A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait. I've been crazy busy with my full time job and stressing out about the upcoming semester. It's just been a long summer and I'm only halfway through it. I can barely enjoy it… Anyways I'm trying to update on weekends so hopefully I'll get this down regularly. Thanks for being patient.

I don't own anything, like always.

"She knows?"

"Yup."

"She knows Dimitri is her father?" Lissa asked gripping the side of the queen size bed she sat on. "Your five year old daughter knows that Tasha's guardian is her father?"

"Yes. Apparently Adrian let it slip whenever he thought she was asleep. Then she overheard us talking in the kitchen and on top of all that Dimitri said that he is still in love with me and that leaving was the biggest mistake of his life to her," I rushed out as I hung up one of her dresses.

"He said that to her?"

"Well," I said turning around to face her with my hands on my hips, "I don't know. He could have said it to her, but I really doubt that. He probably said it to someone and she overheard him. I tell you, when that child wants to hear something she will hear it."

"So, now what?"

I slumped down next to her on the bed. "I don't know."

"Well, I know you are supposed to be watching me and helping me through this breakdown, but I want you to talk to Dimitri."

'Lissa, I can't-"

"No," she said putting her hands on top of mine. "Rose, you are running out of time. Soon there will be no going back. Veda will end up resenting you for withholding the information from not only her, but from her father as well. She will have to watch her father raise a family with another woman never knowing that he has another one just next door."

"I know Liss, I just don't even know where to start."

"Approach this like a Band-Aid," she said simply, moving towards the sink to wash off her makeup.

"What?" I asked staring dumbfounded after her.

"When you take off a Band-Aid," she said patting her face dry with a fluffy white towel, "you don't peel it off slowly. You just rip it off."

"But I'm not taking off a Band-Aid Lissa. I'm am telling a guy who left me six years ago that he has a daughter."

"Which is why you cannot just walk around the subject. You have to just walk up to Dimitri and tell him-"

"Tell him what?" the man in question asking walking into the room. His face was composed with false humor in his eyes. The curiosity was killing him.

"Tell him that we are going to about a dozen kegs stand each before we call this a successful trip!" I said jumping off the bed.

Dimitri rolled his eyes at me giving his famous disapproving look. "Princess Dragomir-"

"Dimitri, seriously. Call me Lissa. I'm not on this trip to be reminded of Court," she said sitting back down on the bed.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. He hated acting normal around Moroi. "Lissa, Tasha called in reservations for us at six for Crabber Cove. Apparently it has the best seafood in Dewey."

I raised my eyebrows at him and looked to Lissa. I knew she was thinking the same thing as me. This reservation was to get on my good side as well as show Dimitri how much she cared about him. Moroi don't really eat human food.

"Well, you can tell Tasha-" I started.

"Thank you, but Rose and I actually had plans to go to this bar called Venus." Lissa didn't think I could keep composure around Dimitri now that everything was basically out of the bag.

"It has a dance floor and everything," I said smiling.

"But you and Rose are welcome to go," she said walking over to the window.

"Lissa are you crazy? We can't leave you here by yourself," I exclaimed.

"I wouldn't be," she said smiling at me.

"Lissa, what do you mean?" Dimitri finally asked taking a few steps into the room.

"I'd still be there, just at the bar." We both gave her a questioning look. "Look, I don't really eat human food, but I heard this place has the best seafood in Dewey."

"Which isn't saying a lot," I mused aloud. This beach was literally one street. Maybe 15 miles long.

"And the portions are apparently huge. So why waste the reservations?"

I looked at Dimitri, and he looked back at me. I shrugged looking as hopeless as ever. Could Lissa have made this more awkward?

"That's very generous of you, Lissa," Dimitri said, his guardian mask in place. Meanwhile I knew this whole idea was killing him on the inside. The last thing we needed in our twisted relationship was a dinner alone together.

But that's what we got.

We sat across from each other, angling our bodies perfectly so we could have a fully view of Lissa and anyone who may sit within twenty feet of her. For the first five minutes we placed our orders to the waitress who was a little too friendly to Dimitri.

Then nothing.

We sat in complete silences, occasionally looking over in Lissa's direction and accidently meeting each other's eyes before slipping back into our business nature. By the time I had a second glass of Diet Coke, I figured to pull the Band-Aid off slowly. Shouting at him that he had a daughter in the middle of a crowded restaurant is never a good idea.

"I'm surprised Tasha let you off the hook for a week," I said smiling up at him. "Actually I'm more surprised that you accepted."

"I didn't," he said shortly. "However, your friend Michael promised he would look after her when I was gone. And next to you, he is one of the best guardians there is at Court."

I nodded. "I didn't realize you and Michael knew each other."

"We do not. He and Tasha have known each other for a year or two. Besides he seems to have your trust."

"What do you mean?" I asked not fully understanding what he was getting at.

"You two seem quite friendly towards each other. He'd be a much better father figure for Veda unlike Adrian-"

"First off," I said cutting him off, "Adrian has been there the whole time for both of us, and Veda loves him very much. Second, he's cleaned up his act a lot since I got pregnant." To be there for the child you abandoned. "Third, Michael and I aren't that friendly. He's just a friend who I happen to trust more than most people."

He rubbed his face with his hands, his expression suddenly becoming very tired. "I know. I'm sorry Rose; I really had no right to say any of that. It's just been difficult these past couple of weeks."

