—about… things." Adrian scowled, glancing around the room. "What? She's been protecting my ass while you two and your goon squad beat the hell out of her for weeks—you don't think I'd notice how she fights?"

I winced—not liking how he phrased the sentence at all; we weren't 'beating the hell out of her'—we were preparing her for her trials, just the way her instructors would do if she were back at school. "It's her field experience, Adrian—you saw what it was like at Saint Vladimir's. We have to—"

"Does telling yourself that helps you sleep at night? Like you said… I was there—not one novice on that campus had to face half as many attacks as she has. Do you know Tanner attacked me in the men's room at the Café yesterday? He hit her so hard she fell backwards and smashed her head on the fucking sink—thank God I'm a Spirit user or she might have—"

"Du—Adrian… it's alright. It's part of my training." Vika reached over, laying her hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him down. "Our training at Saint Basil's is much more difficult than at Saint Vladimir's—Dimitri knows this, so he is making sure I get the same experience I would at home… that's all."

His angry expression faded almost immediately; he glanced over at her and nodded before his eyes flicked over to me. "Sorry… I just don't like her getting hurt protecting me."

"Understandable—I don't like hurting her. But it must be done if she wants to pass her trials and graduate."

"Hey—what does this say?" Rose was still examining the stake—squinting at the hilt.

I leaned forward, peering down at it—sure enough, there were words cleverly concealed within the slight indentations that made up the cat's fur. "That's not Russian—it looks like… Romanian?"

"You didn't tell me you got it engraved too! Let me see—"

"Lissa don't—really, it's nothing." Adrian reached for the stake but Lissa was quicker; she snatched it out of Rose's hand, studying the etching.

"Stay safe kitten…your tomcat is waiting for you to come home." Her brow wrinkled with confusion. "What is it… some sort of a theme?"

"Viktoria has always been called kitten by our family," I said, my eyes locked on Adrian. "When my grandmother was here… she gave Adrian a nickname as well—she called him tomcat."

Lissa's eyes widened; she covered her mouth, but it wasn't enough to stifle her giggles. "The tomcat and the kitten… that's too cute."

"She's guarding me," Adrian said—rather defensively. "I was reminding her she needed to stay safe for my sake."

Oblivious to the sudden tension in the room, Vika had dug into her second gift. "It's… a key? I don't understand…"

"Perhaps it is the key to the cat's heart," I muttered darkly.

Adrian caught my snide comment, scowling. "I don't have a heart, remember? It got decimated by—"

Vika rested her hand on his knee—again, he calmed down, like a she'd flipped a switch, defusing his irritation. The anger drained out of his eyes as he tore them away from me, flicking them to her face. "What is it for, Adrian?"

"Nope—I'm not giving you even a tiny little hint. When you figure out what it's for… you'll have the rest of your present."

"I think Yeva was a bad influence on you," Vika huffed, examining the key. "That is the same kind of frustrating answer she would give."

"Hey—someone's got to keep you on your toes, right?" He chuckled, taking the key from her as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small silver key ring; he handed it back to her once he slid the key in place. "Can't have you losing it before you figure out what it's for."

My sister blushed as she examined it—though I couldn't figure out why; I did not have time to speculate over it since Rose distracted me by getting up and moving towards the tree. I watched as she leaned over and whispered to her best friend; Lissa nodded, rummaging around through the pile of gifts. The secretive expressions they wore made me uneasy—when those two start whispering and plotting, trouble generally follows close behind.

My eyes narrowed in speculation as I tried to figure out exactly what they were up to; Rose did not return to my side right away—which was more than a little suspicious. Instead she stayed by Lissa, watching as the young queen opened a gift, remaining there while Christian and Adrian took their turns—not even looking my way. I could tell she was restless about something by the way she played with her hair—she kept twirling a strand around her finger or brushing it against her lips as she shifted from one side to the other, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Finally—just when she heaved an impatient sigh—Lissa looked at her and smiled, handing her a small package—then turned her head, watching me intently as Rose slowly moved my way.

"Your turn again Comrade—this one is from me."

