A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, follows and favorites! I had a bit of writers block before I finished and posted my previous chapter. hopefully that's all cleared up now :P
Let me know what you think about the chapter!
As always,
Hope you enjoy,
K
Sometime after lunch Dimitri informed Rose that he was started the security sweep and that she was welcome to join him.
"So what exactly do you do during this checkup?" Rose asked Dimitri.
Dimitri started, "Let's start with the living area. On a routine sweep, I check to make sure all the windows are secure, that they haven't been tampered with. I make sure nothing is out of the ordinary or out of place".
"How do you know if something's out of the ordinary", Rose asked.
Dimitri smiles. "First of all you have to know what is ordinary to know when something isn't, which is why I routinely swept the place before you even arrived. You have to be very observant and be able to notice the little things. Like if an end table has been moved or if a lamp is standing in a funny angle". Through all this Rose nods.
"Lastly I check the room with this nifty little gadget", Dimitri pulled out a small device, no bigger than an old cell phone. "This detects and creates interference for any hidden bugs, mics or camera's. Just wave it like a wand over any potential hiding place and it'll beep in the event we find any spyware".
"You do this in all the rooms?" Rose asked, Dimitri nodded. "How have I not noticed this?"
"Well you were sleeping the last 2 sweep I did. And I'm trained to be stealthy".
"I bet it's hard sneaking up on you, comrade".
"It's near impossible", Dimitri smirked.
Rose took that as an open invitation for surprise attacks. "Challenge accepted".
"Why are you so interested in a routine security sweep, Rose?" All lightheartedness gone from Dimitri's voice.
"I can't always count on other people to do things for me. I need to be able to do them for myself".
"And yet, you rely on Abe's chef for meals and Alberta for everything else?" Dimitri raised his eyebrow.
Rose grunted, "Dammit, you're right". She crossed her arms over her chest. "I hate that".
"There's nothing wrong with needing help, Rose".
"It's not about that", Rose replied. "It's about being self-sufficient. It's about independence. Even on my little 'vacation', I only ate cereal, junk food and take out".
Dimitri had a bad feeling, as if Rose only came back to Abe to acquire a new skill set before disappearing again. He didn't want to think about that, so he repressed the thought for now and continue the sweep of the rooms. He even let Rose use the bug sweeper.
When they finished sweeping the wing, Dimitri had an idea. "You know, if you want to be self-sufficient, you can start out small. Like making your own breakfast, or lunch". Rose looked absolutely scandalized. Dimitri chuckled. He rolled his eyes at Rose's incredulity. "It's baby steps, Roza".
Roza. It's just slipped out, his mouth never asking permission from his brain. Lucky for him, Rose either didn't notice or was ignoring her new nick name. He quickly started talking again, so there wouldn't be any silence and Rose wouldn't be able to dwell on it. "I can teach you how to cook something basic".
Rose pouted. "I'm not allowed in the kitchen", she said grimly.
Dimitri laughed wholeheartedly at her expression. "I won't let you singe off an eyebrow." After a moment of silence he add with a grin, "Again".
"I can't believe she told you about that! I'm going to kill her".
Dimitri completely ignored Rose's outburst. "We'll start with lunch tomorrow. The next step will be grocery shopping". Remembering her agoraphobic tendencies and hatred of all things shopping, Dimitri added, "Even if you do it online".
Rose childishly crossed her arms. "Fine".
When Dimitri turned to attend to the surveillance footage, Rose called to him, "Hey comrade? What's Roza?" She smirked knowing she let just enough time pass to let him think that went unnoticed.
"Sorry about that", Dimitri was embarrassed. If Rose hadn't been paying attention she would've missed the slight blush tat tinged his cheeks. "It's your name in Russian".
"Don't be sorry", Rose shook her head. "I like it". And just like that, she turned on her heels and walked away, saying nothing more about it.