I bite the inside of my cheek. And I'm going to make it much more difficult. For once I wish I could project my thoughts into Lissa's mind. "It's okay," I said softly reaching over and giving his hand a squeeze. "These past couple of weeks have not been very easy for me either."

"Well, I am sure you can understand why mine have been difficult, but what's going on in yours?"

My eyes widened a little, shocked that he seems genuinely interested even though he just insulted my friends and me. "Um well, things have been difficult with Lissa's wedding and Veda just… she just has a lot of questions for me."

"About?" he asked warily.

"Oh nothing like that! No, she's just been wondering about her father," I said looking down at my hands as our waitress brought our food, lingering a few extra seconds. She huffed away when Dimitri's eyes did not leave my face.

"What did you tell her?" he asked quietly and nonchalantly as he took a bite of his lobster ravioli.

"Um, well, everything," I said matching his tone as I took a bite of my own pasta.

I watched as he stopped chewing and then forcibly swallow the substance, which probably tastes like cardboard right now. By the look in his eyes I'd say I was right.

"Ah. How did she take it?"

"Much better than I thought. Then again she is the one who told me who her father is. Apparently she has hawk ears when she wants to hear something. But she asked a couple of questions and promised not to say anything until I told him."

"And when will that be?"

"Quite soon. I believe it has to be," I said finally looking him in the eyes.

His eyes locked with mine. For a couple of minutes we sat there, neither touching our food, neither being able to pull away from the other's stare. I was hoping somehow my thoughts were projecting so that I may not have to tell him the truth.

"How is everything here?" the waitress asked with a forced smile. She was clearly unhappy.

"Great," I said matching her ridiculously happy tone. I caught Lissa's eyes at that moment and shook my head slightly. I can't do it. I can't be the one to destroy his whole world. Sorry Liss, I thought.

The rest of the evening went by in a very business-like manner. Neither of us wanting to get too personal. Clearly the fact that I was going to tell the father was upsetting for Dimitri. I didn't understand why since he's been telling me from day one to tell Veda's father, but Lissa of course knew the reason why.

"In his eyes it'd finally be over for the two of you," she said shrugging.

I rolled my eyes. "Tasha's pregnant. With his child. I highly doubt he thought we could still be a family."

"Well, of course you wouldn't, well won't, be. However, I'm sure there was still a part of him imagining that he could have the whole package with you."

"But he could," I exclaimed a little too loudly. "Well he should have. I did get there before Tasha."

"Rose," Lissa warned.

"I know, I know. Dimitri and I have been done for quite some time. It's just I don't know if I could tell him anything. His whole world would come crashing down. He'd be blinded by loyalty and love and chivalry that he wouldn't know what to do. I'm afraid his would actually self-combust," I rattled on as we crossed the street a few good yards away from Dimitri.

Lissa giggled. "You are probably right, but he still deserves to know. Besides," she said weaving her arm threw mine and pulling me closer, "you cannot expect Veda to never mention it."

I sighed. "I know you're right. I just wouldn't know where to begin."

"Well, the beginning is always a good place to start. Replay the night it happened."

"We really don't need to go down that path on are trip down memory lane."

"Then just explain how you felt the next day. He left again. And this time with no note. He told you he still loved you, and then left. The fact that he can look you in the eye still amazes me. Therefore he doesn't have a right to be mad at you for keeping Veda a secret. He doesn't deserve to know."

I stared at her for a minute. We had come to a complete stop in front of the club's entrance. "Where did that come from?"

She huffed out a short breath and rolled her eyes. "I've held that in for six years. Seeing you break down the way you did when he left was the worst I have ever seen you. I can never forgive him."

"Then why do you want me to tell him so badly?"

"I don't want you to tell him for his happiness or to see him suffer with his own internal battle. I only want Veda to have the chance to have a father. Something you never had."

"I didn't really have a mother either, but I turned out just fine," I said a little taken aback by her blunt attitude.

"I'm not saying you didn't. I just saying it would be great for Veda to have the life you always wanted," she said patting my hand.

"Ladies," Dimitri said causing me to jump. He turned and gave me a stern look as if lecturing me. I could even hear his voice in my head. Guardians should never be surprised. Never let yourself get sucked into the world around you. You must be alert, and always aware of your surroundings.

"Comrade," I said shortly.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Are we going inside?"

"Liss, why don't you go ahead? I'm not really in the mood to dance anymore."

She shook her head. "No, it okay. We should just go tomorrow or something. It's been a long day."

Within ten minutes we were back in our condo. With time to spare when Lissa got into the shower, I headed to the kitchen to get a diet coke. It became one of my comforts on long days.

"Rose," Dimitri said softly as he walked into the kitchen behind me.

I nodded as I poured my can into a tall glass of ice. Rip off the Band-Aid, I kept telling myself. Just rip it off already.

"Rose-"

"Dimitri-" we both started at the same time.

I smiled weakly at him, running my hands through my hair. This was going to be a long night.

He shook his head. "You go ahead."

"No, I can wait. What were you going to say?"

He sighed knowing he wouldn't win. "I just wanted to apologize," he said slipping easily back into his guardian mask, "for this evening. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did when we started to talk about Adrian and Michael. They are better men then I."

"Why do you say that?" I asked as I took a sip of coke.

He looked down at the floor becoming vulnerable to me once more. "They never left when you needed them most," he whispered.

It had to be now. Now or never. "We need to talk about what happened six years ago."