"Another? Rose… you've already given me way too much." I gestured towards the neat stack I'd made of my gifts—all things she knew I would enjoy, like a collection of short stories by my favorite author and a set of Gary Cooper western movies on DVD.

"This is the last one—I promise." Handing me the gift, she sank down on the floor in front of me, watching me with a look of nervous anticipation on her face.

I tore into the shiny foil wrapping paper smiling; from the size of the box, I expected it to be a new stopwatch since she knew mine had broken, but it wasn't anything as practical at that—it was a silver ring.

"Look on the inside," she said, fidgeting—she was practically quivering with impatience.

I pulled the thick band out of the box, turning it sideways so I could better see the inside of the ring; the underside had been inscribed with a date—fifteen months in the future—and a single word. 'Yes'. I recognized the date—it made me fight back a jolt of hope that roared immediately to life inside me. Raising my eyes to hers, I arched a questioning brow. "Roza?"

She smiled, reaching up to take the ring, sliding it on the third finger of my right hand—the traditional place for such a ring in my homeland. "It's sort of… a promise ring. When that date rolls around and you ask me… that's what my answer will be."

For months she'd refused to even contemplate marriage—insisting it had to wait until she turned twenty; no matter how sweetly I tried to persuade her, she had even refused my suggestion that we get engaged now and then marry in two years' time. "What changed your mind? I thought—"

Pressing her finger to my mouth she silenced me, lacing the fingers of her free hand through mine as she studied the ring on my finger with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Even though I told you I wouldn't consider it 'til I was twenty… I've been thinking about it a lot. It was unfair of me not to explain why I wanted to wait—or to agree to us going ahead and getting engaged. I'd marry you tomorrow Dimitri… but I know if I did… my mother would say I was being immature and rushing into it without being prepared. Remember how she pitched a fit when she found out we were living together? She gave me a lecture about how I had to stand on my own two feet—which is pretty damned ridiculous if you think about it since I've been doing exactly that since the day she left me at Saint Vlad's."

"Rose—" I began, but she cut me off, gently squeezing my hand.

"Hang on—let me finish, please. As much as I hate to give her credit for anything… in a weird way… she was right. I need to just be myself before I become a wife—to prove that I'm capable of doing things on my own, without the rules and regulations of the Academy to keep me in line. Does that make sense?"

"No—it doesn't. You already did that—when you went halfway around the world to save him all by yourself."

Adrian's voice startled us both, reminding us we had an audience. Given the subject matter we were discussing, I was more than a little surprised at how calm he sounded; his voice held no malice or sarcasm—it was plain and matter of fact, as if he were commenting on the weather. He wasn't even looking in our direction—his eyes were focused on Vika, his lips curling up in an amused smile as he watched her play with her stake.

Noticing that we'd fallen silent, he glanced up, raising his brows. "What?"

Neither of us answered; I was still too surprised to speak, and while Rose usually had a retort on hand for any occasion, I suspected that in this instance she was probably worried she would say the wrong thing—making him retreat to the bitter sarcasm that had become his general means of communication where Rose and I were concerned.

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Look… it's none of my business but you're being extremely dumb. You'll always be you—it's not like Belikov is expecting you to give up your career and become some housewife from the nineteen fifties. He knows you're not Suzie homemaker—and that you'll probably never be that kind of wife. Hell… the only thing that will change is that you'll be tacking on Belikov at the end of your name. If you want to prove something to your mother or all the gossiping assholes around here that's fine… but I can't help but wonder when you started giving a damn about what other people think, Little Dhampir—that's not your style."

A sound came from Rose—her breath catching in her throat; her grip on my hand tightened to the point of becoming painful. She glanced down at the floor—perhaps to hide the sparkle of tears that had filled her beautiful, dark eyes; it had been a while since Adrian had called her anything other than Hathaway.

"You do not understand," Vika said, her eyes still fastened on her stake. "neither does Roza really. She wants to fully achieve and complete one dream before moving on to the next phase of her life. She has become Lissa's guardian—now she wants to make sure she can fulfill that duty… it is something she must prove to herself."

Her voice sounded deep and heavy; for a moment I could have sworn it was my grandmother's voice and not my lighthearted baby sister's.

