Author's note: I may be taking a bit of a break from this to get some original stuff done. If you would like to check out my original work, you can go to fictionpress and search for Danielle Cheri. Between Friends is the story I'll be working on and finishing this week.

Anyway, I don't know how long this will be, but I have visions of future events that may be included. But they could also very easily turn into one shots. Haven't decided yet. Please let me know what you think.

Happy reading!

Chapter Ten

"Roza, I am home. And I have a guest." Dimitri called as he walked through the front door to their apartment.

She appeared from a back room. A smile was already fixed on her face, but when she saw Adrian, it grew. "Adrian, hi." She walked over to him. "How are you?"

"Fine. How are you?"

"Exhausted. Glad Dimitri is home. He can pick up some of the slack." She reached up on her toes and kissed her boyfriend. "Come on." She tugged on Adrian's arm. "I just put her down for a nap, but you can still hold her. God knows Dimitri can't leave her asleep in her crib for long."

"This said by the woman who holds her for two hours or more after she is fast asleep." Dimitri shot at her.

"Zakroy svoy rot!" Rose returned with a laugh.

All three stepped into the nursery. It was painted a happy yellow with pictures of different animals all over the walls.

"This is cute." Adrian commented. He stepped up to the crib. "She's awake." He reached in and touched her tiny face. "Hello, Lorelei."

She started crying. It was soft at first but quickly grew to a scream.

Rose leaned over the crib beside him. "Sh, Rory, it's okay."

Lorelei only cried harder.

"Try picking her up." Rose suggested.

"Are you sure?" Adrian asked nervously.

"Yeah, of course. She's not hungry, I just fed her. You're a new person and you need to hold her to let her know you're safe."

He took a deep breath and reached in. "Hey, there, Rory. Sh. You're okay. I'm your Daddy. I won't hurt you, baby, I promise." He kissed her face and rocked her from side to side. "Sh, you're okay, Rory." He repeated until she finally quieted.

"We'll give you some privacy." Rose smiled and kissed Lorelei's face. "Have fun getting to know your daddy." She whispered. She pulled Dimitri out of the room.

Adrian stood in the middle of the room for a long time, just looking down at the baby in his arms. She looked back at him for a long time before she closed her little eyes and fell asleep. He sat down in the rocking chair.

"You are so much more beautiful in person than in the pictures." He sighed, running his finger down her cheek. "I can't wait for you to meet Sydney and Jill. They are both so excited to see you. Jill is…like your aunt, I guess. There's a big, complicated thing with her. Our minds are connected. She can see into mine. In fact, she's probably watching this right now. And Sydney, well, she's kind of my girlfriend. But not in public. She's got a difficult job that prevents her from actually admitting it and, well, it's hard to explain. But hopefully, one day, she's going to be your stepmother. If I play my cards right."

He looked down at her in silence for a while. He continued to touch her face and hair. He lifted each of her tiny hands and counted her fingers. He ran his finger over the soles of her little feet and counted her toes. She twitched.

"Did that tickle?" He ran his finger over her foot again and she squinted her eyes open in annoyance. He chuckled. "I'm sorry, Rory. Daddy's being mean, isn't he?" He kissed her face again. "I'll let you get to sleep more comfortably." He stood and put her back in her crib.

She opened her eyes for a moment and then closed them again and went to sleep once more.

Adrian stood and watched her a few minutes before he stepped away and walked back into the living room. He stood awkwardly for a moment as he watched Rose curled into Dimitri's side on the couch. Then he took a seat in a nearby chair.

"She looks even more like you now." He commented.

"That's funny, I was starting to think she looked a little more like you." Rose smiled. "Especially around the eyes."

Adrian grinned. "Well, thank you."

"She really likes it when Dimitri sings to her in Russian."

"Oh, I bet she does." He nodded. "You're probably a better singer than me."

"I do my best." Dimitri responded.

"I have some presents." Adrian walked to the front door and picked up the bag he'd dropped there. "Jill has been learning to sew. She made a few outfits." He pulled them out and sat them on the couch beside Rose.

"Oh, these are cute! Look, Dimitri."

"Very sweet. Tell Jill we thank her."

"I will." Adrian took out another item. "These are from Sydney." He shook the socks to make them rattle.

Rose smiled and took them from him. "What does she think of all this?"

He grinned proudly, "She's pretty set. She loves me and she thinks Lorelei is amazing and beautiful and…" He shrugged, "She wants to leave the Alchemists so we really can be together."

"That is not going to be easy." Dimitri said.

"No, it won't. But I know she'll do what she has to. She's not happy where she is and I hate to see it."

Rose nodded. "But are you sure she's really up for it with a baby on board?"

Adrian thought for a minute and then asked, "Dimitri, have you once since Rose told you about the baby thought that this wasn't something you wanted?"

"No. Because I love Rose. And I love Lorelei. There is nothing in this world that could tear me away from them."

"That's how I feel about Sydney and I really hope she feels that for me. She never gets annoyed or upset with me when I go on forever about our daughter. She asks questions and is making plans for our future. She told me she hopes one day we can all be a very interesting blended family."

Rose laughed. "I look forward to that too. Two dhampirs, a Moroi, and a human sharing a dhampir kid. It's better than those trashy soaps I watch when Rory keeps me awake all day."

