Sorry for the shortness. I don't own VA!

It had been 7 months, and life had returned to normal. Dimitri had continued to give me the silent treatment, and I took it in stride, knowing I fully deserve it.

Right now, Tristan, Lily, and I were sitting with Bella and Ryan in the waiting room of the maternity ward in the Court's hospital. After several hours of waiting, both Christian and Adrian emerged from their respective delivery rooms.

"It's a girl!"
"It's a boy!" they shouted together. Christian came over to Bella and Ryan.

"Do you want to meet your little sister?" he asked them. They agreed, and he took them back to see Lissa. Just then, an ear-piercing scream came from the delivery room Adrian had exited. He immediately rushed back through the swinging door. Viktoria emerged from Lissa's room with an ashen face. Due to her guardian trainee status, I had given her the job of guarding Lissa's room during the birth.

"Sweetie, childbirth isn't fairies and rainbows," I said as she sunk into a chair next to me. "You should give your mama a big thank-you next time you see her," I suggested. She nodded absently, no doubt still traumatized by the events she had witnessed.

"Viktoria?" I heard a voice that I would know anywhere. I looked up from comforting her to see Dimitri. She looked up.

"Dima?" she asked. Before waiting for his answer, she had jumped up and was squeezing him in a hug.

"You know him Vikki?" I asked, rising with Lily in my arms. She nodded and faced me while keeping an arm around him.

"He's my big brother," she informed me. I shot her a look.

"Why'd you lie about your name?" I demanded with my free hand firmly planted on my hip. She looked guiltily at the ground, knowing that I was questioning her as her superior now.

"I wanted my own reputation," she told me truthfully. I softened at that. I know what it feels like to live in someone else's shadow.

"I understand," I told her before facing Dimitri. "What brings you here?" I asked him.

"Tasha wanted me to come with her and Nicholas to her doctor's appointment," he told me. Nicholas Rasmussen is Tasha's boyfriend. "Actually Rose, I was wondering if we could talk privately." I nodded, handing Lily to Tristan and following him to the hallway.

"I'm sorry for keeping her from you," I apologized once we were out of earshot. "I was young and scared, so scared. I didn't know what to do." I could feel myself begin to shake with sobs and hysteria. He immediately reached out to lay a comforting hand on my arm. I pulled away from him as the tears began to fall, the shaking only increasing.

"Roza, it's okay. I forgive you. Everyone makes mistakes," he said in a soothing voice. I kept shaking, and the tears were leaving my eyes in torrents. Soon, I was hyperventilating. I couldn't seem to get enough air into my lungs. Dimitri looked terrified now.

"I'm…sorry…" I gasped out. He had grabbed my arms in a vice-like grip, trying to control my shaking.

"Breathe, Roza," he instructed. I tried to listen to the soothing sound of his voice, but it was becoming increasingly hard. The edges of my vision began to turn black and fuzzy. I got lightheaded and begin to sway dangerously. The last thing I registered was Dimitri catching me before the world went dark.

~~~~~BREAK~~~~~

I woke to an annoying beeping sound. I tried to get up, only to be pulled down by an IV tubs stuck in my arm. Grimacing at the hated tube, I looked at my surroundings. I was in a hospital room.

"Rose, I was so worried!" Lissa was standing in the doorway. She ran over and hugged me. I shot her a look.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" She immediately looked guilty. "Lissa, don't worry about me. You have to take care of yourself." I grasped the IV needle and looked away from it before yanking it out of my arm. I staunched the bleeding in my arm and covered it with a band-aid. Striding out of the room, I searched the halls for Lily. I spotted her standing next to Tristan and a pretty brunette girl. Picking Lily up, I turned to Tristan.

"Where's Dimitri?" He stopped talking to the mysterious girl in rapid Spanish to face me. He shrugged. "Well, Lily and I need to talk to him." I took Lily to Dimitri's personal room. She knocked on the door for me.

"Yes?" he asked as he opened the door. Seeing who exactly was at his door, he stepped aside and let us in.

"Lily?" I asked, facing her.

"Yes Mama?" She looked so innocent. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

"Your Papa came back," I told her. Her face lit up like it was Christmas morning.

"Can I meet him?" she asked with excitement. Then she got an idea, and her face took on a fearful expression. "What if he doesn't like me?" she whispered. The whisper was meant for me, but Dimitri heard it as well. He looked at her.

"Don't worry Liliya," he told her with a smile. "He loves you already."

Well, I managed to finish this for the weekend! Let's see if we can get 170-180 reviews?