"She's right," Rose looked stunned by the revelation. "I didn't realize it until just now… but that's a big part of it too."

Her eyes returned to my face—full of pleading, begging me to understand her reasoning; I did, though I still could not help but wish that she'd change her mind and relent. It was foolish, perhaps, since we were already as committed to each other as some couples that have been married for years—but deep down I am an old fashioned man. It is an integral part of who I am—one that will probably never change.

"Roza… it is alright. Do I want to wait? No—but I understand your reasoning. And really… it is only fair—I seem to recall that I made you do your share of waiting too…yes?"

Her relief was obvious as she rested her forehead against my leg, taking a deep, shaky breath. "True… and you made me wait twice—at the Academy and then again after you were restored."

I glanced over at Adrian, waiting for a snide comment; I was more than a little amazed he had argued on my behalf—the reminder that she'd been waiting for me while involved with him would surely arouse his anger—but…it didn't. He didn't even frown—though he did raise his eyebrows and give me a pointed look.

"I really wish you would stop staring… I'm starting to get a complex."

"I'm sorry. I—"

"Give her your gift, Dimitri." Vika cut me off, her eyes lifting from the stake in her hands, instantly locking with mine. "You have waited long enough, yes?"

I felt my brow furrow as I stared at her—I had not told anyone about the present that was hidden away in my pocket. "How did you know—"

"Novice secrets. You seem to forget how sneaky I am, brother." She leaned back against the couch watching me intently; again I was reminded of our grandmother—it was as if her wise eyes were staring at me from my sisters face.

"I have another present?" Rose tugged at my hand, smiling.

"You do." I reached down, pulling her up into my lap, brushing my lips against her forehead. "Last Christmas… I wasn't very nice to you—"

"Shhh… let's not talk about the past." She tried to silence me by pressing her fingers against my mouth again; I nipped at them, growling playfully.

"Hush woman… it is my turn to talk!" She giggled—a sound I loved more than any other—snuggling up against my body and resting her head on my shoulder. "I was very confused… pining for something I could not have—a girl that was just out of my reach. Even though I acted like a complete jackass… I did have a present for you—but I never got the chance to deliver it."

"I wouldn't say a complete ass… but you were pretty close," she murmured, brushing her lips against my neck. "It hurt my feelings that you didn't even tell me 'Merry Christmas'."

"I know—and I'm sorry. After you left my book…I realized what a fool I was being; I was on my way to see you—to deliver your present and confess how I felt… but someone caught me right outside your dorm."

Her eyes widened with concern. "Caught you? But… you didn't get into trouble or anything—I mean… you gave a good excuse, right? Damn it you should have told me—I would have told Alberta that I had been planning on sneaking out or something and you got wind of it. She'd have believed me—"

"No Roza—it wasn't anything like that." I took a deep breath, tightening my arms around her—knowing it would upset her to hear who it was who'd waylaid me. "It was Tasha. She pointed out that it wasn't appropriate for me to be going to your room after hours—"

"I just bet she fucking did," she muttered, tensing at the mention of the Moroi woman's name.

"She was concerned…" I said gently. "She had overheard some of the guardians speculating about things between us—it made me realize that if people were already suspicious… me telling you how I felt would only make things even harder. I couldn't risk endangering your reputation… you'd come too far to throw everything away, Roza."

Christian snorted—the sound drew my eyes away from Roza's frown. "What?"

"In case you haven't figured it out… my Aunt is extremely manipulative. She played on your fears—and you fell for it." He set aside the cookbook he'd just unwrapped, his blue eyes intent on my face. "I always wondered why she got so interested in Rose all of a sudden—guess now I have my answer."

"What do you mean… interested?" Rose glanced over at him, her hand moving up and pressing against her chest; the gesture tore at my heart—her hand was resting against the scar that was hidden away beneath her shirt.

"The day after Christmas she started probing me for information… wanting to know how much time the two of you spent training… if I'd ever seen you two alone together, hanging out. Stuff like that." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, looking rather pleased with himself. "I didn't tell her anything—pretended that I had no idea what she was digging for."

"You act like you had something you could have told her—" Roza began, only to be cut off by his chuckle.

