Sorry this is so late! D:
/A lot/ of things happened...
(Rose)
Christmas has always been Reyna's favorite time of the year. True it wasn't close to that time yet but that didn't stop me from thinking about it seeing some shops in this country already advertising a sale for Christmas gifts.
*Five years ago, three days before Christmas*
"Mama! Papa!" Reyna shouted gleefully as she ran over to Dimitri and I. Her bright blue backpack bouncing off her back as she ran. Last year my parents took her mom's home country for Christmas since we were busy. The year before that Dimitri's mother had her for Christmas because we were busy yet again. Since she was five when she started school we never got to see her for Christmas. Somehow we were always called away. This year I had put my foot down as a mother that I would spend Christmas with our daughter.
"Hey baby. Ready to go?" I asked.
"Yes! Is it really gonna be just us for Christmas?!" She asked excitedly hugging my waist. I smiled and nodded hugging her back.
'Damn, she's getting tall.' I thought.
"You're getting tall sweetheart." Dimitri voiced as Reyna then hugged him and he her.
"I'm gonna be like mama. Taller than grandma Janine. That's what grandpa Abe says." She said happily. I smiled as did Dimitri.
"We should go before the roads get busy or a storm blows in." I said. Dimitri nodded.
"Where we going?" She asked excitedly as we walked to the guardian standard SUV. Lissa had allowed us to take one.
"It's a surprise." Dimitri smiled as he helped her in. I got in the passenger seat. Dimitri got in the driver's seat and started the vehicle. We headed out on the road. Dimitri and I had found a cabin to rent a year after Lissa had become queen. We went to it a few times but once Reyna showed up in our lives again we never really gone but Adrian had, unknown to us, hired someone to watch the cabin when we couldn't go.
"Oh! Lookie! There's a Christmas Town in Billings. Can we stop and go?" Reyna practically shouted. Dimitri and I looked at each other.
"Please! All the other kids talk about them all the time." She begged. We smiled.
"Alright. We'll stop." Dimitri said. I smiled happily. We eventually pulled off into Billings to the Christmas Town. There was cars for miles. I mentally cringed at the thought of us being in a crowd of people. We parked in the farthest back row there was. Reyna was already unbuckling and jumping out. Dimitri and I followed.
"Reyna wait." Dimitri said firmly knowing she was about to run off. She paused bouncing on her toes. I sighed softly grabbing the messenger bag I used in place of a purse. I never was the typical mother. Lissa thought I should have tried but hey I refused to carry a purse and a baby bag at the same time. I found it easier to carry everything in one.
"Come on mom!" I heard her say. I looked at her and Dimitri was holding her now. I smiled and put on a pair of glasses on her.
"What are you doing mama?" She asked.
"It's an early Christmas gift. Uncle Adrian and Aunt Lissa made you a pair of glasses." I told her.
"What do they do?" She asked.
"You know how you were complaining about looking normal. So they made you these." I answered holding up a small mirror that I kept. She suddenly lit up as she saw what I saw. A little girl with dark chocolate brown eyes like her father. I smiled.
"Shall we get going before there's a huge line to Santa?" Dimitri asked. Reyna nodded excitedly. I smiled taking his free hand in mine as we walked to the entrance. I noticed a few parents staring at us. I ignored them as we walked through the Christmas Town. After a while Reyna started to look a little cold while we were waiting to see Santa.
"You stay here and I'll go get us some hot chocolate." I told Dimitri. He smiled and nodded.
"Can I get whipped cream on mine?" Reyna asked I walked away. I turned back slightly.
"Yes!" I called back. I ordered three hot chocolates one with whipped cream and headed back. In that short time I was gone a few of the female elves and a few single moms had crowded around my husband and my daughter. I cleared my throat squeezing past them.
"Oh hey love." I said handing him his hot chocolate and kissing his cheek.
"Hey. It's my beautiful wife." He said seeing the jealous part of me come out a little. I smiled as the other women then dispersed.
"They were creepy mama." Reyna stated softly. I giggled handing her the hot chocolate with whipped cream.
"I'm sure they were." I agreed. We stood in line a little longer and finally got to see Santa. We then headed back to the car.
"I hope that Santa tells the real one he doesn't have to visit." I heard Reyna mumble from her head rest on Dimitri's shoulder.
"What?" Dimitri asked.
"All I wanted for Christmas was my mama and papa." She replied quietly. I then took her from Dimitri as he opened the door. I hugged her tightly.
