Rose POV
"Rose?" The girl said. I was sure I didn't know her, but I turned around anyway. It was obvious she was a dhampir and if she tried to fight me, I'm pretty sure I could take her. After all, in my opinion I had the best training ever. I hadn't noticed before but the shape of her eyes and color of her hair was oddly familiar. I looked down at the picture, it wasn't her. But….
"Yes? I'm Rose." I replied now aware of whom this girl was.
"Wow." She said. The girl standing in front of me looked me up and down and for the first time since that night in the cabin I felt self conscious. I wiped the remaining tears from my cheek with the back of my hands and averted my eyes. She continued "You are much more beautiful than I expected. I mean I knew that you were well" she gestured up and down at my body "gorgeous. But this is pushing it. Oh! I almost forgot, hello my name is Helina." From the corner of my eye I saw her stick her hand out for me to shake. I took it feeling the warmth.
Finally meeting her eyes I said "I know." I had figured it out when she opened the door and I saw that she wasn't male, older looking or the girl in the picture. All I needed was for her to confirm and I would know she was Dimitri's other sister. "I should have known. He said you were smart."
"I didn't realize he told you about me." I couldn't tell if this upset me or not. I mean I knew I would now have no future with his family (not that I could really have one before) but for some reason I really wanted to meet their standards. I'm sure they had high ones for Dimitri, so that must mean they had expectations of the girls he brought home.
"Yea, he never shuts up about it. Even when he's not talking about you he's thinking about you. It's pretty obvious. Momma says so." She smiled at me. I wondered how I could do something like this. To shatter that shining smile by telling her that the brother she knew and loved the one she still believed is alive was a strigoi.
"May I come in?" I asked as politely as I could. "I really need to talk to your family. It's very important." I knew this girl was maybe a year or two older than me, but she acted to my command like I was her mother. Opening the door just a tad bit more she gestured inside.
"Be my guest."
The inside of the house was beautiful. The couch looked worn and used. I could almost hear the laughter that must have come from this room. Again the sense of home warmed me. How many times had I thought about entering this house, only on better circumstances? Helina spoke from behind me "You can have a seat there, on the couch. I'll get mama and everyone else." I smiled to myself. She loved her mom; I could hear it in her voice. I don't know why but I started to cry. This house is really getting to me. I thought. I heard a gasp and a shatter. Spinning around I saw an older woman. She looked like the girl in the picture just older and like Helina. This must be his mother. Ekaterina. How could I forget that name, it was beautiful and so uncommon. Well for Americans that is. I looked down at her feet a purple vase lay at her feet, shattered. Yellow wildflowers were scattered and water was running.
I rushed to her and bent to pick up the pieces of glass. She just stood there looking down at me "Oh God." She whispered. She walked from the room to what I assumed was the kitchen. I watched her go thinking what the hell am I supposed to do now. She returned with a towel and bent to wipe up the water.
"No, no. I got this." I gently took the towel from her. She stayed there kneeling beside me. Putting the pieces of glass I picked up in the towel. Feeling her stare I looked up into her eyes and gasped. They were his eyes. The eyes I tried so hard to forget. A thousand memories flooded into me, I fought not to cry. Her face was bewildered a question on her lips.
I could hear pounding on the stairs as someone ran down them. Ekaterina stayed where she was, her brown eyes never leaving mine. Whoever it was entered the room. Three sets of footfalls, each one distinct, different weight. Something I learned from Dimitri. I couldn't look at them; I didn't want to look away from those eyes. They weren't his but they soothed the withdrawals I was having since he was taken away.
Finally Ekaterina regained her composure. Smiling at me she took my hand and helped me up. My legs were a little wobbly. I turned to see who had entered the room and stared shocked. It was Helina, Lara the girl from my picture and… someone I didn't recognize. A male. The front door burst open. "Mom! Lara! Helina!"
Dimitri POV
Mama had sent me out about twenty minutes ago to get milk and eggs, but I hurried home now. A feeling stirred inside me, I needed to be home and I needed to be there now. Something was wrong, I could feel it. If it wasn't wrong, then it was off. There was something different. I was practically running down the street to my mothers' house eggs and milk in tow. I was almost at my door when someone stopped me. A gentle hand rested on my shoulder, I turned to see an older man, he looked to be about fifty or sixty. "Excuse me son, can you tell me where the supermarket is?" I gestured in front of me to the corner.
"It's around that corner, third store on the left." I said impatiently, this man was wasting my time.
"Thank you son. You can never find good help around here with the young folk. You must have a good woman in your life." He smiled. "You look like you're in a hurry."
"I am I have to get home to that good woman in my life. She's my mom."
"Ah, no sexual woman in your life. Could be because you still live with your mom." He said.
"Look, I'm visiting from out of town. Can I please go, I need to leave." I said impatiently. I gave him what he wanted why is he still talking to me?
"Young man, I am trying to teach you patience, I can see that at this moment you have none. And I think I know why. My grandmother was a witch, or so she said. She taught me things in my younger years, including how to read people. And you are suffering a great depression; it's almost bringing me down. Don't worry, the girl may have slipped from your hands this time, and yes history often repeats itself but this is not something you will relive. So sow down, because your life is about to change." With that the old man turned around and left. What the fuck? I turned choosing to ignore him and continue walking in a rush.
Pushing the door open I yelled "Mom! Lara! Helina!"
"In here I heard Lara's voice say. She sounded shocked, what was wrong? Walking into the living room I saw my sisters a male my mother and a familiar face I could never forget. Rose. She stared back at me, her expression pained, her eyes were red rimmed and tears were gushing from her eyes. Even in this state she was beautiful, her legs were shaking as though she were going to fall. I dropped the milk and eggs and rushed to her side. As soon as I touched her she fell into my embrace. She was cold. I needed to warm her.
I could feel the presence of the others leave the room. It was just me and her. I patted her hair to stop her silent sobs. Gently, never letting go of her I pulled her with me to the couch.
"Oh God. Oh God." She continued to say.
"Shh. It's alright I'm here." I held her so tight, hoping to anyone who was listening that I would never ever have to let go again. I would die in this position if it meant she was the one I was holding. "Oh God Rose, I love you." I could feel the tears coming from my eyes. Men don't cry, but at the point I wasn't just a man. I was an alcoholic who just heard the news saying you could now drink and drive, which meant I would never have to put the bottle down.
"I love you too." She pulled away from me, and I stifled a sob. Why? Why move? "Well since you're alive." She choked on the word. "We really need to talk." She grabbed my hand and squeezed. She told me everything. How she had come to find me and was planning on telling my family of whom she was and our relationship and what had happened to me. She told me how she was pregnant and that she was having twins. She also told me they were mine. Which I never doubted, she wasn't a whore, the only thing I questioned was how. She explained to me that it was a defect in her DNA due to the fact that she was shadow kissed.
I don't know how long I held her as she cried as did I. Children was something I never really though about. I thought I would be mad, but I wasn't. Babies that weren't someone else's, they would be mine, ours. No dhampir couples got this opportunity. I shifted prepared to tell her what I had planned. I told her how Chris had spared me because of his similar situation, only that his hadn't ended as well as ours had. I told her of my plans to create an army of novices and guardians to attack the strigoi that changed him, to give him the peace he so rightly deserved. She smiled up at me.
"That is just like you." Her smile turned mischievous. "I like it! Count me in." I kissed her, full on the lips and picked her up, she placed each leg on either side of me, straddling me. "I've missed you." I said between kisses. This is what it was like to be truly, deeply and madly in love.
AN! Should I add lemons? Can't decide.