"Rose, out of everyone on campus—including the guardians—I was the most observant person there. You two might not have been doing anything about it back then, but it was pretty obvious you both had feelings for each other." She opened her mouth but he held up her hand to silence her. "You watched each other all the time. And when you walked… you sort of… gravitated towards each other—leaning close, without touching."

"We did not—"

"You did. I can't believe no one else noticed it."

"Alberta did," Lissa offered softly.

"What?" My eyes darted over to the young queen—I was shocked by what she'd said.

"When they were interrogating us… she gave me a sort of look… and her aura… I can't explain it. That's why I confessed that you two had a relationship—she encouraged me to do it."

"I remember that," Rose nodded. "I was in your head when it happened. I always wondered how she knew… Christian and Tasha too.. but I figured you told them."

"Rose! I would never betray you like that!" Lissa's hurt was evident. "I wouldn't have said anything in the interrogation if Alberta hadn't wanted me to."

"Like I said… I figured it out on my own. And Aunt Tasha… I think she figured it out when we were at the lodge and the two of you got all territorial—that confirmed all her suspicions."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I huffed at the implication. "Rose may have been territorial, but I certainly wasn't"

Adrian made a choking noise. "Uh—as the person on the receiving end of all your ferocious glares… yeah. You did."

"I was protecting—"

Rose shifted impatiently in my lap. "You did almost lose your cool in his room—remember?"

"I honestly thought you were going to hit him," Lissa chimed in.

"Ridiculous," I frowned. "I would never hit a Royal Moroi." I glanced over at Adrian; the space between he and Vika seemed smaller than it had before—making me amend my statement. "At least—not in front of my charge and my student."

"Stop it Mitya—you've already made your point clear several times." Viktoria's eyes narrowed—her jaw tensing with anger. "Just give her the damned gift and stop making thinly veiled threats."

"I wasn't—"

Rose poked me—holding out her hand with a pleading look on her face. "Gift please. We can finish the discussion after I open it."

Stroking her cheek, I nodded, half turning to reach into the pocket of my coat that was draped across the back of the couch—removing the velvet bag and pressing it into her hand. "Since I didn't get to give it to you for Christmas… I planned on giving it to you on your birthday—I was going to take you off campus for a romantic dinner and tell you how I felt. I'm sorry I never got the chance."

As I spoke, her brown eyes filled with tears—her lips compressing into a tight, thin line. The reason I'd missed her birthday hung in the air between us; I knew we were both remembering the night of the battle that had interfered with my plans. We'd consummated our relationship and declared our love—but a few hours later… the man she loved was gone. Strangely enough, even after I'd been turned… the date stood out in my mind; I'd felt an overpowering urge to return to the Academy and see her on her birthday, but I'd fought against it—and won. "Well? Aren't you the tiniest bit curious as to what is in the bag?"

"I know I am—the anticipation is killing me," Christian muttered—letting out a hiss of pain when his girlfriend elbowed him in the side.

His snarky quip broke the rising tension; it was just what we needed to chase back the shadows of the past and draw us back into the present. Rose swiped at her eyes, shooting him a dark look, her fingers clumsy as she tried to untie the strings that kept the bag closed. I watched her with eager anticipation, my eyes locked on her face—hoping and praying that the contents weren't too old fashioned for her taste.

She gasped as the combs spilled out in her hands—her eyes wide as she stared down at them. "Dimitri! They're beautiful! My God these must have cost a fortune—you shouldn't have!"

"They are a family heirloom, Roza," Vika said softly, "passed down from grandmother to grandchild for generations within our kin."

I glanced over at my sister, surprised she knew of their origin—she had not been there when Yeva passed them on to me, we'd been completely alone. "How did you know that?"

"All of us received something—but Grandmother said only your gift and mine have special significance." Her eyes dropped, hands restless—fingers tracing over the engraving on her stake.

"And what did you receive?"

Her movement stilled at the question—eyes darting up to mine for a moment before flicking to the ground. "Yeva said it was a gift… for a cat."

I chuckled. "What was it? A bell, perhaps?"

"The ring that our great-grandfather wore upon his hand."

