I am really happy with the revies I have gotten so far. I have to say that I am surprised that no one has mentioned the kitty. She is written in for my own baby Misty with the blue eyes.

I was going to hold of on posting this chapter but I just can't wait. The next chapter is kinda long so I will post that in few instalments.

As you all know I don't own VA but that which is mine I freely share with you. Please enjoy it.

Chapter 10: Family

"I can't believe that graduation is almost a week away." Lissa and I were in the process of finishing the last week of instruction. For me the coming week meant much more than my last week as a high school student.

In nine days I was going to receive my Promise mark. I would be a fully fledged Guardian, I would receive my assignment. I wanted more than anything to guard Lissa but I was still very worried that the counsel would assign me to someone else.

In ten days I would graduate with Lissa. This would be the last time we were really in class together as equals. If I was assigned to her I would audit the classes she took but I would not really be there to learn. I would be there to guard her. I would fight for her life if a Stigoi ever came near. From this point forward I would have to put her life before mine.

In eleven days I was going to do something that would make being a Guardian very difficult. I was going to pledge myself to the man I loved. I was going to try to be Guardian, Wife, Mother and Friend. I didn't know how I was going to do any of this.

I must have been quiet for too long. Lissa looked sidewise at me.

"You know with this damn bond going somewhat both ways, we have no secrets." She was right.

"I am just getting nervous. Sometimes I feel like there is so much on my shoulders"

"You have family and friends who will be there for you." She gave me a smile and thought the bond I felt love and encouragement.

We continued walking to the campus apartment that I shared with Adrian. There was more activity going on in the building than usual. This is where parents and relatives stayed when they visited students at the school. With graduation getting close a lot of families were beginning to arrive. I could feel thought the bond that Lissa was beginning to feel a longing for her family. She was the last of the Dragomir. Some royal families like Adrian's family were huge. There were hundreds of Ivashkovs. Lissa, her brother and her parents had been the last Dragomir family left. Then nearly three years ago when I was on vacation with them our car slid off the road and smashed against a tree. Lissa was the only one to survive. After the crash she found me, she wanted me to survive so badly that without knowing it she used spirit for the first time. She healed me and formed the first part of our bond. I took her hand as we walked though the hall to my door.

"Lissa, you have family. You have me." she gave me a small smile.

"I know thank you."

"I have been by your side since kindergarten. You are stuck with me sister." In my heart she really was a sister. More than a sister, she was my bondmate.

When we walked through the door Misty Blue was waiting as usual. She rubbed against my legs and I lifted her up. I held her like one would hold a baby over your shoulder she purred in my ear for a minute then reached out to paw the air between Lissa and I.

"I think she wants you Liss."

Lissa smiled and reached out for the kitten. I watched them snuggle. Lissa always loved cats. When we were on the run during our sophomore and Junior years she always wanted one. Ironically I now had a cat, and I was never the cat lover. After a few minutes of snuggling Misty Blue ran off to have what I called the crazies. She ran all over like she was chasing invisible flies. She would jump and flip and just act nuts. I knew when she was done she would climb to the top of the kitty condo and crash for a few hours. Lissa's mood improved after playing with Misty, it was amazing to me how much she made everyone feel better.

--

Time seemed to fly by. I just had two days left before my Molnija ceremony. Abraham Mazur was arriving in just a few minutes. I stood near the tarmac with my mother, Adrian and Lissa. I was so nervous, this was the first time I would meet him and know that he was my father. I had a little correspondence with him since I had gotten home from Russia. Out of respect I told him that I was pregnant and that the father was not involved. I told him about Adrian and my upcoming marriage. He must have been warned by mom not to voice his opinions too strongly. He had told me he knew of Adrian's reputation.

As the plane came into view my stomach knotted up. Lissa look my hand and Adrian gave my waist a tight little squeeze.

"I have a few surprises coming with Abe; I hope they make you happy."

The plane taxied to the end of the tarmac and several attendants rushed with the ramp. When the hatch was opened my father got off the plane looking just as intimidating as he did when I saw him last. When he spotted my mother and me his face softened and he gave us a smile. I was surprised by how much one smile could change his face. The surprise was that he was not alone. Next off was Oksana and mark. The shock of seeing them again did not have a chance to register. Olena and Yeva came out followed by Dimitri's sisters with their kids. Yeva's eyes were narrowed in on me. I knew she must be pissed that I was with someone else so soon after losing Dimitri. She must also be pissed that I did not fulfill my promise to kill him.

I was so fixated on Yeva that I didn't notice the last person to exit the plane. Sydney gave me a hug and said.

"Just because I traveled half way across the world with a bunch of evil creatures of the night to see you, does not mean I don't think you aren't an evil creature of the night too, cuz you are. Since I know you won't snack on me can crash on your couch?"

She caught me so off guard that I took my focus off of Yeva and laughed at scared look on her face.