"Baby, you didn't have to ask that for Christmas." I said softly suddenly feeling like a horrible parent.
"Calls are okay but I wanted to spend Christmas with you two a lot." She told me. Dimitri smiled softly before I put Reyna in the seat. She pulled down the middle cup holder part and rested her head on it. We headed to our vacation home for the next couple days.
(A/N: And now back to our regular scheduled program since that was very late(Right?).)
"Are you sure we can trust him?" I asked.
"Not really but if that truly was Ivan that called us then I believe we can." Dimitri said.
"He could also hate you and want to see you killed." I retorted.
The mansion we arrived at had been part of Ivan's instructions. When I found out she had been moved from Japan and we had to get on another flight I was so pissed off and called Adrian demanding am explanation. He hadn't been able to dream Skype her and Sydney couldn't use magic to find her.
We still got inside easy enough despite sneaking our way in. It was extremely quiet with no sounds at all. This wasn't good at all as we then heard a scream. We ran upstairs and towards the scream. In a study room five boys had surrounded a girl and were draining her dry. Her back was to us as all I focused on was the color of her hair as it looked exactly like Reyna's.
"Reyna!" Came out of me without me even thinking of it. The boys then pulled away looking at us, as if in slow motion the girl fell on her side. I gasped moving towards her before there was a scream of "Mom!" to my right. I stopped and looked to my side to see Reyna being held by a Strigoi.
"That's Ivan." Dimitri whispered obviously in shock. Hell, I was too especially when I was suddenly grabbed by two of the boys and Dimitri the other bigger two. The fifth was busy wiping his mouth as Ivan dragged her into the room with us.
"I'm sorry dad and mom." Reyna told us.
"Oh please do shut up Reyna. " the fifth snapped with a British accent. I glared at him.
"You have no right to talk to her like that." Dimitri replied in anger. Reyna had stayed quiet though when the British prick had said something. She was such a strong willed girl and it almost seemed like it was broken now.
"It's okay Reyna. Remember what our dad told you. Kill them and you'll be strong." One of the other boys told her. She then glared at him.
"Screw off, I would never kill my parents. I would rather kill the monster that made me like you five freaks." She snapped. I smiled glad she has that left but then the slap that came next nearly had me trying to launch onto that boy who had just touched my little girl.
"Weakling. You'll never, ever be on the level we are." He snarled raising his hand again. Ivan grabbed him this time as I now noticed that the red ring was dull. He easily knocked the boy back into the other who had clocked Dimitri the few times he even twitched.
"Ivan? What are you doing?" The Brit demanded.
"Good question but you would never understand the answer." He retorted as Dimitri grappled with one boy and Reyna had dispatched the other. I looked to Dimitri as I stood wondering what Ivan was talking about. I noticed Reyna's neck was bruised. I felt rage wash over me as I then picked up my silver stake. Dimitri stopped me as Reyna turned to the Brit who looked ready to fight us.
"Don't Mordred just let me go home, please." She said softly. He looked at her and us.
"You'll never get far sister." He hissed looking to his knocked out brothers if he just referred to my daughter as a sister.
"You don't know how stubborn we can be." She said tossing him a necklace. The red in his eyes seemed to glow brighter with anger. I grabbed her hand slowly walking backward keeping an eye on the boys who were slowly waking up.
"Run." Dimitri said as he and Ivan both shut the door and Dimitri shoved one of the stakes through the handle. We turned to her and hugged her at the same time.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She said crying softly. I shook my head as there was crashing sounds on the door now ensuing. I held her hand as we then ran for the SUV. We were inside with her as they came crashing through the front door. I looked at Dimitri alarmed as he sped away. I looked at our daughter and hugged her since I had missed her so much.
"They'll never stop mom." She whispered to me.
"They'll never get to you again." I told her.
"Mordred doesn't like losing his so called brothers and sisters." Ivan told me. I glared at him still wondering why he had done what he had done and why he was here in the vehicle with us. Then I noticed his eyes. They were a normal color but just barely, a very faint red ring existed.
"Mom, my blood makes him normalish." She told me. Dimitri jerked the wheel slightly making the two of us jump.
"Seriously?!" He demanded. Ivan shrugged.
"And...I wont say that other bit." Ivan said changing his mind on what he was going to say. Reyna rested her head on my shoulder as I still kept my arms around her protectively.
Promising never to let her go again. Even if that meant having her live at the Court with us if that's what it took. She would be safe no matter what.
Again so very sorry this is late!