My laughter died abruptly as I tensed, feeling foolish; we'd just been discussing cats and kittens—I should have caught the hidden significance in her statement. My eyes flicked to Ivashkov's hand; lately he had begun wearing a ring—something I'd noticed since he had never worn jewelry before. "I see…"

"You don't—but it does not matter. Right now you should be admiring your Roza instead of wasting time quizzing me on things that are beyond everyone's control." That strange, knowing look was back in her eyes—it chilled me, though I didn't know why.

Rose nudged me—handing me the combs; I watched as she wrapped her long, beautiful hair up into a tight twist. "Wanna do the honors?"

Ducking my head down, I brushed a soft kiss against the marks that decorated the nape of her neck, then slid the combs into her hair, securing it in place. They were large and thick enough that they held it firmly—just as beautiful as I'd dreamed they would be. "You have no idea how long I have wanted to see you wearing them."

"Let me guess—Yeva had some bizarre prediction that goes along with them, right?" She smiled, reaching up to run her fingers over the stones.

"That they belonged to the woman who owned my heart—my future wife," I whispered, my fingers dancing along her soft skin.

"Appropriate… all things considered," she murmured, leaning closer and pressing her mouth to mine.

Before I could lose myself in the sweetness of her lips, there was a bright flash of light—spots flashed in front of my eyes as my pupils reacted to the sudden change; Rose let out a hiss of pain, swiping at her best friend. "Lissa I swear to God that camera is going to come up missing!"

"I'm sorry—but you two looked so cute… I had to do it." She held up the camera, smiling. "Smile—this can be your pre-engagement picture."

"Lissa… I'm warning you—"

A loud beeping sounded—the alarm on Christian's watch—the sound so piercing that it distracted Rose from whatever threat she was about to make. Without a word, he stood up—heading for the kitchen.

Lissa stared at his retreating back—the incredulous expression on her face was so comical I could not help but laugh. "Christian! We're not done yet!"

He stopped in the doorway to glance back at his girlfriend—who had placed her hands on her hips and was looking rather prickly. "Sorry—but if you want to eat before midnight I have to start cooking now. You wanted a turkey—remember? Consider this… intermission."

"Intermission—great idea!" Adrian was already in motion, moving towards the door. "Perfect time for a smoke break—I'll be right back."

"No sir! Not without me!" Vika shoved her presents to the side, jumping to her feet and hurrying after him with her stake still in hand. "You do not leave this house without your guardian."

"Baby Belikov… may I point out that it's Christmas day? I seriously doubt any guardians are lurking in the bushes waiting to attack me." He glanced over at me, frowning—perhaps rethinking that statement.

Vika wasn't a fool—she knew I'd most likely attack exactly when it seemed that I wouldn't. "I don't give a damn I've got a job to do—"

"Wait! Wait! Look up!" Lissa crowed happily, pointing above their heads.

Mistletoe. Dear God—this could not be happening.

Viktoria blushed bright red, dropping her eyes to the carpet. "I don't think that would be appropriate."

"Come on cousin—are you trying to get me killed?"

Despite their protest, they glanced at each other, eyes locking; an expression flicked across both their faces that propelled me back in time—right back to the Academy when Rose was my student. It was a look of longing—I knew it far too well; I remembered the ache that went along with it—eating away at me day and night, an unceasing agony that never went away. As much as I despised the thought… there was only one thing that I could do.

"I believe that it is customary to kiss if you are caught under the mistletoe, yes?" I offered quietly. "If you don't it means you'll have bad luck in the coming year."

Adrian tore his eyes away from my sisters face—they were wide, betraying his confusion at my statement. "I—what?"

"As you said earlier… it's Christmas Adrian. I think an allowance can be made just once." Rose squeezed my arm, supporting my decision—but I still didn't like the idea one bit.

Still looking rather shell shocked, Adrian stepped closer to Vika; she glanced over at me nervously as his hands slid around her waist—then his head ducked down, distracting her as his lips pressed against hers.

It went on far too long for my liking—I had to clear my throat three times.

"Merry Christmas, Adrian," I said when he finally pulled away—both of them looking slightly dazed. "I hope that will sustain you until next year—and don't be getting any ideas about carrying mistletoe around in your pockets. This was a one time, holiday thing."

