I'm such an eejit! I completely forgot I had previously uploaded chapter 9, and so I uploaded it twice. Thank you to those who made me aware. The second one has been removed and here is the real chapter 10 :)

Chapter 10

"So you like nature, then?" I questioned with a smile as we wandered out of the wood. After realising just how dark it was becoming, I almost had to force her out of the woodland.

"Yeah," she admitted, pulling various leaves off of plants on the walk back to my car and ripping them up. "There used to be a forest a couple of miles from my house when I was younger…I used to play in them every day. It was just so quiet, you know?" She sighed, looking forward lost in memories.

"A couple of miles?" I repeated. "You went there every day?"

"Without fail," she grinned. "I grew up in the heart of the city – and not the good part either. Peace and quiet was all I ever wanted, even when I was a child. I used to fantasy and pretend that I lived in a pretty white house in the suburbs, with these gorgeous big apple trees surrounding that land, and behind the house, there would be a forest that was unending. It was my escape."

"That'sweet," I watched her with interest as she was reminiscing about her childhood dreams. The realisation I had come to back in the forest had hit me like a truck. I wondered why it had never occurred to me just how beautiful she really was. "Did you tell Lissa any of this stuff?"

"No," she replied, her expression turning sour. "But I have a feeling it might come up next week."

I thought it would be best if I didn't laugh at her pouty expression.

"So," I said, pulling her from her memoirs and changing the subject to hopefully make her smile again. "What other things do you like, besides nature and forests?"

She was silent for so long, that I wasn't sure that she would answer at all. However, as we reached the car, she did.

"I like baking."

"Baking?" I repeated in surprise. "Really?"

"And decorating," she added. "

You seem very surprised," she commented, studying my face. "A lot of people are. They don't expect the messed up drug-addicted, alcoholic child to like something as simple as baking."

"I don't think you're a messed up drug addict," I replied, maybe a little harshly. "Nor are you a child. You just got lost in life. A lot of people do. But we also help each find our way back."

She looked at me and gave a small grateful smile.

"You really think I can get my life on track again?" she questioned, her eyes not daring to hope.

"I know you can. I find that positive energy and thoughts go a long way to help you when you feel like you have nothing. And I'll be right here to help you."

She gave me another small smile in return and climbed into the passenger side of the old car.

RPOV

"So what about you?" I asked when we were a couple of minutes away from home. "What are your secret talents and passions?" I joked, making Dimitri smile along with me.

"I'm an actor, you know?" he told me, giving me a glance before returning his eyes to the road stretched out in front of us.

"Seriously?" I exclaimed. "How come I didn't know this before now?"

"You never asked," he replied. I suddenly felt bad. Dimitri had taken me in – a stranger – and looked out for me the way nobody else ever had in my life.

"I'm sorry," I told him quietly. "I guess I've just been caught up in my own bubble. I do that sometimes."

"Don't worry," he told me, reaching over and giving my hand a quick but reassuring squeeze. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that neither of us really know one another – properly, that is."

"You're right." The whole idea of him 'getting to know me' was frankly, quite terrifying…but there was also something intriguing and exciting about the fact that he wanted to. And vice versa.

"So then, Dimitri Belikov," I started, feeling more alive today than I had in years. "You're an actor. Would I know you from anything?"

"Probably not," his forehead creased and his eyes darkened ever so slightly at that. "I've never really done any big jobs – just little advertisements and stuff over the years…I'm kind of waiting for my 'big break' as such," he added, looking depressed. "If that will happen."

"What happened to all that 'positive energy' crap you were spurting a second ago?"

He almost cracked a smile.

"Ah," A smile did grace his face, but it was neither a happy, nor a humorous smile. "Well, positive thoughts can only help me so much. I've been waiting for years for something major to happen."

Having no answer, I turned my face to the side to see where we were. To my surprise, we were already back at his apartment block.

"What the?" I glanced at Dimitri to see that he was squinting towards a cute, black car parked near the front door.