By the time dinner rolled around, Rose was starving and couldn't get to the main dining hall fast enough. This time when Abe opened his arms for Rose she flung herself at him. As they embraced tightly, Dimitri felt a pang. Being the stoic bodyguard he was he brushed it off as nothing.
"I'm sorry" Rose whispered in Abe's ear, apologizing for her behavior the previous day.
"I know, darling", Abe answered. In that moment Dimitri saw Abe for the first time as a loving man, not a mobster worried about his possession. Oddly, relief flooded him. Abe truly cared for Rose, and that brought him some peace of mind.
Dinner was uneventful. Abe asked how Rose and Dimitri were getting along, not surprised at all that they were already developing a friendship despite Dimitri's job mandated aloofness. Abe knew all to well that Rose could break down any man's walls, his own included.
After dessert, Abe requested some time alone with Rose and dismissed Dimitri and Lissa.
"Don't worry, Belikov", Abe stated at Dimitri's reluctance to leave his charge, "Pavel will escort Rose back to her room".
Back in Rose's wing, Dimitri grabbed his favorite book and situated himself in the living room on the sofa pointing towards the main door.
Rose finally strolled in at 1 AM, accompanied by Pavel.
"Did you wait up for me comrade?" Rose asked, seeing Dimitri in the living room in the middle of the night with what seemed to be a western.
"No," he lied. "I was catching up on some reading. I figured if I'm not with you then I can take a break".
"Liar. You've been waiting up for me. Why?"
"I couldn't go to bed before I knew you were safely back." Before Rose had a chance to get too excited about Dimitri's words he quickly added, "It's my job to safeguard you". After a moment he asked, "So, how was the rest of your evening?"
"Great. I made Abe watch my favorite movie. I knew he'd love it".
"Please don't tell me it was Twilight or something equally ridiculous." Dimitri scratched the back of his head.
"Hey, I resent that! First of all I liked Twilight. Second I value my life too much to make Abe sit through 2 hours of teenage angst of the vampiric vernacular." Dimitri chuckled. "I made him watch Deadpool. Of course, he missed the point of the movie and felt sorry for the poor bad guy, but still, there was enough gore and language that he enjoyed himself".
"Why am I not surprised that that's your favorite movie?"
"It has everything a girl could want. Guns, swords, Ryan Reynolds. Not to mention the delicious new vocabulary it taught me. And when I learn new curses from a movie, that says a lot about the movie!". Rose chuckled then yawned.
"You're tired, Rose. You should go to bed".
Rose nodded. "You too. I'm probably going to sleep in tomorrow. So should you".
Dimitri nodded and left his spot on the sofa. They walked down that hall together before going their separate ways.
"Good night, Dimitri."
"Good night, Roza".
—-
Dimitri felt like he had just fallen asleep when he awoke to ear piercing bloodcurdling screams. He grabbed his gun and made a mad dash for Rose. He had expected to find an attacker, a culprit to take his wrath out on. Instead he found Rose thrashing in the middle of her bed. Eyes shut tight, pillow stained with tears, covers tangled with her legs and she was screaming.
Dimitri holstered his gun and grabbed Rose's shoulders shaking gently.
"Rose! Rose wake up!" He was loud but not yelling.
Lissa ran into Rose's room holding a syringe. "Good, you're here. Hold her down while I sedate her".
"What the hell is this?!" Now Dimitri was frantic.
"I told you, Rose has nightmares".
"This isn't a nightmare! It's a psychotic break!" Dimitri yelled, still restraining a thrashing screaming Rose.
"Belikov, either help me or get out of my way! She needs to be sedated before she hurts herself!". Lissa needed to administer the sedative soon.
"There has to be a better way to calm her than that", Dimitri said, not at all liking the fact that Lissa was so eager to drug her best friend.
Dimitri gently applied his body weight to Rose, leaning down on her gradually, effectively preventing Rose from hurting herself. He whispered something in her ear before he started humming a lullaby his mother used to sing to him. Slowly, her screaming died down and she stopped thrashing.