"Merry Christmas Beli—Dimitri." His use of my given name made my sister break out in a smile; she looked so happy that it almost made me rethink the situation. Almost being the operative word. His lips curved up in an arrogant smile that I recognized—though I had not seen it since we'd all been at the Academy when he'd been determined to win Rose's heart. "Don't worry about the mistletoe—I don't need it. New Year's Eve is right around the corner—and I can guarantee that my guardian will be right beside me at midnight."

"And don't forget… our Christmas is coming up too," Vika offered, shooting me a teasing smile as she tugged him out the door. "That's a holiday!"

Glancing over at the young queen, I gave her my best guardian face. "Please… tell me you are not planning to celebrate our Russian Christmas too?"

"Of course I am. There are a lot of Russian guardians here at court—I have to honor their traditions." She shot me an angelic smile— snapping a picture of the scowl that took over my face at her answer.

I cursed under my breath, glaring at the mistletoe—to my irritation, Rose and Lissa burst out laughing; I failed to see what was amusing with the fact that the universe seemed to be conspiring against me.

Rose leaned forward, still giggling, rubbing her nose against mine as Lissa headed for the kitchen. "You know… you never asked me a really important question about that ring."

I was still glaring at the accursed plant—distracted by my irritation, "Hmmm? And what would that be?"

"Whether or not it's an engagement ring," she whispered.

I froze, my scowl fading—unsure if I'd heard her right. "What?"

"Your ring… I gave you an engagement ring, Dimitri Belikov! So? Will you marry me?"

I stared at her—a feeling of pure joy coursing through me greater than anything I'd ever experienced. It was comparable to what I'd felt when Lissa had given me my soul back—only a million times more powerful. "Roza… do you really have to ask? There is nothing I want more in this world than to be your husband."

"And there's nothing I want more than to be your wife… once I turn twenty. I don't want a ring… not until then—but I figured that if I agreed to a long engagement and gave you a ring… it would be a compromise you could live with. Was I right?"

Her logic—dear Lord how I loved it. "You were very right. So we are engaged, yes?"

I was more than a little shaken—afraid I had misheard or misunderstood her intentions.

"We are." She smiled at me—that beautiful, lopsided grin that I loved almost as much as I loved her. "Merry Christmas Comrade—and just so you know… I've already decided I'll be taking your name."

At that moment there was nothing more important than the woman in my arms—my fiancée— and the fact I could finally say what I'd been longing to say for such a long, long time. "Merry Christmas, my Roza… I love you. You have made me the happiest man in the world."

Celebrating Christmas with my arms around the woman I loved was everything I'd hoped and dreamed it would be—and knowing that I will be experiencing it every single Christmas for the rest of my days with my wife… it completely takes my breath away.

"You know… it will be very, very hard for you to ever top this Christmas gift," I murmured, brushing my lips against hers. "You agreed to marry me—nothing can beat that."

"You haven't seen all your presents yet Comrade—you're not the only one that had to leave something at home to be opened later." She nipped at my lip, pulling away with a teasing smile on her face. "But I promise I'll find a way to outdo even that—I've got an entire twelve months to come up with something."

I watched her walk into the kitchen to tell her best friend our news, then counted to one hundred before pulling on my duster and sneaking out the back door. Despite my happiness…some opportunities were just too good to be wasted—especially ones that involved scaring the hell out of Adrian—though I was in such a good mood I might make up for my surprise attack by letting him kiss my sister again.

Maybe.

After all… it is Christmas—and my Roza finally said yes.


A/N Well it wasn't up by the end of the week, but better late than never, right? I might follow it up with another chapter of what Dimitri finds when he goes outside—or—I might cover the exchange of gifts in Rose's pov—or—just do a one shot for the collection in Vika's pov covering the whole day (including her brother catching her and Adrian being naughty outside. I'm still undecided—though I have started to draft out all three options long hand. ;o)

Unproofed/unedited because it was getting as long as the damn TMIW chapters.

Hope you enjoyed it!

PS: I am sure you have some questions—like what is the key Adrian gave Vika to… and what was on the keychain that made her blush—they'll be answered in later chapters of TMIW.