"Sydney you are welcome to crash with me. Just so you know I Live with another evil creature now." She simply nodded and moved to the edge of the group.

I hadn't even realized that I missed any of these people as much as I did. I knew that it was going to be hard to talk with Dimitri's family. I really wanted them to be part of the baby's life. I just hope that they could understand how I could be so sure about Adrian after such a short amount of time.

After we got the Suite and Room assignment for all our guests we set about getting everyone settled. Adrian carried Yeva and Olena's bags himself. Yeva's bag looked very heavy. I could not help but wonder how many bricks she brought with her. The Belakov suite was not far from ours.

"Adrian, I need to talk with them privately"

He nodded and gave me a hug and kiss on the top of my head.

"I'll see you before dinner."

He walked down the hall to our place. He gave me one last look of encouragement and love. I walked thought the door. They were already seated around the room. His youngest sister Viktoria was sitting on the floor. The babies were crawling around while his nephew played with some cars but all the women were looking at me expectantly. I took a deep breath and sat down on the empty leather chair.

"Thank you for coming for my commencement and my wedding. I know that you must think about my wedding. Believe me when I say to you that my love for Dimitri is real. The thing is that he is gone and I had to let him go. It may seem like such a short time to have fallen in love with another man. I didn't think that my life would unfold the way it has. I never expected that I could ever love anyone ever again." I looked at them in my heart I was praying that they would not hate me. I was surprised that in the eyes of Olena and his sisters I saw patience; Yeva gave me a piercing look but said nothing. I continued "Did Yeva tell you why I had gone to Russia? Many months ago, before Dimitri and I ever acknowledged our love, we made an unspoken Promise to each other. If either of us were to be turned, then the other would kill them lest the live like a soulless monster. When Abe brought me to you I had been looking for him. I wanted to stay with you, being with you was like having some kind of connection to him. I realized that if I stayed with you I would be letting the person he loved die with him. That is why I left the way I did. A few weeks later he found me. He kept me for over a week. Part of me wanted to believe he was still my Dimitri, my love. I tried to release him but I failed. The attempt nearly killed me." I looked in my hands, the same hands that had tried to plunge a Stake into the heart of my lost love. "There is a way, I don't yet know how but there is a way to turn him back. The man who knows the secrets is in prison. He will not tell unless I break him out, He is a soulless monster. I can't let him out. I made the decision to try to let go of Dimitri." I looked up at them "I made the only decision I could at the time." Olena's voice was soft and kind.

"Rose we are here for you, not to judge you. Please continue."

"Adrian has loved me for nearly as long as he has known me. I didn't return his feelings at first because I was in love with Dimitri. Then after, he let me know that he was still interested but that he was content to be a friend. In a short time his kindness grew on me. He has been there for me through so much already. He is the one who gave me the money to go to Russia. When I came back here he understood my grief. I was such a mess when I got home, but he helped me understand what was happening to me." My hands moved to my stomach. I looked directly at Yeva. I knew this is what she was waiting for me to confess. Her gaze was intense but not accusing. "Adrian is the one who realized I am pregnant. He knew that even though it should be impossible, this baby is Dimitri's." I looked down at my small bump. My hand caressed it protectively. "I have part of him with me, a part I can protect and care for and love. Adrian and I decided that it is best if no one know that the real father is Dimitri. I know that it has been only a few months but time with Adrian is hard to describe, it is like I have been with him twice as long as I have. Adrian and I have fallen in love; he loves me and my baby. I trust him." I looked up again. Every one of the women had tears in their eyes. I began to cry and Olena was the first to put her arms around me.

"Don't cry. You are still my beloved Daughter."

"What will you do, if he comes after you?" His youngest sister, Viktoria, looked up at me.

"I can't kill my baby's father, not as long as there is a chance to turn him back. Adrian and Abe have been using their contacts to get as many old resources we can get our hands on. There is not a lot of info on spirit wielders, but we are trying to find answers."

"If you find your answers and you turn him, what will you do then? If you love both men what will you do.?"

"I will always love Dimitri but we had so many roadblocks our love was never given any chance to grow. But the relationship I have with Adrian is different. It grows and changes, I would not leave Adrian for Dimitri. This child is his; if he were turned back then I would want him to be in the child's life."

--

I went back home to Adrian a short time later. I felt utterly spent. I still had one more day of finals before my promise ceremony. I felt a swirl of emotion from Lissa. I sat on the couch and opened myself more to her. She was feeling lonely again. The full realization that she would have no family to attend her commencement celebrations had hit her when she saw how many people had come for me. I did not know what to do. I was surprised as she was to have so many people come off that plane. When we were growing up I had the idea that I would be the one who would not have anyone there. I went to her. Lissa was in the sitting in the attic of the church. The room looked different. All the boxes had been moved to far side of the room. It looked more like a dressing room than an attic. I realized that there was even more to her lonely feelings.

"Liss you'll always have me."

Warning: By pressing the green button you will be cousing unbelievable happiness to the author.