As Rose calmed, Dimitri slid off to her side. Having succeeded in calming her, he was about to get up when she turned and leaned into him, clinging to his bare chest, sighing. Instinctually, Dimitri wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair to continue to sooth her.
Rose fell back into a peaceful slumber. Lissa was shocked. She sat on the bed, on Roses other side. "How did you do that?" She whispered to Dimitri. "I've tried everything, consulted everyone I could think of, every doctor, every specialist and the only thing that worked was the sedative".
"It was just a lullaby", Dimitri whispered back.
Lissa snorted. "You think I haven't tried that? You think I like drugging my best friend? She hates the meds, which are basically just sleeping pills. She hates the sedatives, but it's better than when she gave herself a black eye".
Lissa was quite for a while. "I've never been able to calm her before without a sedative. I don't know if this serenity is going to last. We should stay with her till morning". Dimitri didn't argue. He was exactly where he needed to be.
Lissa untangled the covers from Rose's legs, careful not to wake her, and laid in bed beside her, tucking herself in. Thank goodness for king sized beds.
The following morning, Rose woke feeling well rested, though somewhat overheated. She was fully awake before she understood why. Her head was resting on Dimitri bare chest, his arms were wrapped around her protectively. What was even stranger, was that there was someone pressed against her back as well. Not wanting to wake Dimitri or her additional bed guest, Rose stealthily turned to find Lissa sleeping comfortably, spooning her from behind. Rose stifled a giggle at the weird position they were all in.
Then a dreadful thought came to her and she lifted her covers to make sure they were all still dressed. Thank god, she breathed in relief. Rose would have been thoroughly disappointed if she had a threesome and couldn't remember it. She'd especially kick herself if she couldn't remember how Dimitri was.
Enjoying this moment in bed too much, Rose leaned her head back down on Dimitri and waited for her would-be menage-et-trots consorts to wake.
Lissa got up shortly after Rose woke and snuck out of bed. She didn't want to wake Rose, figuring she deserved as much sleep as she could get. She also had no intention of giving Rose ammunition for endless threesome jokes and innuendoes. Little did Lissa know that Rose already had more than enough.
Dimitri stirred awake sometime later. Despite having an incredibly beautiful woman in his arms, he had trouble falling asleep. Or maybe it was because of that that he had trouble falling asleep.
He turned toward Rose and threw his other arm around her waist. Rose being fully awake and aware that Dimitri was still mostly asleep, decided to have a bit of fun. She pressed herself to him and nuzzled the crook of his neck, running her nose along his collar bone gently tickling him.
In return Dimitri fisted her hair and pulled her even closer, if that was possible, pressing his morning glory to her thigh.
Rose gasped. That's what you get for waking up with a Russian god in your bed, she thought. She couldn't help all the naughtiness that occupied her mind. She wanted to grab him through his cotton buttons and make him groan, propriety be damned. She considered waking him up with sex, but she was an adult. Kind of. She could keep it in her pants. Right?
Before she had time to have her way with sleeping beauty, Dimitri stirred even more, finally opening his gorgeous eyes taking in the goddess lying in his arms.
He stroked her hair. "Good morning, Roza"
"Good morning, comrade".
Dimitri smiled at her and closed his eyes again. Rose was wondering how long it would take him to realize he was in bed with her, with is morning wood pressed against her leg, no less. Not that she minded, he was magnificent. She would let him do whatever he wanted to her.
Dimitri's eyes flew open as the seriousness of the situation sunk in. He pulled back abruptly, leaving Rose craving his warmth. He sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her, not wanting to get up until his erection subsided. That just gave Rose time to admire his muscled back.
"I'm sorry Rose", Dimitri said, his voice dripping with regret, as Rose was expecting.
"I'm not", Rose answered playfully. "So, what happened last night?"
"You had a nightmare. After we calmed you down we stayed with you just in case it happened again".
"We?" Rose asked.
"Lissa and I".