"What?" I asked, climbing out of the car after him. "Dimitri, what is it?"

"That's my sister's car."

I struggled to keep up with him as he hurried into the building. Dimitri froze upon arriving at his floor.

There, on the ground outside his apartment door, was a young girl.

She looked to be in her mid-twenties…maybe a little older. And she was pretty. Very pretty. Tall with dark chocolate brown eyes that resembled Dimitri's and a naturally tanned tone of skin.

It wasn't difficult to tell that she was a Belikov.

"Dimitri." She girl pushed herself up off of the floor and ran towards him, flinging herself into his arms.

"Sonya," he replied. I could hear the shock upon seeing her in his voice, but he held her to him all the same. I got the impression that they hadn't seen each other in quite a while. "What are you doing here?"

Sonya took a step back but didn't let go of him. It was only then that I saw she was crying...no. Sobbing was more correct.

"What's the matter?" Dimitri demanded, and it was clear to me that he had kicked into 'protective brother' mode. Sonya was incapable of answering due to the sobs that wracked through her.

"Let's go inside and sit down, okay?" She gave a short nod in reply and I grabbed the keys from Dimitri's hand so that he could support his sister. He gave me a grateful look as I held the door open for them both.

Sonya Belikov curled up on the couch beside her brother, sobbing into his neck.

Although I was dead curious, I let Dimitri handle it completely. She was his family, after all.

He just sat down and held her in a comforting manner as she cried. He never once pushed for more answers. He was doing exactly what family did. He was protecting her.

I felt useless and out of place – really out of place – and so I went to the kitchen to see what I could do to help – which wasn't a lot.

But I did my best. I attempted to make a hot cup of tea, because that was what I had heard calmed people down – hopefully the cup I had made was drinkable and didn't taste like sewage. I walked back into the living room and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she sniffled and then did a double-take. "Who are you?" Not giving me a chance to answer, she turned to Dimitri. "Where's Tasha?"

I glanced at Dimitri to witness his reaction, remembering the bitch he had used to date. He looked down, but didn't look to upset or grief stricken that Tasha was no longer around.

"Eh," he rubbed the back of his neck a little nervously, refusing to meet his sister's gaze. It was quite adorable.

"Tasha and I broke up."

A moment of absolute silence rang out as Sonya took in the news.

"Are you kidding me?" she said eventually. He shook his head in answer. "Thank the lord! At least that's some good news."

"Wh- Wait, you're happy?" he looked shocked again. "Why?"

"We always hated Tasha."

"You hated her?" he repeated, surprise filling his features.

"Well, maybe 'hated' is too strong a word," she said thoughtfully. "'Strongly dislike' is more fitting, I think."

"Woah…" Dimitri looked genuinely surprised, but again, not upset at this news. "All of you? Even Mama?"

"Well, yeah, kinda…Although she always said differently. We all knew that Tasha was wrong for you."

"How? And why didn't any of you say anything?" he demanded.

"Just women's intuition," she replied simply. "And how could we say anything to you? You would've just gotten mad and stopped talking to us."

Dimitri didn't say anything. He seemed truly stunned that the women in his family had not approved of Tasha.

They must be smart women, I thought, although I wasn't entirely surprised. After only knowing Dimitri a couple of weeks, I could tell he was a clever cookie. But then again, he did go out with Tasha in the first place, so he was obviously just as clueless as every other male on the planet.

I silently studied the two siblings as they sat submerged in their own thoughts.

"What about papa?" Dimitri asked her suddenly. "What did he think of Tasha?"

But Sonya didn't answer. Not with words anyway: just tears.

"Sonya, what the hell is going on?" Dimitri demanded, his self-control finally snapping as he slipped into his 'family protecting' mode.

"Dimitri, I'm sorry!" Sonya sobbed. "But I just didn't want you to find out over the phone…You deserve to be told in person."

"Son, you're starting to scare me…"

"It's Papa. He's sick. They brought him to hospital this morning."

And just like that, the good day that Dimitri and I had shared together, came crashing down to pieces around us.