Disclaimer: I don't own VA
"Dimitri, should we really be doing this still?" I wondered he lay in my bed that night.
Dimitri shrugged, a movement I felt by my own body as I was laying on top of him. "To me, what I have will Lissa is nothing more than a business deal. There's nothing there. We have nothing. I love you, and I'm going to be with you until I can no longer or I'm dead. whichever comes first."
I lifted myself up on my elbow and leaned over him, my hair swinging like a curtain, shutting out the world. "Don't say things like that," I chastised.
Dimitri shrugged again. "It's the truth. Eric said that unless I marry his daughter, I'm going to be stripped of my title and thrown in jail or killed. I'm not marrying her, so..." he trailed off, twirling a piece of my hair with his finger.
"We're going to find a way out of this. Until then, stay with her. As long as you're with her, you're safe. Promise me."
Dimitri searched my eyes before nodding. "I promise."
I shook my head and sat up, keeping the blanket covering my chest. Dimitri sat up with me. "No, saw it. Say the words," I said sternly, looking into his eyes.
Dimitri grabbed my hands and stared back. "I promise that I will stay with Lissa to keep myself safe for you," he recited.
I nodded. "Good. Now you have to keep it."
Dimitri smiled at me, amused.
I frowned back. "Dimitri, it's not funny. I love you. You are the best thing that has happened to me, better than even Lissa. Lissa took me in when I had no family, but you are the one who gave me a family. I don't know what I'd do without you." I glanced away.
"Roza..." Dimitri sighed and gathered me up in his arms. "I love you too, so much. I'm sorry I'm not being serious. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep myself safe so that I can be with you. And I promise to keep that promise." He kissed me gently on the lips.
I cuddled into his chest, letting him comfort me.
"Are we still going to Russia for Christmas?" I asked after a long period of silence.
"Mmhmm," Dimitri murmured.
You would think that with both of us naked, barely a blanket between us, it would be either uncomfortable or arousing, but we'd been together so many times and seen each other in so many different ways that it was just natural
"Do you think I should tell Lissa that Eric threatened you into this?" I wondered out loud.
Dimitri shrugged. "What good would it do? He already said that he would do anything to make this marriage go forth, even if it means reassigning you. I don't think there's anything he won't do. What I want to know is why he's so set on this. I mean, what's in it for him?" Dimitri mused.
It was my turn to shrug. "Well, Lissa is his little girl and she's been talking about marriage since she knew what marriage was - about twelve years old. But Eric and I and even Andre have protected her so much that the most time she's spent around guys is at dances and at social events - and most of them were old. I guess in our quest to keep Lissa from getting hurt or taken advantage of, we made her a bit like a mouse. She's shy around guys, except for our friends. She has no idea how to act around them or what to say. So her arranged marriage to you seems like a blessing to her, a way out of the awkward talk and need to date," I explained glumly.
"Maybe if we convince her, or find so many for her to fall in love with someone else...?" he trailed off questioningly.
I nodded. "That would be the best solution now. She told all of our friends that you two were engaged, so the whole school will know by the end of the week, which is exactly what Eric wanted. Of course, nothing will be definite, it will be rumors, which will make the moment this becomes public that much sweeter. If the daughter of Prince Dragomir can get married to a lowly dhampir, to love one, of course that's okay!" I shook my head, disgusted.
Dimitri squeezed me comfortingly. "We'll find a way out, don't worry," he assured me.
"Can we stop talking about it?" I asked softly. It was bringing my mood down, wearing me thin. I didn't want to think about Dimitri marrying my sister. I didn't want to think about them sharing a bed, having children, something the two of us would never have.
"Sure, love." Dimitri kissed me on the forehead, then laid us down. "We should get to sleep, anyway. Both of us have had a long day."
I nodded, closing my eyes obligingly.
Listening to Dimitri's strong heartbeat was the best lullaby, and within minutes, I was out like a candle in a hurricane.
DPOV:
I woke up slowly. My arms were around my Roza, her back pressed against my chest and her hair tickling my nose. I smiled, content. I kept my eyes closed, not ready to get up yet.
In my arms, Rose stirred. My grip on her tightened.
"We need to get up, sweetie," her sweet voice seemed as if it was being filtered through something, sounding different than usual.
"Just a bit more," I mumbled.
She laughed, sounding off. "Get up, Dimitri."
My eyes snapped open. That wasn't my Roza. I sat up abruptly and was faced with large stomach. My eyes traveled up, up a small waist out of which the stomach jutted out, small breasts, milky white skin, long neck covered in blond hair, and finishing with Vasilisa Dragomir's vibrant green eyes.
"Come on, sleepy head. We have an appointment." She hauled herself out of bed as I stared in horror.
A knock on the door distracted my thoughts.
"Are you guys decent?" An angelic voice called through, the door opening.
Lissa laughed. "Yes!" She looked so happy.