Adrian chuckled. "I've been watching a few of those myself. Speaking of melodrama, I should probably make a trip to see my dad."

The guardians exchanged a look.

"What? Has he done something?"

Dimitri said, "He came here yelling at Rose that she is trying to get Ivashkov money. That she got pregnant on purpose. I had to physically remove him from our home."

"When did this happen?"

"It's been a few months." Rose said with a shrug.

"You should have told me. I would have talked to him."

"He hasn't tried anything else directly, but Dimitri's heard rumors."

Adrian looked down at his hands. "I'll handle him, Rose. Don't worry. I know Rory wasn't some calculated conception on your part to get my money. I know you both love her and will take the best care of her and raise her well. I can only promise that I will be around as much as possible once Jill can safely come home. You'll probably have to physically remove me from your home."

Dimitri chuckled.

Rose smiled, "You're always welcome to come see Rory. Within reason, of course. She's your daughter, but we need our time, too. When you're back and settled, we'll work out all the details. Are you planning on moving back into your apartment?"

He shook his head. "If all works out for Sydney, she'll be close when she gets out. I want her to be comfortable visiting me and she won't be here. But I also want to be able to see Rory as much as possible. So I'll be living very nearby."

"Like I said, we'll figure it all out when the time comes. And I do hope it's soon. This first year is the most important."

"Yeah. So maybe we can video chat? Is that something that can happen?"

"Absolutely!" Rose said.

Dimitri added, "Rose talks about you to her a lot."

"You do?" Adrian asked.

"Of course. I want her to know you. I was able to get a few pictures of you and I show them to her at least a couple times a day. And I tell her that Daddy loves her just as much as Mommy and Papochka. And that you're doing something very important or you would be here. I'm glad I'm not just making empty promises."

"I'm glad you're not either." He reached into the bag once more. "This is from me. The checking account for Rory. There's ten thousand dollars in there right now. Use it for whatever she needs. Don't use it at all, I don't care. I just want you to have it. And if you ever need anything more than is in there, then let me know and I'll put more in."

"Adrian, you don't have to do that."

"She's my daughter. I want to help. And like I said, you don't have to use it, just take it for emergencies."

Rose took the checkbook from him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He sat back in the chair once more. "I'm going to be here a couple weeks."

"If you want to stay here, you can. We have a guest room. I know you have your apartment, but you're welcome here. Always."

"Thank you, Rose."

They talked for a long time. Rose and Dimitri told Adrian about every day of Lorelei's life. When she started crying, they all exchanged looks.

"May I?" Adrian asked anxiously.

"Go for it." Rose said. "Diapers are in the cabinet under the changing table."

"I'll make the bottle." Dimitri kissed Rose's cheek and then walked toward the kitchen.

Rose followed Adrian into the nursery and watched from the doorway as he fumbled through changing his first diaper.

"Am I doing this right?" He asked.

She chuckled. "Yeah. Be happy it's just wet. It could be a lot worse."

"Oh, I've heard some stories in my day." Adrian laughed and buttoned her onsie back up. He gathered the baby to his chest. "There you go, Rory. Nice and dry and in Daddy's arms."

"Congratulations on a successful first diaper change." Dimitri held out a bottle. "Would you like to do the honors?"

He took the bottle. "Thanks."

They walked back into the living room.

"Dimitri is the diaper pro." Rose commented. "He can change her faster than me."

"I helped my mother a little." He grinned and kissed her again. "Are you hungry? Want me to order something?"

"I think we have plenty of that chili you cooked yesterday."

He nodded. "Does that sound good, Adrian?"

"Sounds great." Adrian said, staring transfixed down at Lorelei.

"Fantastic!" He walked out of the room.

Rose chuckled. "He wishes he could be in the Wild West sometimes."

"I remember you saying something about that once." He finally looked up. "I think I'll stay at least today. I have to go see my dad and set some things right. No one will bother you."

"Don't make it worse for yourself."

"I won't."

"You need to burp her. Put her on your shoulder and pat her back between the shoulder blades."

He kissed Lorelei's face as he lifted her to his shoulder. "So who is going to take care of her while you two are doing guardian things?"

"She'll go to the same daycare as the other dhampir babies."

"I'd like her to have a nanny."

"I bet you would." She smirked. "If that's what you want, then we'll look into it. But I don't want her to get special treatment. She may be an Ivashkov, but she's also a dhampir and I want her to be raised as one."

"Without any choice?"

"She'll be trained the way Dimitri and I were. After that, she can decide if she wants to go on being a guardian or do something else."

Adrian nodded. "Please don't push it."

"We won't. I feel that if anything ever goes farther with Sydney and you two have a baby that she'll choose to keep it home and raise it among the humans. Rory will see how we live and see how you live and she can make a choice. I'll always give our daughter choices, but she will be trained. I won't back down on that."

"And you shouldn't. I'm just glad we can be clear on both sides."

Rose nodded.

"Roza, Adrian, dinner is ready." Dimitri called from the kitchen.

"She's still awake. Do I need to put her in her crib?" Adrian asked.

"Put her in this." Rose walked across the room and picked up a little bouncy seat. "Even though Dimitri usually holds her while he eats, this is where she should be."

Translation: Zakroy svoy rot! = Shut your mouth!