"It's just you and me, comrade", Rose smiled at the surprise on Dimitri's face when he turned around and found only Rose was in bed with him.
"I swear she was here, Rose", Dimitri defended himself.
"I'm fucking with you! She snuck out of bed a little while ago", Rose chuckle. "Though the situation only looked worse when she was here". Rose was laughing now, "I didn't know whether to be freaked out or turned on!"
When Rose sobered up she asked "What happened last? I know Lissa didn't sedate me cuz there's a syringe that's still full on my nightstand".
Now that his body had calmed, Dimitri turned to face Rose and noticed for the first time what she was wearing. The covers had fallen to her waist when she sat and exposed her camisole, if it could even be called that. He'd seen her in a sports bra when they trained, but this was all lace and see through. Dimitri quickly averted his eyes and Rose pulled up her sheets to save him the discomfort.
When she was covered Dimitri returned his gaze to her eyes. "I woke up and heard you screaming. I thought you were in danger. When I got to you, you were screaming and thrashing. I tried to wake you, not too gently. Obviously it didn't work. Then Lissa came in with that syringe" Dimitri trailed off, shaking his head slightly. "I had to try something before I let her just drug you like that".
"What did you do?" Rose was excited and terrified at the same time. What could have possibly calmed her without the sedative?
"After I secured you I hummed you a lullaby my mom used to sing to me when I was little".
"Secured me? What does that mean?" Rose asked.
Dimitri looked pained. It was painful for him to admit what he did. "I held you wrists and leaned my body weight on top of you, to stop you from thrashing". Rose's breath caught, but not for the reason Dimitri was thinking. He continued rambling, "I whispered in you ear that I was here for you and that everything was going to be alright and started humming. When you relax after a few moments I released you but before I had a chance to get out of bed, you threw your arms around me and laid your head on me. That's when Lissa said we need to stay with you till morning".
Rose just blinked at him, not one emotion evident on her face.
Dimitri went in for a Hail Mary to try and save his job. "I'm sorry, Rose. I had to stop you somehow. I swear, there was nothing perverted about it".
Dimitri just fell like he was digging himself a bigger hole until Rose suddenly said, "Prove it".
"Um, what?" Dimitri asked dumbfounded.
"Prove that it was all innocent. Show my exactly what you did and let me be the judge". Rose answered.
"You're fucking with me, right?" Dimitri asked incredulously.
Rose shook her head. "No", she said deadpan before she burst into laughter. She could hardly hear Dimitri murmurs that it wasn't funny. "You should have seen your face, comrade. It was priceless", Rose said when her hysterics subsided.
"Are you done?" Dimitri asked, Rose nodded. "So you want to tell me what that was last night? Lissa mentioned you have nightmares but that was extreme".
"I have a sleeping disorder. Night tremors". Rose groaned, "Why can't I have a good sleep disorder like sexsomnia? You know, where you sleep sex random people." Rose huffed. "It starts out as a nightmare I guess, but I can't wake up. And it's terrifying and haunting and I… just… feel so helpless." Rose lowered her head. "I don't remember it when I wake up. All that's left is emptiness". Rose shuddered at the memory.
"Do you know what causes these night tremors?" Dimity asked.
"I can take a guess that it was a traumatic experience I had about a year ago. One I don't wish to discuss". Dimitri nodded at that. He could write the book about running from your past. "The only things that's ever helped were the meds and the sedatives. And I fucking hate them! They make my mind foggy. Then again so does the lack of real sleep." Rose took a deep breath. "It's only been two nights of good sleep without meds and I already feel so much better." Rose refrained from telling Dimitri she was damn sure he was the reason she slept better.
"Good, I'm glad. Now, get dress. We have training." Dimitri grabbed his gun from the night stand and made his way to the door.
"Dimitri?" Rose called to him before he had a chance leave the room. He turned to see the most dazzling smile he'd ever seen. He was momentarily mesmerized by Rose's doe eyes. "Thank you". Dimitri nodded and left to get changed.