Rose walked into the room. The breath was knocked out of me. "Roza." Her name was barely a whisper, but she still heard me.
Her head snapped over to look at me and I was met with a pair of once bright eye now dulled down with sadness and pain.
"Hey, comrade," she said lightly, a sad smile on her lips.
I blinked up at her, unable to speak. She seemed to focus on something on me and grimaced, her eyes suddenly bright with jealousy and a pain so sharp, I felt it, like an arrow being shot from her eyes into my heart.
"I thought you said you two were decent," Rose snapped.
Lissa turned to her with surprise.
I looked down and realised I was naked beneath the covers.
I woke up, my body covered in sweat. My breathing was labored as I tried to shake the dream from my mind, but the horror vision wouldn't fade. The look of torture in my Roza's eyes would take a long time to forget.
I looked to my right, making sure the familiar brown hair and beautiful face was beside me. I ran a hand through her silky hair, assuring myself she was real and not a figment of my imagination. Her hair looked like melted dark chocolate had been woven with magic into hair. Stunning. I continued running my fingers through it, calming myself.
"Comrade?" Rose's voice mumbled sleepily as she sat up, displacing my hand. She shivered as the blanket fell away from her, and snatched up my shirt, which was on the floor by the bed. She pulled it on. "What are you doing awake?"
The dream, the nightmare, came flooding back. I pulled her into my chest, clinging to her like a child. I was so afraid that it would become reality, that I would lose the only thing that had been keeping me together for the last year and a half, the feeling was suffocating. It choked me as I burrowed my face into Rose's neck., taking in her familiar scent. Automatically, Rose began stroking my hair in comfort.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked gently.
I felt so weak in that moment, so weak I was ashamed and hated myself. I was disgusted. I was a man, I was supposed to be strong, able to handle everything. Protect Rose from any pain. Yet here I was, leaning on her for support. I pulled away abruptly. It didn't matter that she had been the only thing to keep me together after my best friend and charge died. It didn't matter that she was the one I went to for help when my father came back. It didn't matter that it was with her help that I finally healed all the hurt my father had caused, the scarring things I had witnessed as a child. I was the one who was supposed to help her. She was the one who was losing me to her best friend. I wasn't supposed to cry and snivel and complain about it. I had no right, as long as Rose didn't. And if Rose did cry and scream and complain, then it was my job to help her. There was no room for weakness in this situation. I vowed in that moment to be stronger, to do everything within my power to stay with Rose.
"Dimitri?" Her low voice jarred my thoughts.
"I'm sorry for waking you." I winced at the cool, even tone of my voice. I didn't have to to look at her to know she was hurt. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," I repeated in a whisper. "I just - I just had a nightmare and..." I swallowed, turning to her finally.
"Comrade, don't shut me out. Not now," Rose pleaded.
I shook my head. "I'm not, I'm just...I'm trying to be strong, but it's so damn hard." I clenched my hands into fists, trying to contain my anger at myself.
"Dimitri." Rose crawled over to sit in my lap. She put her hands on either side of my face and forced me to look at her. "You don't always have to be strong, you know. You've been so strong and given me so much. It's my turn. Now tell me about your dream." Her tone left no room for questions.
I sighed and explained my dream to her. I watched as her face paled and her eyes watered. "I'll never let that happen," I declared fiercely. "Never, ever, ever."
"Okay," she replied in a small voice.
I cupped her face between my hands. "Roza, I will never let that happen. How many times do I have to tell you? I'll run away into the human world with you before I marry Lissa."
Rose shook her head. "No, you can't! You love guarding as much as I! You can't give that up, Dimitri. It's your life - literally."
Rose was right; giving up being a guardian would be a great sacrifice. However, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make, as long as I got to stay with Rose.
"Rose, I would be willing to give it up if it meant I could stay with you," I replied.
Rose shook her head again. "No, if anyone is giving up their career, it's me. You've worked so hard for this, gone through so much shit. At least for me, this life was handed on a silver freaking platter by my mother when she dropped me off. You, you've had to fight for it, go through so many obstacle, which is why you're one of the best damn guardians out there." She looked so serious in that moment, so determined, I couldn't argue. All I could do was pull her into my arms and hold her tight, and hope everything would be alright.
What do you think? I wasn't going to do DPOV at all in the story, but this was necessary. I wanted you guys to see it from his point of view :P And the dream...well, that was really the only part I wanted to write in his POV, lol.
Thank you to kcripep (she's...not trying to be a b*tch...she's just naive. :P), Dimkaisshmexy24 (Oh, no, I hope you're still alive! Lol. I'm glad you didn't cry(:), Molly, RozaRocks (yes, she does realise. You'll see more next chapter. Christian will appear...after Christmas, which is next chapter :P), Maris Belikov, Guest (she's not going to 'date' Chris; she's with Dimitri...) and shadow-kissed angel (I like child-like Dimitri too :D he's adorable :P) for reviewing!
